INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY : MICROSOFT PREPARES TO OFFER BROWSER CHOICE SCREEN.

Since 1 March, users of Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 throughout the European Economic Area - ie nearly 80% of Europeans - have been able to confirm that the European Commission's rulings are followed by effects, because Microsoft has been deploying a tool enabling them to install another browser in the place of Internet Explorer.

In a highly mediatised decision, the European Commission ordered Microsoft to put an end to its monopoly on the operating systems market, which consisted of imposing its Internet Explorer as the default browser in Windows.

BALLOT SCREEN

This ballot screen' is set to appear on computer screens across Europe throughout March. However, Windows users in the United Kingdom, Belgium and France will be tested first. A new entry in Windows Update in Windows 7 will automatically be added to allow them to install the ballot screen to test it. Internet Explorer will be automatically removed from the task bar before the screen appears but will not be uninstalled. A list of 12 browsers will be offered. An initial screen will list the five most widely used browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Apple Safari, Chrome and Opera, and a second will...