OK I’m a long term Microsoft supporter having learnt my trade primarily using the companies products;

That said I cannot for the life of me see why Microsoft has to push other companies products for them in the EU; If Microsoft have to do this then why doesn’t the same rule apply to Apple and Android (Goggle) based computers?

First it was Windows Media Player then Internet Explorer; so the EU users got a special version of Windows that didn’t have Media Player unless you went out and downloaded it, and then a Browser Choice application.

You would think that the Browser Choice would offer IE as the first choice but no; Microsoft wanted to play fair so they randomised the pattern and, often as not, IE comes after some browsers I have never heard of. I wonder how many users faced with this choice will just hit the first button? I know quite a few who have done this and then complained to me (as family tech support) that everything has changed so I have had to go in and put them back onto their familiar browser. Don’t get me wrong, like most techies, I consider IE6 as a piece of junk full of security bugs but the world has moved on since then and we are now on IE10 which is arguably one of the best along side Firefox in its latest version.

Then, when they make a mistake and the choice application got left out the EU decided to fine them: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21684329. what I want to know is; When are they going to impose the same rule on other OS vendors?

In the mean time kiddies; when you get the Browser Choice Window come up, don’t just hit the first button; look for Internet Explorer if you want the same as you had before or, if you want to look cool and trendy go for Firefox or, at worst, Chrome.

Personally I’ll stick with Internet Explorer for two reasons; firstly it’s made by Microsoft and will get patched very quickly if a bug is found; secondly I like it better than I like the rest of them.