On last.fm: Radiohead - Listen free and discover!
BNET Business Network:
BNET
TechRepublic
ZDNet
TalkBack 30 of 129:
Next »
« Previous
Its the porkies...
The big deal is corporate culture. Microsoft have made a couple of claims over and over again to show how wonderful they are. Firstly, that IE will always be free. That was interpreted as anyone could download it and run it.
MS have welded it to the OS so it is no longer an separate application. You can't download it and run it on say WINE or some other Windows API emulator. Even if you take the view that IE will always be free to Windows users, then Microsoft are saying that only some Windows users will get certain upgrades.

So MS either told porkies or have gone back on their word about IE always being "free". It isn't, you pay for it with the OS, there is nothing free about it - if you don't pay for an upgrade or new version of Windows, you don't get IE upgrades.

The second great claim was that of supporting Windows 2000 until 2010. Now if you believe the hype that IE is part of the OS, and there are security fixes for IE, then they are security fixes for the OS.

Microsoft themselves are saying that the fixes are at the OS level, and therefore they have done them in XP but will not do them in 2k. So how does that work? IE is part of the OS when is suits Microsoft, but not when it doesn't. Suddenly securing Win2k is too hard and doesn't count as support.

Clearly Microsoft don't really consider IE as part of the OS. All their lies to the court way back in 2000 were just that - lies. How do you tell barefaced lies to a court, day in, day out, and get away with it? Easy, change your name to Microsoft or Bill Gates.

As for "it's only a browser", quite right. I've never used IE on Windows as a browser, I've used either Mozilla or Firefox (mostly Firefox for the last few years) and could not be happier. But that doesn't mean I'm happy to let Microsoft off the hook. They've welded IE into Win2k so that doing Windows update without it is a real pain. So I keep IE available solely for updates, nothing more.

Yet there are security issues with IE that Microsoft refuse to fix. What does that tell you about their corporate culture?
Posted by: Fred Fredrickson   Posted on: 06/05/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
Reply to Story Reply to Message

