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Google Releases Customized IE 7
narramissic writes "Google has released a customized version of Internet Explorer 7 that uses Google as the default search engine and provides users with the Google Toolbar and a Google homepage they can personalize. Perhaps not exactly what Microsoft intended when they released the Internet Explorer Administration Kit, which allows developers to customize IE."
>Perhaps not exactly what Microsoft intended when they released the Internet Explorer Administration Kit, which allows developers to customize IE.
Bullshit. Perhaps EXACTLY what Microsoft intended to help keep those pesky anti-trust lawsuits away.
Um, actually that's *exactly* what they intended... Why must everyone suppose everything that comes out of Microsoft is evil? Only SOME things that come out of them are evil. Important distinction.
You ought to be at a university. Students at my school use Google speakers. I have 13 Google T-Shirts myself. There are Google whistles, Google flashlights, Google notebooks. I have a friend with a Google lava lamp, too. All of the above given for free by Google. You'd be surprised what kinds of things they give away in the academic domain to try to recruit people and advertise. Personally I think it's a great company, but Google software certainly isn't the limit :)
Does it still check for a ummm "proper" Windows XP?
There certainly has been an admin kit for prior versions, at least for IE6 anyway. Not sure why this hasn't been thought of before.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/ie/rWe'll make great pets
I wonder - does this version still require dealing with the WGA droid?
The lack of desire to keep proving that my Windows is genuine is one of the main reasons so far I'm not upgrading IE. The other is the fear that it's another huge slow monster - I don't want to imagine how much disk space it takes...
The #1 thing that has kept me liking Google is their lack of using force as a way to get consumers to adopt their products. Microsoft and AOL are very aggressive in promoting their products and try to shape their users' habits to their profit rather than catering to consumer needs to gain profit. Google, on the other hand, just comes out with wild stuff that is just so good that people flock to it. Gmail blew away Hotmail and Yahoo for a little while with the 1-gigabyte of storage space. Google maps with the Flash-based interface was just awesome. Nothing was ever forced on me. I use Google's products only because I want to.
I don't use Microsoft's products because I want to. I use them (on occasion) because I'm forced to by the standards of others (Word documents, argh) that Microsoft has carefully crafted. I don't have to use Google maps or Froogle or anything at work. But if it's the best out there, I use it!
I sincerely hope that this does not change. Preinstalling Google toolbar on computers is a little pushing it, in my opinion.
Friend of mine made this image - http://www.notsorandom.com/y-g.png. It shows the color difference between the two pages when overlayed. Note - Black pixels signify the exact same color.
I'm sorry Google... I love you and all... but this is just low. Not only ripping off the layout, they copied the entire page itself...
Not So Random
Then why is Google running Firefox's Phishing Filter for Firefox 2.0 and greater? Google has already picked a side...they chose Firefox.
They did that to water down and defuse Yahoo's attempt to attach its brand to the coattails of the latest browser from Microsoft. By using the same graphics for themselves, they meant to erase the impression of a special relationship between ie7 and Yahoo, which was the aim of the Yahoo ad. It wasn't lack of originality or laziness. There's a reason for everything a multibillion dollar company does, and it's usually insidious, or sneaky at least.
Why is it that when this same story came out for Yahoo, everyone declared that Yahoo was "pushing IE7 on Firefox users?" People were even claiming that Yahoo was trying to leverage monopolistic practices. Now that Google has done exactly the same thing, people are claiming that this somehow diminishes Microsoft's original intentions (though I don't understand how having a popular search engine endorse your web browser would be a bad thing). How is Google's decision to use this strategy any different from Yahoo's? I'm just curious to know what sort of BS /. will provide in order to prove how Google's plan is so different and ethically superior to Yahoo's.
"Is not a sentence" is not a sentence. Well damn.
From Microsoft's Page regarding Advantages for Content Providers .
So no, it's EXACTLY what Microsoft intended. And the very fact that it's being offered by Google is actually a boon to Microsoft. They may be competitors in some areas, but this has obvious benefits for both.
Just finished installing it on my only computer that will run it; the two search bars sort of freaked me out.
First impression: it's a skinned firefox
2nd impression: you can't seem to move the tool bars to a better position; I can't help but think this is possible, but it's not obvious.
3rd impression: They moved things, like standard windows file/edit stuff, to buttons. why? just to show a difference from IE6? it's not easier, and EVERY FLIPPIN' microsoft user knows how to do things that way.
final thoughts: kinda neat, will still use firefox/seamonkey by default.
Why, yes, I AM a Pagan Libertarian.
Wow. Google blatantly rips off Yahoo, and this guy's response is "but they did it first!"
That's pathetic. It doesn't excuse Google for blatantly ripping off something that actually took effort, as opposed to simply dumping text and links into a table cell. It's hardly surprising that two UI researchers working at similar times would come up with similar designs.
It's completely impossible for two graphic artists working at two different companies to come up with EXACTLY the same page design.
Don't be evil my ass.