Microsoft bows to Vista search engine complaint

Tech News

By Stevie Smith Jun 20, 2007, 13:48 GMT

News reports are circulating today that Redmond-based software company Microsoft Corporation has bowed to gathering pressure related to the computer search function of its Windows Vista operating system. The complaint in question claimed that Microsoft’s "Instant Search" aspect compromised the potential positioning of rival search providers such as Google Inc.According to an agreement forged between Microsoft, the U.S. Justice Department, 17 state attorneys general, and the District of Columbia, the software heavyweight has said it will modify its Vista search function by integrating an option that allows users to choose their personal preference when it comes to the system’s default search program. As things stand, Vista’s Instant Search enables Windows users to search through their computer hard drives and retrieve relevant list returns containing the parameters of their search query. Further to the initial agreement of compliance, Microsoft has also promised to introduce links within the Internet Explorer (IE) Web browser and also in the system Start menu so that users can quickly access any given default desktop search tool they’ve chosen to assign. Microsoft also pledged that further technical information would be made forthcoming to other third-party search providers – such as Google Inc. – in order to help them enhance the performance of their desktop search tools. "These remedies are a step in the right direction, but they should be improved further to give consumers greater access to alternate desktop search providers." commented David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer, in a related statement published by the Reuters news agency. The collective modifications will be implemented via an official service pack (SP) edition or an updated version of the Vista software, with Microsoft suggesting that a beta version of Vista SP1 will be ready for rollout before the dawn of 2008. The eventual changes introduced to the Windows Vista operating system stem from an initial complaint that was filed by Google in December of 2006, the complaint levelled that an in-built Vista feature allowing Windows users to search the system’s hard drive by default closed the market for fair third-party competition.

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