I assume it takes information from vatsim or IVAO for the controllers and online pilots, and I think it is a good thing to have a browser in there, means you dont have to start up any other programs you dont need, and you can get information readily, without loosing performance. Tom I am not sure which EU country your from but when i got my laptop it came with IE, a computer would be fairly useless for the internet if it came with no internet browser, and FF is unlikely to be shipped with Windows anytime soon.
Cheers
Dan C