Long post and well worth the read, but the interesting part to me is this:
Windows operating system and apps
Customers using Windows have always used a combination of operating system functionality as well as apps, but now Windows will clearly identify operating system functionality in places like Settings, Start, and Search:
- Settings > System > System Components will show notable operating system components.
- Start menu’s All Apps list has been renamed to All and operating system components are labeled with “system”.
- Under Search, search results will show operating system components labeled with “system”.
All apps in Windows can be uninstalled. Of course, apps can always be installed again from the Microsoft Store and internet. Settings > Apps > Installed apps continue to show all the apps installed on the PC and we’ve added the ability to uninstall:
- Camera
- Cortana
- Web Search from Microsoft Bing, in the EEA
- Microsoft Edge, in the EEA
- Photos
Well... dependencies can still exist, which would justify the "system" marking. For example, different programs' WebViews depend on Edge nowadays, though maybe it is possible to isolate having that rendering engine without having the full browser program.
Microsoft already has a webview software that deals with that, which afaik already also comes with Windows, and is independent of Edge.
Edge, the browser proper, is in no way a dependency of anything else.
This came about from the Netscape v MSFT browser wars; where MSFT tried to argue that because IE was bolted directly into the OS, it therefore had to come preinstalled without asking & could not be uninstalled. The court ordered them to unbolt it & bundle it as a separate install - just like other browsers.