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

Why, Sure!  BitTwiddler | 06/02/05
Wrong conclusion.  ShadeTree | 06/02/05
Not a standard from what I've seen  voska | 06/02/05
Name one software company that...  ShadeTree | 06/03/05
Tow the M$ party line  DarthRidiculous | 06/02/05
Finished with the rant?  ShadeTree | 06/03/05
Price of entry?  Jay Cash | 06/03/05
Microsoft does not set standards.. It sets degrees of evilness.  Xunil_Sierutuf | 06/02/05
If the future is Linux, then what is today?(nt)  ShadeTree | 06/03/05
Right Conclusion  Squawkbox | 06/02/05
Everybody claims their new version is better ...  ShadeTree | 06/03/05
OK I Shade I won't just cause you said so  Squawkbox | 06/03/05
Ok...  Wolfie2K3 | 06/03/05
Do your self and me a favor wufwuf2k3.  Squawkbox | 06/03/05
You mean you didn't ...  ShadeTree | 06/03/05
Right conclusion - part 2  Fred Fredrickson | 06/05/05
Hmm...  thetargos | 06/02/05
MS will change their tune really quick if Firefox adoption on Win2000  DonnieBoy | 06/02/05
Windows 2000 and IE 7  ju1ce | 06/02/05
"Forced upgrades" only if a company cares about security.  Anton Philidor | 06/02/05
Tis a mistake IMHO  No_Ax_to_Grind | 06/02/05
Reason enough to jump browsers  nucrash | 06/02/05
LOL, you make it sound like MS cared in the past for it's users..  Xunil_Sierutuf | 06/02/05
You forget that MS will be desperate to get a critical mass of users to use  DonnieBoy | 06/02/05
That would be if Linux was worth migrating to  John Zern | 06/02/05
By what criteria?  IT_User | 06/02/05
They also care about corporate users.  DonnieBoy | 06/02/05
Says you  Linux User 147560 | 06/02/05
Any IT manager who decides to switch  mustangj36@... | 06/02/05
Its the porkies...  Fred Fredrickson | 06/05/05
Correct  John L. Ries | 06/02/05
No great loss  DarthRidiculous | 06/02/05
You hit the bullseye  alterego_z | 06/02/05
It's the old greedy "force you to upgrade" Microsoft tactic..  Xunil_Sierutuf | 06/02/05
Firefox, with 1/100 of the resources, and they have no problem with Win2000  DonnieBoy | 06/02/05
That is THE most important point to me:  Judas I. | 06/02/05
I imagine they have sever spagetti code problems as well.  DonnieBoy | 06/02/05
Microsoft's fundamental problem  gordon@... | 06/02/05
And Firefox IS innovated?  John Zern | 06/02/05
Except...  IT_User | 06/02/05
Yeah and it is the  Linux User 147560 | 06/02/05
If you wanted tabbed browsing...  Anton Philidor | 06/02/05
In other words  Linux User 147560 | 06/02/05
Better words.  Anton Philidor | 06/03/05
I'd say it was more they complacent  voska | 06/03/05
Nothing made by humans works perfectly.  Anton Philidor | 06/03/05
Anton  IT_User | 06/03/05
Now that you mention it...  Linux User 147560 | 06/04/05
Thanks for describing why a monopoly is anti-innovative!  CobraA1 | 06/04/05
No big surprise  IT Scion | 06/02/05
Product differentiation  Anton Philidor | 06/02/05
The other main reason to encourage upgrades...  Anton Philidor | 06/02/05
It must be very hard  michael_t | 06/02/05
A shrewd plan or a MS miscalculation?  the_fiddler_on_the_roof | 06/02/05
MS miscalculation  John L. Ries | 06/02/05
Gamble  IT_User | 06/03/05
Definitely a shrewd plan.  Anton Philidor | 06/02/05
How many...  John L. Ries | 06/03/05
How will IE 7 drive people away?  Anton Philidor | 06/03/05
Unfortunately, you're right  trlauer | 06/03/05
You make some good points.  Anton Philidor | 06/03/05
Pages not working in Firefox  pierrejvr | 06/07/05
I'm not so sure of that  voska | 06/03/05
Third party software for IE...  Anton Philidor | 06/03/05
Only problem I've seen with 3rd party stuff  voska | 06/03/05
Re: How many...  MepisLINUXuser | 06/05/05
Re: How many...  pierrejvr | 06/07/05
so ?  M_c | 06/02/05
really?  bluestreak_z | 06/02/05
Way too funny  Richard Flude | 06/02/05
Hey, if Sun can keep up with the Solaris flavors  FilledOut | 06/02/05
Seriously- IE doesn't work on my win2k now  maxo_z | 06/02/05
Good!  michael_t | 06/02/05
huh?  bluestreak_z | 06/05/05
It doesn't matter, I am happy with IE5.  pa2004 | 06/02/05
at lest you think so....  DarbyOhara | 06/03/05
Ahum,, png transparancies e.t.c  pj-xmesh | 06/02/05
want, want, want.  trm1945 | 06/02/05
2k is NT 5.0, XPlode is NT 5.1, WTF is the...  MepisLINUXuser | 06/02/05
Here is a conundrum, if you can't try IE7...  MepisLINUXuser | 06/02/05
And I remember the good ol' days when MS said...  HypnoToad | 06/02/05
Ummmm, no...  MepisLINUXuser | 06/02/05
Just one site of many...  MepisLINUXuser | 06/02/05
Who wants to bet Firefox won't run in Laghorn?  MepisLINUXuser | 06/02/05
It will run On Longhorn.  Anton Philidor | 06/02/05
If the lockout Firefox...  DarthRidiculous | 06/02/05
They don't have to lock out FireFox...  Anton Philidor | 06/03/05
Locking out MUCH easier  Jay Cash | 06/03/05
I dunno  Linux User 147560 | 06/02/05
From whom have they heard about Longhorn?  Anton Philidor | 06/03/05
Not from me...  Linux User 147560 | 06/03/05
Not upgrading to Longhorn.  Anton Philidor | 06/03/05
Answer  Linux User 147560 | 06/03/05
Easy is hard enough.  Anton Philidor | 06/03/05
RE: Easy is hard enough  Linux User 147560 | 06/03/05
RE: Easy is hard enough  Linux User 147560 | 06/03/05
Anyone using Longhorn is more likely to be whipping the dashboard  balsover | 06/03/05
This is what we have been saying!  Linux User 147560 | 06/03/05
New demands on the hardware.  Anton Philidor | 06/03/05
What does this mean?  IT_User | 06/03/05
It means  Jay Cash | 06/03/05
Another change in Longhorn(?)  Anton Philidor | 06/04/05
Anton I find it funny  Linux User 147560 | 06/04/05
Underlying assumptions  IT_User | 06/04/05
It means Microspy will accomplish what...  MepisLINUXuser | 06/05/05
The other main reason to encourage upgrades...  Anton Philidor | 06/02/05
GET A LIFE  LWEM | 06/03/05
Hard bargainers.  Anton Philidor | 06/03/05
Who's whining?  John L. Ries | 06/03/05
"Disinterest"?  Anton Philidor | 06/03/05
Oh dear  John L. Ries | 06/04/05
Active X for firefox  support@... | 06/03/05
Active X for Firefox is a really bad idea  balsover | 06/03/05
I think they died  nucrash | 06/03/05
Bah, drop your stupid ActiveX dependency.  CobraA1 | 06/04/05
M$ can take their OS and IE and stick it for all i care!  wessonjoe | 06/03/05
Who cares!  kmsilver | 06/03/05
I love the *cough* unbiased opinions  dodge_spirit | 06/03/05
RE: I love the *cough* unbiased opinions  Linux User 147560 | 06/03/05
whatever  CobraA1 | 06/04/05
I'm not complaining.  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 06/05/05
Find Software Off the shelf . . .  ebrke | 06/06/05
The smell of coffee...  Scrat | 06/03/05
Your point would be correct if...  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 06/05/05
" that is non-trivial to port back to Windows 2000"  CobraA1 | 06/04/05
But then again, you're not using the OS  FilledOut | 06/04/05
Not to worry!  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 06/05/05
Your point would be correct if...  Scrat | 06/06/05
oopsy on the previous post  bluestreak_z | 06/05/05

What do you think?

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

advertisement

Enterprise Applications

  • Check out some of the easiest and most powerful ways to boost productivity while saving money on your application infrastructure. See ZDNet's comprehensive Enterprise Application resource center, now!
  • New Online Dashboard
  • Read about top issues IT decision-makers face every day, plus get cost effective solutions to real life IT problems. Oracle Topline