Ever since they discovered the Internet,
Big Bill (Gates) and Microsoft wanted a huge slice of the web browser
market. As most people know, Windows 98 is bundled with Internet Explorer
4.0, and Windows 98 Second Edition with Internet Explorer 5.0. But as it
seems, Microsoft obviously want more.
Outlook 98 was given out on magazine cover
CDs and sold for $15 (now this is not available…Outlook 2000 is out) and
the so-called only catch was that it would expire on June 30, but there
another catch.
When you install Outlook 98, or many other Microsoft programs, Internet
Explorer 4.0 is put on the computer by default and there is no possible
way to remove it. Isn't Microsoft monopolising the browser market even
more now? Wonder if the Department of Justice know about this one?
Like most of the computer users in the world, I wanted to use Outlook 98
for scheduling and organising, not for Web browsing! Now Outlook 98 and
Internet Explorer 4.0 takes up about 200 megabytes, however Outlook 98
should only take up 80 megabytes at the most. I have plenty of space on my
main computer, but why waste the space on things you don’t need?
However, Outlook 98 isn't the only Microsoft product that wants to install
Internet Explorer, there's also Encarta '98 (encyclopedia) that tries to
install it (this can be stopped), Visual Studio 6.0 (programming
development suite) and many others. Surely Microsoft could put Internet
Explorer on separate CD-ROM and could be installed if you want it, but not
by default.
Microsoft isn't charging for Internet Explorer and now Netscape have had
to give their Communicator out for free also, but seriously, why do
Microsoft have to have the browser market when they are doing so well in
other markets, such as the Operating Systems and their Office suite?
Last updated: 29 March 2000
