Microsoft Decides No IE with Win 7 in Europe
Microsoft has come up with its own solution to the whole EU antitrust issue that has been plaguing the company since January of this year: don't ship Internet Explorer with Windows 7, but only in Europe.
Citing a confidential memo that was sent to PC makers and seen by Cnet News, Cnet yesterday reported that the company plans to offer a version of its latest operating system, Windows 7 to Europeans but without the browser. Computer makers would then have the option to add the browser back in, ship another browser or ship multiple browsers.
“To ensure that Microsoft is in compliance with European law, Microsoft will be releasing a separate version of Windows 7 for distribution in Europe that will not include Windows Internet Explorer," the Redmond company said in the memo to PC manufacturers. "Microsoft will offer IE8 separately and free of charge and will make it easy and convenient for PC manufacturers to preinstall IE 8 on Windows 7 machines in Europe if they so choose,” the company continued, adding that “PC manufacturers may choose to install an alternative browser instead of IE 8, and has always been the case, they may install multiple browsers if they wish."
This sheds new light on yesterday’s news in which European regulators were said to be investigating whether or not Microsoft had pressured PC makers into voting against a ‘ballot screen’ solution that would see users choose their own browser the first time they connected to the internet.
Microsoft confirmed that the document seen by Cnet is legit and as far as we can tell, however, the company’s solution offers PC makers the choice of browser and not the user. Do you agree with this remedy by Microsoft? Let us know in the comments below!
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This no IE stance may not seem that important as a separate CD will come in the Win 7 box, but by removing IE from the default installation it will not be possible to upgrade to Win7, even from Vista. Instead you will have to reinstall. Personally if I have to start messing about with that I might as well move over to Linux or Apple. At least these products are upgradable. Also why is the EU not challenging Apple for shipping Safari with it's OS?
Personally I don't see a problem with Microsoft shipping IE with Windows. All this winging about it being anti-competitive, well doh!... you are operating in a competitive environment and it will never be as free as you want it to be. The likes of Mozilla and Google should go and write their own OS rather than making life difficult for everyone else with legal action. Idiots!
They say its anti competitive because if an operating system you've paid for already comes with a browsers installed already, what's the reason for the average user to try another browsers. Its anti-competitive because it doesn't allow competition, and in the EU a company is now allowed to dominate a marked to that degree, competitors have to at least have a fair chance of getting users to use there product.
This whole thing is utter rubbish - should we start shipping cars with no CD player so that end users can choose which one they would like? Or maybe we should ship an iPod with no OS? Due to online activation & online features, I am sure that Microsoft should be able to argue that the browser is key to making the most of the Windows experience just as you need an OS installed to be able to use an iPod. Also, if the OEMs are going to ship their PCs with IE8 installed anyway then Microsoft gets their own way anyway - and good luck to them. Some people like to bash M$ just as any large coporation gets its fair share of bad press, but laws like this should be challenged no matter who it involved...
I can see both sides of the issue here. I don't want to have to use a different PC to download firefox, however, I don't overly wnat IE on there. There's never going to be an ideal.
Does this mean software like Valve's Steam will have to look around a number of locations for a browser, or user will have to specify during installation etc?
@mi1ez: VALVe's Steam isn't causing a browser monopoly, you don't generally install Steam for a browser, and you tend to install it along side another one. It's a part of the package. With Windows, the point is that a lot of people don't even KNOW of other browsers, like how a lot of people don't know what AMD is, but do know what Intel is.
I'm annoyed that Microsoft is playing this childish game, but, in the EU competition is fair. Microsoft has already ****ed the internet up beyond recognition with IE6, and I'd rather not even give them the chance to do it again.
Im sorry, but microsoft has had an IE package since OC2 of Windows 95, i have been aware of other browsers from day 1, but have always chose to use IE as my browser because it was the best on the market at the time.
If Microsoft makes an operating system (which they do) and they wish to have an IE package pre-installed strait out of the box, then that should be how it is.
IE8 isnt as bad as people make out, its just different, same as vista was put down (although was a bloody good operating system).
does this mean then, in the future u wont have an operating system on ur computer purchases, because that will give linux and other operating systems a chance.
this is bloody stupid, and if microsoft want to put IE8 onto ther operating system, then they should be able too, it can always be uninstalled or kept depending on ur preference.
If I were Microsoft (or Intel, with their recent huge 'anticompetitive' fines), I would threaten to completely abandon the European markets
I reckon they should only be allowed to ship the Windows kernel, the GUI and Explorer. Actually, there should be an open GUI system and an open explorer system, so only ship the kernel with a CLI.
@ gabtdw
haha microsoft wont do that...they are too greedy...im sure you agree with me on this
@ papalarge123 + david__t
you are kind of missing the point, thats why you dont understand it
Ok, How I'm supposed to download a firefox? There's should be IE8 in Windows 7 as default. So, users can browse and download any browsers.
well congratulations EU commission, your ppl now get slightly less for their money when they buy windows7, or a slightly more painful install process, how much tax payer money did this marvelous victory cost? i'm sure your ticket tape parade is already being planned...
btw, ppl in the EU probably wont notice this anyway, they will just install win7, do the automatic updates and automatically get IE via windows update, maybe not even really noticing.
@Clintonio
what mi1ez is saying is that if IE8 is not installed steam cannot function properly, nor can valve's games that have the motd function when they join a server simply because The steam shop and community within the program uses Internet explorer.
They should be forced to make the IE homepage a pick your browser page!
AJ00200
Web War Lord