Microsoft  fired back at Opera Friday, after the maker of a for-pay browser known for its strict compliance with Web standards filed a complaint with the European Commission.
"We believe the inclusion of the (IE) browser into the operating system benefits consumers, and that consumers and PC manufacturers are already free to choose to use any browsers they wish," Microsoft said in a statement.
"Internet Explorer has been an integral part of the Windows operating system for over a decade," the company said, "and supports a wide range of Web standards."
For Consumer Tired of 'Monopolist'
Opera filed a complaint Thursday with the Commission, claiming that Microsoft had engaged in anticompetitive behavior by bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, putting other browser makers at a disadvantage.
Opera also claimed that Microsoft's weak support for Web standards puts more compliant browsers at a disadvantage because Web developers will focus on the browser with the greatest market share.
"We are filing this complaint on behalf of all consumers who are tired of having a monopolist make choices for them," said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO of Opera. "In addition to promoting the free choice of individual consumers, we are a champion of open Web standards and cross-platform innovation ."
Microsoft "only recently begun to offer some of the innovative features that other browsers have offered for years," he added.
Earlier Decision Provides Context
The European Commission acted against Microsoft 2004, but the remedy the Commission came up with was seen as ineffective. The issue at the time was whether Microsoft's bundling of Windows Media Player was anticompetitive. The EC ruled that it was and ordered Microsoft to offer a version of Windows free of the Media Player.
The problem was that the two versions of Windows cost the same, few PC makers opted to preinstall the version without Windows Media Player, and competitors continued to be locked out of Windows PCs.
This time around, Opera is calling not for an IE-free version of Windows to compete with a full version, but for the EC to require Microsoft to preload several competing browsers, including Opera, as part of Windows. (continued...)
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