[Tortenboxer]

IE has been FREE for years. It was free about 10 years ago when Netscape was its major competition. It's always been free. Where have you been? There's never been a charge for IE.

The charge is hidden in the price of Windows.

OK, let's look at a different example: Homeshopping. I'm sure you've seen those offers: "If you buy product X, you'll get product Y for FREE!" Anyone with a basic understanding of economics will tell you that product Y is not really free as long as you have to buy product X to get it (or be able to use it)!

[Clara Lou]

The charge is hidden in the price of Windows.
Then, can you tell me why IE is free to Mac users? No Windows there-- It's on my iBook running OS-X. IE was free before they decided to associate it with Windows. It's still free. Why don't you dial up MS and ask them how much they charge for IE? They'll tell you IE is FREE.