Slashdot Mirror


Ballmer "Interested" In Open Source Browser Engine

Da Massive writes "'Why is IE still relevant and why is it worth spending money on rendering engines when there are open source ones available that can respond to changes in Web standards faster?,' asked a young developer to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in Sydney yesterday. 'That's cheeky, but a good question, but cheeky,' Ballmer said. Then came the startling revelation that Microsoft may also adopt an open source browser engine. 'Open source is interesting,' he said. 'Apple has embraced Webkit and we may look at that, but we will continue to build extensions for IE 8.'"

410 comments

  1. Oh No! by nog_lorp · · Score: 4, Funny

    Microsoft is going to be infected with the GPL virus!

    http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/craig/05-03sharedsource.mspx

    1. Re:Oh No! by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 2, Informative

      The horror! What travesty could befall Microsoft if they ever did adopt GPL code?! We can only hope they will survive the ordeal.

    2. Re:Oh No! by dvice_null · · Score: 4, Informative

      GPL prevents only those who want to prevent others.

    3. Re:Oh No! by suckmysav · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "The GPL is viral, and this prevents many commercial companies from adopting and using GPL code, crippling the movement."

      Umm, how exactly does the GPL "cripple the movement"?

      "If TCP/IP had been GPL, the Internet would be a different place today."

      See, this is where you demonstrate your astounding lack of comprehension on this issue.

      TCP/IP is a standardised protocol not a software product. There are closed source implementations of TCP/IP, GPL implementations and even completely free implementations today. The licence they are issued under makes no practical difference to anyone.

      OTOH, if the TCP/IP standard was "owned" (ie patented) by a commercial company there would be NO internet today.

      --
      "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
    4. Re:Oh No! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      >Many companies refuse to use GPL code because of its viral nature.

      They dont refuse to _use_ the GPL code, but to _work_ on GPL code, since the GPL prevents them from closing it up. But since the only goal of such companies would anyways be to close the code up, the GPL ecosystem loses nothing. They don't lose pure users (which don't care if a app is free or unfree) and they don't lose free software developers. All they lose are proprietary/unfree extensions of their works.

      Would you care to elaborate what a free software developer would actually _gain_ if a proprietary company took his code, closed it up, and started copyright lawsuits against his users who dare to copy it like they got used when it still was free? If one of his goals when developing his code was freedom, how would somebody closing up the code and launching lawsuits contribute to this stated goal of the original developer?

      >That cripples adoption of GPL software.

      It only cripples embracement and extinguishment of GPL software, but considering that crippling that has from the beginning been GPL's goal, it works fully as intended.

      So please explain: How does encouraging non-free software through non-GPL licensing encourage the deveopment of free software?

      >I know TCP/IP is a standardized protocol, which was my point.
      >If it had been GPL software, it would have gone nowhere because companies wouldn't have adopted it in the early
      >days of the Internet.

      The GPL on a reference implamentation wouldn't actually have stopped anybody to implement such standardized protocol independently and chose any licence they want for their own implementation.

    5. Re:Oh No! by Carewolf · · Score: 1, Troll

      TCP/IP might be an open protocol but everybody is using the original BSD implementation of it. This includes all unix, Macs, and Windows.

    6. Re:Oh No! by symbolset · · Score: 1

      I explained that in my post. Many companies refuse to use GPL code because of its viral nature. That cripples adoption of GPL software.

      Cripples in the same way that my internet radio idea is crippled by the RIAA. If you want to use the copyrighted content, you have to comply with the license - until we do away with this stupid software copyright idea anyway.

      --
      Help stamp out iliturcy.
    7. Re:Oh No! by erroneus · · Score: 1

      Have you been asleep for 20 years? Sure much code was based on the original reference implementation, but that is not the case now. Much of the reason it is not being used is that it suffers from many exploitable problems.

    8. Re:Oh No! by suckmysav · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "Many companies refuse to use GPL code because of its viral nature."

      This would explain why BSD is so much more popular than Linux then.

      "I know TCP/IP is a standardized protocol"

      OK

      "which was my point."

      No, you compared a protocol to code.

      "If it had been GPL software . . "

      See you did it again.

      Just to put a finer point on it, please let me rephrase your comment.

      Many companies refuse to use other peoples proprietary code (in their own projects) because of the legal ramifications. That cripples adoption of proprietary software.

      GPL is not about promoting "software adoption", it is about promoting collaborative development.

      Lots of people currently enjoy that collaborative development model, as can bee seen by the rising popularity of many open source projects.

      Anyway, I'm not sure what alternative licence you are promoting. Proprietary? Fully free as in BSD? Some other fantasy licence that nobody has heard of outside of your febrile imagination?

      --
      "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
    9. Re:Oh No! by suckmysav · · Score: 1

      I'd like to see a reference that shows that the BSD implementation of TCP/IP was the "original" one.

      "Original" as in the very first ever.

      Don't worry, I won't hold my breath.

      --
      "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
    10. Re:Oh No! by badpazzword · · Score: 2, Informative

      As far as I know, Windows Vista has a rewritten TCP/IP stack.

      http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/TCP-IP-Networking-Windows-Vista.html

      --
      When ideas fail, words become very handy.
    11. Re:Oh No! by Godji · · Score: 1

      A protocol cannot have been software. Duh.

    12. Re:Oh No! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As many know arpanet was developed at berkeley on BSD, so the reference BSD implementation was BSD liceced. Almost all unixes and most following OSes are based on that implementation.

    13. Re:Oh No! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As WebKit is available under BSD that won't be a Problem.

    14. Re:Oh No! by Sique · · Score: 2, Insightful

      >I know TCP/IP is a standardized protocol, which was my point. If it had been GPL software, it would have gone nowhere because companies wouldn't have adopted it in the early days of the Internet.

      But TCP/IP is a protocol, it can never be GPL. GPL covers software. So this comparision is somewhat wrongfooted.
      There are protocols that were first implemented in GPLed software, but here we have a strong point pro GPL (and in this case other open source licenses): You can easily code your own software according to the protocol, and use the GPLed implementation to test your implementation. And you can sell your implementation with whatever license you want. You can even distribute one part of your system with GPLed software (lets say, the server), and distribute your part (the client) with another license. Because they are separate programs connected via a welldocumented protocol, the GPL actually encourages this (see the GNU FAQ for details.)

