Windows 7 to ship without IE in the EU (+ HR, CH)

pjbliverpool said:
At last check, they were pushing for the OS to offer a choice of browsers at install time, including IE. I don't know if thats the route MS will go with though.
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But as some people already said, this has quite a bit difficulties when actually implemented. A simple problem would be, which browsers should be selected? Who should decide which browsers to be presented at install time?

This is already a non-problem for computer vendors, because if they desire they can already put any browser they wanted into the computers they sell. Of course, as we know that almost no vendors bother with this because this just increase their support cost.

Since Microsoft decided to provide upgrade prices for all Windows 7 without IE, I think this is probably already the best for EU consumers, at least practically. Heck, consumers elsewhere don't even have this option. I'd be happy to buy a cheaper Windows without IE, because I rarely use IE anyway.
 
Tahir2 said:
It would be quite trivial for MS to include downloads in some form of "choose your internet browser" program that downloads the latest releases of Firefox, Opera, Safari etc.
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Exactly.

Soon there will be no need to call that "geek" computer friend of yours!
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How awesome that would be :D
 
I would love it if I could buy win7 cheap w/o IE in the US personally regardless of whether it would make it more of a hassle for other folks.

I could preorder, but I don't really want an upgrade I want a stand alone kind of, though I guess it doesn't really matter.

Anyone know what their install limits are now for various sKUs?

OEM, Retail, etc...

With XP I had to call often to activate b/c I reinstalled after changing hardware. With Vista I have not yet, but I only did the merry go round of installations once on my 3 systems.

(In otherwords rebuilt desktop, reinstalled, move old desktop components to HTPC reinstalled and swapped OS with laptop).
 
I believe the retail license allows one to uninstall and reinstall as many times as one wants (although eventually they may make you call, but legally they have to let you activate).
 
I can confirm that the EU version WILL NOT be shipping with a web browser.

On the other hand, I pre-ordered the full retail version on Home Premium today for £45 :D

64bit..... here I come!
 
This is just weird.

Microsoft said:
Under [Microsoft's] new proposal, among other things, European consumers who buy a new Windows PC with Internet Explorer set as their default browser would be shown a ‘ballot screen’ from which they could, if they wished, easily install competing browsers from the Web.
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Any ideas what made Microsoft first remove IE and now accept Opera's ballot screen idea? Worst of all, the E versions are still going forward but if the EC accepts this proposal by MS, the non-E will be sold in Europe as well.

o_O ME R CONFLUZED!
 
Another win for customers. Thank you miss Kroes, you're doing an awesome job!
 
Ike Turner said:
Yay for Communism!
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Protecting competition is communism? That's ludicurous.

It looks like you are not joking. Let me educate you a bit. In communism, monopoly is the standard way of doing business.

Hence in communist state you're likely to find:
one nationwide TV channel
one nationwide bank
one nationwide isurrance company
one nationwide airlines
one nationwide press distribution company
etc.

It's not entirely related to the "ruling with iron fist" thing. It's deeper than that. In communist economy, free market competition is considered an unnecessary overhead.

I understand this is purely abstract world for you. To give you a taste of mediocricity that results from monopolysm, I'll use an analogy. Remember the decline in quality of Internet Explorer iterations, once it gained it's peak market share? Now try imagine something like that, but bigger, deeper, and accepted daily, in nearly all industries and services. That's a glimpse of communism.

Going back to the topic:

Looks like the manufacturer of "one worldwide OS" is going to have a little less of unfair advantages at hand to get it's "one worldwide browser" back to the levels of market share it once had. Comrades in EUC celebrate another victory against the rotten capitalism! :rolleyes:

Pulling the "commie" card in defense of a monopolyst... do you get the irony now? I hope.
 
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Monopolies are well known and well understood causes/consequences of market failure. Fixing them is to be pro market, and not communist.
 
Richard said:
This is just weird.



Any ideas what made Microsoft first remove IE and now accept Opera's ballot screen idea? Worst of all, the E versions are still going forward but if the EC accepts this proposal by MS, the non-E will be sold in Europe as well.

o_O ME R CONFLUZED!
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Why are you confused? Were you for one minute thinking that consumers were going to get a Windows version that doesn't automatically install a browser at the beginning?
 
Given that we're nearly 3 months away from the retail release and RTM only happened a short while ago (almost at the same time the brower ballot was announced IIRC), I don't see why MS don't just replace the E and full versions with the browser ballot version. That would actually be more functionality than the normal versions, as you'd get to choose your browser install.
 
There will not be a Windows 7 "E".

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10301299-56.html?tag=newsLeadStoriesArea.1

Microsoft said late Friday that it won't ship the Windows 7 "E" version of Windows even though Europe has yet to sign off on its revised plan.
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Those who pre-ordered Windows 7 "E" through a recent discount offer will get the full version, as Microsoft had promised. However, Microsoft plans to now sell Windows 7 upgrades in Europe and also offer a higher-priced full version (for those without an earlier copy of Windows)--similar to what it is doing in the rest of the world..
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Ironic, isn't it, that Microsoft successfully claimed in the US anti-trust case, that IE is inseparable from the rest of the OS.
 
Frank said:
Ironic, isn't it, that Microsoft successfully claimed in the US anti-trust case, that IE is inseparable from the rest of the OS.
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Which was certainly the case back then, as IE was part of Windows Explorer also. Likewise the Help system, Windows Update, and a variety of other things. You could however hack it out back then but it broke functionality in certain applications.

MS started removing the reliance on IE with XP and Vista fully removes dependence on it.

I wonder who Opera will try to get the EU to go after, when they STILL fail as a browser after this change?

Regards,
SB
 
I wonder what people are going to find to complain about the EU next. Where are the tools now who claimed this couldn't be done? Or that this would be bad for European customers?

Me, I'm just glad Microsoft realised that their initial response wasn't helpful to anyone, customers, regulators or Microsoft alike.
 
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