Mike Southby

After the requirement of the European Commission for Microsoft to offer a choice of browsers to its users (See Article), I noticed that Windows Update has today downloaded a small update which finally gives me the choice (not that I or anyone else of course could not have already manually changed browsers beforehand) as to which browser I prefer to use with Windows 7.

The update in question is KB976002 – Microsoft Browser Choice Screen Update for EEA Users of Windows 7.

Once downloaded and applied, the update adds an icon to your desktop (appropriately named Browser Choice) which when clicked, opens up Internet Explorer and continues to offer you a selection of alternative browsers for you to take a look at or download (the download links and appropriate links to the relevant vendor sites for information are included for convenience).  The current options are:

• Internet Explorer
• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Safari
• Opera
• Sleipnir
• Avant
• K-Meleon
• GreenBrowser
• FlashPeak
• Flock
• Maxthon

By clicking the Browser Choice icon and running through the options, you’ll notice that Internet Explorer is automatically unpinned from the taskbar but that it is not uninstalled (of course Internet Explorer forms an integral part of the OS and can never be fully uninstalled), although it is possible to further remove all reference to it by un-checking the Internet Explorer option by going to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off.

I think the inclusion of this choice is a step in the right direction but I would have liked to have seen it taken a step further.  It would have been great to have seen an option to not only choose additional browsers, but the ability to define your default browser and remove reference to Internet Explorer (if that’s what you choose to do of course) all in one place.

Personally I still use Internet Explorer 8, Firefox 3.6 and Google Chrome 4 so this update has not changed anything for me but I am sure that it will have an impact on the browser trends within Europe over the coming years as more and more people come to realise that they have a choice; perhaps then Microsoft will start developing further releases of Internet Explorer to the same set of standards as other vendors in the hope that its popularity increases once again.

Discuss.

Short and sweet but I thought I’d grab the opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year, let’s hope 2010 heralds a better year than 2009!

As promised, I now have more Google Wave invites available after the initial batch.  If you need one, take a look at my original post for details:

http://www.mikesouthby.co.uk/2009/10/google-wave-invites-are-in/

Enjoy.

I have to be honest; I can take or leave Facebook.  Sure it is probably the most used social networking service out there but I much prefer Twitter.  Facebook has too many Pirates, Vampires, Racers and other annoyances for my liking these days.  I wonder if Facebook – like many before it – is becoming a victim of its own success.  The number of Facebook users may well be continuing to climb but I wonder for how long, it’s becoming too commercialised and too full of junk.

Still, I acknowledge Facebooks relevance and am surprised to see that the latest version of the Android specific client which is found on the new Motorola Droid has not been ported back to the wider community.  The version available in the Android Market is pretty poor.

So you want the new version?  OK, it’s actually quite easy to get it to work:

Caveat:  You MUST uninstall any previous versions of Facebook from your device before trying to install this new version.

• Download this file and copy it to the root of your SD card
• Open a terminal window and type the following:
  su
mount /system –o remount,rw
rm /system/app/Facebook.apk
cd /sdcard
cp Facebook.apk /system/app

You don’t need to reboot, the Facebook app will show up immediately in your menu.

Enjoy.

Note:  Feel free to add me on Facebook if you wish but remember to add a note that you’ve come from my blog otherwise as if I don’t know where you’re from I may not accept your request, and more importantly, any requests to join your Vampire or Werewolf clan (or any other for that matter) will not be met with enthusiasm.