Rival Browsers Allege Microsoft's Practices on Edge Unfair (usnews.com) 33
Microsoft gives its Edge web browser an unfair advantage and EU antitrust regulators should subject it to tough EU tech rules, three rival browsers and a group of web developers said in a letter to the European Commission. From a report: The move by Vivaldi, Waterfox, Wavebox and the Open Web Advocacy could boost Norwegian browser company Opera which in July took the European Commission to court for exempting Edge from the Digital Markets Act (DMA). [...] "Unfair practices are currently allowed to persist on the Windows' ecosystem with respect to Edge, unmitigated by the choice screens that exist on mobile," they said, pointing to Edge set as the default browser on all Windows computers. "No platform independent browser can aspire to match Edge's unparalleled distribution advantage on Windows. Edge is, moreover, the most important gateway for consumers to download an independent browser on Windows PCs."
Possibly. But who uses Edge? (Score:2, Insightful)
I mean, just try one of the alternatives and Edge becomes the brain-damaged crappy choice that nobody wants.
Re:Possibly. But who uses Edge? (Score:4, Informative)
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Now, when the Linux desktop reaches 10% adoption, we'll be witnessing a real movement, won't we!
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Obvious flamebait is obvious. 0/10
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Just grabbed the first link from google: https://gs.statcounter.com/os-... [statcounter.com]
ChomeOS is a Linux distribution.
Linux is Linux.
Uknown is likely to be Linux.
Together, they account for over 10% (about 12%).
Meanwhile, OS X is around 15%.
Re:Possibly. But who uses Edge? (Score:4, Insightful)
The argument of Edge having unfair distribution on Windows ignores Chrome's 65% market share. (https://gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-share/desktop/worldwide)
It being bundled with Windows definitely helps (or else Firefox would be more widely used than Edge), but it's no longer an industry-determining factor when the bundled browser accounts for only 14% of all desktop browser use.
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Google still very aggressively pushes Chrome. So aggressively, in fact, that many unsophisticated users believe that they need Chrome to use gmail or search. I'm also fairly confident that I've see it bundled with other programs recently as well.
Use FireFox to promote a free and open web.
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I spent 20 minutes trying to get chrome as default browser on win11. Can you believe they added an option to chrome that defaults to using edge for all web pages link ????
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This. If you're in a locked-down M365 environment, you're using Edge. Edge these days isn't bad, for work use.
Re: Possibly. But who uses Edge? (Score:2)
Yep. I have found it to be no worse than chrome in general, and slightly superior in some respects. It is better behaved in terms of windowing operations working correctly. My only "choices" are edge or chrome.
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I can be cleaned up a lot from the settings.
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I don't use it myself but I admit I do promote it in my company: it ties in nicely with Microsoft 365 logins so users don't have to enter passwords left, right and centre which therefore get forgotten, noted on post-its stuck to the screen or set to recycled passwords they use for personal devices. It has zero usability issues as it shares Chrome's engine and of course is well tested for MS web apps.
Again? (Score:2)
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In this case, the competition sucks. I don't want their stupid browsers, nor do I think it's Microsoft's job to market them.
What? (Score:2, Interesting)
Those three browsers suck. They want the EU to force us to use those. Name something I should care about that those browsers have? I rather just use Chromium or something like that. Fuck it I dont even need a GUI, I'll use lynx or just curl instead of fucking with those browsers.
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Well, for one, I really like that my bookmarks and history are synced across all the devices I use.
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That isn't a special or unique feature.
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If you're using lynx or curl as OP suggested, yeah, it is.
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Name something I should care about that those browsers have?
Crypto-mining. Crypto-wallets. Fifteen unneeded extensions built-in (including various third-party game stores). Yet-another-authentication-store. You know, THE ESSENTIALS!
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I have been using opera for a long time. At the beginning, I was using it because it was full featured out of the box, I never installed any plugins. It even did syncing before many of the other ones.
History repeating itself (Score:3, Informative)
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How many times does this make Microsoft receiving legal action for unfairly promoting its browser?
I loathe that they do this, but at this stage, I'm of the persuasion that they have a case.
Bundling Chrome with ChromeOS, and requiring users to drop to a command line and install a flatpak is, apparently, okay when Google does it.
Bundling Safari with iOS, and actively inhibiting other browsers from running their own render engines is, apparently, okay when Apple does it.
Bundling Edge with Windows, which at worst gives dismissable paper-tiger warnings is, apparently, worthy of litigation.
Edge is a pain beca
Re: History repeating itself (Score:2)
"Bundling Safari with iOS, and actively inhibiting other browsers from running their own render engines is, apparently, okay when Apple does it."
EU: Hold my bier
What, again? (Score:2)
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Yes, but that was because Microsoft leveraged their Windows monopoly to promote IE everywhere. It didn't help that the competing browser stunk by comparison (back in the Netscape 6 era when it was a bloated mess).
These days it's somewhat different. Edge has barely any marketshare - Chrome is where it's at. Sites are not "Optimized for IE" - something MIcrosoft promoted heavily that
Its Microsofts OS (Score:1)
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Ok (Score:2)
Not that Edge is "better", but holy shit Vivaldi, Waterfox, Wavebox, and Opera all suck. Vivaldi is a mess of too much customization and two-tier tabs are stupid. Waterfox looks like it was made by a child - which it was when it came out. Wavebox is just a straight up scam. And Opera, I've always wanted to like, but every time I try it, it's just not worth it.
Safari says (Score:2)
Norwegian company? (Score:2)
Opera is 72% owned by a Chinese investment company. It's CEO is a Chinese billionaire Zhou Yahui, the owner of said investment company.