Microsoft will no longer have to offer Windows users with a Browser Choice menu in Europe as a European Commission order enforcing the same has expired.
The EU had penalized the Redmond in 2009 for breaching anti-competitive regulations by bundling Internet Explorer with Windows.
As part of settlement with the governing body, Microsoft signed the ‘browser ballot’ and agreed to display a Browser Choice menu highlighting other web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome on Windows PCs for five years, at a time when 70 per cent of Windows users were on IE.
The browser ballot, offering choice of alternate browsers, was seen on new PCs sold in Europe running Windows XP, Vista and 7 as well as on machines where a fresh copy of those versions of Windows was installed.
But now, as the European Commission decision has finally expired, Microsoft doesn’t need to advertise its rivals. This means the Browser Choice update will no longer be displayed for any new users.
News about the ending of the ballot was announced by Microsoft through an update posted to its support site which read “Microsoft provided the Browser Choice update in accordance with a decision issued by the European Commission in December 2009.”
“The obligations imposed by that decision have expired and as a result the Browser Choice Update will no longer be delivered to new users.”
In that post Microsoft also gave instructions to system administrators on how to turn off the ballot screen.
