Windows 7 to ship with no IE

[Kryten]

As the title says, MS are shipping Windows 7 (all editions) minus Internet Explorer, in order to skirt around the EU legislations after the recent court activities.

Trying to suss this one out a bit. So, you want IE - I'm guessing you get it through windows update.
You don't want IE - you want Firefox or Opera instead. Then what?
We have to download 2 browsers to get to what we want?

Is there a basic web browsing function in Explorer without IE there?
And in my eyes, this is likely to cause much grievance with "normal" users who slap on the new OS to find theres no browser. OK, I guess it'll be in the package for OEM machines. Frankly if Apple can do it, why the hell can't MS? Nice bit of one-sidedness from the EU unless I'm missing something :/

 

[dysfunction]

Yes I always wondered about that. Apple seem to have gotten away scot free!

And also how are people supposed to download anything if they have no web browser??
Its just daft!

 

[Cadelin]

And in my eyes, this is likely to cause much grievance with "normal" users who slap on the new OS to find theres no browser. OK, I guess it'll be in the package for OEM machines. Frankly if Apple can do it, why the hell can't MS? Nice bit of one-sidedness from the EU unless I'm missing something :/

There is no problem with bundling them together. The problem was abusing their market position by preventing the software work on other operating systems.

Take Microsoft office, there is a Mac Version available. This is probably because Microsoft get paid for each copy brought.

However for other programs such as IE and media player which Microsoft distributes for free it (according to the EU ruling) purposefully made it difficult/impossible for other operating systems to use. This is the problem.

Apple are immune to this kind of legislation because they don't have a dominant market position with which to abuse. The closest thing they have is itunes which is available on windows machines.

P.S. If you don't have an internet browser you can always download things from the command line!

 

[soze]

This is silly and is going to cause a lot of arse ache for support departments. I think MS have removed it but HP ect will still buddle it at least that’s what I’m hoping. And I was wondering why Anti Trust has not gone after Apple but then again they are the plucky upstarts trying to tackle the big evil Microsoft. I do not know what was wrong with shipping it with 7 put making it public knowledge that you can remove it in the Control Panel. I suppose we will just have to get our FTP site ready to host a version of IE.

 

[Bob007]

Just reading through this and it seems european ones will be "E" labeled and have no I.E. as you say but they go on to say "Given the pending legal proceeding, we’ve decided that instead of including Internet Explorer in Windows 7 in Europe, we will offer it separately and on an easy-to-install basis to both computer manufacturers and users. This means that computer manufacturers and users will be free to install Internet Explorer on Windows 7, or not, as they prefer." Chances are I'd say it will be on the disc but not part of the installation and users/builder will be presented with an option to install on boot.

Looking at the fines they've had and might get if they don't, its prob cheaper for them to go this route. Time will tell if this causes any problems. But if they do it right, its going to be just a click or 2 away to install it anyway.

 

[Dark Orb Choir]

my whole problem with this is that if you goto the shop and buy 4 cans of beer, say Stella, it comes as 4 casn and not 3 cans and one can of Miller.

Its just stupid.......

 

[Bob007]

Came accross this to. Intresting read

lets not forget Microsoft havn't always been Little Red Riding Hood. At one time they were the big bad wolf

I bet removing IE didn't cost £765m

 

[ford prefect]

However for other programs such as IE and media player which Microsoft distributes for free it (according to the EU ruling) purposefully made it difficult/impossible for other operating systems to use. This is the problem.

As far as I know IE stopped at version 5 on Mac OS and was frankly useless. Similarly Windows Media player stopped at version 9 in 2003. Microsoft simply stopped supporting them and Mac users were told that there would be no further versions.

As for windows 7, I was under the impression that explorer and IE were so intertwined these days that they are practically the same thing? It will be interesting to see how this works out.

 

[dysfunction]

P.S. If you don't have an internet browser you can always download things from the command line!

Many people would have no clue what the command line is! And if they did how would they know what to type in there?

 

[Cadelin]

Many people would have no clue what the command line is! And if they did how would they know what to type in there?

I'll admit it wasn't the best joke in the world but I had hoped the would have indicated the light hearted nature of the comment.

Having said that maybe its Microsoft's attempt to keep stupid people off the internet!

 

[dysfunction]

Yes now that would be a good thing!

 

[GReaper]

I'd like to see the PC manufacturers partner with different browsers in a similar way to other crapware being installed on new machines. Maybe Google would be keen on getting Chrome onto new machines? Mozilla could use some of their vast resources earned from advertising into getting Firefox on these machines.

Personally I think Windows being bundled with the machine is more of an issue than this.

 

[Chilly]

I dont see the problem anyway. no one sells browers. the whole browser development arms race is just willy waving of the highest order. Admittedly it means that we've now got some very very nice browsers and javascript execution engines orders of magnitude more efficient than the early implementations.

 

[Ctuchik]

anyone else smelling google chrome push behind all this?

wouldn't surprise me if after a bit of digging u'd see a rep from google (with a big checkbook in his hand) behind the proposal in the first place


owell, i'm gonna use IE8 no matter what when win7 release. using win7 RC atm and i couldn't be happier.


/edit: anyway, its all just fucking sad really. if ppl dont want to use IE or windows mail, then they install something else even tho those 2 are already on the install. and if they do want to use it, they will. this is just making it harder then it needs to be for the end users.