EU Regulators, Opera on Windows 7 E plan
link: original article - section: common
At the end of the day Microsoft acknowledged its plan to ship a browser-less version of Windows 7 in the European Union to attempt to appease antitrust regulators, those same regulators and Opera Software weighed in on Redmond’s plan.
Neither the European regulators nor Opera, the company which originally filed the antitrust case over browser-bundling against Microsoft in 2007, is completely keen on Microsoft’s proposed self-inflicted remedy. But the European Commission (EC) did like the bulk of Microsoft’s solution.
A quick recap for those who missed the most recent fireworks in the Microsoft-Opera case: On June 11, Microsoft execs said they are planning to ship in Europe a version of Windows, designated Windows 7 E, that would not include Internet Explorer (IE) 8 as a bundled component. If PC makers want to preload a browser on new Windows 7 machines there, they will need to strike separate licensing deals with Microsoft and/or other browser makers. And customers who buy the product at retail will have to get their browser via FTTP, CD or some other means in order to get onto the Internet.
EC regulators said in a statement that they found a lot to like in Microsoft’s plan to strip IE out of Windows 7 and subsequently allow PC makers to add back in Microsoft’s or a variety of third-party browsers. But they were unhappy with the way Microsoft was removing choice for customers who bought Windows 7 at retail, by providing them with no browser at all. The EC regulators added that they had not been considering requiring MIcrosoft to remove IE from Windows 7 as one of the potential remedies in the case.
