[Press Release] Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft has made a new proposal to European Commission in an effort to address competition law issues related to Internet Explorer and interoperability.
European consumers who buy a new Windows PC with Internet Explorer set as their default browser would be shown a ‘ballot screen’ from which they could, if they wished, easily install competing browsers from the Web.
If this proposal is ultimately accepted, Microsoft will ship Windows in Europe with the full functionality available in the rest of the world. As requested by the Commission, Microsoft will be publishing the proposal in full on Microsoft’s website as soon as possible.
Wikipedia; Internet Explorer was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 in 1995. Later versions were available as free downloads, in service packs, and included in the OEM service releases of Windows 95 and later versions.
Microsoft currently are providing PC manufacturers in Europe with E versions of Windows 7, which they believe are fully compliant with European law. PCs manufacturers building machines for the European market will continue to be required to ship E versions of Windows 7 until such time that the Commission fully reviews the proposals and determines whether they satisfy Microsoft’s obligations under European law.
If the Commission approves this new proposal, Microsoft will begin work at that time to begin implementation of it with PC manufacturers.
The proposal also includes a public undertaking designed to promote interoperability between third party products and a number of Microsoft products, including Windows, Windows Server, Office, Exchange, and SharePoint.
