Windows Browser Ballot Glitch Cost Firefox 6-9 Million Downloads

nk497 writes "Microsoft's failure to include the EU browser ballot in Windows 7 SP1 cost Mozilla as many as 9 million Firefox downloads, the organization's head of business affairs revealed. Harvey Anderson said daily downloads of Firefox fell by 63% to a low of 20,000 before the ballot was reinstated, and after the fix, downloads jumped by 150% to 50,000 a day. Over the 18 months the ballot was missing, that adds up to six to nine million downloads — although it's tough to tell if the difference has more to do with Chrome's success or the lack of advertising on Windows systems. The EU is currently investigating the 'glitch,' and Microsoft faces a massive fine for failing to include the screen, which offers download details for different browsers to European Windows users, as part of measures ordered by the EU to balance IE's dominance."

Re:LOL extrapolation

[nedlohs]

When you have data points both before and after the time period you are trying to estimate the values for it isn't extrapolation you idiot. It's interpolation.

Re:How about other companies?

[ledow]

Because nobody has taken Apple to court and proved they are abusing monopolism of a market.

Simple as that. Doesn't even mean they *aren't* doing just that. But nobody has bothered to take them to court for it. And it's not just governments that can do that, but their competitors too.

Why is this still relevant?

[Dahamma]

IE isn't even the most popular browser in most EU countries any more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Countries_by_most_used_web_browser.svg&page=1 [wikipedia.org]

And according to Wikimedia usage stats, at least, it's not even leading in usage share any more, anyway:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers [wikipedia.org]

Pundits are already predicting the end of Microsoft as a dominant player in the industry (which *is* a bit of an exaggeration, so far at least), yet they are still forced to adhere to an almost 10-year old anti-trust decision (an eternity in the industry). In other news, the EU is also considering sanctions against US Steel for their dominant control of the industry in 1955.

Re:"glitch"

[Anonymous Coward]

How is this Microsoft's issue? It was the OEM's fault for using the non-EU version of Windows service packs.

Re:Really?

[xouumalperxe]

They're not interpolating two data points. Have you looked at the charts? There's clearly a strong drop off around the time where the ballot was removed, and a big re-uptake when it was reinstated.

Re:Really?

[TheP4st]

I have encountered quite a few people that equates the internet with the IE logo. Many of whom that would not even know there are alternatives to the "Internet" unless they were informed about them. The ballot do create a greater diversity among the public and as an effect of that standards are becoming just that, standards. So, with a bit of luck 11 years down the road companies might not be stuck with IE9 but will be on IE16, FFxx or whatever that suit them best. Rather than the current scenario with companies being locked to a browser version that should have died 8 years ago with the release of v.7.

Re:Really?

[Sir_Sri]

Actually, this is a matter of breach of contract.

Sure, the contract only exists because of the anti competitive monopolistic practices, but yes, ultimately Microsoft agreed to do something and isn't. But the underlying idea that this is like the made up statistics about piracy is a bit misleading. These rules all exists, and these contracts all exist because of microsofts bad behaviour.

Re:What was the REAL cost?

[TheSkepticalOptimist]

This article states that Google paid (bribed) Mozilla to be their default search provider regardless if there was 1 installation of Firefox or 9 million, so again, Microsoft cost Mozilla nothing because Mozilla already has the money in hand.