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
    15. Re:Oh No! by GuidoW · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The most famous example of an operating system that wrote its own TCP/IP stack from scratch would be Linux, but it is not the only one. You're not going to argue that Linux doesn't count because it is irrelevant these days, are you?

      --
      If it's so secret, then how come I've never heard of it?
    16. Re:Oh No! by harry666t · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If TCP/IP had been proprietary, there would be no Internet at all.

      (or there would be, but it wouldn't use TCP/IP.)

    17. Re:Oh No! by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      TCP/IP is a standardised protocol not a software product. There are closed source implementations of TCP/IP, GPL implementations and even completely free implementations today

      TCP/IP was only adopted because there was a BSD-licensed implementation. It was competing, at the time, with a number of other protocols, many of which required license fees for the specification. Companies had three choices:

      1. Design and implement your own protocol.
      2. License a proprietary protocol from someone else.
      3. Use TCP/IP for free.

      If the Berkeley IP stack had been GPL'd then option 3 would not have been possible for a lot of companies and the big software firms would have pushed IPX, DECNet, or something else. They would have been able to implement TCP/IP themselves, but this would cost as much as implementing any other protocol and probably more than licensing a proprietary protocol.

      Without a permissively-licensed, royalty-free, reference implementation, TCP/IP would not have been anything like as successful. Back in the '80s and '90s, there were lots of OSPs (Online Service Providers). They all used different protocols and provided walled-garden content. They gradually lost out to, or became, ISPs, largely because ISPs had significantly lower costs due to BSD and the Berkeley stack.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    18. Re:Oh No! by Nicolay77 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This would explain why BSD is so much more popular than Linux then.

      BSD is for people who love Unix. Linux is for people who hate Windows.

      Yes, lots of people hate Windows. ;)

      --
      We are Turing O-Machines. The Oracle is out there.
    19. Re:Oh No! by EvilRyry · · Score: 1

      Cripples in the same way that my internet radio idea is crippled by the RIAA. If you want to use the copyrighted content, you have to comply with the license - until we do away with this stupid software copyright idea anyway.

      GPL does NOT dictate use, only redistribution. Bad analogy. Also software copyright is not the enemy, patents are.

    20. Re:Oh No! by Dog-Cow · · Score: 1

      GPL is not about promoting "software adoption", it is about promoting collaborative development.

      You are wrong. The GPL is not at all about collaborative development, and it never was.

      The purpose of the GPL is to keep code available to those with a need and/or desire to modify it. Nothing more, nothing less.

      The whole ideology that you are propogating is why FOSS has turned into a religion. You attribute your own ideals to the creators of the GPL and then you rail on anyone who uses it in a way that doesn't match. Look at some of the commentary about Linus's decision to stick with GPLv2 for an example.

    21. Re:Oh No! by lwsimon · · Score: 0, Troll

      Its much bigger than that - the GPL has some major drawbacks for a company.

      Say you're ChildCo, a multinational company, and a subsidiary of ParentCo. Well, you develop a great intranet based on MediaWiki, which is GPL. Now another subsidiary of ParentCo, SisterCo, wants it, so you send them a copy. Is that considered distribution?

      If it is distribution, you're now legally required to make available copies of the modified source code, at least by mail. A competitor gets wind of this, sends you a letter, and now you're legally bound to release your internally-developed intranet to your competitor, gutting your competitive advantage.

      --
      Learn about Photography Basics.
    22. Re:Oh No! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are only required by the GPL to distribute source to those you distribute binaries.

    23. Re:Oh No! by agbinfo · · Score: 1

      Is that considered distribution?

      If it is distribution, you're now legally required to make available copies of the modified source code, at least by mail.

      It doesn't matter if it's considered distribution as long as you provide SisterCo with the source code. You can meet the license agreement either by offering the source code or by providing it with the distribution. All that ChildCo has to do is distribute the source code to SisterCo. Since SisterCo has no obligation to distribute the MediaWiki source code and you've already met your requirements for re-licensing to SisterCo, the code won't go wild. However, if SisterCo becomes a separate entity, you might not have any legal means to stop them from redistributing the software.

    24. Re:Oh No! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As many know arpanet was developed at berkeley on BSD

      Wat? No. Try again.

    25. Re:Oh No! by Zencyde · · Score: 1

      And, if you notice, the GPL community loses nothing. Case-in-point, GPL software doesn't exist to serve companies; it exists to serve users. If a company wants to use GPL code, then they must suffer the consequences. And often those consequences end up in the customer's favor.

      Also, I feel something must be said for the unnecessary lawsuits that fly forth from not licensing code at all. The GPL exists to protect the nature of free code. Without the unnecessary licensing, copyrights, and patents, the GPL would have no reason to exist. A good comparison is the BSD license. As I'm sure you're aware, Apple added to FreeBSD code to come up with OS X. They now sell this for a small fee and sell hardware at a premium. Sure, users benefit; but, the developers intended for their code to be usable in that fashion. They don't care to protect the original intention of the software. The GPL exists to serve a purpose, just like the BSD License. And, as far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't want to code something and then see a company line their pocketbooks with my code without fair compensation.

      --
      What day is it? Could you please tell me?
    26. Re:Oh No! by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      How many banks out there have policies agaisnt gnu linux or even free BSD software like ssh?

      The answer is quite a few because of the viral nature of the GPl and fud from SCO and MS. Many pay for $$$ older proprietary versions of ssh just for this reason.

      This is a risk and news of linksys, netgear, and other companies being sued for using GPl violations without giving the source code make companies uncomfortable. Yes we know how to use GNU the proper way but many PHB's find this confusing and scary as they do no tudnerstand this.

    27. Re:Oh No! by aaronrp · · Score: 1

      "Many companies refuse to use GPL code because of its viral nature."

      This would explain why BSD is so much more popular than Linux then.

      Isn't Mac OS X the most widely distributed Unix-like operating system?

    28. Re:Oh No! by moosesocks · · Score: 1

      "Many companies refuse to use GPL code because of its viral nature."

      This would explain why BSD is so much more popular than Linux then.

      What about Mac OS X? Most of the userspace might be closed-source, but it's definitely BSD, and poses a very serious threat to Microsoft at its current rate of growth.

      There are also a handful of networking components in Windows that are derived from BSD.

      It doesn't end there. zlib, which is offered under a BSD-like license, is nearly ubiquitous in modern operating systems.

      --
      -- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
    29. Re:Oh No! by botik32 · · Score: 1

      Me thinks you are talking about patents.

