Author: Vic Date: To: hampshire Subject: Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Internet Explorer on Windows 7
> "You may have seen in the news a few weeks back that, in order for
> Europe to get Windows 7 at the same time as the global launch on 22
> October, Windows 7 will have to be shipped without Internet Explorer.
> So, when you buy a new computer, you will not have a browser as part of
> the operating system. I would be interested to hear your views on this
> so please email me."
This is *sort of* the case.
The EU regulator is investigating Microsoft regarding anti-trust - they
see pre-installing IE on a Windows desktop to be an abuse of the monopoly
position they have.
Microsoft decided to try to head off any action by removing IE. Note that
this was Microsoft's decision - it was *not* forced upon them, and nor do
the EU see what they've done as being in any way constructive.
> The statement 'you will not have a browser as part of the operating
> system' is interesting too, since there are /many/ things that won't
> ship as part of Windows 7 that I have come to expect as standard with
> most Linux distros, so why is this suddenly an issue?
Because they have perpetuated the fallacy that a browser is the *only* way
to get to the Intertubes. Ergo no browser - no net.
Completely wrong, of course - but this is Marketing, not reality...
> I really can't fathom if this portion of the email was gloriously naive
> and ill-informed on the part of the sender, or an attempt to raise the
> rabble over some perceived injustice of the EEC rulings using
> deliberately fuzzy facts.
