No Internet Explorer in Europe?

This story’s changing rapidly.

Ina Fried at CNN reported that she had seen a memo from Microsoft saying that the versions of Windows 7 sold in Europe will not have any browser pre-installed: if you want IE8, you have to get it and install it independently (presumably from a free CD).

For starters, there’s a huge chicken-and-egg problem: how do you download a browser (much less all of the Windows Live Essentials) when you don’t have  a browser?

But of course there are many other ramifications.

The EU has jumped into the fray. International political theater – and I have to admit that MS has taken the first round. Fur is flying. Let’s see how it shakes out.