    30. Re:Oh No! by suckmysav · · Score: 1

      They are only against using GPL code in their own projects, not against using GPL "products".

      Look, it is quite simple. If you want to put vast amounts of resources into developing a codebase that is 100% your own then do it. Nobody has a problem with that.

      If you want to take other peoples work for free then you have to return your own additions to the peoples whose work you originally used. It's that simple.

      I'll ask this again. What is the alternative licence that you people are suggesting be used?

      --
      "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
    31. Re:Oh No! by suckmysav · · Score: 1

      No. It might be the most widely sold commercial unix but that is a different thing altogether.

      --
      "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
    32. Re:Oh No! by suckmysav · · Score: 1

      It's rate of growth is literally tied to the sale of apple hardware. That will always be a limiting factor. You have to be careful when looking at growth rates. When you have a very small starting point it is easy to have phenomenal growth rates, as your share gets larger that growth rate becomes harder to sustain.

      --
      "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
    33. Re:Oh No! by suckmysav · · Score: 2, Informative

      "TCP/IP was only adopted because there was a BSD-licensed implementation"

      Bollocks. TCP/IP was around long before the BSD licence.

      TCP/IP became popular because;

      a) universities had been using it for years using various implementations, both free and closed source.

      b) it was a published open standard (this has nothing to do with code licencing)

      c) there was no other protocol around that could scale like it could.

      --
      "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
    34. Re:Oh No! by DarkEmpath · · Score: 1

      "Many companies refuse to use GPL code because of its viral nature."

      This would explain why BSD is so much more popular than Linux then.

      Yes, it does explain why BSD is more popular than Linux.

      The open and genuinely free nature of the BSD licences is why BSD is the basis for OSX (much more popular than Linux), and why BSD code is used in the memory management subsystems of Windows (hugely more popular than Linux), and formerly in the networking subsystems of Windows.

      Just because the Linux crowd is more vocal, doesn't mean it's more popular. Linux is used in a lot of places, but so is BSD, just moreso.

      Even Firefox uses BSD code in its memory management, for Christ's sake. As a standalone OS, BSD is more popular (counting OSX), and as code use goes, BSD is vastly more popular.

    35. Re:Oh No! by RichiH · · Score: 1

      > BSD is for people who love Unix. Linux is for people who hate Windows.

      Interesting POV. Wrong, but interesting nonetheless.

      If you want to liken the OS/kernel to the licence the main parts are under, Linux is for people who want freedom for users and BSD is for people who want freedom for the developers. But even that argument does not hold water in most cases. Point in case, I use Linux, Zsh, Vim, Perl, Apache, all of which are under different licences.

    36. Re:Oh No! by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      "This would explain why BSD is so much more popular than Linux then."

      The popularity of Linux over BSD has nothing to do with the GPL. At the time Linux was taking off, BSD's future was in doubt due to litigation. If it weren't for that, Linux wouldn't be what it is today.

    37. Re:Oh No! by Nicolay77 · · Score: 1

      Not really a POV. Just a meme.

      Of course you're right, but:

      WHOOOSH!

      --
      We are Turing O-Machines. The Oracle is out there.
    38. Re:Oh No! by symbolset · · Score: 1

      GPL does NOT dictate use, only redistribution.

      Correct me if I'm wrong here but in relation to internet radio and the RIAA, the "use" is "distribution".

      --
      Help stamp out iliturcy.
    39. Re:Oh No! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Incorrect. TCP might have existed otherwise, but it's popularity is almost entirely due to it being included with BSD UNIX.

    40. Re:Oh No! by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      I used to work in a place that consulted with banks and ssh was not even allowed (BSD based) because the PHB's thought it was gnu which meant Sarbanes Oxley violations because of what might happen (unlicensed gnu is scary)which in return was then reported from an MS salesmen with a scary brochure claiming all free software was the copyright of SCO or some bs. It worked and they switched to Windows and Unix.

      Crazy as this sounds many people hear license and they think lawyer fees and lawsuits and they refuse to learn about it. We are developers and know what it means but the ones in charge of decision making are not. Many Canadian banks have replaced Linux with Solaris and Windows as a result of this.

      Why rock the boat and use dangerous unknown software. I may add banks are extremely conservative institutions but it does have an adverse effect in many companies.

  2. At least he's honest. by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "We will continue to build extensions". That definitely deserves a whatcouldpossiblygowrong tag.

    1. Re:At least he's honest. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What would be much more interesting would be if Microsoft adopted an Open Source renderer--not by adopting an existing FOSS renderer--but by opening up Trident.

      This would:

      • Undermine Firefox and Co. by taking some of the Open Source wind out of their sails
      • Still support Microsoft's original goal of tying people to Windows--Trident is such a b!7$# to port to different operating systems that Microsoft wrote a whole new rendering engine for the Mac port of IE

      Microsoft already makes it trivial for third parties to incorporate Tasman into their applications, so I don't see MS having anything to lose through this.

      I would support this if it makes it possible for third parties to push in security fixes and compatibility fixes (let's make CSS actually work right!).

    2. Re:At least he's honest. by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 4, Insightful

      When their beta product is getting 21/100 on the Acid3 test while nobody else's are below 80, I have a hard time believing anybody would be interested.

    3. Re:At least he's honest. by jd · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I'd rather not see an entire rendering engine in one huge monolithic chunk. Part of the reason that web standards outpace browser development by so much is that most engines are very hard to extend. What's wanted is a "standard" API for a data-to-data transformation engine. Instead of the W3C producing a proof-of-concept browser like Amaya, all they need do is produce a proof-of-concept transformation engine instead, which can then be used also to verify proof-of-correctness. (Any other transformation engine for that same transform will produce the same output for the same input.)

      Sure, they can still have their own web browser, but they don't need to re-write it when they add to the standard, they can just slide in another engine.

      How would this work, in practice? Well, my thought is that each opening tag and either explicit or implicit closing tag would be assigned a numerical value that would be assigned by the W3C, much as the IANA assign port numbers. Each engine would then register what numerical values it supports.

      The browser would then consist of five parts: network I/O, a preprocessor which converts tags to ID, a set of engines which would "compile" the page from a "high-level" format into a much "lower-level" portable format, a rendering engine which converted the portable format into a much more specific format, and then a display engine which displayed the results.

