Its been 9 years since anyone decide to files a lawsuit against Microsoft for gaming internet users with broken browser. Below is part of Opera "Open letter to the Web community" by Håkon Wium Lie (Opera Chief of Technology).

Today we have taken a stand. Opera has filed a formal complaint with the European Commission to force Microsoft to support open Web standards in its Web browser, Internet Explorer. We believe that Microsoft has harmed Web standards by refusing to support them; Microsoft often participates in creating Web standards, promoting them, and even promising to implement them. Despite their talent, however, they refuse to support Web standards correctly. For example, Internet Explorer is the only modern Web browser that does not support Acid2.

Opera has also requested that Microsoft frees Internet Explorer from the Windows platform. We feel that they have used their market dominating position to limit a genuine choice of browsers on the Web for their own commercial gain.

You can read the full "complaint" at → http://people.opera.com/howcome/2007/msft/

I'm not sure what Opera can gain with their (European) Anti-trust Lawsuits. Just hope they wont end up like Netscape foundation.

Hell yeah! Opera rocks! ive been using it for over 7 years. Fuck IE. I tried so hard not to use it since i installed vista a few months ago, and i used it like once. Fcking one time! and i got a malware toolbar POS shit that i cant take off.
Ive never had problems with Opera, because of them, i havent seen a popup in years. And never had random programs installed without my permission

ChaosKaizer

I'm not sure what Opera can gain with their (European) Anti-trust Lawsuits.

European market is not so small, and Microsoft already had some unpleasant experience with their MediaPlayer and everybody knows that IE is much more interesting target (it always has been). So, most likely after some time (like two years) Microsoft will be fined, because there is no way how to fix IE in less than ten year (it would be possible if they would replace Trident with WebCore :-), but that's not going to happen), then they will release new version of windows Vista, they will call it "Windows Vista DON'T BUY THIS", it will cost more than win vista ultimate and won't be able to connect to the internet.

No IE will never support web-standards, because this is how they fight their competitors, it's their most basic and most successful strategy - not to be compatible. Only way ho to make them support web-standards is to lesser they market share under 10%, then they will make "code wipe out" and make new browser which will be just perfect, but they will break it again once they take back their monopoly.

In Microsoft they have only two profitable pieces of software, their Operating systems and their office suite. With Windows XP they have nothing to fear, Ubuntu is not that strong (yet). But their Office have very dangerous rival. No, it's not OpenOffice, but Google with their Google Docs, because desktop applications are starting to move to server, and that's why Microsoft needs no competitors in browser market. And if I remember correctly, this was the main reason for the first "browser war", but back then internet was still too slow for web-applications, so nothing happened back then, it's happening right now.

For example, Internet Explorer is the only modern Web browser that does not support Acid2.

This sentence is somehow funny. How can someone sane support this:
http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/validator?profile=css2&warning=2&uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webstandards.org%2Ffiles%2Facid2%2Ftest.html%23top
^_~

Interesting. I totally agree with the fact it's ridiculous that in a modern world like the one we live in nowadays, the most used internet browser doesn't have the support others (FF, Opera) do have. Webdevelopers have to spend so many time fixing the support, some don't even bother and actually force you to use IE, which is 100% rubbish.
The main problem though is how the law is able to get Microsoft fixing their stuff. The article makes sense, yet it's not earthshaking. I therefore have low expectations on this lawsuit.

Is this the one where Opera lawsuits Microsoft for giving IE free and then Microsoft gets a new "edition" of packages without IE in it?^^
Quite smart to do by the way aint it...

Nice. I support Opera all the way, but I doubt they'll get very far. Maybe Microsoft will get the message anyway.

Opera has my support on this matter.

I don't understand why companies waste time and money on lawsuits like this one when that money would be better spent marketing your own product and showing the flaws in the competition.

Opera should instead be out there pimping their browser and exposing the flaws in IE7. Educate the uneducated computer users out there and make them realize that things would be better if all browsers followed the same standards. Make them want to try out your browser and see if it is something they want to use every day. What browser people want to use is nothing but user preference (I use Firefox myself). People will always flock to IE if they know nothing about other browsers. Whether IE is bundled with Windows or not, people will still only know about IE because of its exposure and will end up installing and using it anyways unless they are taught that other browser options exist.

-S1

It seems that IE8 passed acid2 test

http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2007/12/19/internet-explorer-8-and-acid2-a-milestone.aspx

But this sentence scares me a little:

With respect to standards and interoperability, our goal in developing Internet Explorer 8 is to support the right set of standards with excellent implementations and do so without breaking the existing web.

Who will decide what is "the right set of standard"?

SkullOne

I don't understand why companies waste time and money on lawsuits like this one

Because it may be the best way how to fight Microsoft

SkullOne

Opera should instead be out there pimping their browser and exposing the flaws in IE7.

They already tried this but it didn't work.

SkullOne

Educate the uneducated computer users out there and make them realize that things would be better if all browsers followed the same standards.

Users are not interested in standards, standards are for web-designers and they have no real power to change anything.

SkullOne

What browser people want to use is nothing but user preference

For most users it's not question of what they want but what someone gives them, because sometimes they can't choose (like in school, or at work) and sometimes they just want the easiest choice (Like when you are admin in large company or school, it's easier to let your users use IE)

Nice updates 0x7c2, If IE8 pass ACID2 that's a good promise for most web designer. IE is a big liability to maintained on large websites.

The really issue with IE is not just about conforming to open standards. They are notorious for polluting the web with propriety language ie: ActiveX, silverlight, css-expressions, XPS-PDF, Open-XML & cardspace. Not many people aware of silverlight yet.

