I think that MS developers (and Gates himself) believe that the browser engine "needs" to be a focal point because of the upcoming shift in OS's themselves. Think .NET. The more processes they can port to a browser engine, the sooner they can develop their next-stage OS. Will it be Internet2 based, where you run services on your remote computer? Will it be a home-server you put in the closet, and wireless networking to home-entertainment units (cable, A/V,stereo w/ MP3's), internet browsing tablets, etc.

Does Win2k/XP "need" to run the browser engine for integral parts? No. Do they save a ton of testing and learn a great deal by implementing them now, while not reducing any functionality in 2K/XP? Definitely. Forward-thinking is what got MS into the position they are in, and it is what will keep them their for the coming decades.

(edited by: Marcia at 11:27 pm (utc) on April 30, 2002)