Microsoft Corp has conceded that Dell Computer Corp may remove the icon for Internet Explorer (IE) from the desktop of the Windows 98 computers it sells to businesses. Legal specialists told the Washington Post that this special dispensation for Dell could imperil Microsoft’s case in its antitrust trial against the US government. Microsoft has insisted throughout the trial, in the teeth of mounting evidence, that Windows 98 is inseparable from IE.
But the company argues that this concession only applies to those PCs customized by Dell for business customers. The reasoning is that such customers may not want the IE icon to appear on PCs that are not connected to the internet, in case confused users demand costly technical support. Dell is acting for the end user here, a company spokesperson told the Post. As for consumers, they may delete the icon themselves, but they may not buy a Windows 98 computer without the IE icon.