      The primary advantage of this sort of arrangement is that things like CSS could then be easily replaced in a browser. It would be much more pluggable than the Mozilla engine or the libwww engine. It would be much more customizable. A major plus, given that very few browsers conform the the whole standard and all conform to different bits. If you could rip out modules from a browser you didn't like but did support a tag or feature you needed, this would not be a problem.

      The secondary advantage is that it would be possible to provide support for non-SGML-derived tag-based systems, such as TeX, Postscript, and so on, natively. At the moment, you can include a link to a .ps file on a web page, but it's very hard to embed it, and completely impossible on most browsers to embed it in a way that integrates completely smoothly with HTML or would allow you to include active hyperlinks within it (unless an independent postscript viewer supported them). By compiling the whole page from all kinds of formats into a single, unified format, anything that is possible in one format becomes possible in all formats.

      This isn't how web browsers are written, though, and it doesn't seem likely that this is how web browsers will be done in the future. Which keeps document types isolated from each other and keeps browsers from fully supporting any of those document types.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    4. Re:At least he's honest. by IWannaBeAnAC · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Do you have any reason to believe that the Trident codebase is anything other than a steaming pile of horseshit?

      Back in the original browser wars, both the Netscape and Microsoft browsers were evolving very rapidly, with lots of quite fundamental changes. At the end, when the Netscape code was open-sourced, it turned out to be (no surprise) a big mess that took several years to sort into shape. Meanwhile, Microsoft sat on their monopoly and did NOTHING to the browser, until they were forced into evolving again once Firefox started to seriously dent their market-share.

      The current state is that the Mozilla code has been substantially rewritten and is now in pretty good shape, but Microsoft are stuck hacking away at the old crud.

    5. Re:At least he's honest. by zobier · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Another Ballmerism from his visit down under that made me facepalm:

      Steve Ballmer has publicly belittled Google's fledgling mobile phone platform, saying the world's largest search engine ad broker is low on Microsoft's list of mobile competitors.

      At an investor briefing in Sydney today, Microsoft's chief exec said Google would not have an easy time convincing handset manufacturers to adopt Android, its brand new Linux-based mobile platform.

      "They've got some smart guys and hire a lot of people - blah-di-blah-di-blah," Ballmer said of his rival. "They start out way behind in a certain sense, and we'll see how they do."

      Then he added "I'm not giving them a hard time" - before continuing to give them a hard time.

      Emphasis mine

      --
      Me lost me cookie at the disco.
    6. Re:At least he's honest. by mR.bRiGhTsId3 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'm sure they are now going through the process of cleaning out their own junk. Just because Mozilla had what, 6 years of lead time doesn't mean the the IE team are incapable of getting on the ball. I look forward to an IE that actually works correctly, much in the way I look forward to Windows 7 now that it looks like MS is finally back on the ball.

    7. Re:At least he's honest. by Veni+Vidi+Dormi · · Score: 1

      I think you're just making up shit. IMHUO

    8. Re:At least he's honest. by networkBoy · · Score: 4, Funny

      OT, I know, but...
      Isn't it about time to replace Borg Bill with Balmer pitching a chair or something?

      --
      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
    9. Re:At least he's honest. by LingNoi · · Score: 1

      No thanks on compiling my html.

    10. Re:At least he's honest. by eobanb · · Score: 1

      How would this work, in practice? Well, my thought is that each opening tag and either explicit or implicit closing tag would be assigned a numerical value that would be assigned by the W3C, much as the IANA assign port numbers. Each engine would then register what numerical values it supports.

      Unfortunately, the problem with this is that there is a rather blurry line sometimes between 'supported' and 'unsupported.' You would also need to give CSS selectors and declarations these numbers, not to mention other CSS features like pseudo classes and then also Javascript functions. These are equally important to correctly displaying a page. Let me give you examples that would mess up this whole plan:

      IE 6 technically supports the :hover pseudo class, but it only supports it with the anchor tag. Doing .class:hover won't work. So does IE 6 support pseudo classes, or not?

      In Opera 6 you can float elements left and right, but when you have a bunch of elements floated left against a single element floated right, only the top row of left-floated elements correctly float, the rest get bumped below the right-floated element. So does Opera 6 support the float declaration, or not?

      In Safari 1.x, at 1.8 target gamma, the colours of PNG files do not correctly match the supposedly identical colours of a page element when set with hex codes. Does Safari 1.3 support PNG files, or not?

      For every feature completely unsupported by a browser, there are probably 50 that are supported for the most part but sometimes supported badly, or supported well but with occasional bugs.

      How does your system account for this?

      --

      Take off every sig. For great justice.

    11. Re:At least he's honest. by hachete · · Score: 3, Insightful

      People say what you're saying every time a new Microsoft browser/OS system appears on the horizon.

      Yes, any team could be on the ball. What possible business motive would they have, though? Re-factoring is always way down the list of any set of code. Way down. Way, way, way down. Indeed, notoriously Vista is the result of a junked re-factoring.

      I see no evidence anywhere that anything different is happening this time. Indeed, with only one WinHec for Windows 7, I think it could be substantially worse.

      How a post consisting of wishful thinking be marked interesting, I'm not sure.

      --
      Patriotism is a virtue of the vicious
    12. Re:At least he's honest. by Jesus_666 · · Score: 1

      By compiling the whole page from all kinds of formats into a single, unified format, anything that is possible in one format becomes possible in all formats.

      Which, of course, means that you have to use a hybrid format that most likely will not work at all when you use your document with a software not based on that concept.

      Also, I think that trying to mix not only syntactically but also conceptually very different languages like HTML and TeX could become a nightmare unless you are prepared to just throw half of each format out of the window. For example, TeX takes its time to generate very precise output, which would really conflict with not just HTML's approach of just trying to fit something somewhere (making HTML in TeX a bit of a headache) but especially with HTML that gets modified by JavaScript or CSS on-the-fly. A CSS :hover could cause an HTML element's box to resize, forcing the entire TeX part to be recompiled - which could, of course, result in the element you're hovering over to be moved from under the mouse.

      Also, of course, if an object has a property n one supprted language it would have that property in all supported languages. This would be problematic if several languages use the same property in different ways and it certainly wouldn't make the DOM more usable if every object could have several dozen unused properties, depending on which enignes I have installed.


      Your approach migh work if restricted to a set of very similar languages (like XML, HTML and SGML), but in that case a specific engine that targets the language family in question will most likely already yield good results.

