Am I the only one thinking that IE is trying to completely take over the web? Putting it integrated into the desktop means that you can make it so that IE screws you over if you try to use anything other than IE as a browser (yes, that includes programs such as slimbrowser and stuff).
And the next version of Windows won’t be out until 2005 sometime. Then IE won’t have been upgraded for over four years.
I don’t know about you, but for me a browser that hasn’t been upgraded for the last 18 months I consider to be in very bad shape. And IE6 was mostly a bugfix for IE5, as well…
Microsoft is just continuing their standard practice: Integrating things with the OS to make it that much harder to use non-microsoft stuff. Just like they did with the GUI shell back in '95. And everything else that has ever touched windows. It is a blob absorbing everything in its path. Actually, the way it gobbles up stuff is kind of reminiscent of pacman…
Nul: Those aren’t news, I agree. The news are that there will be no mayor versions of IE until Windows Longhorn comes out (Which will take atleast two more years). Heck, there won’t be any new versions of IE at all until then. It’s now official.
And Longhorn will be the first version of Windows that uses Palladium (you know, that software/hardware thingamajingie that lets Microsoft take over your computer should they choose to, and dictates what you can and cannot run). So getting an IE upgrade requires you to sign away your freedom to someone you have to trust, regardless if you like it or not…
Still, although they make them, the people who pay for them should be free to use them to run whatever they wish. This looks like an attempt at monopolizing the market by driving certain companies out of business over compatibility issues.
They have done that for years. It started with when they had Windows 3.1 give out error messages if it found out that it was running with a non-MS-DOS.
The problem here is that no ones makes an OS as easy to operate for layspeople as microsoft does. Well, you could say Apple does, but if you own a Mac not everything runs in it and you have to know a little about hardware to take most of it, and most people don’t.
I tried using Linux. Too hard for me. I am a Linux sympathizant, but I just don’t have enough neurons to operate it. I don’t have a Mac and I can’t get things like OS/2 or that puffer system in my computer. Only option left is Microsoft.
If someone made a system as easy to use as Windows, which would run in every computer, then I’d go for it. But it doesn’t seem to be the case now.
Well, basically, they’re taking advantage of the fact that people like user-friendly systems to increase their influence over them.
Until viable alternatives have been developed, I doubt things will improve.
Ren: It all depends on your Linux Distro. Even your 78-yr old Grandma can install and run XandrosOS, but it takes some skills to go with Debian, Gentoo or Slackware, and it takes a real übergeek to do Linux from Scratch.
Manus: That’s how Microsoft is, don’t like it, go with Linux.
Originally posted by Manus Dei That’s absolutely revolting. Who do they think they are to take over a person’s computer whenever they feel like?!
Actually, they’re not really taking over the computer. All you have to do is go to www.opera.com and download a new goddamn browser. It’s that simple. IE isn’t as bad as people say it is, but I still don’t use it. I just like the tab system Opera has.
Microsoft has done a little better with XP too. It’s not <b>as</b> buggy as the rest of them. I have yet to get any errors at all on it for the 6+ months I’ve had it.
Originally posted by Manus Dei Well, basically, they’re taking advantage of the fact that people like user-friendly systems to increase their influence over them.
Until viable alternatives have been developed, I doubt things will improve.
User friendly is a good thing. My parents know nothing about computers, so I get the shit off of them when something happens to the computer. I have to talk to the assholes at tech support, I have to do everything with the computer. Once we got XP, all of those problems stopped. The only tech support I’ve talked to was about the cable modem because it got fucked up. XP is so much more good for my parents than any other OS. The problem is that you guys are looking at it through your eyes. Look at it through the eyes of a computer illiterate person who doesn’t <b>know</b> about linux or *bsd. They barely know how to use IE, let alone MS-Dos prompt to install linux. User friendly is a good thing for the people like that.
I’ve stayed away from linux because I use my computer for gaming. Not setting up webservers. Until Linux becomes more compatible with games, I’m staying with Windows.
