Microsoft Will Ship Windows 7 With Browser Choice in Europe After All

Microsoft and the European Union seem to be closer together on a solution for including competing browsers in Windows 7 distributions in Europe.  Microsoft will offer a browser ballot on start up that gives users a choice that will be downloaded to the machine.  OEMs can add additional browsers to a machine, avoiding the need for a download.  Internet Explorer will ship with the release after all.  Microsoft had indicated that it would comply with the EU's determination that IE was stifling competition by not shipping a browser at all.  The difficult logistics for European users is immediately apparent.  How can one get to the Internet to get a browser without a browser?  There are ways to get the software, but they are all mightily inconvenient.  This latest development avoids the problem which would have likely led to another showdown with the European Competition authorities.  Ars Technica chalks up Microsoft's change of heart to its last earnings report which was rather weak given the company's past earnings history.  It is cheaper to comply than to pay lawyers.  I wonder if Microsoft will maintain its browser market penetration despite this move.  I use Chrome mostly, but IE is tightly bound to other Microsoft applications such as Outlook.  Whenever I want to email stuff directly out of the browser window, IE seems to be best for that.  We'll see once a scheme is implemented. [MG]