[Campion]

That's the basic issue here: What comprises an OS.

At one time, wasn't it the Official Microsoft Legal Position ([tm] [all rights reserved] [click "accept" on the EULA before reading]) that IE was part of the operating system and couldn't be untangled from it without ... I dunno ... breaking the intergalactic disgronificator module, or something?

[Bush2000]

I think their position was that it couldn't be removed, not that it was a part of the kernel.