Jack Mayo of Microsoft recently blogged about a new feature of the upcoming Windows 7 release: the ability to turn off installed programs like Internet Explorer (IE), Windows Media Player and more. This is a monumental change for the Windows platform. Users will now have the ability to choose their browser AND delete IE from their system, which is a big change from always having Internet Explorer bundled with every copy of Windows.
Even though Microsoft made no mention of its legal troubles as a motivator behind this change, there is little doubt it was brought about by their ongoing EU anti-trust case. Other web browser manufacturers like Google, Mozilla and Opera have joined forces in bringing the case against Microsoft, claiming that IE is shielded from competition by making it a required installation with every copy of Windows.
From a user standpoint, this is definitely good news. Microsoft has always battled with users regarding the packaging of certain products with Windows, and this seems like the beginning of a new era in user choice and flexibility. However, most novice users will still simply use the default setting of Internet Explorer 8 in Windows 7, which will keep IE in its place as the most popular browser by far. Even though usage of IE has slipped to 67.6%, it still holds a commanding lead over Firefox which maintains a 21.5% share of the market.
It remains to be seen if this move pay off in Microsoft’s ongoing legal battles…
1 comment
Dave says:
April 2, 2009 at 2:35 pm (UTC -7 )
About time!