Thats to say, we won't be seeing (a stand-alone) version 7
Thanks neostyle for the heads up on this story. This from Wininfo: If there are truly people still working on IE these days, they should be ashamed of themselves: As I noted yesterday, the product hasn't been demonstrably improved, from an end user application perspective, since 1998. However, reader Terje Sten Bjerkseth (and subsequently, several others) sent me a link yesterday (URL below) that presents Microsoft's take on the future of IE, and the news just went from bad to worse. When asked in a recent online chat about the next version of IE, Brian Countryman, an IE Program Manager, said, "As part of the OS, IE will continue to evolve, but there will be no future standalone installations. IE6 SP1 is the final standalone installation." The reason? "Legacy OSes have reached their zenith with the addition of IE 6 SP1," he said. "Further improvements to IE will require enhancements to the underlying OS." Sadly, this perspective is skewed, and suggests Microsoft believes IE is somehow at the "zenith" of the Web browser heap.
View: Changes in Internet Explorer for Windows Server 2003 @ TechNet
News source: Wininfo Short Takes
Thanks neostyle for the heads up on this story. This from Wininfo: If there are truly people still working on IE these days, they should be ashamed of themselves: As I noted yesterday, the product hasn't been demonstrably improved, from an end user application perspective, since 1998. However, reader Terje Sten Bjerkseth (and subsequently, several others) sent me a link yesterday (URL below) that presents Microsoft's take on the future of IE, and the news just went from bad to worse. When asked in a recent online chat about the next version of IE, Brian Countryman, an IE Program Manager, said, "As part of the OS, IE will continue to evolve, but there will be no future standalone installations. IE6 SP1 is the final standalone installation." The reason? "Legacy OSes have reached their zenith with the addition of IE 6 SP1," he said. "Further improvements to IE will require enhancements to the underlying OS." Sadly, this perspective is skewed, and suggests Microsoft believes IE is somehow at the "zenith" of the Web browser heap.
View: Changes in Internet Explorer for Windows Server 2003 @ TechNet News source: Wininfo Short Takes
Here is a snip from the May 7th "Changes in Internet Explorer for Windows Server 2003" chat at MS
Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: when / will there be the next version of IE?
A: As part of the OS, IE will continue to evolve, but there will be no future standalone installations. IE6 SP1 is the final standalone installation.
Host: Rob (Microsoft)
Q: What's the long-term outlook for IE as a development platform? Are there major limitations planned for future releases (such as in Longhorn) due to security reasons? I know that this is a concern to many developers that rely on IE technology.
A: Security continues to be a top priority. The platform will change for longhorn but you can expect the client, where folks need to browse, to not be as restrictive as the server. I encourage folks to get involved in our beta program to help us evolve the platform
Host: Brian (Microsoft)
Q: Why is this? the anti-trust? (no further standalone)
A: Although this is off topic, I will answer briefly: Legacy OSes have reached their zenith with the addition of IE 6 SP1. Further improvements to IE will require enhancements to the underlying OS.
6 SP1 is the final standalone installation." The reason? "Legacy OSes have reached their zenith with the addition of IE 6 SP1,"
That is a really really pants excuse, I can see a lot of people choosing alternative browsers once they realise they can't update IE without buying a new OS (and in most cases maybe even a new computer).
Dont u love them
So what if it takes 13 megs (or whatever it is) of my hard drive. Sure I wish it wasn't there, but I don't lose sleep over it.
You can't get rid of it unless you want to sacrifice in viewing whats on your hard drive.
Doofey
Im sure it wouldnt hurt for them to roll out IE 6 SP2, and rollup the current post-SP1 fixes/patches etc - or does that "require enhancements to the underlying OS."
Microsoft, here's what I'd write to you if I thought you would listen. Changing IE technically may require OS changes, but why bother? It's great - slick and fast and displays pages well. Adding the features that CONSUMERS want like improving Favourites management tools, adding popup blocking etc DOES NOT require OS changes! You don't mean you can't do it, just that you can't be bothered. Humph.
Obviously, this goes against MS's public statement that it stands for "innovation", but this is no surprise. MS probably wouldn't have supported IE6 this long if the security watchdogs weren't watching them like hawks.
