A few weeks ago I wrote about Microsoft’s “browser choice” ballot page in Europe, which in its debut used a flawed algorithm when attempting to perform a “random shuffle” of the browser choices, a feature specifically called for in their agreement with the EU. This bug was fixed soon after it was reported. But I […]
Microsoft
The New & Improved Microsoft Shuffle
A quick update on my post from last week on the “Microsoft Shuffle“, where I looked at how Microsoft’s “random” browser ballot was far from random. First, I’d like to thanks those who commented on that post, or sent me notes, offering additional analysis. I think we nailed this one. Within a few days of […]
Doing the Microsoft Shuffle: Algorithm Fail in Browser Ballot
March 6th Update: Microsoft appears to have updated the www.browserchoice.eu website and corrected the error I describe in this post. More details on the fix can be found in The New & Improved Microsoft Shuffle. However, I think you will still find the following analysis interesting. -Rob Introduction The story first hit in last week […]
Monopoly Freedom Day
Each year the Tax Foundation, a 70-year old nonpartisan tax research group based in Washington, D.C., issues a press release on Tax Freedom Day, the day in the year where the average American worker has earned enough to pay their taxes for the year. In 2008 Tax Freedom Day was April 23rd. Of course, this […]
Embrace the Reality and Logic of Choice
Another neo-colonialist press release from Microsoft’s CompTIA lobbying arm, this time inveighing against South Africa’s adoption of ODF as a national standard. One way to point out the absurdity of their logic is to replace the reference to ODF with references to any other useful standard that a government might adopt, like electrical standards. When […]