No Internet Explorer in Windows 7 version for Europe

According to a recent memo Microsoft is planning on shipping a version of Windows 7 to Europe that will not include Internet Explorer. This is according to a confidential memo that was sent to PC makers.

European regulators had said in January that the inclusion of a browser in Windows--something Microsoft has done for more than a decade--was a likely violation of European antitrust law. Microsoft disclosed in an SEC filing earlier this year that it believed the EU might seek to force Microsoft to distribute rival browsers or take other action.

Microsoft's decision to offer Windows 7 in Europe without IE appears to be an effort to head off such action as well as to ensure that it can ship Windows 7 in Europe at the same time it does so elsewhere. It comes at an interesting time, though, as Microsoft faces its strongest browser competition in years, with Mozilla, Apple and Google all gaining ground.