Do new computers have browsers built in?

erik · Post by **erik** » 19 Aug 2005 7:51 am

I thought I remember MS was forbidden from putting IE into the OS. If that is the case how do you get online when you buy a new PC?

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 19 Aug 2005 7:56 am

Erik, If my understanding of the litigation is correct it was not that MicroShmucks were prohibited from putting a browser in their OS. Instead, the beef was that MS was so tightly integrating Internet Explorer into their OS that:
1. You couldn't remove it
2. It interfered with 3rd party browsers.

My WinXP and Win2K versions all came with some flavor of IE5 or IE6.

I am not familiar with what the latest distribution(s) have to offer.

Hope this is of some help.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 19 Aug 2005 8:00 am

All new computers come with browsers built in. You may want to consider downloading a copy of Firefox for your computer instead.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 19 Aug 2005 8:30 am

XP still comes with Internet Explorer but they have added a "Set Program Access and Defaults" and you can set up what browser you want as default, etc.

For all the gobbledy gook, it's bascially business as usual.

Firefox is fine and it's popular, but I've found Firefox does not support all the Frontpage extensions that many sites use and the Microsoft pop up blocker in Internet Explorer blocks more pop ups than Firefox (and the Firefox updates also fix "security holes").

erik · Post by **erik** » 19 Aug 2005 9:37 am

Thank you.