OP: Why Microsoft is Innocent with IE8

[CircusMusic]

When you first run IE there's that start page asking you to set up some defaults... Why take out IE when they can let users know with a list of alternative browsers and links to the download or description pages when they first run IE?

 

[Tindytim]

For those of you interested in contacting the European Union, here is some contact information (or, at least, some information on how to obtain contact information).

http://ec.europa.eu/contact/index_en.htm

 

[Guest]

S-w-w-w-w-i-n-g.... and a miss...

Nice dribble pretending to be a rant, but honestly, are you actually in Redmond, or are you a contract PR bot? Your "article" makes it painfully clear you have no idea at all what the issues actually are, and as you blather on about something that isn't an issue, a problem you made up in order to blog about it, you pretend your "opinion" is valid. Get a life. And get a better job; you suck at the "viral/pr/blog/synergy" thing.

 

[RodIshiCi]

[citation][nom]darianknight[/nom]Netscape went out of business not because of Microsoft IE, but instead because of two very ironic things; 1. Companies trying to sell a browser found out quickly that free web browsers were more popular. 2. The free web browser that killed Netscape, and quickly Internet Explorer is actually a derivative of the Netscape code. Mozilla Firefox and trying to sell a web browser as a product are the two reasons why Netscape finally called it quits.[/citation]
AFAIK, Netscape was free for non-commercial use, so it never was a matter of people opting for IE because Netscape wasn't free. The company had paid product, but the browser was free.
And while I find reasonable someone arguing that at some point IE was superior in some points to Netscape, it's rather strange reading someone claiming that Netscape went down by itself, when MS pushed everything it could to overtake the former leader, to a point it was even filled with charges of trust.

Another thing that puzzles me are people saying that IE is crucial for Windows to work properly, else it would be possible to uninstall it. A lot of things are highly optional, to say the least, and yet you cannot touch it via Control Panel, like WMP.
Of course, since they integrated IE with Windows, something eventually will call a funcion that requires IE (like using a page as desktop paper), but nothing that cannot be undone, and that'll be shown as Windows 7 is released in Europe, without IE, and, in some places, WMP too.

 

[neiroatopelcc]

[citation][nom]RodIshiCi[/nom]AFAIK, Netscape was free for non-commercial use, so it never was a matter of people opting for IE because Netscape wasn't free. The company had paid product, but the browser was free.And while I find reasonable someone arguing that at some point IE was superior in some points to Netscape, it's rather strange reading someone claiming that Netscape went down by itself, when MS pushed everything it could to overtake the former leader, to a point it was even filled with charges of trust.Another thing that puzzles me are people saying that IE is crucial for Windows to work properly, else it would be possible to uninstall it. A lot of things are highly optional, to say the least, and yet you cannot touch it via Control Panel, like WMP.Of course, since they integrated IE with Windows, something eventually will call a funcion that requires IE (like using a page as desktop paper), but nothing that cannot be undone, and that'll be shown as Windows 7 is released in Europe, without IE, and, in some places, WMP too.[/citation]

Well you can install a windows xp without ie if that is what you want. You may need a tool like nlite to create the install, but it's definetly possible. However it's unlikely that you'll actually want to considering all the dependancies. For instance you can hardly install any autodesk products on a system if it doesn't have ie components installed, and neither do serveral other commercial products work without it. So even if you don't need it for browsing, you'll want it to be installed in order to avoid wierd compatibility issues. I suppose that could be fixed by supplying 'ie runtime libraries' etc, but at this point no such thing exists with a microsoft signature.

As for which browser is best - obviously that is IE at the moment, as anyone making a homepage is testing compatibility with IE. It still isn't my favorite browser though, and I know I'm not alone with that. IE suffers from the same problem firefox does - they're both memory eaters, and they both crash very easily if something is wrong.
For instance I once tried to manipulate the rating system on this page - in chrome the -1 and 1 values for a given link were only stored in one place - in ie they were stored in 4 and in firefox they were in 5. The manipulation didn't work btw. IE and firefox would crash when I modified their memory, and chrome, while working, returned me a message 'that I'd already voted' or something like that, effectively preventing the vote to be registered.

 

[Guest]

I think the point is not if windows is shipped or not with IE. The problem is that IE and other programs in the windows package should be uninstalable. You should be able to uninstall IE and windows media player any time you want.

 

[Jonyjams]

Forgive me, I just couldn't keep my mouth shut after reading this crap! You guys are like a bunch of dumb bitches... your freakin idiots and should have to take a test (like taking a drivers license test) before being granted permission to OWN a pc! Surf the web with windows explorer? Use window updates to download another browser? My 3 year old has a higher IQ than these freaks... go play in the traffic or something will ya?
And now for you so called guru's who are really trying to sound intelligent with your analytical suggestions... there is way so much more involved with this issue that your words are just spent air with a foul smell... your like old women who sit around and gossip.
Your statements are like the guy who went to the lumber company to buy a new roof for his home, had it delivered and when he went to put it up he found no roofing nails? He calls the lumber company and asks them,"how do i put the shingles on my roof? you gave me no nails??? Well, the lumber company says, we thought you knew what you were doing! Clearly, somebody here does not!

 

[Guest]

To the person saying you can simply use Microsoft Update to install IE: Obviously you've never tried using MS update with Firefox.....only to be told, yes, you guessed it, you need IE to use the damn thing. For the record, foolish person, the MS Update WEBSITE (there's your clue) requires the use of a browser.....as does every other website in the world....specifically Internet Explorer.

Which brings me to enforce the same point for a different reason.....that despite the browser-less 'Windows 7 E' half heartedly conforming to the Monopoly Commission's rulings, people STILL have to download IE to use the MS update site. Have the Monopoly Commission brought them to task on this I wonder?

 

[Twoboxer]

Let the updates come automatically. Problem solved. You want other MS options? Use the MS tools. Otherwise, get your updates from the EU.