By Charles Miller
Warning! The internet browser wars are back. Browser War I was in the mid-1990s when Netscape Navigator was the browser 80 percent of us used to navigate the nascent World Wide Web. Microsoft wanted that business, and it declared war. By the turn of the century, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer had won, and Netscape faded.
Browser War II was declared in 2009 when Google decided it wanted to take that business away from Microsoft. It created Chrome, and by deploying a series of deceitful and dishonest tactics, Google won BWII. By 2012, Microsoft’s browser started waning in popularity until today, when Google’s Chrome commands about two thirds of all web browser usage.
With the introduction of Windows 11 this year, Microsoft has declared Browser War III. Since the 1990s, Microsoft’s Windows Operating System has come complete with an internet browser, now called Edge. In the new Windows 11, Microsoft has added new ways to push everyone to use it by making it much more difficult to use Chrome or other alternatives. Windows 11 adds several new steps that must be manually configured in order to switch from Edge. Some of the tools, such as Edge Deflector and Search Deflector, cannot be changed from Edge to another browser.
None of this is happening by accident. Microsoft knows it only has about 10 percent of the worldwide browser market, while Google has somewhere around 64 percent, depending on the source. Billions of dollars in advertising revenue are at stake. Microsoft wants that business, so here comes Browser War III.
In a somewhat high-handed statement, Microsoft said, “The search experience from the taskbar is one such example of an end-to-end experience that is not designed to be redirected. When we become aware of improper redirection, we issue a fix.” English translation: If you try to switch your internet searches away from Microsoft’s Bing to use Google or another search engine, that is now “improper.”
Microsoft wants not only to expand its browser share but also market share for its Bing search engine and MSN News. Since the web browser is the most-used program on any computer, keeping people using Edge also helps Microsoft induce users to stay with Bing and other Microsoft services. Of course, it naturally follows that users will be exposed to Microsoft’s own ad platform and calculatedly kept away from Google’s.
Lest readers think I am coming down too hard on Microsoft, let us not forget the underhanded way Google won BWII by sneaking its Chrome browser into millions of computers without the knowledge or consent of the users. I have not forgiven Google for the grandmother who called me in tears, believing she had to buy a new computer she could not afford, all because Chrome had been stealthily installed. As in all wars, it is we, the innocent civilians, who often end up being caught in the crossfire.
Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant, a frequent visitor to San Miguel since 1981, and now practically a full-time resident. He may be contacted at 415 101 8528 or email FAQ8@SMAguru.com.
