Microsoft bowed to pressure from European regulators and announced it would release its Windows 7 operating system in Europe without its Internet Explorer web browser.The US software giant said it still plans to release its next-generation operating system worldwide on October 22, but that customers in Europe will have to install web browsers of their choice.”We’re committed to making Windows 7 available in Europe at the same time that it launches in the rest of the world, but we also must comply with European competition law as we launch the product,” Microsoft deputy general counsel Dave Heiner said.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article6482861.eceAlso see:Europe Cool to Microsoft’s Offer on Browser
European regulators, wary of repeating an earlier mistake, signaled this week that Microsoft’s offer to sell a browser-less Windows system on the Continent did not go far enough.And the decision has left some antitrust lawyers in Brussels scratching their heads.”Microsoft is offering to sell Windows in Europe without their own browser — you would think this is what the commission wants,” said Alec Burnside, a competition lawyer at Linklaters in Brussels. “You would expect them to say ‘Thank you’ and close the case.”
http://nytimes.com/2009/06/13/technology/companies/13euro.htmlMicrosoft bids to pre-empt EU browser action
The fight between Microsoft and the European Union over how to bring greater competition to the internet browser market erupted afresh late on Thursday as the software company sought to pre-empt stringent anti-trust action being planned by Brussels.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7953e440-56b4-11de-9a1c-00144feabdc0.htmlWho wins, loses with browser-less Windows 7
Microsoft’s move to offer Windows 7 in Europe without a browser may help rivals, but it could make life more difficult for European consumers, particularly those who want to upgrade their existing machines.As first reported earlier on Thursday by CNET News, Microsoft plans to ship Windows 7 to both PC makers and retail stores with Internet Explorer removed.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10262703-56.htmlNo IE onboard Windows 7 in Europe
European buyers of Windows 7 will have to download and install a web browser for themselves.Bowing to European competition rules, Microsoft Windows 7 will ship without Internet Explorer.The company said it would make it easy for PC makers and users to get at and install the web browsing program.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8096701.stmWindows 7 to be shipped in Europe without Internet Explorer
Microsoft has announced that it will ship a special version of Vista’s successor in Europe, titled Windows 7 E, without Internet Explorer 8. The browser-less version, a reaction to an antitrust investigation by the EU into whether Microsoft is abusing its dominant position with Windows and Internet Explorer, will be distributed in all member nations of the European Economic Area as well as Croatia and Switzerland.
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/06/windows-7-to-be-shipped-in-europe-sans-internet-explorer.ars
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