This is actually probably good news. Was it 10.4 that shipped with a broken version of XQuartz and we had to go download the new version anyway? I know it was a rather annoying issue back when I used OS X more frequently.

Yep, to be honest this is the exact same thing they did for java. Try to use java in Lion, blam pops up a window asking to install it.

Seems like they're just trimming the base OS install down to what is used by most users. I'll put this in the meh category.

It could be a bit smoother, though. When you launch Java you just have to click twice (once to install, a second time to accept the terms), wait a few seconds until it downloads and installs, and you are done. Everyone can do that, it’s smooth and it’s nearly impossible to go wrong.

When you start X11 you get a similar dialog, but it currently sends you to a website where you have to download stuff. That’s not the same.

It’s no big deal, really, but it could be smoother.

In the cases of Flash and Java, possibly also trying to disclaim responsibility. We often see statistics about security holes in MacOS vs Windows; those made based on Snow Leopard or earlier tend to include Flash and Java security holes for MacOS but not Windows, because, while most OEM Windows devices do ship Flash and a JVM, Microsoft does not.

After hitting the install button it worked seamlessly as well, so Java no longer being bundled was not even an issue :-)