6 comments by 2 or more people

1. Mike Willis

   The screenshots at
   http://microsoftontheissues.com/cs/blogs/mscorp/archive/2010/02/19/the-browser-choice-screen-for-europe-what-to-expect-when-to-expect-it.aspx
   show a ‘select later’ button.

   The browser choice thing seems like a big waste of time and effort. Anyone who cares what web browser they use will already be aware that there are alternatives, people who don’t care just select Internet Explorer because it’s the one they recognise, possible whilst wondering why they have to ‘Install’ it when it’s obviously already installed because they’ve been using it.

   I was surprised to discover that I’ve never heard of five of the browsers on offer. After clicking on the ‘Tell me more’ option for GreenBrowser I’m still none the wiser as to why it is my ‘best choice of flexible and powerful green web browser.’

   03 Mar 2010, 12:53

2. Mathew Mannion

   People need to get off Microsoft’s backs for this and accept that it’s a Good Thing to offer choice to consumers. At the very least, it informs people what a browser is and that there are alternatives to using Internet Explorer – what they do with that choice is up to them. It also gives everyone on Windows XP another chance to get rid of IE6, which is the real goal for those working in web design.

   03 Mar 2010, 14:33

3. Rob

   Thanks Mike, but when I clicked the ‘select later’ button the screen come back at the next logon! I rarely argue with Matt Mannoin, he is right again. I did get thanked by Microsoft for positive words on Warwick Blogs recently and no-one will agrue with the need to finish off IE6.

   03 Mar 2010, 15:35

4. Mike Willis

   Maybe try clicking the ‘Install’ option for IE then, which will presumably not actually install anything but would at least be accepted as you having made a choice. Maybe a “I don’t want to select anything make it go away and never appear again” button is prohibited by the EU ruling.

   I don’t have any quarrel with Microsoft for producing this ballot screen, they’re only doing it because the EU has forced them and what they’ve produced seems OK to me. I’m no fan of Microsoft and I’m all for people a web browser that isn’t Internet Explorer, but I’m failing to see where the problem is with Microsoft shipping their operating system with only their web browser included, even accounting for their dominant market share. Nothing prevents users from installing a different web browser and setting it as the default and OEMs can ship machines with a different web browser pre-installed set as default. (Sony have been doing it with Chrome.)

   I agree that making people aware of what a web browser is is a good thing, that’s not something I had considered happening as a result of this ballot screen. Maybe if some people do become aware as a result it’s not a complete waste of time and effort after all.

   Perhaps I’m wrong, but I don’t see how it’s going to do much if anything to reduce usage of IE 6. I can’t imagine that anyone is still using IE 6 unless either they have specifically chosen to do so or they never install updates. If they have decided they need IE 6 for some reason, e.g. for some corporate Intranet application that was written in such a way that it fails to work with anything other than IE 6, then they won’t get rid of IE 6 because of the ballot screen. They’ll just keep clicking ‘select later’ or install a different browser then keep going back to IE 6 when they need to use it. (Though if they’re aware they need IE 6 they understand what a web browser is and hence will be aware there are other web browsers and hence if they have a desire to use a different web browser will probably already be doing so for things that don’t require IE 6.) If they don’t install updates they won’t see the ballot screen because it’s delivered as an update. Either way, they keep using IE 6 just as they did before the ballot screen.

   03 Mar 2010, 17:29

5. Rob

   Mike,

   Thank you for the knowledgable comment.
   I did install Chrome on that first machine with the early version.
   Next time I boot there was the browser choice again!

   Users should not have to load a browser to get this to go away.
   Many users have never loaded new software themselves.

   Rob McGonigle

   04 Mar 2010, 14:11

6. seo

   As a Mac user, one thing that makes me nuts about Microsoft is this very thing – option boxes with no option to just get out of it!

   30 May 2010, 14:39