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Safari for Windows Receives Prominent Placement on Microsoft's European 'Browser Ballot'

Why not just install all of them by default, but let users uncheck any browser they do not want installed by default?

I mean, it isn't like the early to mid 90s where hard drives were only in the few hundred megabyte range, we aren't exactly short on space these days.
 
adztaylor said:
Apple does not have more than 90% market share -- Microsoft does, and they are using their dominant position in the desktop market to also gain the leadership in the browser or media player market. And that is actually illegal in Europe: Using a monopoly in one market to gain another monopoly in a second market.
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jbernie said:
Why notjust install all of them by default, but let users uncheck any browser they do not want installed by default?

I mean, it isn't like the early to mid 90s where hard drives were only in the few hundred megabyte range, we aren't exactly short on space these days.
Click to expand...

This was explored. Out of date versions could have potentially disastrous exploits..
 
There's many variables to choose:

Safari; because it's first.
Chrome; Because everybody thinks Google is internet.
IE; Most people are familiar with that symbol. "Better/faster/easier/safer" it's the funny part.
Firefox; well, it's the second major browser.
Opera; It's in a strong color.

I believe most people would choose Google.
 
Who cares!

Frankly I really do not care who get the first or second billing on the ballot. All of them has cons and pros. Why make such a big deal about the browsers. :apple:
 
I'll bet Internet Explorer won't take much of a market share hit. And now Microsoft can brag about being open or something... Look at us, they'll say, we offer you choice.
 
Pumapayam said:
Why is the "order" a story.

Jenny is a douche.

Really, it's a ballot and some cultures read right to left.
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The cultures that read from right to left would then have the location from right to left, to us it would appear Opera, Firefox, IE, Chrome, Safari...

Also, if FF was the first in the list she would not have said a word.
 
Only in Europe can a court come to such a retarded conclusion that including your software on YOUR software is anti-competitive. People have a choice either way, does Windows prevent people from downloading other browsers? This also adds to Windows history of confusion and user aggravation in Europe because some people don't care they just want to turn it on and have it work, not everyone is computer savvy enough to choose a browser or to even care
 
VenusianSky said:
Does the Euro version of Mac OS X have this too or is Europe ok with Apple including Safari?
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The main point of contention here is that MSFT has 90% of the market, and the EU's claim is that because they bundle their own product with the OS, they are gaining unfair advantage using their OS monopoly to form and maintain a browser monopoly.

Usually, anti-trust requires that they have a monopoly first in one market before you can claim they are leveraging their monopoly to create new ones.

If Apple was the one with 90% market share, I can bet you that Apple would come under fire for the same thing if they didn't let OEM partners replace Safari during the install with something else and make it default.

The real thing that kickstarted this whole mess was back in the Win98 days because OEMs wanted to replace IE, MSFT said no, and governments started investigating.
 
The only thing worse than IE8 on PC is Safari. It's slower and uses way more RAM, like all other Apple software on Windows.

Chrome all the way :cool:
 
Theoretically there is no way to garantee 100% non-biased list layout. Think about it - there is always something that will appeal to human psych.. the position, the colors, the size, the slogan..
 
Personally I would of gone with the market share approach if I was Microsoft. IE first, then FF, Safari, Opera or Chrome.

Right now the 2 biggest players in the market are FF and IE. everyone else has what 5-6% of the market to compete over.
 
analysis paralysis, how about election ballot preferences/etc?

I can see the random 5 selection method as being most "fair".
 
Wow, this has gotten absurd. What should have been a punitive finding against Microsoft for abusing their monopoly power became a corrective action that, frankly, looks ridiculous this many years later.

I do think MSs behavior during the browser wars was reprehensible, and did long term damage to the efficiency and utility of the Internet, but there has to be a better way of rectifying the situation. Are they going to do the same with Flash and Silverlight? WMP and Quicktime?
 
In every real election, at least around here, the candidates names are randomly placed so that in every polling place the order is different, so as not to give preference to anyone.

On a computer display the positions could be randomized each time the display is shown to a user. There is no reason to choose who goes first on a computer screen. Let the PC "roll the dice".

Center and to the right is most prominent. Graphic arts 101.
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We all know this, and we all know that the designers at Microsoft know this. No doubt "alphabetical by manufacturer" was selected because "Microsoft is spelled with an "M".

It's clear they selected this to place themselves dead center and why only five browsers? How else to center the their own browser?

Why pick such a bizarre scheme what the obvious answer to to randomize the positions
 
Krevnik said:
The real thing that kickstarted this whole mess was back in the Win98 days because OEMs wanted to replace IE, MSFT said no, and governments started investigating.
Click to expand...
The reality of this remedy is that it is ten years late and now, in many ways, no longer needed.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
Personally I would of gone with the market share approach if I was Microsoft. IE first, then FF, Safari, Opera or Chrome.
Click to expand...

To be really fair, I would've gone with the market share approach...backwards.

Chrome or Opera, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer.

Hey, look at that. Firefox is in the same place. Uh oh, Safari's in the center. And IE is in the prominent right hand spot.

And make the icons bigger to smaller. And pulsate and glow, more for the bigger icons. Maybe make a "chime" sound when you roll over them, sounding bright to dull, left to right.

Maybe have celebrity voice overs read the text. But more prominent celebrities for the browsers on the left. Johnny Depp for Chrome or Opera (whichever has a smaller share). Steve Buscemi for Safari. Jon Gosselin for Internet Explorer.
 
You can't win...

If Safari was listed last, they'd be claiming an advantage because the underdog encourages sympathy.

If they do it by market share, someone will complain about that biasing the user in some way.

And if they make it random, I'm sure someone will do some study that "proves" it isn't really random and that vendor x shows up in the first slot more than the others. Or that Microsoft made one of the logos slightly bigger or used slightly brighter colors to get the user's attention.
 
I don't know about everyone else. But my mom taught me to read from left to right. I don't see what the big deal is >.>
 
likemyorbs said:
Only in Europe can a court come to such a retarded conclusion that including your software on YOUR software is anti-competitive. People have a choice either way, does Windows prevent people from downloading other browsers? This also adds to Windows history of confusion and user aggravation in Europe because some people don't care they just want to turn it on and have it work, not everyone is computer savvy enough to choose a browser or to even care
Click to expand...


Agreed. Only Europe would have such stupidity.
 
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