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@ 2011/03/01On 1 March 2010, the EU Browser Choice ballot came into being. Rather than Microsoft being allowed to bundled Internet Explorer with Windows, it would offer all European users a choice of the "12 most widely used web browsers that run on Windows 7," either during the initial setup of a PC or later via Windows Update.
A bold plan, yet seven of the 12 argued that it didn't go far enough. It hid them out of sight, they said, while the big five rotated positions on the main table. The design of the ballot, with the leftovers a slider bar away from the home screen, didn't make it clear enough that there even were 12 browsers to choose from.
Microsoft replied that the screen was in compliance with the European Commission's decision and, one year on, the design remains unchanged. Is it a fair system? And has it made any difference?
A bold plan, yet seven of the 12 argued that it didn't go far enough. It hid them out of sight, they said, while the big five rotated positions on the main table. The design of the ballot, with the leftovers a slider bar away from the home screen, didn't make it clear enough that there even were 12 browsers to choose from.
Microsoft replied that the screen was in compliance with the European Commission's decision and, one year on, the design remains unchanged. Is it a fair system? And has it made any difference?
