Questions about Opera vs Microsoft's antitrust complaint
Many questions were raised about the motives of Opera to send an antitrust message against Microsoft to the European Commission.
Haavard, a man from Opera Software answers some of your questions all over the internet.
Question: Why now?
A: Because the European Union is currently investigating Microsoft. This is a lucky circumstance that allows you to teach a lesson to Microsoft for their actions. If you do not take the chance, the struggle for an open web can be lost.
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Q : How does forcing Microsoft to follow standards promotes the choice of a better browser?
A: While it's simple, a small number of savvy people put third-party browsers, many sites still require using MSIE because they use proprietary technologies supported only in IE or hacks that correct IE's flaws in relation to standards that can distort everything in other browsers. People should have a real opportunity to choose a browser and use it on any site.
Q: How do people download another browser if they don’t have a browser at all?
A: This protest does not mean that Windows will be deprived of a browser at all. What is important is that there really is a choice.
Microsoft is currently shipping their browser along with the dominant operating system. That would not be a problem in itself if Microsoft did not undermine open standards. Based on the situation in which the IE browser is the most common Microsoft company allows itself to keep people on its proprietary technologies.
For these reasons, Microsoft will be required to comply with the standards, and they will not have the means to repeat their actions again, because their browser will not be dominant.
Q: But Opera also comes in conjunction with many devices. Doesn't that make Opera Software a lying company?
A: Software delivery in a bundle is not a problem in itself. The problem is that the stable position of Internet Explorer allows Microsoft to suppress browser-based market competition.
Q: But Apple delivers Safari / Ubuntu delivers Firefox, etc.
A: See above. Software delivery in a bundle is not a problem in itself, but it becomes a problem when a company uses a dominant position with other ways to suppress free competition.
Please note that Safari and Firefox support standards very well. And if they didn’t add some compatibility with IE, they (and Opera) would have to spend even more time raising the value of supporting standards.
Q: Opera should conduct an advertising campaign instead of complaints. Look at firefox
A: Billions of dollars and many years went into trying to reset IE from its position, and he still commands 80% of the market. Microsoft continues to undermine open standards to prevent competition (note Microsoft’s position on EcmaScript4 ). Firefox has received a lot of support from companies such as Google and IBM, but 80-90% percent is still a lot for a company with a history of its abuse of its position.
Q: Opera does all this out of desperation.
A: Opera Software is doing very well financially now, with a large amount of money in the bank, a profitable business, and revenue increased by 50% in the third quarter of 2007 compared to 2006 (revenue from the desktop browser increased by 100%). From our mobile phones and other devices, our customers are well-known companies: Nintendo, Sony, Nokia, Samsung and Motorola, our free mobile browser is quickly gaining weight in the market.
Unfortunately, a lot of time and resources have been spent on solving problems arising from the actions of Microsoft. Opera Software is not the only company with this problem. Other browser developers as well as web developers also spend a lot of money and time solving these problems.
Q: But there is no browser with 100% standards support?
A: That's right. There are always mistakes that need to be corrected, and not all standards can be executed right away. But what if browser developers do not have to spend so much time figuring out how other browsers work and work in this direction, but could focus only on the correct execution of standards? There is a difference between improper execution and non-performance in general and active work on violation of standards in order to compete.
Q: Opera doesn't care about open standards. Opera simply wants to achieve greater publicity.
A: This will undoubtedly give Opera a publicity, but you need to understand that open standards are what Opera Software is based on. Opera spends a lot of money to promote open standards, because they allow a relatively small player like us to exist.
I must say that open standards are the basis of the Opera Software business model.
via haavard
Haavard, a man from Opera Software answers some of your questions all over the internet.
Question: Why now?
A: Because the European Union is currently investigating Microsoft. This is a lucky circumstance that allows you to teach a lesson to Microsoft for their actions. If you do not take the chance, the struggle for an open web can be lost.
')
Q : How does forcing Microsoft to follow standards promotes the choice of a better browser?
A: While it's simple, a small number of savvy people put third-party browsers, many sites still require using MSIE because they use proprietary technologies supported only in IE or hacks that correct IE's flaws in relation to standards that can distort everything in other browsers. People should have a real opportunity to choose a browser and use it on any site.
Q: How do people download another browser if they don’t have a browser at all?
A: This protest does not mean that Windows will be deprived of a browser at all. What is important is that there really is a choice.
Microsoft is currently shipping their browser along with the dominant operating system. That would not be a problem in itself if Microsoft did not undermine open standards. Based on the situation in which the IE browser is the most common Microsoft company allows itself to keep people on its proprietary technologies.
For these reasons, Microsoft will be required to comply with the standards, and they will not have the means to repeat their actions again, because their browser will not be dominant.
Q: But Opera also comes in conjunction with many devices. Doesn't that make Opera Software a lying company?
A: Software delivery in a bundle is not a problem in itself. The problem is that the stable position of Internet Explorer allows Microsoft to suppress browser-based market competition.
Q: But Apple delivers Safari / Ubuntu delivers Firefox, etc.
A: See above. Software delivery in a bundle is not a problem in itself, but it becomes a problem when a company uses a dominant position with other ways to suppress free competition.
Please note that Safari and Firefox support standards very well. And if they didn’t add some compatibility with IE, they (and Opera) would have to spend even more time raising the value of supporting standards.
Q: Opera should conduct an advertising campaign instead of complaints. Look at firefox
A: Billions of dollars and many years went into trying to reset IE from its position, and he still commands 80% of the market. Microsoft continues to undermine open standards to prevent competition (note Microsoft’s position on EcmaScript4 ). Firefox has received a lot of support from companies such as Google and IBM, but 80-90% percent is still a lot for a company with a history of its abuse of its position.
Q: Opera does all this out of desperation.
A: Opera Software is doing very well financially now, with a large amount of money in the bank, a profitable business, and revenue increased by 50% in the third quarter of 2007 compared to 2006 (revenue from the desktop browser increased by 100%). From our mobile phones and other devices, our customers are well-known companies: Nintendo, Sony, Nokia, Samsung and Motorola, our free mobile browser is quickly gaining weight in the market.
Unfortunately, a lot of time and resources have been spent on solving problems arising from the actions of Microsoft. Opera Software is not the only company with this problem. Other browser developers as well as web developers also spend a lot of money and time solving these problems.
Q: But there is no browser with 100% standards support?
A: That's right. There are always mistakes that need to be corrected, and not all standards can be executed right away. But what if browser developers do not have to spend so much time figuring out how other browsers work and work in this direction, but could focus only on the correct execution of standards? There is a difference between improper execution and non-performance in general and active work on violation of standards in order to compete.
Q: Opera doesn't care about open standards. Opera simply wants to achieve greater publicity.
A: This will undoubtedly give Opera a publicity, but you need to understand that open standards are what Opera Software is based on. Opera spends a lot of money to promote open standards, because they allow a relatively small player like us to exist.
I must say that open standards are the basis of the Opera Software business model.
via haavard
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/17573/
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