Microsoft did not escape the wrath of European regulators regarding Internet Explorer. Fines were paid. People were unhappy. Cat and dogs were living together. Basically, the EU made it as difficult for Microsoft as possible where the company was left with only one choice – remove IE or lose your ability to distribute Windows within the EU.
So, naturally, Microsoft said “Hey yeah, we’ll remove it!”
“We’re committed to making Windows 7 available in Europe at the same time that it launches in the rest of the world,” Dave Heiner, Microsoft deputy general counsel, said in a statement, “but we also must comply with European competition law as we launch the product.”
“We believe that this new approach, while not our first choice, is the best path forward given the ongoing legal case in Europe,” he added.
How couldn’t the company comply? When threatened with the loss of a major revenue source, this was the only logical step…. But… If there is no browser installed on the OS, how will anyone have the ability to get online?
Seriously?
If the OS does not ship with some browser, how will EU users have the ability to get ANY browser on their system without Microsoft developing a “Browser of your choice” delivery platform? I would think such a move on their part is unlikely.
Is this Microsoft’s way of trying to get back at the EU? Kind of a “You asked for it, it doesn’t make sense, but you got it”?
I’m just having a hard time seeing how this is going to work right now.
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