      Also note how the concept of using one generic intermediate language for programming language compilers was abandoned because the languages were found to be too conceptually different. Of course Microsoft is now fielding the .NET platform but they solved the problem by substantially changing every language until it fit in. I think we're looking at a very similar situation here.

      --
      USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
    13. Re:At least he's honest. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I look forward to an IE that actually works correctly, much in the way I look forward to Windows 7 now that it looks like MS is finally back on the ball.

      Vaporware, unless those actually turn out to be any good. Based on their history, I'm not hopeful.

    14. Re:At least he's honest. by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      Yes, that's a problem, which the acid tests are trying to address (but don't go far enough)...
      We need a thorough set of tests at various baselines so we can assure compatibility, and browsers can advertise which baseline they support.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    15. Re:At least he's honest. by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      Most of the Netscape code actually got junked, and Gecko was written pretty much from scratch.

      IE can be traced back to the original Mosaic (of which Netscape was also a fork)...

      Most of the big commercial products that got open sourced have been quite messy, if you don't intend anyone else to see your code and your working to a deadline there's very little incentive to keep it clean, just make it work before the deadline and preferably without having to work out of hours. Similarly, there will be a small number of fixed build environments, rather than a need to be portable to a huge number of slightly different systems.
      I seem to remember StarOffice was quite a mess when first opened up too...

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    16. Re:At least he's honest. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have a hard time believing anybody except a geek cares that other browsers do better than 80.

      Acid is a lot of freaky corner cases that will never actually occur in the real world.

    17. Re:At least he's honest. by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 1

      Trident's like Netscape's codebase pre-Mozilla. It's loaded with crap and obscure bugs, and nearly impossible to work with.

      They'd be much better off grabbing the engine from Expression Web, which is one of the most (if not THE most) standards-compliant in existence right now (I believe it's named Orcas), wrapping the IE interface around it, and making that IE 9. I'm sure the Expression engine needs a lot of work to be a consumer browser, probably tons of optimizations to get it to run at a reasonable speed, but that's a better direction to go than keeping Trident alive.

    18. Re:At least he's honest. by Ant+P. · · Score: 3, Informative

      Acid is a lot of freaky corner cases that will never actually occur in the real world.

      You're full of shit and have no clue what you're talking about.

    19. Re:At least he's honest. by kcbanner · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So your fine if your car only passes 20/100 safety tests because most of those cases don't happen that often in the real world?

      --
      Obligatory blog plug: http://www.caseybanner.ca/
    20. Re:At least he's honest. by jez9999 · · Score: 1

      Ballmer's probably just peeved that he won't get to be Secretary of State now. Muahahahahaha.

    21. Re:At least he's honest. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      The only reasons most people still use IE (first->last = greater #->tiny #):
      1. It came with their OS and they don't know any better
      2. They need to develop sites and test on IE
      3. They prefer it over other browsers they've tried
    22. Re:At least he's honest. by CrazedWalrus · · Score: 1

      Indeed. Why do I care about the crash performance of my car, when I've never been in a crash in 15 years of driving?

    23. Re:At least he's honest. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When Acid 3 tests things that are not even finalized standards I'm not sure thats a problem less issues to fix later when the standard changes.

    24. Re:At least he's honest. by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      But webmasters only write to IE still and will ignore the other 80/120. Yes its slowly begining to change but most of them just write the code for IE and then run a test for Firefox and keep twinking the css tages and javascript so it runs on Firefox without an error. Then its done.

      Webmasters do not target firefox at all but rather just use it to test agaisn't. If the code doesn't work on IE 6,x,7,or 8 then its never released. Yes the 80 out of 120 do not matter as MS still owns too much of the market because it comes with Windows.

    25. Re:At least he's honest. by jd · · Score: 1

      a) By having a browser declare what is (supposedly) supported, users will have an easier time identifying buggy components. By allowing those same users to switch to non-buggy components from rival browsers, there is a pressure to do a set of features well rather than all features badly. You can pick up components from elsewhere for what isn't supported by default, but you've no reason at all to stick with half-baked, half-chewed components that don't work, even if you want to use the front-end.

      b) It follows the Unix tradition of Keep It Simple (each instance of each component has a single stream in, a single stream out and a single task to perform), making it much harder for programmers to balls up a given component. It's like writing a buggy version of echo. You're not so concerned about the interactions within a highly sophisticated integrated engine, because there isn't one.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    26. Re:At least he's honest. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah comparing a situation where life and limb may be at risk with a fucking HTML renderer...get a brain moron.

    27. Re:At least he's honest. by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      You're full of shit and have no clue what you're talking about.

      He's almost right tho. Acid tests a browsers ability to render illegal HTML. While the ability to render illegal HTML might be considered good, the ability to render existing proprietary extensions and quirks is far more important to end users.

      I have no idea why the W3C doesn't wise up and implement a reference renderer. Seriously. Until they do, there will always be quirks and those quirks are the real web development problem. ACID doesnt do jack shit for web developers.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    28. Re:At least he's honest. by botik32 · · Score: 1

      Well, somehow I do not think that throwing, say, 100 people at the problem will get you anything usable in less than three years. Browsers are quite a complex piece of software, and, given Microsoft's track record of security bugs, three years is somewhat generous. Also, considering the competency level of microsoft programmers, getting 100 competent C++ programmers might be a tough task for the guys in Redmond.

    29. Re:At least he's honest. by Dhalka226 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Do you have any proof of this, or are you simply pulling it out of your ass based on assumptions from 1996?

      As a "webmaster," and more importantly a professional web developer, I can tell you I do development exactly opposite of what you describe, and so does every other developer I know: We build in Firefox, and automagically it works 99% correctly in Opera, Safari and others. Then we go back and tweak for IE7 and IE6. Thus far I've been blessed to not work for anybody who cares about IE5, but the process would be largely the same.

      Microsoft owns too much of the market to ignore, but there is ALWAYS value in coding to the standards and fixing the ones who can't keep up. If you code for IE and try to hack it into Firefox, you'll never get it working. If you code to standards, you usually don't spend more than a couple hours (depending on the size of your site of course) tweaking things around to work in IE6 and even less time than that for IE7. With a 20% market share, Firefox is too big to ignore as well.

    30. Re:At least he's honest. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amaya. Test, laugh, rinse, repeat.

    31. Re:At least he's honest. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      use it to test agaisn't

      "against".

