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Europe to get Windows 7 without browser

Ina Fried CNET News

Published: 12 Jun 2009 08:40 BST

Microsoft plans to remove Internet Explorer from the versions of Windows 7 that it ships in Europe, ZDNet UK's sister site, CNET News.com, has learned.

Reacting to antitrust concerns expressed by European regulators, Microsoft plans to offer a version in Europe that has the browser removed. Computer makers would then have the option to add the browser back in, ship another browser or ship multiple browsers, according to a confidential memo that was sent to PC makers and seen by CNET News.com.

"To ensure that Microsoft is in compliance with European law, Microsoft will be releasing a separate version of Windows 7 for distribution in Europe that will not include Windows Internet Explorer," the software maker said in the memo. "Microsoft will offer IE8 separately and free of charge and will make it easy and convenient for PC manufacturers to preinstall IE8 on Windows 7 machines in Europe if they so choose. PC manufacturers may choose to install an alternative browser instead of IE8, and has always been the case, they may install multiple browsers if they wish."

Microsoft confirmed the authenticity of the document but declined to comment further.

European regulators had said in January that the inclusion of a browser in Windows — something Microsoft has done for more than a decade — was a likely violation of European antitrust law. Microsoft disclosed in an SEC filing earlier this year that it believed the EU might seek to force Microsoft to distribute rival browsers or take other action.

Microsoft's decision to offer Windows 7 in Europe without IE appears to be an effort to head off such action as well as to ensure that it can ship Windows 7 in Europe at the same time it does so elsewhere. It comes at an interesting time, though, as Microsoft faces its strongest browser competition in years, with Mozilla, Apple and Google all gaining ground."The whole thing is pretty silly," said Forrester Research analyst J.P. Gownder. "Since Microsoft first took on Netscape years ago there has never been more competition in the browser market."

Firefox is particularly strong in Europe. According to AT Internet Institute (formerly XitiMonitor), IE had a 59.5 percent share in Europe as of November, compared with 31.1 percent for Firefox. Opera had about five percent, and Safari half of that. Microsoft lost a full five percentage points of market share since from April to November 2008.

Microsoft's decision, though, is also interesting given that the company argued in its long antitrust battle that the browser was an integral part of the operating system that could not easily be stripped from Windows.

The browser-less versions, dubbed Windows 7 'E', will be distributed in all members of the European Economic Area as well as Croatia and Switzerland. In addition, Microsoft will strip the browser from the Europe-only 'N' versions of Windows 7, which also removes the Windows Media Player from the operating system and is the result of another move by Europe's antitrust authorities.

In contrast with the 'N' version, though, Microsoft will not also sell a fully featured version of Windows that includes the browser.

"Microsoft will not offer for distribution in the European territory the Windows 7 product versions that contain IE, which are intended for distribution in the rest of the world," Microsoft said in the memo. "This will apply to both OEM and Retail versions of Windows 7 products."

For computer makers that want it, Microsoft will offer a free 'IE8 pack' that allows them to add the browser back in. It is a little more complicated for consumers who buy a retail copy of Windows 7. Because the operating system lacks a browser, there is not a direct way to go to Microsoft's website to download one. Microsoft aims to make it as easy as possible for users in Europe to get the browser, though, and plans to offer it via CD, FTP and retail channels, according to a person a familiar with the situation.

"Microsoft is focused on ensuring that Windows 7 is a successful worldwide release available to the broadest number of consumers, including those in Europe," the software maker said in the memo. "We believe that we need to release these E versions to address the preliminary legal views communicated to us in the EU. We are informing OEMs of these plans now so that we can work together to meet our shared goal to have Windows 7 broadly available for a [Christmas] launch."

The software maker says in the memo that it is only stripping the browser from Windows 7 and will not do the same with older operating systems, or with the virtualised version of Windows XP that is part of the free 'XP mode' download.

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"This announcement impacts Windows 7 products only," the software maker said in the memo. "Microsoft has no plans at this time to release versions of Windows Vista or Windows XP products without Internet Explorer. This announcement does not impact Windows XP mode for Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Professional."

Microsoft does not plan to offer the browser-less 'E' version outside Europe, but is also offering an option in all regions in which users can hide IE8, as part of a control panel that lets users turn on and off various operating-system components.

Microsoft has posted a blog on its law-and-policy website, in which one of its lawyers responded to this story.

Of note, deputy general counsel Dave Heiner notes that Microsoft's action was taken unilaterally and does not preclude the EU from ordering some other type of remedy, such as allowing users to choose which browser they want as part of the installation process.

"Our decision to only offer IE separately from Windows 7 in Europe cannot, of course, preclude the possibility of alternative approaches emerging through Commission processes," Heiner wrote. "Other alternatives have been raised in the Commission proceedings, including possible inclusion in Windows 7 of alternative browsers or a 'ballot screen' that would prompt users to choose from a specific set of web browsers."

Microsoft said it would not have been right for it to adopt such an approach on its own. "Important details of these approaches would need to be worked out in coordination with the Commission, since they would have a significant impact on computer manufacturers and web browser vendors, whose interests may differ," Heiner wrote. "Given the complexity and competing interests, we don't believe it would be best for us to adopt such an approach unilaterally."

Credit: Europe to get Windows 7 sans browser from CNET News