How has this turned into a Windows bashing thread
So says the guy with the Osama-Bush Laden avatar. ;-)
Many programs rely on IE DLL files. I wouldn't dare remove it. In the control panel, you can deselect the checkbox that makes IE check if it's the default browser. That shuts it up for good. No, really.
As for the model program... THAT'S AWESOME. Almost as awesome as this:
Soda Play!
