Windows 7 to ship without Internet Explorer

 

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By Stuart Turton and Reuters

Posted on 12 Jun 2009 at 08:25

Microsoft plans to ship Windows 7 in Europe without Internet Explorer.

Click here to read Barry Collins' thoughts on Microsoft's broken Windows

The decision comes as the European Commission prepares to rule on antitrust charges brought against Microsoft in January. The software giant stands accused of shielding its web browser from competition by bundling it with Windows.

"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," says Microsoft deputy general counsel Dave Heiner on a blog post.

"This means that computer manufacturers and users will be free to install Internet Explorer on Windows 7, or not, as they prefer. Of course, they will also be free, as they are today, to install other web browsers," he concludes.

However, Microsoft's claims of stripping Internet Explorer 8 out of Windows are somewhat disingenuous. While the browser will not be installed with the OS, it will still come on a separate CD with boxed copies of Windows 7.

The move has met with a cold response from the EC, which had preferred a solution whereby Microsoft offer a choice of browsers with Windows.

"Microsoft has apparently decided to supply retail consumers with a version of Windows without a web browser at all," says the European Commission in a statement. "Rather than more choice, Microsoft seems to have chosen to provide less."

The EU warned that Micrsoft's decision does not close its investigation and that it's still weighing sanctions. It is still possible Microsoft will be forced to bundle other browsers in future releases.

Microsoft has a long history of wrangles with regulators regarding its bundling of apps with Windows - an OS which runs on more than 90% of the world's computers.

In the last five years, it has been fined more than $2 billion by the European Commission for violations and failing to carry out remedies over the bundling of its Windows Media player.

In 2000, a US judge decided that Microsoft had broken the law after it combined its Internet Explorer browser and the Windows operating system. The most serious violations of the law were upheld on appeal, but the company continued to bundle its operating system and browser.

Microsoft has also revealed the new European version of Windows 7 will strip out the ability for customers to upgrade in-place, meaning they'll need to re-install apps and personal files after Windows 7 is installed.