Currently browsing posts under the tag: Europe.

[Updated] Preview of the browser choice screen in Windows 7 for Europe

Written by: Pierre on February 20, 2010

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zdnet-windows-7-browser-selection-screenMicrosoft has published a preview of the browser choice they have included in Windows 7 as a result of the European anti-trust decision. The screen offers 5 browsers in a “random order” (that’s the claim, anyway): Internet Explorer (obviously), Mozilla FireFox, Google Chrome, Opera, and Apple Safari. For the already installed systems, the browser choice will be offered – in Europe only – through Windows Update.

Update (February 24): the specific update was offered today for my wife’s Vista computer. I haven’t seen it yet for my Windows 7 one.

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Category: Microsoft and Software and Windows

High-Speed Internet for everyone

Written by: StevenHodson on November 22, 2009

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finlandais_droit_internet

I just came across an interesting tidbit of information: the Finnish government wishes to make access to the Internet a “basic right”, enforceable by law, just like electricity and land telephone are. This is already true in Estonia, one of the so-called “Baltic countries”.

According to the Finnish radio Yleisradio OY (no, I don’t listen to it, I only read about it cheesy), Finland’s ministry of Transports and Communications has been put in charge of making sure every single inhabitant will have access to high-speed Internet: a minimum of 1 Mbps to start with, but a minimum of 100 Mbps by the end of 2015. Because most of Finland is sparsely populated, some areas will have to be served through wireless (WiMax) access points.

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Category: Hardware

Traduttore, traditore

Written by: StevenHodson on November 16, 2009

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World's flags “Traduttore, traditore”. It’s Italian, and it can be translated into English as “translator, betrayer” – but it loses the pun, which is the whole point of its meaning.

As you all know by now, I am French, and I have lived in France all my life, except for a few forays into foreign countries, for vacations or for work. Unlike most inhabitants of the USA, Europeans are familiar with the presence of foreign languages.

In France, for example, you’re never more than 600 kilometers (380 miles) away from a land border. In Switzerland, that distance is reduced to 200 km, and there are 4 official languages within the country itself (French, German, Italian, Romance).

Most software is written in English. Most Europeans, despite their familiarity with foreign languages, are quite unable to speak or read English fluently, the main exceptions being the UK, of course – that’s where English came from originally, after all – and me whistle
This is even truer where it comes to technical terms.

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Category: Microsoft and Software and Windows

Computer parts, anyone?

Written by: StevenHodson on November 7, 2009

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2973263791For the past 12 years or so, Paris, France, has been the location of a unique phenomenon (unique in Europe, at least): within a radius of 150 meters (about 500 ft), you can find over 60 shops selling computer parts at extremely aggressive prices. They even have a dedicated collective web site where you can search for the component you need and see where it’s available and at what price. Not all the shops participate in the site, but you’ll be able to drool at their shop windows when you stroll the “rue Montgallet” area (every computer nut in Paris – and possibly in France – knows where it is).

Most, but not all, of these shops are held by Chinese people from the same region in China. Some of the shops are very small (hardly more than a piece of corridor), some are respectably large. Some of them are very reliable – that is, they respect the prices they publish on the site and update the products’ availability at least once a day – and some of them will try to cheat you by offering more expensive substitute items, or the items of your choice at a higher price than publicized.

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Category: Deals and Hardware

Windows 7® is here!… just like everywhere else

Written by: StevenHodson on November 1, 2009

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windows7.jpgFor the last 6 weeks or so, Windows 7 has been available for the MSDN and TechNet subscribers, and I have played with it since then. Since last week (October 22nd), it has been available on the shelves, but brand computers ordered after (approximately) October 15th have been delivered with Windows 7 pre-installed unless otherwise specified at the time of order.

On the shelves Windows 7 has replaced Windows Vista. Well, not exactly “replaced”: there are about 5 times more Windows 7 boxes than there ever were of Windows Vista.

Computer magazines are full of laudatory user comments, which makes me wonder: when did they have time to evaluate it since it became available? Or are they basing their judgment on the freely downloadable RC version? Granted that many people have downloaded it, but from a quick survey of people I know who did so, about one in 5 has actually installed it.

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Category: Microsoft and Software and Windows

Microsoft changes mind over browserless Windows 7 release

Written by: StevenHodson on July 31, 2009

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As a result of the European Union’s incessant treatment of Microsoft as their personal ATM machine Microsoft had originally agreed to ship a European version of Windows 7 with a browser ballot screen. The idea being that Windows 7 wouldn’t use Internet Explorer as its default web browser but rather would let the consumer select the browser they want to use.

It appears though that European OEM’s really didn’t like this idea and started raising a fuss so Microsoft had to think of other options to make the OEMs and the European Union regulators happy. What they have decided to do is to ship the full Windows 7 version with Internet Explorer installed but will have it display the ballot screen when IE is run for the first time, and I imagine as a Start Menu item.

Apparently this is good enough to satisfy the regulators

The commission had said it "welcomed" Microsoft’s move, also giving the software maker some confidence that it could ship Windows 7 with the browser included. If the commission accepts Microsoft’s proposal, it will fully implement that proposed ballot screen to Windows 7 buyers in Europe.

Source: c|net News :: Microsoft: No browserless Windows 7 after all

IT also makes it easier for Microsoft to market Windows 7 in Europe both as an upgrade from previous Windows versions and as a stand-alone product.

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Category: Windows