So, has anyone really felt they were “forced” to use Internet Explorer with Windows? It is not like Microsoft won’t allow you to download and install another browser (you do have to use IE to do that though). Further, how is bundling Internet Explorer with Windows anti-competitive? It is not like the makers of Chrome, Firefox or Opera are losing revenue because of Internet Explorer (may be with ads, but not the browser itself). I can think of one scenario where it would be “anti-competitive” would be if the other browsers were not free and neither was IE, unless it was bundled with Windows.
I can remember when I was at Arizona State University back in 1997 all the PCs had Netscape Navigator as the primary browser. You could still use IE, but when you signed in Netscape Navigator launched. That was the first time I knew of another browser. Firefox came out in the early 2004 (prior to this was Netscape and the Mozilla Suite) and Chrome was launched the end of 2008, while Opera has been around since 1996. Yet somehow in 2009 the EU felt that people were not aware of these other browsers or that since they are using Windows they must use Internet Explorer.
I help out at beginner sessions for people who are new to computers and a lot of those who have already bought their own machine are not aware that other browsers exist, just as they assume that the mailbox given to them by their IP is the one and only one that they must use.
Good thing IE comes pre-installed and ready to use!
If they aren’t aware of other browsers existing, they certainly aren’t savvy enough to perform research to make an educated decision on which one they should install.
Here at the Library of Congress, the public machines in the Reading Rooms, which are Thin Clients, have only Internet Explorer installed.