Looks like Microsoft will have a Windows 8 E edition for Europe. The Windows 7 E edition was canceled back in mid-2009 in favor of the browser ballot. What does that mean for Windows 8? No browser ballot in Windows 8 E?

Find out what the buzz is all about after the break – with explanations what N and E stand for.

Winrumors found the following interesting codes:

ARM.Starter=00342
ARM.StarterN=00345
ARM.StarterE=00348
ARM.HomeBasic=00346
ARM.HomeBasicN=00358
ARM.HomeBasicE=00349
ARM.HomePremium=00359
ARM.HomePremiumN=00362
ARM.HomePremiumE=00351
ARM.Professional=00371
ARM.ProfessionalN=00376
ARM.ProfessionalE=00352
ARM.Enterprise=00392
ARM.EnterpriseN=00403
ARM.EnterpriseE=00355
ARM.Ultimate=00426
ARM.UltimateN=00432
ARM.UltimateE=00356

Looks like Microsoft is compiling Windows 8 E and N editions for both ARM and x32/x64.

What is Windows 7 E?

The Windows 7 E edition did not include the Internet Explorer, because of a controversial decision of the European Commission.

However, Microsoft found a way around it and added the browser ballot that allows you to pick from multiple browser:
Windows 7 Edition Canceled – Welcome Windows 7 Browser Ballot

What is Windows 7 N?

Then there was a special edition called Windows 7 N. Windows 7 N basically did not include the Windows Media Player 12 and Windows Media Center or Windows DVD Maker. Again, this was due to problems with certain commisions. The N editions of Windows 7 allow you to choose your own media player (VLC, etc.).

For users of Windows 7 N, Microsoft came up with a “Media Feature Pack for Windows 7 N and Windows 7 KN” that basically includes all the .

Windows 8 N / E – Without Media Player and Internet Explorer?

So, let’s speculate a bit here. Why would Microsoft compile several Windows 8 editions, a N and E edition? Could it mean that they will drop the browser ballot in Windows 8 E and instead advertise a special free Microsoft-Windows bundle via their upcoming Windows 8 app store?

I’m wondering if they are even allowed to put a link to their Media Feature Pack on Windows 8 N – after all it’s their OS.

Anyway, it all looks like the E edition – for some reason – might be around this time, along with a N (Media-Player-free) edition.

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