Microsoft browser ballot helping Opera gain notable market share

The recent launch of the Microsoft browser ballot for Windows in Europe has largely helped Norway�s small Web browser Opera to gain notable ground in terms of browser market share.

The implementation of the browser ballot, which is an upshot of a deal between Microsoft and the European Commission for ending an antitrust battle and for expanding browser choice for users, now has Microsoft offering 12 options, namely: Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Opera, Sleipnir, Maxthon, FlashPeak Slim Browser, GreenBrowser, Avant Browser, Flock, and K-Meleon.

As per the information forwarded by Opera, the number of downloads of Opera 10.5 browser have increased over two-fold, following the introduction of the browser ballot. Statistics further reveal that the downloads have witnessed a three-fold increase in Poland, Spain, and Italy.

Commenting on Opera�s gain of market share, H�kon Wium Lie, CTO of Opera Software, said that the implementation of the browser ballot �confirms that when users are given a real choice on how they choose the most important piece of software on their computer, the browser, they will try out alternatives. A multitude of browsers will make the Web more standardized and easier to browse.�

Though there are currently no results that reveal which browser is being used the most, it is almost certain that Microsoft has apparently lost some of its browser market share ever since the randomized browser selection ballot has been introduced.