For Edge, it's probably at least partially because Microsoft doesn't want you to end up in a situation where you have no browsers on your computer. You can't expect the average user to not be stupid enough to uninstall Edge without having another browser installed, nor can you expect them to figure out how to install a browser without one.
The same goes for things like an image viewer or video player; you can install alternatives, but Microsoft doesn't want you to end up in a situation where you lose core functionality on your computer. They have no guarantees that whatever alternative you install has the same capabilities as what's bundled by default.
While this is valid from a user-friendliness standpoint, if someone is to uninstall Edge, even if they are an average user who just doesn't want edge, they have a risk of breaking the system in its entirety just by uninstalling it. It doesn't even matter if the person has something like firefox or even google chrome. Causing this much breakage over something as simple as a browser that can easily be replaced shouldn't be the norm
For Edge, it's probably at least partially because Microsoft doesn't want you to end up in a situation where you have no browsers on your computer. You can't expect the average user to not be stupid enough to uninstall Edge without having another browser installed, nor can you expect them to figure out how to install a browser without one.
The same goes for things like an image viewer or video player; you can install alternatives, but Microsoft doesn't want you to end up in a situation where you lose core functionality on your computer. They have no guarantees that whatever alternative you install has the same capabilities as what's bundled by default.
I'm pretty sure you could install edge through the windows store, which is another thing they seem to push a lot lately.
While this is valid from a user-friendliness standpoint, if someone is to uninstall Edge, even if they are an average user who just doesn't want edge, they have a risk of breaking the system in its entirety just by uninstalling it. It doesn't even matter if the person has something like firefox or even google chrome. Causing this much breakage over something as simple as a browser that can easily be replaced shouldn't be the norm