Browser Choice Optional In EU
Microsoft will allow rival Internet browsers on its systems in the European Union (EU) by mid-March. This is the result of a compromise with EU regulators thus ending a long antitrust dispute with the U.S. software maker.
Reuters reported that the decision averted another penalty for Microsoft which has been fined 1.68 billion euros ($2.44 billion) by the European Commission for previous infringements of anti-competition rules.
EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said millions of European consumers would benefit by being able to choose their browser and the decision would encourage web companies to innovate
According to Reuters, Microsoft will allow European users to select from among 12 browsers including its own Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox, Apple’s Safari Google’s Chrome, and Opera on more than 100 million PCs.
Internet Explorer is used for about 56 percent of global Internet traffic, Mozilla’s Firefox 32%, Google’s Chrome 5.2%, Apple’s Safari 3.6%, and Opera 2% according to Web analytics firm StatCounter.
