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Microsoft Responds to IE Criticism
darthcamaro writes "Looks like there was an online free-for-all on Microsoft's chat servers yesterday with Internet Explorer engineers. Several interesting things come out in the story including the fact that the IE big wig thinks that all of his engineers should have other browsers installed to see what they can do and, catch this...he thinks they're the underdog. 'I've worked at Microsoft for 14 years and I have always felt like the underdog,' said Hachamovitch. 'Maybe the road behind us looks easy, but at the time going it wasn't. I welcome the feedback today. Getting informed is the only way I know to get better. The day we don't get heated feedback I'll be concerned.'" Reader nkodengar notes that "Microsoft has posted an article on MSDN listing everything that will be affected by the the updates to Internet Explorer in Service Pack 2. This will be particularly important to developers who use ActiveX controls, pop-up windows and file download counters in their websites..."
Let's remember, while Mozilla was still on unstable milestones MS had a much more advanced and working browser. It's barely changed since then. They're dragging their asses. It must have been a decision within microsoft, there's no way they could fuck up THIS BADLY with IE development.
IE stills sucks at CSS support. The bottom line is, when I design something and test it in mozilla, it also looks fine in Opera and Safari. When I look at it in IE there's a very good chance something looks wrong due to some missing feature or weird implementation.
They just hack everything together. You can't even use css like tr:hover although a:hover works because of their shitty implementation.
Photos.
Looks like MS has now gone for secure by-default way:
1. The modal installation prompt for ActiveX controls will be initially suppressed using the Information Bar.
2. Changes would have to be made to the way some pages automatically redirect or behave differently when refreshed after a control is not installed
3. If the dialog does not provide an option to install the ActiveX control, the file might not be correctly signed. - Phew! No more hidden installs then, hopefully!
4. In SP2, the Information Bar will suppress file download prompts that are launched automatically
5. Enforcement of file-extensions to match the content-type.
6. SP2 will have the pop-up blocker that is turned on by default
7. And, finally, there are some browser window restrictions
I still don't think SP2 will be a panacea, but for corporations with a large number of users, or naive end-users, SP2 should bring a sigh of relief...
http://efil.blogspot.com/
Microsoft will now suppress downloads not initiated by the user directly.
Along with other things like this one, Microsoft is effectively blocking pop-up ads this time around. It's should at least rival the offerings from Mozilla, OmniWeb, etc.
This is finally gone! No more shithole websites set as the default
The Political Programmer
What's so special about file download counters that will cause them to break in the new version of IE? I thought they were server-side anyway?
Since it's more difficult to configure a web server to count downloads of all file types, people often use a PHP script which redirects to the target file.
For example http://server.com/getfile.php?file=test.exe
The PHP script updates the server-side counter and then redirects the user to the real file they wanted.
Ever seen those "Your download should start in 5 seconds..." messages?
The new behaviour will make it impossible to automatically pop up a file download dialog, rendering this type of download counter/anti-leech script usless.
"People choose," replied Hachamovitch (IE lead engineer). "Hundreds of millions of people actively use Windows and they get to choose. Nothing in Windows as it ships keeps them from downloading other software that extends their browsing experience (e.g. the Google or Ebay toolbars) or changes it (e.g. an alternative browser)."
What a load of shit. I spent 8 hourts on line with MS tech support trying to disable IE entirely from my system. You see, when you remove it, the system recreates it. And even when it isn't there, it uses a default installed version which is integrated into the system.
Microsoft tech support has NO CLUE on how to remove it so I messaed around and came up with a way to have all Microsoft apps default to using Firefox instead
This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
Actually, returning null when window.open() is blocked is the usual behavior for Firefox, and I assume for most other popup-blockers, as well. If memory serves, window.open() returns the window it creates so that you can further manipulate it from your code. Thus, no windows created --> null return value. Those of you with popup blockers can test the functionality here.
This pretty much means that the popup window will be officially dead in a year's time.
Actually, it simply means that window.open() popups will be dead in a year's time. It's an arms race, just like spam vs. antispam. Popups will simply move from JavaScript to CSS. The popup window appears as a CSS layer which is above the layer showing the main page.
To see an example of this, go to http://www.tek-tips.com. The first thing you'll see is a popup sailing across your screen and bouncing a couple of times off the bottom before giving you the opportunity to close it.
This is the near future of annoying adversiting, folks.
Tired of FB/Google censorship? Visit UNCENSORED!
The reason they suggest these things is in large part due to their blocking of these possible exploits. No longer can ActiveX run in a pop-up or dialog window, and from what I can gather from the third item, when the dialog box comes up confirming the installation of an ActiveX control, the user will be able to see exactly what the program does. Granted, it'll be easy for a spyware developer to insert falsehoods in that description, but if the program does not perform as advertised, then it creates some leverage for lawsuits against the spyware developer.
The Political Programmer
Gates saw Microsoft which was a little nothing company that sold BASIC to hobbyists eclipse IBM . He knows it wasn't because he was smarter or better but because of IBM's complacency and M$'s dumb luck and a bit of aggressiveness. He learned that business giants are not as invulnerable as they look. Now that he is the giant he is afraid that the same thing can happen to him. So he he sees threats in every tiny start-up, he is afraid that he is going to miss The Next Big Thing(TM) and be knocked on his ass by two guys in their garage. (which almost really happened with Netscape) So he will either co-opt or crush those little start-ups when they start to look promising. But he's still afraid, he's still looking over his shoulder because somewhere, out there, there is a guy coding in his basement, filing a patent, tinkering in his garage on some seed of Microsofts ruin.
On top of that threat from beneath there is also the threat from his big business peers. IBM, Apple, Sun, Oracle, etc. - they all want to knock Microsoft down. Combined they account for even more intellectual and financial capital. He's on top now and they *HAVE* to work with him but they resent it. If M$ teeters it's disgruntled allies will seek to knock him down. Some of them with a great deal of pleasure.
We see Microsoft on top but Gates sees it as being on top in the same way a rodeo rider is on top of the horse.
Also, for top speed, put these lines in your user.js
, true);u ests", 8);
user_pref("network.http.pipelining", true);
user_pref("network.http.proxy.pipelining"
user_pref("network.http.pipelining.maxreq
user_pref("nglayout.initialpaint.delay", 0);
user_pref("config.trim_on_minimize", false);
And..watch your page load times fall dramatically. Especially on a page with a lot of images.
It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.