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"BTW, I think you people who ask such questions about Microsoft browser being bundled are missing the point."
Actually not. I think the folks that cheer for crippling of software are missing the point. You can remove IE with the instructions on Microsoft's website. You can install a myriad of other web browsers. The EU is just trying to get money for themselves, and this is a way to do it.
With the newest IE, it is standards compliant in actuality and sites display fine. This case has no merit to it whatsoever, except for the fact the EU is attempting to actually kill off Microsoft.
1. The Microsoft instruction don't work.
Internet explorer is so embeded in the windows system that what your describe as doing is doing nothing more then removingthe icon and certain pull down menu selection of IE.
when you ask for it by "run" command it come back , also IE is the Windows manager and System explorer and is tied into the network setup.
2. Majority of People don't know how to instal software , much less download them off the internet. The fact that other solution can be easily downloaded is irrelevant , the fact is that Microsoft forced out the other Browser by using it's control of the OS.
3. The EU is the European Union , most of the country there would gladly leave Microsoft alone this days , the problem is they are breaking the laws , if they let Microsoft do it , the other law breaker will point to them as defense or double standard , we are talking about company with billion in ressource to defend there law breaking.
4. Being standard compliant don't means it's not unlawfull to it's competition.
5. It's within the power of the EU to ban Microsoft from doing business on it's territory or remove there right to do business there completely. There are far more effective way to kill a company ( as a Government ) then slapping them from breaking the law from time to time and letting them make billion on your territtory at the same time.
"You can remove IE with the instructions on Microsoft's website."
Oh, you mean removing that copy of IE7 or IE8 you just installed the other day which automatically "reverts" back to your previously-installed version of Internet Explorer (most likely IE6 or IE7)? Gotcha. But that doesn't exactly sound like an "uninstall" to me, unless you found a page on Microsoft's site that I've never seen. Details on how to completely remove IE, please? Link?
I recall the "Add/Remove Windows Components" section of the control panel, if that's what you're talking about, simply removing the shortcuts to IE. Again, that's NOT removing the program; it's hiding it.
Edited 2009-01-17 19:07 UTC
What you don't understand is that by not bundling IE. It will mean there will be no browser on Windows, so how the hell do you plan on getting to the Internet?
Sure OEM's can bundle other browsers, but if that is an option why is IE a problem? The browser war was over about 3 years ago. IE's market share is vastly shrinking.
The EU is strapped for cash with the recent economic downturn, so where do they turn. Yup Microsoft, with some trumped up charge for something nobody cares about and a market that is getting more and more competitive. We now have 5 mainstream browsers that run on Windows.
If this is the case I want Safari off OSX and iPhone, and Firefox off Ubuntu. Hell get rid of browsers all together, we will just go back to the stone age, with Telnet. That is what the EU wants, so it must be good.
This is of course a common misunderstanding of people less involved with IT related technologies.
The software part which actually "gets you to the Internet" is usually referred to as the TCP/IP stack. While not totally correct since you'll also need UDP/IP and ICMP, it is close enought to be accepted as the most widely used term.
A web browser is, as its name already indicates, only necessary to browse the "world wide web" (also referred to as WWW or just Web).
All other forms use cases such as communication (e.g mail, instant messaging, telephony), software distribution (installation, updates, upgrades), gaming (e.g. World of Warcraft), and so on have their own client side programs for transporting their respective data through the network.





Member since:
2005-11-12
You dont understand do you, Microsoft have defaults for a reason and why they bank on you not using anything else because most people dont, they use the defaults.
BTW, I think you people who ask such questions about Microsoft browser being bundled are missing the point.
Edited 2009-01-17 16:05 UTC