      ("agaisn't"??!?!?!?!!? JFC. WTF is wrong with you? Or do you have some stupid piece of software that automatically inserts an apostrophe whenever it sees the letter sequence "isnt"?)

  3. Some possible problems, here? by Duncan+Blackthorne · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Hasn't IE been a fully integrated part of Windows since, what, all the way back to Windows 98? If they start using some open-source code for their browser, will the architecture of the OS still have IE as such an integral part, or will it become a separate application again? Also, is it really such a good thing to have Micro$oft active in the open-source community? Forgive me, but talk like this makes me a little nervous.

    1. Re:Some possible problems, here? by johanatan · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It was never really part of the OS. That was merely MS' poor attempt at an excuse to circumvent the antitrust allegations.

    2. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Darkness404 · · Score: 0, Troll

      What is worse is they are wanting WebKit. I think if they manage to use it we will end up with 3-4 versions of WebKit in various forms of stability, freedom and standards compatability:

      We will have KDE's WebKit which will be somewhat stable to very stable depending on the release.

      We will have MS's Strange proprietary(ish) WebKit which will lag behind all other versions in compatibility and compliance while at the same time having all kinds of hacks to make Active X and other crap work.

      We will have Apple's Quite Stable WebKit which will be about in the middle and very stable.

      And we will also have Google's Bleeding-edge Beta WebKit which is the least stable out of all of them.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    3. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Laser_iCE · · Score: 5, Funny

      I just got thinking. So let's say Microsoft doesn't include the new IE in it's next Operating System -- how do you get it?

      "Sorry, you do not have Internet Explorer installed. To download, please visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/"

      Sure, most of us probably have a FF install on a USB key somewhere, but what about the people who just bought their computer from the store? This'll drive them insane just like the "Keyboard error. Press any key to continue" error.

    4. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Windows Update has been decoupled entirely from Internet Explorer since Vista, and ever since one of the later Windows 2000 service packs, there's been the option to use the "Automatic Updates" utility as a part of Windows. Microsoft's also moving to include as may third party device drivers on Windows Update as possible with Windows 7, further reducing the need for IE to get a system up and running.

      And there's going to be "Internet Explorer" included with Windows ao long as the DOJ and EU let them - it just may not always use Trident for its rendering engine. Software development is expensive when you have to pay for it.

    5. Re:Some possible problems, here? by canistel · · Score: 1

      There is a very easy way to fix this... the first time a user requests a web page, or maybe they click an icon on their desktop called "web browser" a little window pops up: "Would you like to download - Mozilla Firefox - Internet Explorer - Safari ... etc" problem solved.

    6. Re:Some possible problems, here? by inzy · · Score: 1

      fork

    7. Re:Some possible problems, here? by AKAImBatman · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If they start using some open-source code for their browser, will the architecture of the OS still have IE as such an integral part, or will it become a separate application again?

      You misunderstand. Ballmer said that they would look into a new rendering engine. Which means that IE will still be IE, just with a new codebase under the hood. After all, 95% of their customer base won't understand the difference. All they'll know is that IE is still part of Windows yet works better than ever.

      ...

      Which Microsoft will then go on to say is an inexorable part of the Operating System. (insert eye roll here)

    8. Re:Some possible problems, here? by denttford · · Score: 4, Interesting

      FTP. No, not a solution for the average user, but on a fresh install of XP, I'll often just ftp Firefox (and then install noscript, abp, flashblock, etc. and restart) in order to download the other stuff I need to keep the computer in a relatively useful state.

      Yes, I could use IE and go straight to mozilla.org, but off the bat, it loads msn.com and I have no desire to expose IE7 or worse, IE6, to the mercies of the scripts and ad providers on the page.

      P.S. releases.mozilla.org is where you want to go.

      --

      Leben Sie jetzt die Fragen.
    9. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Rhapsody+Scarlet · · Score: 1

      Sure, most of us probably have a FF install on a USB key somewhere, but what about the people who just bought their computer from the store? This'll drive them insane just like the "Keyboard error. Press any key to continue" error.

      If they got it from a store, don't you think whoever put it together, installed an operating system, and bundled a load of software with it might have put a browser on the PC for them?

    10. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Fulcrum+of+Evil · · Score: 2, Interesting

      before everything was online, people actually went to stores and got cds - make a IE coaster or a FF coaster and you can install a browser without having a browser.

      --
      "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
    11. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Jorophose · · Score: 1

      It would come preinstalled, it's just that the requirements by the anti-trust ruling were to stop the forced integration of IE on the code level... As in IE needs to be removable.

    12. Re:Some possible problems, here? by aliquis · · Score: 2, Insightful

      But what he meant was how far gpl/lgpl will spread into the OS depending on which license is used and how integrated it is.

    13. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      There is a very easy way to fix this... the first time a user requests a web page, or maybe they click an icon on their desktop called "web browser" a little window pops up: "Would you like to download - Mozilla Firefox - Internet Explorer - Safari ... etc" problem solved.

      "Hello there! It looks like you're trying to browse a webpage! Would you like to..."

    14. Re:Some possible problems, here? by AKAImBatman · · Score: 4, Informative

      Webkit is LGPL. As long as they have the engine separated into the same sort of controls they have today, it should meet the LGPL license just fine. Perhaps with a bit of wrapper code released as LGPL.

    15. Re:Some possible problems, here? by mweather · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I just got thinking. So let's say Microsoft doesn't include the new IE in it's next Operating System -- how do you get it? "Sorry, you do not have Internet Explorer installed. To download, please visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/"

      You don't need a web browser to transfer files from the internet, even via http.

    16. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Enderandrew · · Score: 1

      If they put a GPL engine into IE, they would have to GPL IE, and that isn't happening.

      Microsoft might look into their own OSS-based browser for a dedicated market (smartphones anyone?) to compete with Safari on the iPhone and the webkit browser on Android.

      IE won't go away, nor will IE go OSS. Microsoft will be in both pools at once.

      --
      http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
    17. Re:Some possible problems, here? by omfgnosis · · Score: 4, Informative

      Er. More like...

      KDE's Webkit which trails behind Apple's, but is "stable" in that it's not a moving target, it's simply not as up to date.

      Apple's Webkit which trails its internal builds by anywhere from months to years.

      Google's Webkit which could be anywhere from two months newer to two months older than Apple's, and demonstrates that no such proprietary hacking is necessary to get ActiveX to work.

