Despite Google’s cries of foul play, the Department of Justice has found nothing wrong with the default search box settings in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 7, which is still in beta. Back in early May, Google filed a complaint with both the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission concerning the default search engine selection in IE7’s search box.
Steve Langdon, a spokesman for Google, said in their discussions with EC, “we have expressed our concerns that Microsoft’s approach to setting search defaults in IE 7.0 benefits Microsoft while taking away choice from users,” thus giving Microsoft an unfair advantage.
However, after the Department of Justice and the states involved in Microsoft’s antitrust settlement had studied and researched the search box in IE7, they found nothing to be concerned about.
Papers that approved of the use of this search box in IE7 were released on Friday and said: “Internet Explorer 7 includes a relatively straightforward method for the user to select a different search engine. As Microsoft’s implementation of the search feature respects users’ and OEMs default choices and is easily changed, plaintiffs have concluded their work on this matter.”
It went on to say, “The Microsoft design, the government and states found, gives personal computer makers and users choice in search services, and thus raises no antitrust issue.”
As expected, these points did not appease Google, who fired back in a statement saying, “Changing the search engine may be simple by Microsoft’s standards. But if it were truly simple, users would be able to change the default with one click.”
David A. Utter, a writer for WebProNews, points out that switching default search engines in the search box for IE7 is clearly an easier process than doing the same thing in Mozilla’s Firefox Web browser. Changing the search engine in IE7’s search box requires the user to merely click on a dropdown arrow and select an engine from a preexisting list. In Firefox, users must click on the dropdown arrow, then add an engine by going to a page with a list of add-on engines that have to be chosen and then added to the browser. Utter indicates that changing the search engine of choice in Opera is an even more difficult process.
Sources:
http://www.itworld.com/Man/2699/060515msdoj/
http://www.webpronews.com/insiderreports/
searchinsider/wpn-49-20060515JusticeUn
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