to matt87_50 : the reason that it works with IE is because MSN live messenger uses IE for it's web content. Many programs like steam does the same. It's easier to just use one codebase/API like IE's knowing it's DEFINITELY available on windows than to:
a.) design and code your own mini-browser. This takes a lot of time and resources and may not be the best option
b.) integrate your mini-browser with the user's browser of choice. This is quite possibly the best option, but this would would lead to a different "build" for each different browser used, thus complicating matters more than simplifying them and also taking up more time and resources as well.
c.) releasing a program with a built-in browser. (let's assume IE, or chrome or whichever, but only 1 specific browser.) This results in a totally different problem, where the program takes up more resources, the program would have to be updated whenever the browser is updated, etc. Not to mention that this method would possibly bring problems with the whole "bundling" issue sal-e was talking about(btw, wonderful posts there, sal-e)
Basically any solution presentable would mean more complications and costs for the software in some way or other. As mentioned earlier, it's easier to focus on the other things like the IMing mechanism in live messenger or the game distribution and matchmaking system of sorts in steam and just use IE's APIs and DLLs. Whenever IE is updated, the program doesn't need to be since it just calls IE. And so they maintain the program, and their respective sites(hotmail or live mail for live messenger.)
I know that the whole integration into explorer thing is a bad thing, but ironically it has made things far simpler than they would have been for many programs and their respective makers.
Also: this is why live messenger and steam are slow at times, I find IE slow on this pc, so it makes sense that live messenger's news window and steam's built-in browser would be slow, I guess.
a.) design and code your own mini-browser. This takes a lot of time and resources and may not be the best option
b.) integrate your mini-browser with the user's browser of choice. This is quite possibly the best option, but this would would lead to a different "build" for each different browser used, thus complicating matters more than simplifying them and also taking up more time and resources as well.
c.) releasing a program with a built-in browser. (let's assume IE, or chrome or whichever, but only 1 specific browser.) This results in a totally different problem, where the program takes up more resources, the program would have to be updated whenever the browser is updated, etc. Not to mention that this method would possibly bring problems with the whole "bundling" issue sal-e was talking about(btw, wonderful posts there, sal-e)
Basically any solution presentable would mean more complications and costs for the software in some way or other. As mentioned earlier, it's easier to focus on the other things like the IMing mechanism in live messenger or the game distribution and matchmaking system of sorts in steam and just use IE's APIs and DLLs. Whenever IE is updated, the program doesn't need to be since it just calls IE. And so they maintain the program, and their respective sites(hotmail or live mail for live messenger.)
I know that the whole integration into explorer thing is a bad thing, but ironically it has made things far simpler than they would have been for many programs and their respective makers.
Also: this is why live messenger and steam are slow at times, I find IE slow on this pc, so it makes sense that live messenger's news window and steam's built-in browser would be slow, I guess.
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