      MS's Webkit which would probably be a direct copy of Google's, with a hack to require all sorts of extraneous metadata to turn it on. MS won't do any other hacking because they believe it is not possible to do.

      ActiveX can't be done by another plugin - the browser has to parse it and host the AX objects. Doing that kind of scale changes to Webkit would fork the code, and I'm not convinced the web would benefit. - Chris Wilson, Platform Architect of the Internet Explorer Platform team at Microsoft (and ex-Group Program Manager)

    18. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 1

      OEMs could include a small app that would download the browser for you.

    19. Re:Some possible problems, here? by dreamchaser · · Score: 1

      Right Click on the IE icon and select Internet Properties, then set the homepage to blank. Download away. Pretty simple.

    20. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      > If they put a GPL engine into IE, they would have to GPL IE, and that isn't happening.

      Both Gecko and Webkit rendering engines are licensed under LGPL. I think you seriously need to find out what that means, before trying to FUD the place up like that.

      Basically, IE could link to the LGPL rendering engine, and remain as a proprietary application. The only bit that needs to be re-distributed as open source is the original open source code ... either the Gecko or Webkit rendering engines part.

    21. Re:Some possible problems, here? by ozmanjusri · · Score: 5, Funny
      So let's say Microsoft doesn't include the new IE in it's next Operating System -- how do you get it?

      They could just fix the "Add or Remove Software" applet so it points towards a collection of optional software hosted on a secure server. If you wanted to install IE, you could choose it there and have it installed automatically.

      Maybe they could call it a "Repository".

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    22. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Right. And what little 'integration' there was removed in Vista -- Explorer no longer uses Trident for UI components and ActiveDesktop is dead.

    23. Re:Some possible problems, here? by hairyfeet · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually since Win2K it has been integrated enough that removing it completely makes the OS a big unstable mess. Before that in Win9X you could use IEradicator to strip it out and the OS would actually run faster. But if you try removing it completely with Nlite or XPLite now you will find that the OS stability goes right in the toilet. Whether because they did integrate or simply made sure it has enough system calls attached to it to make the OS unstable I don't know. Maybe with Win7 they'll release an OS that'll be able to be stripped down to the bare metal like Win9X was with 98lite. I personally hope so because I'd love an OS running DX10 that was as bare metal as possible simply for playing games.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    24. Re:Some possible problems, here? by IntlHarvester · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They could. But what they would actually do was only include the spyware-laden shit-browser that someone paid them to include.

      --
      Business. Numbers. Money. People. Computer World.
    25. Re:Some possible problems, here? by quanticle · · Score: 1

      If they put a GPL engine into IE, they would have to GPL IE, and that isn't happening.

      Right, but as I understand it, there aren't a whole lot of pure GPL rendering engines out there. Webkit (which Safari and Chrome use) is LGPL, while Gecko is licensed under the Mozilla Public License. Both of these licenses are considerably more permissive than the GPL. There's nothing preventing Microsoft from doing what Apple did, namely wrapping Webkit with their own custom GUI code and passing it off as "Internet Explorer 9".

      --
      We all know what to do, but we don't know how to get re-elected once we have done it
    26. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 1

      non-OEM discs FTW!

    27. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Kjella · · Score: 5, Funny

      I just got thinking. So let's say Microsoft doesn't include the new IE in it's next Operating System -- how do you get it?

      Gee, I wonder how I can install a browser on this Linux box without a browser already. That's unpossible!

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    28. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, and adopting a new rendering engine is not a problem for microsoft. the problem will be how to maintain lock-ins with a standard, open-source rendering engine. (Think Exchange and OWA) Any other browser with the same rendering engine would have all of the features of OWA in IE (i think). Unless that is what he meant by 'developing extensions'...so IE would still be the only browser you could get a full-featured OWA experience from.

      So, not a problem. Graphic and Web designers should be very titalated by this.

    29. Re:Some possible problems, here? by emaname · · Score: 1

      ...and then they'll release a PR bragging about how they've "innovated" yet again.

      --
      An effective "democracy" creates the illusion the people have a say in their government.
    30. Re:Some possible problems, here? by dbIII · · Score: 1

      Hasn't IE been a fully integrated part of Windows since, what, all the way back to Windows 98

      The Judge declared that to be complete bullshit in the anti-trust trial. Unfortunately it became an urban myth which is why even large numbers of people on this site think a solitare game, window manager, compiler, shell and a whole lot of other stuff in user space is part of the "operating system" in the beige box on their desk they call the "hard drive". If it doesn't talk to the hardware directly it's just solitare game and not the solitare driver for the operating system. It may be very 1995 of me to use this definition now that salesfolk are talking about "web operating systems in a browser" but it's really the only definition that has had more than a second of thought put into it.

      Back to web browsers, MS was quite happy to use free (as in unpaid for) software to base IE on last time, the side effect of MS giving IE away to users is that they got to use the code from Spyglass without paying the expected amount for it.

      As for MS in the open source community - they used to distribute developer discs with gcc and all kinds of other stuff well and truly within the rules. Things only changed when they were publicly spreading disinformation about linux and then the GPL was ridiculed as an afterthought. I think problems will only arise if something is of a high enough profile to attract the attention of salesfolk.

    31. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly, this article is so off base it is laughable, I am amazed how much balmers words have been twisted to mean something that was not in the least bit hinted at. I watched the presentation and at no time did he hint at or suggest they would use OSS rednering engine. In fact he explicitly stated that they would continue IE as IE is not just a browser for them, it is also a means to delivering all sorts of other content.

    32. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Mongoose+Disciple · · Score: 1

      You don't need a web browser to transfer files from the internet, even via http.

      You're right, in that you and I don't.

      90+% of the people who own computers, though? To them, a computer without a working web browser is as broken and unacceptable as a TV without a remote.

    33. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Kent+Recal · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Which is, from today's point of view, a total waste of ressources on all sides (read: a paper tiger).

      At least 50% of all computer users are completely clueless and will use whatever came with their PeeCee.
      The blue e is "the internet" for them. For once and for all. Joe Sixpack doesn't know and doesn't care that he can remove his blue e or "upgrade" it to a red fox. Why should he? All the sites he goes to work more or or less on the blue e and even if they work less - he's unlikely to notice notice that the boxes don't align or that the rounded corners are off.

