In line with EU recommendations, Microsoft has started updating PCs running XP, Vista and Windows 7 to include an option to choose between alternative browsers. This update presents a “ballot screen” window to the user, which offers a choice of 12 different browser programs.

Designed to encourage greater competition between providers, Microsoft finally agreed to this measure following a 10-year legal battle with the EU. But will it really benefit every developer and how do you choose the browser that best fits your needs?

Pick a browser, any browser.

In reality, users will have 12 different browsers to choose from, although only 5 of these will be directly visible from the first screen (see below), which hands a distinct advantage to Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera and Safari (Apple). To access the other choices, the user can use the bottom scroll bar.

To prevent any further influence over user selection, the first five alternatives display in a random order, as do the following seven: AOL, Maxthon, K-Meleon, Flock, Avant, Sleipnir and Slim.

After this Windows update has been applied, the default Internet Explorer icon in the Windows 7 taskbar disappears. All Windows systems then display the ballot screen and a brief explanation of the various browser programs, although this process is only activated where Internet Explorer is the default browser. Users who have already chosen an alternative program are not solicited; after all, if they have already installed an alternative themselves, they must already be aware of that possibility.
 

Who will benefit the most?

As described above, the ballot screen will certainly favour the initial five browser providers and, of these, the icon and name of Microsoft Internet Explorer is probably the best known. However, it is hard to talk of a ‘Microsoft advantage’ when the company is being forced to propose alternative products from within its own operating system.

Of the five primary providers, Google Chrome may emerge as the greatest winner. Launched in 2008, the product is already used by around 6% of web surfers and is currently being advertised heavily. Although it is the name that could prove to be the greatest advantage – not ‘Chrome’ but ‘Google’. Thanks to its domination of the Europe search engine market, the terms ’Internet’ and ‘Google’ are now inextricably linked in the minds of many casual web users so, presented with this new choice, will many simply follow the name they know? After all, do all of them fully appreciate the difference between an Internet browser and a search engine?

In fact, all of the alternatives to Internet Explorer are guaranteed to benefit to a certain extent from exposure they would not otherwise have enjoyed. Indeed, Opera has already announced a three-fold increase in downloads of its browser since Microsoft started pushing the ballot screen.