@AC 15:09

I suppose it's because the filetype association still exists. It could just as well fire up Notepad.

Windows will always be stuck with MSHTML/MSXML, there are two many around programs which need them. But then again MacOS has Webkit even though you can drag Safari to the trash and Linux has KHTML.

If the installer gets rid of the IE directory in Program Files, the icons from the desktop and Start Menu, deletes the filetype associations, and stops Windows Explorer turning into IE when you put a web address in the location bar then that's good enough for most people. Microsoft can tell the EU they've put a DLL there and it's up to developers if they want to use it. The fanatics can overwrite MSHTML with a wrapper round Gecko but that's not Microsoft's job.