No browser in Windows is less painful for Microsoft than a choice of browsers

In response to the European Commission’s investigation into violating anti-competition laws Microsoft announced that it will supply its new version of operating system to European users without their Internet Explorer browser. Earlier the commission launched a probe after Opera Software filed a complaint against Microsoft and was joined later by Mozilla and Google.

The decision was sudden and comes before the time when European regulators are to bring their decision on what penalty should be imposed on the software company for abusing its market position to promote own products.

While the commission wanted Microsoft to offer users a choice of different browsers when they install the operating system the company decided to go another way and eliminate browser option at all. Microsoft says that it will offer IE separately on an easy-to-install basis to both computer manufacturers and users.

"Microsoft has apparently decided to supply retail consumers with a version of Windows without a web browser at all," the European Commission said in a statement reacting to Microsoft's move. "Rather than more choice, Microsoft seems to have chosen to provide less."

Yet, Microsoft’s decision in no ways influences the investigation which is still on. The European Commission is still to decide how the company should be punished for competition abuse and as some people think it is possible that the regulators will enforce Microsoft to include other browsers into the installation package of its operating system.