Friday, June 12th 2009
Microsoft to Strip Windows 7 of IE and WMP for Europe, Abiding by Laws
Software giant Microsoft has had disturbed relations with the EU markets following series of lawsuits to penalise the company's alleged anti-competitive market practices. Abiding by the courts' judgments, Microsoft will release two special types of its upcoming Windows 7 operating system to sell in Euro-zone countries. The OS will be devoid of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 (MSIE 8) web-browser, and Windows Media Player (WMP) 12 multimedia software. The first type is Windows 7 E, which lacks MSIE 8 alone. The second is Windows 7 N, which lacks MSIE 8 and WMP 12. The standard type which includes both, will not be available in Euro-zone countries. These types maintain their variant hierarchy (with the lineup starting from Home Basic to Ultimate).
Furthermore, the copies of Windows 7 (E, N) will require a clean installation. Users will not be able to upgrade their existing Windows Vista installations with such types of Windows 7. This however, won't affect the standard version. The move puts users in a bit of inconvenience, since the OS will not remain web-capable as soon as it's installed. In an effort to make things as easy as possible for users, Microsoft is recommending OEM vendors to pre-install MSIE 8, or any web-browser they choose. MSIE 8 will be available as CD-ROM installation media at stores. It will also be available for users to download using FTP, so a web-browser could be downloaded and installed without the presence of another one. "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," said Microsoft deputy general counsel Dave Heiner said in a written release. "Given the pending legal proceeding, we've decided that instead of including Internet Explorer in Windows 7 in Europe, we will offer it separately and on an easy-to-install basis to both computer manufacturers and users. We're committed to launching Windows 7 on time in Europe, so we need to address the legal realities in Europe, including the risk of large fines. We believe that this new approach, while not our first choice, is the best path forward given the ongoing legal case in Europe," he added.
Source:
Hexus.net
Furthermore, the copies of Windows 7 (E, N) will require a clean installation. Users will not be able to upgrade their existing Windows Vista installations with such types of Windows 7. This however, won't affect the standard version. The move puts users in a bit of inconvenience, since the OS will not remain web-capable as soon as it's installed. In an effort to make things as easy as possible for users, Microsoft is recommending OEM vendors to pre-install MSIE 8, or any web-browser they choose. MSIE 8 will be available as CD-ROM installation media at stores. It will also be available for users to download using FTP, so a web-browser could be downloaded and installed without the presence of another one. "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," said Microsoft deputy general counsel Dave Heiner said in a written release. "Given the pending legal proceeding, we've decided that instead of including Internet Explorer in Windows 7 in Europe, we will offer it separately and on an easy-to-install basis to both computer manufacturers and users. We're committed to launching Windows 7 on time in Europe, so we need to address the legal realities in Europe, including the risk of large fines. We believe that this new approach, while not our first choice, is the best path forward given the ongoing legal case in Europe," he added.
152 Comments on Microsoft to Strip Windows 7 of IE and WMP for Europe, Abiding by Laws
jk
usually, if MS had another version in the works, they'd have started putting up new pages on msdn and ms.support . . . as well as started releasing betas or RCs . . .
It is utterly stupid. And yet, there are people that believe the judgements against Microsoft are a good thing.:shadedshu Well this is what those judgements have caused...
Oh, and further more, did you know the EU actually dictated what Microsoft could and couldn't call it's products after it made the judgement against them?:laugh: Microsoft originally wanted to call these newer versions of Windows "Reduced Media" versions, and the EU told them they couldn't because it sounded to negative. What fucking idiots, the name describes exactly what the EU forced Microsoft to do, and it is too negative sounding? WTF?!?!
Most security problems involving IE do not merely involve IE not being updated as needed -- the core nature of the browser is flawed. IE is intermeshed completely with the Windows OS -- security problems with IE can thus affect your entire installation.
It's why it's such an easy vector for viruses -- no amount of patches by Microsoft is going to fix it. When a security problem is found in something like Firefox, most of the time it just affects your browser-based activities -- your cookies could be exposed, or your browser passwords, or something like that. When a security problem is found in IE, the entire OS can be compromised.
