Microsoft strips email and photo apps from Windows 7

The statistics that purport IE to be the leading browser are cominbations of preload (it comes as part of Windows 98 upwards) and usage and these statistics continually show that third party web browsers (Opera, Firefox, Safari) are on the rise while IE's userbase is declining. That's not to say that IE isn't leading but its userbase is also certainly not GROWING. If someone uses IE and likes the experience, good luck to them - literally, for they will need it. On the subject at hand - Windows 7. MS is not, I repeat, not removing these apps to decrease bloat, nor is it a valiant attempt to improve performance. Rather, they are 'streamlining' the next Windows and making their 'free' apps available via Windows Live services as a stepping stone to becoming an entirely online vending business. MS has had plans afoot to kill off their bricks and mortar partnerships (aside from their lucrative and some would say mafia-like OEM aspects) and sell their entire soft product line via the internet. Windows 7 and its direct necessiation of Windows Live wll be yet another step towards this final goal. The idea is to retain control of their products via clever legal (invasive EULAs), secure (TPM/TCPA end to end encryption and Denial of Operation) and cost effective (users' bandwidth to download various OS features vs. pre-inclusion of said software on a storage device). MS doesn't care about you whether you like their products or not, all they care about is securing their bottom line. Wake the hell up world.

Comment by hamunaptra at 2:15pm 14th October 2008

Linux? You'll start preaching MAC next! Just Gimmicks mate, nothing more!

Comment by crazyceo at 7:31pm 28th September 2008

"Google, Firefox, Opera etc are just gimmick browsers and the comment of MOST fanatics is just plain wrong." No, you are just plain wrong. IE is the most horribly bloated browser imaginable. It has nowhere near the scalability or the addons that Firefox has. Have you ever actually heard about the ACID tests? Google them and see how your mighty IE fair in them. I can have my bookmarks replicated on as many PCs as I use without having to manually keep them up to date. I can check at a glance that websites I code are W3C XHTML valid (which ironically IE fails to acknowledge and displays XHTML and CSS how it wants to as opposed to how the standards tell it to). "Windows 7 will have the next version of IE proudly in place." The words of a MS fanboy if I ever heard them. "The more third party crap on your system the more exposure you have to infections and corrupted updates, FACT!" No, wrong again Mr. Gates. Care to explain why Linux and FOSS software users get along fine with such "third party" apps?

Comment by MaidenFan2 at 2:52pm 28th September 2008

"Google, Firefox, Opera etc are just gimmick browsers and the comment of MOST fanatics is just plain wrong." No, you are just plain wrong. IE is the most horribly bloated browser imaginable. It has nowhere near the scalability or the addons that Firefox has. Have you ever actually heard about the ACID tests? Google them and see how your mighty IE fair in them. I can have my bookmarks replicated on as many PCs as I use without having to manually keep them up to date. I can check at a glance that websites I code are W3C XHTML valid (which ironically IE fails to acknowledge and displays XHTML and CSS how it wants to as opposed to how the standards tell it to). "Windows 7 will have the next version of IE proudly in place." The words of a MS fanboy if I ever heard them. "The more third party crap on your system the more exposure you have to infections and corrupted updates, FACT!" No, wrong again Mr. Gates. Care to explain why Linux and FOSS software users get along fine with such "third party" apps?

Comment by MaidenFan2 at 2:45pm 28th September 2008

this topic makes no mention of IE in the statement. IE is No 1 around the world and never better. Google, Firefox, Opera etc are just gimmick browsers and the comment of MOST fanatics is just plain wrong. Windows 7 will have the next version of IE proudly in place. It's just the Windows Live items being a download instead of an install. They prepared everyone for that with Vista having the download link already in place. The reason for MS to progress all of these apps is mainly down to security. The more third party crap on your system the more exposure you have to infections and corrupted updates, FACT!

Comment by crazyceo at 6:07pm 27th September 2008

Well without sounding pretentious !!! lol. If your installing on an older computer wouldnt you have first either backed up stuff onto a portable drive, flashdrive or even heaven forbid burnt all the app's you need before you press the magic button . Windows without all the trimmings is what most fanatics want anyway I use firefox as my browser and would love to be able to wipe out IE off my system but at present you can't as you need IE for updates.. bring it on MS and about time too,

Comment by stonedwiley at 3:34pm 26th September 2008

I don't think it will cause the average user problems, as the average user will probably read the sales blurb "just go to microsoft to get all your apps, don't go anywhere else, they eat babies in onion gravy" and they'll do it

Comment by EdArch at 11:58am 26th September 2008

Of course MS could provide an easy way to get you online without installing the whole IE package: just supply a standalone lightweight browser that accesses a software portal for downloading essential apps. You could then ditch the MS provide system independent portal browser and use your browser of choice. Yeah, cuckoo land comes to mind, but it is entirely possible to do if MS wanted to...but they don't. Just like you have to use IE for updates and the like. Unfortunately the 'majority' still use IE so there would be much complaining if it was removed from a default install...if it was actually possible without breaking other things.

