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[Shim]

A new version of the Windows 8 operating system could shut out browsers such as Firefox and Chrome, according to Mozilla. Microsoft has been saying all along that x86 apps wouldn't run on Windows on ARM and it explicitly said there would be no third-party code on Windows RT when it announced the details of the platform back in February.

That's no plugins for IE on the Windows RT desktop as well as no desktop Firefox and Chrome. According to Mozilla, the makers of Firefox, Microsoft is planning to allow only one fully-functioning browser on Windows RT: Microsoft's own Internet Explorer. Writing on the Mozilla blog, Harvey Anderson, general counsel for the company, lashed out at Microsoft for the slight, and called the alleged move "an unwelcome return to the digital dark ages where users and developers didn’t have browser choices."

Why is Mozilla focused on Microsoft? Anderson's answer: Microsoft is a different beast. "The difference here is that Microsoft is using its Windows monopoly power in the OS market to exclude competition in the browser market," Anderson said, possibly referring to Microsoft's dominance of the entire operating system space, not only mobile.

The fully featured version of Firefox will be allowed to run on Intel-based Windows 8 tablets. It's only Windows RT where there will be a problem. Microsoft also declined to comment on Mozilla's accusations.

http://shimsoftwares.blogspot.com/2012/ ... x-and.html

[Usman55]

Microsoft has every right to block developers from competing but again, Developers have every right to develop apps for the OS copy they paid for.

[comathi]

As I see it, windows 8 will be another one of those closed systems (ie, iOS) and it's likely that people, as with their iDevices, will be "jailbreaking" their windows 8 tablets.

[iLenkaa]

Lol, I wasn't even planning on buying an windows tablet, so no problem for me ;)
Other tablets and OS's once again, for the win.

[Vikhedgehog]

[comathi]

[MrAksel]

I can run Opera just fine on Win8. I have it installed on my Win7 partition, and I just navigate to the opera.exe in my program files folder and start it.

[CodenStuff]

I dont understand most of the jibberish about Windows RT but from what I can gather computers and tablets that use an ARM processor will NOT be able to run x86 software which is basically everything you me and everyone else run on their desktops (photoshop, chrome, firefox, visual studio, games etc etc) pretty much everything that runs on the desktop will not work on ARM and only metro apps will work.

Your computer and Intel based tablets WILL still be able to run everything as normal including firefox and chrome on the desktop.

[Usman55]

Opera sucks, for me at least. Best test that I've tried yet is this:

Try to open Yahoo! Mail first in Opera and then in Google Chrome.
Try searching for something in ebay.com first in Opera and then Chrome.

You'll see for yourself which ones faster/better.

This test (not really a test, lol) shows better results on a slow network.

[MrAksel]

On slow networks, you are supposed to use Opera Turbo. A built in feature that will filter network traffic (I think) and use a fast proxy through the Opera servers (I think). You should read about the feature. I also prevents flash controls to load at once, so its useful against ads too. You have to click on the flash controls for them to load, so that saves alot of network traffic.