So in the EU Win7 is going to ship without Internet Explorer. This is meant to be a good move for competition. I don't really see the point. Plus it means you can't do an upgrade from Vista/XP it has to be a clean install. I'm not 100% certain but I think I have read that this means there won't be an upgrade version made available? Not sure if that can be correct though.


The best bit however is this - normally if I was installing a new version of Windows I would install it - then start IE and download my preferred browser choice. Now I will have to install the OS and use another computer to download a browser, put it on disk/memory stick and then copy it to the new PC and install? Surely that can't be right? It can't really be that badly thought through.

There's no point speculating on something which Microsoft have not given specific details about. There's another thread on this matter somewhere on this forum and the last "offical" word I read was this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8096701.stm). Still, I use Mac OS X so I couldn't really give a monkey's - my only reason for commenting is that I find speculation pointless.

i doubt they are going to release the final version without any browser at all, that would just be silly

my only reason for commenting is that I find speculation pointless.


Really? Is that in any context of just software releases?

It seems to keep a lot of football journalists in employment through the summer, for example.

i doubt they are going to release the final version without any browser at all, that would just be silly

This guy posting on an official Microsoft blog has an impressive sounding title and he seems to think so -

http://microsoftontheissues.com/cs/blogs/mscorp/archive/2009/06/11/working-to-fulfill-our-legal-obligations-in-europe-for-windows-7.aspx



In reality the problem will be small, as most people who this would cause a problem to will get their OS when they buy their PC. There will be nothing stopping manufacturers bundling whatever browser they choose.

People who buy the OS on a disk will more than likely no how to deal with any issues caused by this decision.

It seams to keep a lot of football journalists in employment through the summer, for example.

Another pointless exercise - i.e. football - but let's not digress.

thing eveyrone forgets, sure it won't have internet explorer, but you can brows the internet regardless, directly from My Computer, it will still have the core browser components (atleast enough to browse a web page) just not the Internet Explorer executable.

I only ever use IE to download firefox anyhow... :p

thing eveyrone forgets, sure it won't have internet explorer, but you can brows the internet regardless, directly from My Computer, it will still have the core browser components (atleast enough to browse a web page) just not the Internet Explorer executable.

Is that confirmed too? I hadn't seen anything about that. You can do it now but I thought it wouldn't work in the release version of Windows 7.

Is that confirmed too? I hadn't seen anything about that. You can do it now but I thought it wouldn't work in the release version of Windows 7.

well, considering Microsoft's previous points about making it more web orientated, and considering that since Windows ME (when it started) the core of IE has been part of the Operating System, since it uses IE's core to display the MyComputer content etc.

I believe Vista is still the same, and since Windows 7 is based on Vista, I'd say thats the same.

well, considering Microsoft's previous points about making it more web orientated, and considering that since Windows ME (when it started) the core of IE has been part of the Operating System, since it uses IE's core to display the MyComputer content etc.

I believe Vista is still the same, and since Windows 7 is based on Vista, I'd say thats the same.

Will be interesting to see if it does work as I'm not sure they would get away with that. It would be very simple for them to disable that functionality too.

Is that confirmed too? I hadn't seen anything about that. You can do it now but I thought it wouldn't work in the release version of Windows 7.

That probably won't work in the restricted version - they can easily stop 'Windows Explorer' from accessing the web. Just make it only able to view local files.

Not sure about this I might have dreamt it.
I seem to remember reading a few weeks ago that it was possible that you would be supplied with a seperate Internet Explorer CD with every Windows 7 operating system CD you bought.

* ponders whether Google Chrome OS will have to be released without a browser in the EU *