Comment by Simon at 10:07am 26th September 2008

Thanks for even more phone calls from the parents telling me their computer don't work. For me though sounds brilliant, but for the average computer user, I think it could cause more problems.

Comment by TKSnatch at 9:51pm 25th September 2008

If you're using Windows, you're using IE. If you want to use another browser, you'll then be running that browser AND IE. With regard to my previous post, how would I download a browser without IE? - I'd either use linux, or that wonderful little thing called ftp. Neither of which have a couple hundred meg of browser integrated into the OS. I remember using Windows XP with IE removed and it flew like lubricated excrement off a teflon shovel. And that was before I loaded it into a RAM disk;)

Comment by slowmongoose at 8:01pm 25th September 2008

If you're using Windows, you're using IE. If you want to use another browser, you'll then be running that browser AND IE. With regard to my previous post, how would I download a browser without IE? - I'd either use linux, or that wonderful little thing called ftp. Neither of which have a couple hundred meg of browser integrated into the OS. I remember using Windows XP with IE removed and it flew like lubricated excrement off a teflon shovel. And that was before I loaded it into a RAM disk;)

Comment by slowmongoose at 8:01pm 25th September 2008

Google, Firefox and Opera etc are used by many people but the actual numbers compared to IE are very small. The last report I saw the figures of PC's with IE was running at 85% of the planet. Again, personally I don't get any problems with IE. no popups, lag or delay. By keeping third party software out it's proven to be a far more secure system.

Comment by crazyceo at 5:59pm 25th September 2008

lol explorer (windows themselves) is actually a primitive form of ie. i remember in previous windows versions how people keep asking how to delete outlook without deleting ie. i guess finally someone at windows 7 realised that not that many people use it.

Comment by thegreat0mi at 5:33pm 25th September 2008

Minesweeper or Chess Titans. I wouldn't be able to live without them lol

Comment by Nickuk1987 at 5:28pm 25th September 2008

if you lose ie, how do you propose getting on-line to download your browser of choice?, or would you rather buy a cd for it in a real life shop?

Comment by NewParadigm at 4:35pm 25th September 2008

...and then I will admit progress has been made in streamlining the OS.

Comment by slowmongoose at 2:55pm 25th September 2008

In think that in the end many of these applications will be in the form of RIAs and you will be forced to install SilverLight to use them. I think Windows 7 will be built to serve Microsoft's strategy to dominate the internet as they dominate the desktop.

Comment by Gringo at 12:18pm 25th September 2008

This is complete BS. The apps are being removed because Microsoft is planning to force the notion of 'computing in the cloud' (e.g. Without the Windows Mail software installed on your computer, you will be more likely to utilize a Hotmail account. Or, no solitare game is installed so one must go online to play.) This would be a great idea if Google wasn't so far ahead of the curve.

Comment by ElemBiz at 12:08am 25th September 2008

This is complete BS. The apps are being removed because Microsoft is planning to force the notion of 'computing in the cloud' (e.g. Without the Windows Mail software installed on your computer, you will be more likely to utilize a Hotmail account. Or, no solitare game is installed so one must go online to play.) This would be a great idea if Google wasn't so far ahead of the curve.

Comment by ElemBiz at 12:08am 25th September 2008

At last Microsoft heading in the right direction. Operating Systems should be just that!!!! An operating System!!!! Lean, trim, small, effecent, then we can load the apps, (and only the apps), we wish to have and keep our systems effecent and clutter free. Good on you at last Microsoft.

Comment by jfa000 at 11:43pm 24th September 2008

there should be an advanced option when you are installing the new os that lets you choose ALL or NONE or SOME or what ever windows apps you usually use... to be installed or not to be installed that is the answer

Comment by snake668 at 7:52pm 24th September 2008

I do get less pop-ups with firefox, but porn mode sounds very tempting.:P

Comment by DudQuitter at 6:06pm 24th September 2008

When you install you could have options that allow you to install those applications and that would make it much easier.