What Microsoft needs to do, IMO, is split IE's rendering engine away from the browser to use internally in their OS, and then adopt a new browser engine to use with the external internet.Not really, no. Now, I'd agree that 95% of websites look fine in IE, but that's only because so many web developers have to hold back new technologies and better ways of coding, because IE won't support them.
It's like saying a wheelchair can get in 95% of buildings -- but that's only because most buildings have to make a special ramp so that handicapped people using a wheelchair can access them.
Did some one want cookies? oh sorry you can only have the ones without the topping!! Because with ones with the topping taste to good......
And I really like my cookies. I hope the EC never rule to impede foreign cookie makers ability to compete.
Build 12.0.7100.0
Its rediculas weather or not u like Microsoft or not its INSANNEEEEEEEEEEEE. Arent they tired of reading about there own good deeds. They need to rename the department RANDOM FINES CAUSE WE FEEL LIKE IT. Cause the name antitrust has NOTHING to do with the job they do. Unless you dont trust them to leave you alone. Then it does......:twitch: Id be HORIFIED to have anything over there that got famous for ANY reason. THIS TOTALY RUINS ANY CHANCE OF EU GETTING SNUGGY AND YOU ARE TOTALY MISSINGOUT!! www.getsnuggie.com/flare/next
On a side not too it has nothing to do with u hating IE (which i think is fine) it has to do with WHAT they do. your ok with them doing it to microsoft and the one part of the OS you hate. THATS NOT WHY PPL ARE DISCUSTED WITH THEM. Its there ability to do it. JUST WAIT TILL ITS SOMETHING U LIKE. in a fair scnario (which will never exist thats why ANTITRUST IS MORONIC) They would get something you love or like too. It has nothing to do with the fact u dont use IE.
In the grand scheme of things, jumping off the EU boat would be an idiotic move for the UK. 60% of the UK's trade is with the EU - so even once you're out, you still have to comply with EU trade laws to do business there anyway - so you've gained nothing. You then have to find jobs for the millions of British people that can no longer work in the EU automatically (there's 1 million in Spain alone). Sure you can kick out the Polish and give their jobs back to the British, but from what I've seen - they're mostly working the menial jobs that the British are too soft to do. So ... long story short ... you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't. :banghead:
Right, back to the topic at hand ...
I really want to see what happens, no doubt most companies will go around this and install it anyway on their systems thus saving the customer from the stupidity and greed of the EU courts.All that was true in 2001 when XP was released, however with Vista and now Win 7 it runs in a sandbox, and thus is not tied to the the OS, thus also how they can remove it.
So IE is no more of a threat than FF, O, or Safari.
A fizzy drink is a fizzy drink. A car is a car. Sure it uses various parts to make the car but the end product serves ONE purpose - getting you from A to B.
WHEREAS:
An OS is the piece of software that runs your computer. That is what it does. A web browser does something entirely different. Similarly a media player has another purpose. And they are mutually exclusive.
To correct your car analogy, it would be correct if you were talking about the map that came in the glove box. It'd be like someone telling Chevy to remove their own-brand (and poorly designed) map from the glove box. People could then choose what map they want - or more likely, the dealerships would put whatever map they thought best in the glove box.
EDIT:
I want to combine those two analogies now.
Lets say Chevy built a car and included with it a free Chevy-cola dispenser in the dash, this gives them a leg-up in the cola market as people drive their cars every day and consequently drink Chevy-cola instead of finding another brand. What the EU is doing is telling Chevy to stop with the cola-dispenser game so that consumers and OEMs can make their own minds up about which cola-dispenser to install in the dash.
I'm done with analogies now. I need to take a shower I feel so dirty.
And using your anology, I wouldn't have a problem with the EU forcing Chevy to remove their cola-despenser, as long as they forced every other car manufacturer to do the same. It isn't fair to force Chevy to remove their cola-depenser while allowing Dodge and Ford to keep their cola-depensers in their new cars.
I love using the IE8 64bit version because it runs nearly twice as fast as Firefox on my machine, renders pages blazing fast (and correct).
Sorry. I had too.
I bet Apple is ROFLCOPTERING at this. It will certainly boost Apple sales in the EU.
I am EMBARASSED and ASHAMED of the EU's collective incompetence.