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Users and Web Developers Vent Over IE7
Spinlock_1977 writes "ComputerWorld is running a story about developers frustration with IE 7, and Microsoft's upcoming plans (or lack thereof) for it. From the article, "But the most pointed comment came from someone labeled only as dk. You all continue to underestimate the dramatic spillover effect this poor developer experience has had and will continue to have on your other products and services. Let me drive this point home. I am a front-end programmer and a co-founder of a start-up. I can tell you categorically that my team won't download and play with Silverlight ... won't build a Live widget ... won't consider any Microsoft search or ad products in the future.""
What do you expect? You don't say bad things about Firefox here.
You should go see a doctor soon. Maybe he can still get the
coolaid out of your system before it melts the rest of your
brain, too.
Fewer vulnerabilities than linux? hahahahahhaha, 99% of vulnerabilities are fixed within a week and a half, most are fixed even before release. SQL Server? That runs pretty darn well on Linux too. So what hole have you buried your head in?
I wrote a small AJAX app (~1300 lines of javaScript) that interfaced w/ GoogleMaps last year.
Here is what I can remember that pissed me off about IE7.
1. element needed as parent to append a . WTF is a for?
2. Real shitty transparent PNG bug (map markers) that required a render function to be called twice (I wrote a sinfully ugly hack for this)
3. Awful CSS support compared to Mozilla. I remember a CSS positioning bug that was driving me nuts. For some damn reason, a relatively
positioned div had to specify it's height was 100%, although it worked fine in Mozilla and even IE6.
I spent over 50% of the my time writing patches for IE. And by "writing patches" I mean scouring Google to find others with the same
problems. Lucky for me, I eventually found solutions to every problem. I occasionally randomly changed CSS until I found something workable,
and then adapted the design to fit the hack. I am glad I only do backend PHP stuff now.
Actually, funny story. I used to hate Microsoft for everything -- much like you guys. That changed in two stages. It changed a little five years ago when I started running my own business full-time. It's a lot more difficult and complicated than any non-business-owner can ever understand. So as one corporation to another, I gained a little respect for Microsoft in terms of recognizing that a lot of external parties try to influence what they do, and nearly everything they do seems reasonable to me as a business owner because I do or want to do them too.
But two years ago, it changed all the way. Now I do actually like and prefer Microsoft -- maybe one day that'll make its way to my webserver too. Simply put, I started paying them directly as a supplier. I had to become some Microsoft partnery thing for a specific project, and I got unlimited help, telephone support, and a million tools to help me. As a Microsoft partner, Microsoft really takes care of me.
So yeah, they pay me to do this, but not with money. With loyalty and support for my own ventuers. So I feel that I owe them posts like these.
A good example: for something like $650, Microsoft will send you a binder of DVDs with absolutely every product they make -- all of them! Every version of office, windows, access, sitepoint, etc -- everything. The idea being that you get to build your product in order to integrate with all of theirs in any way you see fit.
How many other companies will give you all of their scores of products, in all versions, for the cost of two of them -- and that comes with unlimited e-mail support, and two annual telephone support where someone is actually accountable for any problems or troubles that I have, and will spend days if necessary to get me an answer or solution to any problem. Oh, and for half the price, you can download everything instead of receiving physical DVDs.
That's support. Microsoft helps you to build your product. That's a beautiful thing.
So, I've been objective in why I like Microsoft by describing specific ways that they've assisted me to improve my business in ways that FF has never done. Can you do the same for another company?