Comment by Bonzo450 at 6:07pm 24th September 2008

It's because of the few moaning third party developers that Microsoft has to trim down their offering. The developers should shut the hell up and go make their own OS. Knowing this would never happen, they need to get down on their knees and kiss the feet of Microsoft to hope they release the coding to them to develope their third party software. This is simple people! if you want to use something else then just remove the microsoft version and install whatever crap you want to install. Personally, I haven't seen anything better than the microsoft offering anyway. Yes, that means firefox, itunes, google, blah blah blah.

Comment by crazyceo at 5:34pm 24th September 2008

I think not installing the various programs as standard is what people want as if you use an alternative to windows mail for example then it wont be using disk space on your system but if you use all the programs previous windows have come with then it would be alot easier to install from a disk then download them all... you would need internet browsing software to download the programs though but maybe a more basic version of ie would be better and if thats what you use you could download the full version via windows live

Comment by crazyfool_1 at 3:58pm 24th September 2008

I think not installing the various programs as standard is what people want as if you use an alternative to windows mail for example then it wont be using disk space on your system but if you use all the programs previous windows have come with then it would be alot easier to install from a disk then download them all... you would need internet browsing software to download the programs though but maybe a more basic version of ie would be better and if thats what you use you could download the full version via windows live

Comment by crazyfool_1 at 3:58pm 24th September 2008

This seems to be in line with previous hints, stories and rumours that windows 7 is going t oconcentrate on optimising and streamlining the OS, hopefully meaning windows 7 will be better on the performance front than the last couple of iterations. (Remember XP was moaned about just as much as Vista was for its performance and requirements). Countstex - IE really does need to be bundles with windows... if you have no internet browser installed as standard, then how do you get on the net i nthe first place to download a different browser, or other apps? Media player... meh, I quite like it and I feel an OS ought to have some additional components to it... you can strip too much out after all, there has to be a balance.

Comment by NewParadigm at 1:46pm 24th September 2008

as an option at least but as a previous post stated, the Windows Live was just a link to download which I didn't have any problem with. However, I heard another little rumour that they propose new machines will not have anything installed at all but you just connect it up with screen and input devices. Connect the wired or wireless connection and it will then download the new upto date OS with whatever options you tick the box. No DVD's or hard media at all. If you have a Virgin media 50meg connection then fine but the rest of the country on 2meg average I don't think you can do it yet.

Comment by crazyceo at 1:50pm 24th September 2008

We've already seen the same happen with Windows Messenger being dropped for Vista and a link for downloading Live Messenger in the start menu... seems like an obvious continuation... though would prefer to have the apps on the install DVD as removable options when installing the OS... as we had with Win98

Comment by thewelshbrummie at 1:18pm 24th September 2008

They should stay on the disk, but should be an afterthought install, given where I live I really don't like downloading microsoft's famously unstreamlined downloads(except powertools). That said, I have photoshop and outlook. I think that they should look for other things to get rid of as well, for instance all the legacy code for windows NT and 98, etc. Those should be bundled into a virtualisation program, which doesn't need to be permanently loaded or even installed.

Comment by DudQuitter at 1:15pm 24th September 2008

the only reason they are doing this is to stop court actions, and other companies complaining that people are not using their software, because its already built into windows "whine whine whine!"... if your software is really any good then people will make the effort to use it...

Comment by droitwichdosser at 12:53pm 24th September 2008

Allthough i am all for the streamlining of microsofts OS'. i dont see a reason why you cant just leave them on the disc as option extras. some poeple may be of the mind why should they have to spend time downloading the packages off the net and in some instances money too if they have a capped download package. People will no doubt feel that they should have the option to install what they want but that the goods shouldnt come supplied on the install disc.

Comment by Bloodburgers at 12:48pm 24th September 2008

yep good idea, put more effort into the operating system and ergonomics.

Comment by TBallS at 12:40pm 24th September 2008

Could this be a sign of MS actually listening to the market place? Perhaps not so long as IE and Media Player remain bolted into the OS, but I guess it's a start.

Comment by countstex at 12:16pm 24th September 2008

Windows Live becoming the new Synaptic Package Manager. Nice idea though, glad to see Windows going more that way

Comment by hans_gruber1 at 12:18pm 24th September 2008

its not like there not doing them any more just not putting them on the disk if you need them there only a click away now if only they can do something for gamers

Comment by pcn00b at 12:12pm 24th September 2008

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