The EU Listens To Opera

The EU has found that Microsoft needs to unlink IE from Windows. Microsoft has eight weeks to comply or get a hearing, or it will face more fines.

This supposedly stems from a complaint from Opera, but with the bad economic situation, and the lack of direction where EU monopoly fines go, it is hard to not think that the EU is just using Microsoft as its personal ATM, and Opera as its excuse.

The EU found this way on monopoly law. Monopoly law is highly abusive because it treats one entity different from the rest. Howso?

Check out this handy-dandy grid, showing some operating systems (full packages intended for home use; otherwise Microsoft has an option to install without IE, or much else, in 2k8 with Server Core, and others, like the majority of the BSDs come without even a GUI by default).

OS Package	Bundled Browser
Windows XP (all SKUs)	Internet Explorer 6 or 7
Windows Vista (all SKUs)	Internet Explorer 7
Windows 7 Beta	Internet Explorer 8 beta
Mac OS X Leopard	Safari 3
OS X iPhone	Safari 3
Ubuntu 8.10	Firefox 3
Kubuntu 8.10	Konqueror
Xubuntu 8.10	Firefox 3
Debian GNU/Linux	Iceweasel (Firefox)
PC-BSD 7.0	Konqueror

This list isn’t comprehensive by far, but since Windows 95 started bundling IE, OS vendors caught on that shipping their OS with a browser is a good idea. Prosecuting Microsoft for doing the same is discrimination, albeit based on marketshare of its OS.

Furthermore, Microsoft made the browser free. Google doesn’t charge for their browser, Apple doesn’t charge for their browser, Mozilla doesn’t charge for their browser, and even Opera, as much as they would like too, doesn’t charge for their browser (not on the desktop at least). This is because Microsoft cut their price to zero to compete with Netscape back in the day. The browser is free thanks to Microsoft.

Look at this Net Applications data on marketshare, as of December 2008:

Internet Explorer	68.15%
Firefox	21.34%
Safari	7.93%
Chrome	1.04%
Opera	0.71%
Netscape	0.57%

Those with a keen eye will note that Microsoft has about 90% of desktop marketshare, but despite this, Firefox alone has more then 10% marketshare, but hasn’t been along longer then Opera. Chrome has no OS with it as the default install, has only been along less then a year, and has more marketshare then Opera. Netscape, the dead browser, has almost more marketshare then Opera.

I think Opera’s problem isn’t Microsoft abusing any monopoly, but that its browser isn’t as good as other browsers to the majority of people. I saw this as someone who has used Opera as my main browser for a period of time (not right now) and has it installed on my computer right now. It just isn’t right for everyone, and the people who it is right for are less then a browser less then a year old.

Honestly, I want Microsoft to allow the uninstallation of Internet Explorer if so desired by the user. It wouldn’t be that hard (especially with all the componentization work done with Vista) even. But why and how they are being told to disjoin the browser from the OS is purely due to discriminatory law, and a company that can’t even compete even though others can.

Still, it would fit with Microsoft’s run to unmarry apps from Windows. This is best said by Paul Thurrott who just released a review on the Live Essentials package that is available free off the web.

With Windows 7 (see my Beta review) looming on the horizon, however, the changes are far more dramatic and, yes, controversial this time. Now, Microsoft is cutting deep into the OS, deeper than many thought was strictly necessary. And it is exorcising a surprising amount of functionality from Windows. Some of it, frankly, is illogical.

What am I talking about exactly? Functionality that has long been considered a core part of Windows--functionality that is, by the way, still very much a core part of competing OSes like Mac OS X and Linux--is now gone. I'm talking email (Windows Mail), contacts management (Windows Contacts), and calendaring (Windows Calendar). Photo editing and management (Windows Photo Gallery) and video editing (Windows Movie Maker). (But not, curiously and illogically, the DVD editor called Windows DVD Maker.) And of course Windows Messenger, which was previously carved out of Windows like an unwelcome bit of melanoma.

As Paul notes, stripping these apps out is confusing, but good for the consumer. But it is only good for the consumer if they have the means to get these apps off the web. If Microsoft is sane in any way, they will require that vendors ship the OS with at least a web browser, if not other usability applications. OEMs can decide what goes in from there, and with deals being made, we’ll see either Google’s usability suite or Microsoft’s, with the occasional throw in from other third parties that aren’t Google. If Opera wants in on the game, they will have to cut a deal with an OEM, or, y’know, make the browser better (i.e. more accessible to a larger audience).