Microsoft has had a year of releases like Zune, Bing and Windows 7 but it has also shouldered a lot of law suits. The most notable of them all was the EU court action over what it terms an anti trust offence by Microsoft over its Windows System. In a law suit initiated by Opera, a European based browser developer, the inclusion of Internet Explorer in the Windows Suite is tantamount to monopoly of the browser market as users find it easier to use an inbuilt browser than to buy or download another. The EU upheld this lawsuit and initiated a court action against Microsoft. In a smart move, Microsoft offered to remove the Internet explorer from its new software in Europe but later changed that to offer of a ballot page where user will choose a preferred browser.
Now comes the test. Will EU accept this offer? EU says it will review the changes Microsoft has made and then inform the company of its decision. The review process will include comments from leading browser developers like Safari, Opera and Mozilla.
The ballot page is not the only concession Microsoft is trying to make. It has already suggested to the EURO that it is ready to instruct PC manufacturers not to include Internet Explorer browser on its OS at all or turn it off all together.
The question remains. Will users ever get used to another browser? Since the introduction of Windows 95 decades ago, many have not known any browser apart from Internet Explorer so though the splash page will ask for which option they want, it is likely that many will still choose internet explorer especially as it has been widely marketed as a new safe way to browse.
List of shortcut keys for Microsoft Office.