Earlier quoted context omitted.
Honest question: if Microsoft didn't bundle IE and the user hadn't received a copy of those ubiquitous AOL CD-ROMs which came in the mail/magazines (and sometimes carried the Netscape Navigator installer), how is the user expected to consume content on the web without a web browser? Surely, you'll at least need a decent web browser to get online to download a different browser of your choice, no?
When I was a kid (before the publicly-used version of the Internet that we know and love today) and wanted to download software, I'd log into a BBS for my download.
Thanks for adding your perspective to the discussion though I'd argue that your experience might not have been representative of the larger population.