Basic Microsoft Active sync info??

[jbearamus]

if you want the conspiracy theory answer: its because microsoft wants you to buy more software so they can make more money
the point of activesync is just to be a bridge for your device to your computer. it can be used to install stuff and enable file explorer to access your device but that's about it on it's own.
palm went the extra mile and included the palm desktop (i think that's what its called) which is actually a separate piece of software, but they threw it in anyway.