Microsoft admits users will be able to turn off IE 8 in Windows 7 | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

Microsoft admits users will be able to turn off IE 8 in Windows 7

excerpt

After a couple of days of “no comments,” Microsoft has acknowledged the findings of a pair of bloggers who discovered that starting with the next major test release of Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8 will be able to be removed.

Microsoft officials made this public acknowledgment via the Engineering Windows 7 blog. In a posting, dated March 6, Jack Mayo, the Group Program Manager for the Documents and Printing team, listed a set of Windows 7 features that will be able to be turned on and off by users after the initial Windows set-up.

.....

In looking over again Microsoft’s list of new Windows 7 removable features, it’s clear that quite a few of these seem to be litigation-inspired. IE 8 removal is clearly a response to Opera’’s antitrust complaint in the EU. Windows Search removal is, no doubt, a preemptive strike against further Google legal complaints. XPS Viewer can be seen as an Adobe-antitrust-inspired choice. Media Player removal is surely a way Microsoft is hoping to avoid new antitrust-inspired cases like the one it lost a couple of years ago in the EU. Maybe the new list of Windows 7 removable features should be labeled as “Antitrust Magnets (with an “Add At Your Own Risk” warning).


.....

In addition to the set of Windows Vista features that users already may opt to “deselect,” Microsoft is planning to add a bunch of new ones (including IE 8) with Windows 7:

Windows Media Player
Windows Media Center
Windows DVD Maker
Internet Explorer 8
Windows Search
Handwriting Recognition (through the Tablet PC Components option)
Windows Gadget Platform
Fax and Scan
XPS Viewer and Services (including the Virtual Print Driver)

Here is the "blogger" who apparently "discovered" the IE "switch":

AeroXperience Blog Archive Internet Explorer 8 can be removed from Windows 7

Might be an interesting blog to keep an eye on.

This is all a good thing, IMO. Yes, MS was forced to change tactics, and yes MS initially resisted. But now, MS has seen what Firefox and Linux means to their bottom lines, and what it is like to have the US and EU anti-monopoly courts watching over their shoulders. They see that resistance is futile, and so have decided to open up, and start playing straight. We are seeing this with IE8, the first IE to conform to Internet standards that does not force web designers to comply to Microsoft's standards if they want their websites viewed properly. And with Windows 7 providing users the option to disable (not really remove) features in Windows, including IE. Not only does this allow 3rd party integration of their products, but it shows MS is moving forward with developing an economical choice for more people - a very plain, trim, "operating system" for those that can't afford, or don't need the feature rich versions. This is a Win-Win for consumers and Microsoft.

But, if Microsoft is forced to make further changes by the courts, it may result in all of us having to pay as we go in future versions of Windows.

Note Windows now comes with :

Backup Utility
Defragment Utility
Disk Cleanup Utility
Email client and (Outlook Express)
Text Editor (Notepad)
Calculator
Anti-spyware (Windows Defender)
Firewall (Windows Firewall)
Browser (IE)
and more.

Windows Defender used with Windows Firewall and an able anti-virus mounts a formidable defense against malware. And while the other utilities may be basic, they work fine. I personally like having all those bundled in, and would not like to purchase them individually. I hope the courts back off now and see how it goes. I think Microsoft sees Microsoft will thrive if they just go with the flow, instead of trying to control it.