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Microsoft Ends IE for Mac
RandomMacUser writes "A while ago, Microsoft stopped updating IE for Mac, freezing it at version 5. But according to this Microsoft webpage, all support will cease December 31, 2005, and any official distribution with cease January 31, 2006. Also, the webpage suggests 'that Macintosh users migrate to more recent web browsing technologies such as Apple's Safari.'"
This is part of the reason why Microsoft is dropping support for IE on the Mac. Many sites are IE-specific, now all those Mac users will be unable to surf those websites, making OS-X a little less enticing to those who would switch from Windows. Just when OS-X is starting to gain some legs. What a coincidence.
This is most likely due to the upcoming Intel transition. IE is written against the Carbon APIs (and most likely in CodeWarrior), which by all accounts (including Jobs himself) takes substantially more code refactoring...
No one refactors code.
I hope you meant re-engineered for a different toolkit.
Refactoring is the process by which you take perfectly functional code, and decide to "clean up" the API, break the code, spend eons re-debugging the code, and then realize weeks later you've spent dozens of hours making your code a tiny bit cleaner so it can accomplish the same thing.
A scam was launched by these guys who labelled this process as EXTREME PROGRAMMING. They claimed you should re-factor more, and do it in pair programming. If you ever find a programmer who was subjected to this against his will, be prepared for some REAL vitriolic.
Microsoft was spending money maintaining IE for Macs. Apple stopped loading it by default. NO ONE EVER CHANGES TO IE from Safari. It was only a matter of time before Microsoft dropped it. That's a lot of engineer hours for no reason whatsoever.
Microsoft will continue pushing their Web Toolkits that prefer to make web sites compatible only with IE. Its in their blood.
Looks like a couple of moderators don't understand competitive tactics of monoploistic market leaders.
Your right. They are "going to" one day when they finally dump their Macs and join the rest of the world. This is what happened to me when I dumped my beloved Amiga.
Mod parent down clueless.
Thank you anonymous for taking those extra 30 seconds to be an asshole.
Stop intellectual property from infringing on me