Vista - Windows 7 to be shipped in Europe sans Internet Explorer

Microsoft has responded to the EU's antitrust investigation into its bundling of its browser with Windows by deciding to ship Windows 7 in Europe without Internet Explorer 8 installed. Say hello to the spiritual successor of Windows XP N: Windows 7 E.

Full Story: http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/06/windows-7-to-be-shipped-in-europe-sans-internet-explorer.ars

What a farce

What use is an OS without a browser?! Apparently MS are going to have to resort to a seperate CD distribution of IE8 to get around this EU bureaucracy-gone-mad because of course you need a browser to download a browser.

If you are doing an upgrade to Win7 you are going to have to remember to ensure that you have downloaded a standalone version of a browser BEFORE you try the upgrade, or else you will be stuck.

All because some Norwegian bowser company (Opera) were frustrated that they couldn't achieve a critical mass (Norway isn't even in the EU ). They ideally wanted their product to be included in Windows distributions to overcome the inertia of people just using what came with the OS (in other words they wanted free advertising).

Can you imagine forcing any other company to include a optional component from one of their competitors in their product just to give the end user the ability to decide whether they like it better than that of the main company?

In a way i'm glad MS has taking this approach which is essentially a two finger salute to the EU. It means that they cannot be prosecuted by the EU whilst at the same time not giving their competitors the distribution advantage they so desired.

What I do worry about however is that a lot of people buying Windows 7 in Europe will not appreciate that it does not include a browser and will land up confused and criticising MS when in fact they should be directing their venom at the EU for meddling in an area it has always struggled to grasp......

Edit: Surprise Surprise, Opera are well miffed: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10262913-56.html

This is Total BULL.......

In any case Windows 7 needs a browser...im quite certain many users would've wanted IE8 to get the whole WINDOWS7 EXPERIENCE........

Wats next...an os cannot have a media player!!!!!