Now, IE brings value into several MS projects, such as MSN Explorer and Windows, so MS's logical move is to focus on these things, and not IE itself, which makes no money by itself.
I first switched to Mozilla because I was sick and tired of MS. Now I use Mozilla because it's just so much more flexible and innovative. I think Opera and Safari users would agree; MS stopped trying years ago. They are simply admitting the obvious.
I know Microsoft loves to bundle in extra costs to the end user, but I doubt Longhorn will require a passport to browse the web. I am sure Longhorn will ship with MSN Explorer on board, but it wont be the primary web browser.
I think as it has been noted in numerous tech articles, and even on winsupersite. Web browsing by default will be done right from the windows shell.
MSN explorer isn't even a web browser, surfing the net is only one component in explorer's features. MSN is more of a canvas with things like mail, calender, IM, etc. No doubt it and its extra services will always be available at a price.
For basic displaying of websites in the new OS, I am sure Microsoft has something else up its sleeve.
so, i dont think it will be that way.. or lets hope
My $.02
on Opera correctly.
Back to PNGs... most of us would like IE to support the transparent kind because they are far better than GIFs as they allow for alpha blending.
http://panic.com/audion/faces.php
(Il faut cliquer sur les icônes, je conseille Fat Hip Hop ou Light Alloy Ultra pour bien se rendre compte des possibilités du PNG)
Here is what I said in English:
Compare the follwing page in IE first then in any other browser released in the last 2 years:
http://panic.com/audion/faces.php
(click on the icons, Fat Hip Hop or Light Alloy Ultra are good examples of what PNG can do)
PNG support not only 100% transparency as with GIF, but 255 levels of transparency in between. Think pretty web pages with semi-transparent overlayed images.
Also, most browsers out there support those today -- it's just IE that's slow as usual.
Wonder what the future will hold. An intergrate all-in-one browser that will allow u with easy to browse the net and your hard drive. KDE/ Gnome in Linux has this. It would be funny if MS have to copy from Linux for its ideas, instead of the other way around
you do realize you've been able to browse webpages in Windows Explorer and your computer in IE for at least 7 years now, don't you? they are really the same program, one just has "Internet Explorer" on the titlebar
Tabbed browsing is for $h!theads.
The same way that WMP 6.4 is 100% more efficient and better looking than WMP 7+.
The same way that Winamp 2 is 100% more efficient and better looking than Winamp 3.
IE is 100% more efficient and better looking than those browsers like Opera and Netscape.
</opinion>
IE6 is bundled for a reason. The big monopoly trials left Microsoft getting a slap on the wrist, and an update that removes the IE icon from the desktop.
Its ironic 6 months later they are scrapping IE as a standalone, and plugging web browsing from the shell even deeper into the next OS.
Hahahaha... Ummm... Hahahaa
> IE is 100% more efficient and better looking
LMAO, it doesn't even support skins
Long live Opera!
Long Live Hotmail
Last edited by 24287 on 01 Jun 2003 - 02:16
i do think this is a slap in the face to windows xp users, but considering by the time Longhorn comes out it will probably be 5 or 6 years later after windows xp, it would be about time for somebody to upgrade their operating system. that's like somebody still using 98 right now, it's time to move on.
Internet explorer is already good, and i have no complaints. Microsoft cant drop patches, with security issues just found in IE6. and they will still support it, you just have to pay to get the extra features, that will come in Internet Explorer 7. (when buying your next copy of Windows).
Internet explorer is already good, and i have no complaints. Microsoft cant drop patches, with security issues just found in IE6. and they will still support it, you just have to pay to get the extra features, that will come in Internet Explorer 7. (when buying your next copy of Windows).
Currently I can make nifty effects with one or two lines of CSS which are either impossible to achieve in IE (which means that you won't find them in business sites) or requires heavy javascripting to have an equivalent.
Actually, I would even be happy if they only fixed all the CSS bugs IE6 has, some of them absolutely absurd like font sizing, buggy margin and padding calculations, position:absolute divswith bad positionning if there is a table before...
And all other browsers include by default features aimed both at the developper and the end-user, alternate style sheets, advanced page information or a real javascript console giving precise and useful information.
remember one man's features are anothers bloat.
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