No IE for EU

In an attempt to avoid being forced to ship third-party browsers with Windows, as well as to minimize possible fines or other sanctions from European antitrust regulators, Microsoft will ship Windows 7 without Internet Explorer (IE) in Europe. OEMs will be free to preinstall IE or other browsers on new PCs with Windows 7, and retail customers will be able to get the browser on a separate disc. Microsoft’s voluntary move does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing, and regulators may still seek other remedies.

Marked with an “E”

In Jan. 2009, the European Commission (EC) sent a statement of objections to Microsoft announcing preliminary conclusions in its year-old investigation into tying IE to Windows. Although the statement is not public, the EC said in a press release that tying IE with Windows gives IE an “artificial distribution advantage” and that IE’s wide distribution creates “artificial incentives for content providers and software developers to design websites or software primarily for IE.”