Well they may as well call it Windows 7 contains nothing edition because of the EU and there ridiculous rulings over anti-competitiveness.
This all goes back to the anti-trust case relating to Internet Explorer in Windows. Microsoft complied with the EU ruling as of earlier builds of Windows 7 by allowing users to remove Internet Explorer as an optional component / feature through Programs and Features in Control Panel, but someone obviously decided this wasn’t enough still.
Microsoft are now rumoured to be coming out with Windows 7 E for Europe which will not contain Internet Explorer. Microsoft will however make it very easy for system builders and OEM’s to build Internet Explorer back into the OS or install other browsers of course.
The biggest problem is going to be for Retail customers to who go out and buy Windows7 from the shelves. The reason for this is that the consumer will be without a web browser, so they will not be able to navigate online to get a browser.
The net result of this is that PC World and all the other centres of evil around Europe will stock CD’s for the various web browsers. So if I walk into PC World and buy Windows 7, I can in theory pick up an IE, Firefox, Opera or Chrome CD. That’s great. So now on top of a crippled version of Windows, we have tonnes and tonnes of new AOL CD’s – Tea coasters as they are loving referred to, all of which will eventually line waste bins further increasing CO2 emissions in Europe relating to the production and destruction of these CD’s.
The other effects of this is IE’s market share will probably drop. Not because people are now using the browser they desire, because in general, people that shop in Retail computer stores are the people who use IE and don’t know or care for other browsers. No: The reason will be that the under-education sales person in PC World will say to the customer, here have this Google Chrome CD because it’s the best browser. Not because it’s fact, but because it’s his favourite flavour.
Ultimately this ruling doesn’t benefit customers in any way, so what’s the point?