Could it be... ?

Could it be that MS has finally developed some common sense?

I'm not disgruntled

I fully expect my Windows 7 copy to have no browser and to not hassle me about it either. I'm perfectly capable of installing my own. (Of course, if games makers made their games Linux compatible, I wouldn't bother financing Microsoft at all.)

For those who aren't capable of such a thing, perhaps they should learn how to use their computer. If they can't, they're probably not fit to own one.

So what about those of us who's preordered already?

That's definitely a relief for those of us who have held off pre-ordering the E version, because what's the first thing you'd need to do when it comes? Flatten the machine and load the OS from scratch.

I've pre-ordered the E version of Professional from Amazon, and, while I don't mind wiping the machine (just to get rid of the last little bit of Vista on there), it would be a benefit if we could upgrade.

Interesting development. Not entirely unexpected, and definitely more welcome.

Good news

This shows that the EU's strategy was correct. We'll all be better off as a result.

Seems fair enough

Weighting it by current popularity should be fine. I suppose a comment on the software saying "You can use one of these browsers to merely search for and download any other browser you prefer" would maybe help too - after all, how many of you have "www.getfirefox.com" as the first and only link you visited using IE on a fresh windows install? Sure, Firefox will make it to the big 5 listed initially by the software, but, same concept.

Sigh...

What a ridiculous waste of time.

Anybody who is fanatical about their browser will already know exactly how to download it and default it (or will already being using a variant of Linux of a Mac anyway).

Any corporate admin will most likely prevent them from doing so via Group Policy.

Any 'PC World' type home user will click either the first, or the prettiest looking icon, until they break it, take it back to PC World, and return home with IE installed.

Most OEMs will probably bundle IE anyway.

Opera will still go bankrupt.

More Confused

So now it DOES ship with IE?

And now we get an extra window offering 5 other browsers? I didn't know there WERE 5 other browsers..

I'll just do what I always do and install IE and Firefox shall I? Screw the extra screen, screw Opera for making it more confusing and lots of epic fails over at EU headquarters for thinking this is in any way a good idea.

And as if any manufacturer / supplier is going to take the IE removal route, nobody is going to believe Microsofts "of course we wont mind" statement.

If I were in charge of MS...

'Announcement: Given the number of difficulties and legal arguments we've faced over providing free Internet browsers and media player software, we've decided to withdraw all client versions of Windows from the EU market for 12 months whilst we hold a thorough internal review.'

FFS

Pleas ecan we just sort this out, it is NOT hard.

All boxed versions of windows come with IE. Anyone who is ordering a boxed version is almost certainly savvy enough that they're gonna change their browser straight away

OEM versions come without a browser. Make it illegal for MS to use discounts on/threats-of-removing-the-OEM's-license-to-distribute Windows to as an incentive to install IE.

Make IE FULLY uninstallable.

Problem solved, no need to promote alternate products.

@ Norfolk Enchants Paris

Google are always watching!

top 5 only?

So after a few years, says IE isn't being used much, it might not make the top 5.

Are MS going to keep it on the list anyway??????

'go' icon because i hope it happens

I am so sick of reading the same stupid comments

Why is that every time we have an article about this we get the same bunch of idiotic comments. Don't these people read previous comment threads so they can actually learn why this is happening and why it's a good thing?

Register, whenever you do one of these articles again, please can you make the following notes at the bottom to stop this barrage of total stupidity on the comments page:

1. Microsoft have a MONOPOLY. A monopoly is very damaging for business and for the consumer and that is why measures need to be brought in to deal with it. That is why Apple are not having similar measures taken against them, because APPLE DO NOT HAVE A MONOPOLY LIKE MICROSOFT DO.

2. It is perfectly possible to download a web browser WITHOUT ALREADY HAVING A WEB BROWSER INSTALLED.

dear commentards

please refrain from posting on any more articles regarding MS/IE until such time as you:

1: understand the terms "monopoly" and "abuse of position"

2: understand that Firefox is not integrated into the Linux Kernal (ditto Safari/OSX)

3: understand that the www is NOT the Internet and that it IS possible to download a browser without a browser installed

4: understand that the population of EUROPE is more than twice that of the United States and that we're charged considerably more in Europe for MS software than our American counterparts - MS are quite unlikely to stop selling to EU countries (which account for about 500 million of the 730 million people in Europe) in a fit of pique - it's a larger more lucrative market

If you could just do this small amount of research it would save the rest of us from reading the same half-dozen fucking comments over and over and over again - that is all, thank you.

@What about Windows Update

MS had obviously seen this one coming as ever since Vista, Windows Updates have been delivered through a built in application and not ANY web browser.

I still want to know who's making any money out of free web browsers and therefore, why it matters at all about whose OS ships with which browser...

So will this now apply to Apple??

I take it that if this goes ahead Apple will be forced to allow iTunes users to use a media player other than QuickTime and, ofc, include links to the download sites in the iTunes installer?

OK EU - You got us.

We will give user the option to have any of the top 5 browsers that they want.

..........BUT WE'LL STILL CHARGE THEM THE SAME !!!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

Ha!

To all the bleating morons

Apple, Firefox, Ubuntu etc etc ARE NOT EFFECTIVE MONOPOLIES and are thus not governed by the various laws on ABUSE OF A MONOPOLY POSITION. Jeez.

Does Apple have to provide an alternative to Safari? No. Apple is not a monopoly.

Does Canonical have to provide an alternative to Firefox? No, but they do (and different window managers...and...and...). They are not a monopoly.

I don't really care about IE being installed on Windows, I just want the ability to totally and utterly remove every single last vestige of it from my PC. I can do that with Firefox on Ubuntu (or Windows for that matter), but I can't with IE.

MS should be forced to release all IE's APIs (or better yet, forced to comply with W3C standards) so that the other browser and support MS update etc.

But back to the morons; MS is only in this trouble because THEY ABUSED THEIR MONOPOLY POSITION (in the opinion of the EU etc). The others (Apple et al) are not monopolies and thus can't abuse that position.

Try using your brains for a change.

@ledmil

iTunes is the default music player on OS X. It can be completely and utterly removed. It can be completely and utterly replaced. I have Amazons MP3 downloader installed on my mac and it works a treat. Songbird and VLC player also work superbly. As for options in iTunes installers, since it's an OPTIONAL install for Windows in the first place, and as stated, can be replaced as the default in OS X, why should they? It's the end users choice whether on not they install iTunes and Quicktime or not. No abusive behaviour has taken place.

Ultimately your post is pointless, not because it's just plain wrong (it is), but because this action has NOTHING to do with Apple. If and when Apple abuse a dominant position in the OS market, then the appropriate authorities will take action. If you, as an obvious fanboi, want to stop those nasty people in the EC from picking on 'icle old Microsoft, then encourage Microsoft to STOP BREAKING TRADING LAWS. It really is that simple.