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I agree. No matter what I think of ms, and I don't particularly care for them, this is just stupid. I seriously don't get it, ms is not obligated to provide another browser, or even an option to provide another browser with Windows. The ability to remove it, either at will or at installation time or both, is more than enough. Otherwise, you'll have to go after Apple as well for daring to provide Safari with OS X. Who do they think they are, anyway, providing a default browser with OS X? Why, the nerve of them!</sarcasm> Are they going to demand this of Linux oses as well? Most provide Firefox as a default, you know, and you don't always get the option to not install it. Now, removing it is easy, just like removing Safari from OS X is easy, and removing IE8 from Windows 7 will be.
Oh, and to Google, I could always choose what browser I wanted, whenever I so wished. I don't know what the option is called in Vista, but in 2k and XP it was and still is known as "Set Program Access and Defaults."
This is ridiculous. Google and Opera need to realize that Microsoft does not have any obligation to them to provide any other browser but Internet Explorer with Windows. Now, as for OEMs, that's a whole other matter and they can provide whatever they wish. MS is making it possible to remove IE if you don't want it, which will obviously allow OEMs to ship other browsers without IE getting in the way. If Google and Opera want their browsers included with default installations, they need to concentrate on getting them included by the OEMs. Microsoft has no obligation to them.

+1

If Opera had their way, they would legistlate away all their competition, which I find disgusting. And while I understand why microsoft is all flustered about google owning the internet, I don't see why google gets all silly about stuff like this. They did the same thing with sueing MS about the search button on the start menu a year or two back. Silly, stupid, and pointless, other then to tweak microsofts nose.

Yet another person who misses the point. Forget Apple and Linux for now(they don't have a monopoly on the industry)

In any type of thing like this, take police for example, they look for KNOWN criminals. If you read that right you'd know that Microsoft are KNOWN to misbehave and abuse their monopoly, so they get looked at first and pressed hard about it.

I find it incredible that you can throw Linux into the same place as Microsoft and IE. Anyone who posts here knows that Firefox is in no way, tried into the OS. Firefox is the preferred browser of users, it installs and uninstalls like any other third party software(it is third party).

Absolutely agree with you. Can I get Ubuntu without FF preinstalled, please? Hey, why did my MacBook Pro come preloaded with Safari? I'm so offended!
I'm about as neutral as they come, seeing as how my main machine is a Mac, and my server at home runs VM's of Windows XP, Beta of 7, and several different Linux distros. I haven't used IE on any version of Windows since FF came out. I don't even know what IE8 looks like, if at all different than 7, because I haven't even launched it. It doesn't really matter if it's there or not.

Seriously, this browser BS is getting old. Fast.

Or the other browsers could just do an "Apple" and trojan their browser in via their auto update utility for a completely unrelated product (e.g. iTunes).

I had Safari on my machine without even realising it, and after I uninstalled it, it appeared again in the Apple software update utility, and it was an involved process to switch it off.

Rude.

I've removed the "executable" or "binary" for Internet Explorer.

Oh wait, yes its *GONE*. But not really. Try Windows Explorer and then type a URL in the location bar...

Oh wait... there it is again. Internet Explorer.

Hmmm, but Windows Update only works with Internet Explorer? Right? Type in the URL for Windows Update with Windows Explorer location bar... oh there it is again and it works...

Please tell me how REMOVING the Executable/Binary works for removing Internet Explorer? When all the parts and pieces are still there and actually is 100% the same functionally... that sure is effective "removing".

Please tell me when they *REALLY* remove it.

Thanks.

Do you really think people are going to use internet explorer through windows explorer? Why would they do that if they could just install it and have a nice icon to click on.

But the browser is needed by the OS itself e.g. for providing help and by thousands if not 10,000's of applications that use it themselves. Should each application bundle the libraries themselves? Then every time MS patches something in the Trident every one has to update their applications in order to be secure.