Mozilla to Opera on EU Case

By | February 9, 2009 | 6 Comments

PCPro has published a mini interview with Firefox architect Mike Connor regarding the whole EU case against Microsoft.

What he mentioned was the fact the they don’t want Firefox to be bundled with Windows.

Some of the highlights from that story:

“My personal view is that it’s not the right outcome,” he said. “The choice [when
installing Windows] would be weird. There’s no good UI [user interface] for that.”

Connor also attacked Opera’s claims that bundling harms competition. “Opera’s asserting something that’s provably false,” Connor said, referring to Firefox’s ever improving market share, which now stands at just over 20% worldwide. “It’s asserting that bundling leads to market share. I don’t know how you can make the claim with a straight face,” he said.

Probed on why Opera had failed to gain significant market share, while Firefox continues to grow, Connor said the browser was over-complicated. “The feedback I get is it’s a little too heavy, it’s a geeky browser,” he said. “Opera’s problem is that it works, but it doesn’t stay out of the way. There’s a little too much to distract you from the content.”


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Vygantas is a former web designer whose projects are used by companies such as AMD, NVIDIA and departed Westood Studios. Being passionate about software, Vygantas began his journalism carrier back in 2007 when he founded FavBrowser.com. Having said that, he is also an adrenaline junkie who enjoys good books, fitness activities and Forex trading.

  • Mancho

    So let me get this straight. Mozilla disagrees with Opera’s claims that bundling harms competition, yet they joined the EU antitrust case anyways? Sounds like Mr Connor is talking out of his ass.

  • anon

    Sounds more like Mr Connor was stating ““My personal view” and not Mozilla’s position. That is, if you read the article where he starts off with the words ““My personal view”.

  • http://my.opera.com/Jurgi/ Jurgi

    So, in such case, Mr Conor should attack not only Opera, but also Mozilla Foundation, isn’t it? Otherwords, he is not honest saying what he is saying.

  • Foo

    Did you people even read the articles?

    First of, from the interview:
    “My personal view is that it’s not the right outcome,”

    And from the other article:

    Mitchell Baker, Mozilla’s chairperson said in a blog that appeared over the weekend that she wanted to offer Mozilla’s expertise “as a resource to the EC as it considers what an effective remedy would entail.”

    She said there isn’t “the single smallest iota of doubt” that Microsoft’s tying of IE to Windows “harms competition between web browsers, undermines product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice.”

    Mozilla has been granted what’s called “interested third party” status in the case, which allows it to submit arguments to the European regulator, to see the confidential statement of objections the EC sent Microsoft last month, and to participate in a face-to-face hearing if Microsoft requests one.

    However, it isn’t a complainant in the case. That role goes to Norwegian Web browser Opera, which complained to the EC just over a year ago about Microsoft’s practices in the browser market.

  • Mancho

    @anon & Foo
    Based on the article, he said his personal view was that bundling FF with windows wasn’t a good solution. Nothing about his “personal” view about the merits of the case. He goes on to state that Opera is “claiming something that is provably false”, yet Mozilla’s posion is that there isn’t “the single smallest iota of doubt”.

    Again, I say, Mr. Connor is talking out of his ass.

  • shadowfox87

    So bascially Opera’s not for morons….

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