In short,Silverlight has local storage and can be consider a cross desktop web applications.Web & Destop Publisher can built a web application acting like standalone Internet browser with silverlight. With this new technology IE wont need for specifications others than microsoft propriety language (similar like Adobe FLEX & AIR).

Instead of extending web standard Microsoft IE Team decide to create new-language and technology. The only reason they are eager to do this is to not supporting any specifications in the future.

If W3C, ECMA or The IETF doesnt stop this trends. Others Browser vendor will be tempt to introduce their own specs and technology. The next thing we see on website is a bunch of annoying GIF button caps with "BEST VIEW WITH IE" or "BEST VIEW OPERA/SAFARI/FIREFOX/KONQUEROR/CAMINO" crap.



Regarding opera, their motif is really questionable if they really intent to file a motion it should be done few years ago 2004/5. In my opinions, Its more like marketing attack than real web standards issue. They are corporate entities to start with.

Opera CTO should start working with open standards back at home first and disabled Opera User-Agent from sending false string (masquerading as IE Browser). Its really annoying and unethical.

ChaosKaizer

If IE8 pass ACID2 that's a good promise for most web designer. IE is a big liability to maintained on large websites.

I just hope they will not stop here, because:

http://www.webstandards.org/action/acid2/guide/

not all Web standards are tested. Acid2 does not guarantee conformance with any specification.

Right now it's more like they are just promoting IE.

ChaosKaizer

They are notorious for polluting the web with propriety language ie: ActiveX, silverlight, css-expressions, XPS-PDF, Open-XML & cardspace.

Open-XML is NOT proprietary, well sort of. But yes, it is evil.

And ask for silverlight, I'm not sure if I should be happy because it's competition to flash which i don't like, or if I should be angry because it's just another flash and one flash is more than enough.

XPS: this should not be proprietary since it's already submitted to ISO, and it don't have same capabilities as PDF

ChaosKaizer

Opera CTO should start working with open standards back at home first and disabled Opera User-Agent from sending false string (masquerading as IE Browser). Its really annoying and unethical.

Opera no longer do this (at least not by default), but IE masquerading itself as Mozilla (just read it's UAS) ^_^

I'm sure that it'll sell as well as the wildly successful Windows and Edition.

Oh wait, the sales of the and editions of Windows are almost non-existant.

Can you imagine how much fun it'd be to buy a computer and find you have to use FTP to download a web browser? Or go to a friends house and put a web browser installer on your flash drive?

I've lost a lot of respect for Opera over this. I used to recommend them over Firefox, but with how Firefox 3 is shaping up, and this lawsuit, I don't think I'd do that anymore. Opera is as bad as the next guy.

WaruiKoohii

Can you imagine how much fun it'd be to buy a computer and find you have to use FTP to download a web browser? Or go to a friends house and put a web browser installer on your flash drive?

No but I can imagine that with my new computer I will get several CDs with different browsers. It would also be sufficient if I coul go to shop and buy "Mozilla Firefox 2.0 CD" for $4.20 , nobody is selling them now because there is IE in wondows.
But it's true that my definition of meaning of word "Internet explorer" is:

0x7c2

IE is that small utility which helps you to download firefox after you instaled windows.

WaruiKoohii

I've lost a lot of respect for Opera over this. I used to recommend them over Firefox, but with how Firefox 3 is shaping up, and this lawsuit, I don't think I'd do that anymore.

Opera is much faster and less "RAM hungry" than forefox 2.0 but I've seen Firefox 3 (beta 1) and can't wait to see stable version though it seems that Opera will still be faster.

No but I can imagine that with my new computer I will get several CDs with different browsers. It would also be sufficient if I coul go to shop and buy "Mozilla Firefox 2.0 CD" for $4.20 , nobody is selling them now because there is IE in wondows.

Adding CDs would boost cost on multiple fronts. You would think it would be minor but in the eyes of the vendor it isn't because they have to do it in such bulk and in which case they would stick it to the customer. No thanks. I'll stick with free download.

Plus this been done before with a little browser called Netscape. Used to find it installed on any PC that you purchased. Yeah that lasted what a month tops? Reason being people only knew IE. They saw "Netscape" on their desktop and had no idea what it was. Hell I know people who had no idea what it is and just flat out uninstalled it before even looking at it.

In a world where extra bloat being installed on PCs is shrinking you suddenly want to add more? So if I go to the store and purchase a new computer I suddenly am forced to have IE, Firefox, Safari, and Opera all installed and waiting for me? Screw that. I'll take IE thanks and then I'll download Firefox on my own.

Even if you stuck all those browsers on a PC or allowed a person to purchase them at a store for next to nothing IE would still win because people are uneducated about other browsers. They will always go back to IE because it is what they know. Thus further backing up my point from my earlier post that Opera should be educating the public on their browser.

Oh and if Opera wants IE out of Windows because it's "unfair" why aren't they suing pretty much every Linux distro out there and why aren't they suing Apple for bundling Safari?

-S1

There is "ODT" format for all type of XML (open-xml), microsoft version of open-xml is more towards microsoft-office-xml.

silverlight is vendor language, I dont have much complaint against silverlight, its great. There are moving to public release 2.0 within the next few days (in short time periods).

Flash-like technology is good for presentation (ads medium). But it lack securities aspect. Anything can happen behind the screen.

Back in 2004, Web developer start dropping flash as its not a "search engine friendly" (SEO). I dont see much different with Silverlight. its old technology with different branding and cliche tag Rich Internet Applications (RIA).

This technology will invade the desktop space and create wide market (dominations) for Microsoft (desktop & internet space). One action two accomplishments," kill two birds with one stone".

Thats what RIA is all about desktop advertising.

Most of Microsoft product will be stuff with DRM . You buy but "you dont owned it".