related link: EU to Require Microsoft to Offer Competitors’ Browsers With Windows

The European Commission and Microsoft appear to finally be on the verge of resolving an antitrust dispute over Windows 7’s browser

Microsoft has long packaged its Internet Explorer browser with Windows.  The bundling has given Microsoft’s browser a dominant position in the marketplace, despite promising alternatives including Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Google Chrome.  That cozy position could soon change, though, thanks to action by Europe’s antitrust watchdog and business regulatory body, the European Commission.

The EC demanded Microsoft offer a ballot selection screen to allow users to pick their browser of choice with Windows 7.  Microsoft at first refused, saying it would not include IE 8 in European copies of Windows 7.  In the end, though, Microsoft came around andagreed to a ballot screen.

The EC had some minor complaints about Microsoft’s first proposal — mainly its lack of information to users about what the browsers were to help them make their selection.  Under the new proposal, which the EC calls much “improved” users could find out information on what a browser is from the ballot screen.  They would also have access to additional information about each browser they could install, to help them make their decision.

Under the new proposal, the balloting system would work for five years after purchase on any new install.  Windows 7 and all future versions of Windows would implement this scheme.

EC showed Microsoft some love, with a regulator stating, “The commission’s concern has been that PC users should have an effective and unbiased choice between Internet Explorer and competing Web browsers to ensure competition on the merits and to allow consumers to benefit from technical development and innovation both on the Web-browser market and on related markets, such as Web-based applications.”

Brad Smith, general counsel of Microsoft stated that his company was “pleased by today’s decisions.”

Microsoft and Europe have had a rocky relationship, with Microsoft fined 899 million euros ($1.35 billion) in 2008 for antitrust violations.  Brad Smith says that situation has greatly turned around, though.  He gave Europe some love back, stating, “It’s heartening to see the much better relationship that exists today.”

Source: DailyTech

I was blogging a few days ago to give my side with for the result of the US Presidential Election as I just finished publishing my about the next US President, I couldn’t open my BLOG. I keep getting Server 500 error and what frustrate me more is, I get the same error, the next day. I wanted to file a support ticket to my old hosting site, but naahhh.. this is what you get if you used a freehosting service online. But now, I’m happy about my new hosting company and I plan to stay with HostWoot for a long time. Bact to my post.

I was happy that Barrack Obama won, and I hope that he is the answer to this Global Economic Turmoil affecting the whole nation. I’ve search about the Election results and got the result from http://election.cbsnews.com/election2008/president.shtml Below is the result of the Presidential Election.

And from that alone, it is clear that Obama is the newly elected President. Congratulation President Barrack Obama.