Microsoft makes IE8 default choice a bit clearer

Microsoft has made the decision to make Internet Explorer 8 your default browser a bit clearer.

When IE8 runs for the first time, it now asks users whether they want to make the browser their default, if IE isn't already.

"We heard a lot of feedback from a lot of different people and groups and decided to make the user choice of the default browser even more explicit," the developers wrote on their blog.

Now, users will see a new panel when they first run the browser, asking if they want to switch to IE for their default. In addition, when running an express install, IE will no longer become the default setting.

The new default screen will be rolled out by the middle of next month using dynamic updates, which are used by 90 per cent of IE8 users, as well as in the next monthly security update. It will apply to Vista, XP and Windows 7.

Microsoft has gotten into trouble over IE with the European Union, which accused it of abusing its market position to prevent take up of other browsers.

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