From March of next year all PCs will be sent a software update that will cause a window to appear on screen offering them alternative options to Internet Explorer, following an agreement today between the software company and the European Union.
Under the terms of the agreement Microsoft will offer a choice of upto 12 alternative browser ending nearly a decade of action by regulators as a result of alleged anti-competitive practices by the company.
The Times Online is reporting users will be able to choose Apple’s Safari, Google’s Chrome, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Mozilla’s Firefox, Opera, AOL, Maxthon, K-Meleon, Flock, Avant Browser, Sleipnir and Slim Browser.
They also said approximately 100 million computers will display the screen by the middle of March, and around 30 million new computers will show it over the next five years. The choice of browsers will be updated every six months and those offered may change according to how popular they are at the time.
Whether or not corporates will be able to block the patch using WSUS or other means remains to be seen.
