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Microsoft is
giving Internet Explorer an unfair technical advantage in Windows RT (Windows 8
for ARM-based devices) that is the "first step toward a new platform
lock-in," according to the Mozilla Foundation. The group behind the open
source Firefox browser is complaining that Internet Explorer will be the only
browser on Windows RT allowed to run in the traditional desktop environment.
That means
IE will be able to integrate with Windows RT in ways that competing browsers
can't, giving Microsoft's IE a leg up in terms of speed, stability and
security, Mozilla’s general counsel, Harvey Anderson, said in a blog post.
Mozilla also
suggests that Microsoft may be flirting with antitrust violations by freezing
out other browsers from Windows RT, echoing issues that sparked the software
giant's antitrust battle with the U.S. government more than a decade ago.
What is
Windows RT?
Windows RT
is the version of Windows 8 designed primarily for ARM-based single-panel touch
tablets, but is also expected to arrive on lightweight laptops. Windows RT will
have two user interfaces: a touch-friendly Metro-style interface and a
traditional Windows 7-like desktop. This is similar to Windows 8 for x86 chips.
The difference, however, is how Windows 8 and Windows RT handle applications.
How Does
Windows 8 Handle Apps?
Windows 8
will have three application types: Metro, classic desktop, and Metro-style
enabled desktop browsers (MEDB). Mozilla is already working on creating an MEDB
version of Firefox for Windows 8 that allows users to install the browser once
and run it on both the Metro and desktop interfaces. However, Windows 8 will
only allow your system's default MEDB to run in the Metro interface. In other
words, you can't run Firefox in Metro if IE is your default browser.
What About
Windows RT?
Windows RT
will focus on offering Metro-style apps optimized for touch devices and
connected to cloud services such as SkyDrive. But there will also be a
traditional desktop to run programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
and OneNote (all four are bundled with Windows RT), Windows Explorer and the
desktop version of IE. Legacy Windows desktop apps will not run on Windows RT.
The problem
is that Windows RT does not have an equivalent MEDB class of apps, according to
Mozilla's Asa Dotzler. MEDB apps on Windows 8 can access powerful application
programming interfaces (APIs) that browsers need "to deliver modern
capabilities and performance," Dotzler wrote in a blog post. Third-party
browsers on Windows RT will not be getting the same access to those APIs as IE
will have, according to Mozilla. "Without that access," Dotzler says,
"no other browser has a prayer of being competitive with IE."
What is
Microsoft Saying?
Microsoft
has not responded to PCWorld's request for comment.
Who Cares
About Windows 8 for Tablets Anyway?
It's not
clear if ARM-based Windows devices are going to be an important factor when
Windows 8 starts rolling out this year. Previous reports claimed that five or
fewer ARM-based Windows RT devices would be available at launch. And market
research firm NPD DisplaySearch predicts that Windows RT tablets will grow
slowly during the first five years, going from 1.5 percent of all tablets sold
worldwide to 7.5 percent by 2017.
So whether
Mozilla will miss out by not being on equal footing with Internet Explorer on
Windows RT is up for debate. Nevertheless, Microsoft's actions, if accurate,
could give the company an unfair advantage if Windows RT becomes a popular
option for consumers and device makers. And Microsoft's actions could bring up
antitrust problems for the company in the U.S. and Europe, according to
Mozilla.
The irony,
of course, is that Microsoft's original antitrust problems in the late 1990s
and early 2000s were sparked by how the company bundled Internet Explorer with
Windows. But until Microsoft has had a chance to explain don't count on history
repeating itself just yet.
Connect with
Ian Paul (@ianpaul) on Twitter and Google+, and with Today@PCWorld on Twitter
for the latest tech news and analysis.
By Ian Paul, PCWorld
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