Sometimes fear (of lawsuits from the EU) is the best motivator. Windows 7 is going to allow users to
de-select Windows components that Microsoft has previously fought tooth-and-nail to keep in the OS.
The shortlist includes Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Windows DVD Maker, the Windows Gadget Platform and the XPS Viewer. It is worth noting that Microsoft is just removing the IE executable, while the guts of IE are still impossibly intertwined with other Windows components.
It is doubtful that the company has changed its middleware bundling philosophy. Microsoft intends to ship Windows 7 around September/October – any later, and it would be a bust.
As I first
reported at Technologizer, the company has contingency plans for a secondary ship date in the event that the EU takes action. That date is January – mirroring the Vista launch, and missing the holiday shopping season.
It would behoove Microsoft to bend over backwards to avoid any unnecessary legal complications. In my opinion, the latter ship date would be bad news for the entire industry.