      Microsoft will keep the lions share of the browser market unless one the following happens:

      a) Windows loses significant market share (Linux on the desktop anyone?)
      b) Windows ships without a webbrowser pre-installed. Instead there is a small widget after installation that asks the user to choose a browser to install ("Ooh, look the cute fox").
      c) *Major* sites (CNN, google, porn, ...) start blocking IE and tell Joe Sixpack to "upgrade to the red fox".

    34. Re:Some possible problems, here? by rastoboy29 · · Score: 1

      lol don't worry, they won't actually do it.  Not anytime soon, anyway.

    35. Re:Some possible problems, here? by johanatan · · Score: 0

      Well, in their latest offerings, Windows Explorer and IE are totally separate. If you type an http address into windows explorer, it brings up IE in a separate window and vice versa for file:// addresses.

      In 95 it definitely wasn't 'integrated' and now it is no longer integrated. So, the integration seems rather timely to me if you are trying to avoid antitrust allegations (in the heat of the battle with Netscape, Sun, et al).

    36. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Duncan+Blackthorne · · Score: 1

      I just got thinking. So let's say Microsoft doesn't include the new IE in it's next Operating System -- how do you get it?

      Maybe they'd expect you to FTP it. Hilarity ensues as the average little old granny tries to understand how to use the clunky command line FTP client.

    37. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Duncan+Blackthorne · · Score: 1

      There is a very easy way to fix this... the first time a user requests a web page, or maybe they click an icon on their desktop called "web browser" a little window pops up: "Would you like to download - Mozilla Firefox - Internet Explorer - Safari ... etc" problem solved.

      Why not take it one step further and put the installers for all the above right in the OS install? If they really wanted to improve their (Microsoft's) image with the public, it'd go a long way towards that.

    38. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Miseph · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Or d) Joe Sixpack is just a condescending fiction, and as the general population becomes increasingly internet savvy the average user will actually begin to care about things like which browser they use.

      30 years ago, Joe Sixpack didn't want a computer in his house at all... how on earth can you justify the belief that average users will never want things they don't currently want?

      --
      Try not to take me more seriously than I take myself.
    39. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Give Apple some credit... they did not just 'wrap WebKit': they started it as a fork of KDE, massively improved it and open sourced it later. And as far as I understand, a lot of the WebKit development is still done by Apple employees.

    40. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is surprising how different the versions of webkit are. Like how the current release of Chrome is almost 4 times faster than the current release of Safari on the benchmark on this site http://www.jsballs.com/ It would be interesting to see if the Safari nightly builds have closed this gap.

    41. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where does one get an FTP client?

    42. Re:Some possible problems, here? by AmberBlackCat · · Score: 1

      That reminds me of my schizophrenic uncle, who would nail all his windows and closet doors shut to prevent break-ins, and write everything on paper and show it to us because he thought people might be outside with a monitoring device, listening to him. I guess it's possible that somebody was hiding in the house or spying on him, but if they weren't then all he accomplished was slowing himself down and restricting his living space.

      You might actually be avoiding a virus, but you also might be slowing yourself down and limiting yourself to webpages that are just pictures and colored text.

    43. Re:Some possible problems, here? by stephanruby · · Score: 1

      Also, is it really such a good thing to have Micro$oft active in the open-source community? Forgive me, but talk like this makes me a little nervous.

      There is no need to be nervous. Microsoft has a long history of peaceful cooperation with the open-source community.

      Microsoft already did that to the University-sponsored Mosaic browser, and the Mosaic guys who were then working for Netscape, obviously didn't have a problem with it. Mosaic is a fond memory for them, that's probably why they chose a similar sounding name, Mozilla. I'm sure they'll be glad Microsoft takes their code, yet again.

    44. Re:Some possible problems, here? by janrinok · · Score: 4, Funny

      And the reason that we don't do that anymore is that the world has progressed and found a better way of doing things. What you are suggesting is a retrograde step, IMHO.

      --
      Have a look at soylentnews.org for a different view
    45. Re:Some possible problems, here? by mweather · · Score: 2, Insightful

      90% of people also think a computer without drivers is as broken and unacceptable as a TV without a remote, yet they use an OS that does not ship with drivers for their hardware. But this isn't a problem since 90% of computer users don't install their own OS. They let an OEM do it for them, along with the drivers. Why would a browser be any different?

    46. Re:Some possible problems, here? by omfgnosis · · Score: 4, Informative

      "It is surprising how different the versions of webkit are."

      This is untrue, and mostly a product of misunderstanding but partly a product of FUD as well. More on this below...

      "the current release of Chrome is almost 4 times faster than the current release of Safari"

      This really has almost nothing to do with Webkit, and does not demonstrate a difference in the rendering engines at all. Ultimately what we're looking at here is a comparison of JavaScriptCore (Safari's current* ECMAScript interpreter)â"released 19 June 2008, with only minor changes from the major version from more than a year earlierâ"and V8 (Google's ECMAScript-bytecode translator engine)â"released 5 September 2008 against a codebase that was nearly brand new; while it's true that JSC is a [legacy] part of Webkit, V8 is not a part of Webkit at all. Comparing the two isn't really meaningful.

      Moreover, Chrome is not released, it's a very, very early, unpolished beta.

      A more apt comparison would be...

      "It would be interesting to see if the Safari nightly builds have closed this gap." ... the nightly builds, which use a similar engine (SFX is somewhat different in its approach, but ultimately in the same class as V8). And in fact, performance is roughly the same. It's not like this information isn't widely available, either.

      I can't speak to the particular benchmark in question or whether it even has merit as a general browser benchmark (note, Google's benchmark has little merit here, as it strictly tests JS language speed, rather than DOM performance [which is extremely important for nearly all browser performance experiences]), and I don't have an environment which would be suited to finding out for myself, but I encourage you if you're that curious to try a nightly build on the test yourself.

      With that said, there are existing browser benchmarks (eg Dromaeo 2) that tell a story much more interesting story.

      John Resig on JS engine performance
      This shows JSC (not SF or SFX) beating V8 on a bunch of DOM tests

      But I want to reiterate, this is hardly a good example of differences in Webkit releases. These are differences in browser releases and over a very wide stretch of time (in the current JS engine war, especially).

      * By "current", I mean "released"; it is current in that sense, but actually two generations old in the Webkit project. The Webkit team has since produced SquirrelFish and SquirrelFish Extreme, the latter being much closer to (and often faster than) Chrome's performance on every task except (if I recall correctly) recursion.

    47. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Fulcrum+of+Evil · · Score: 1

      MS probably prefers that to allowing OEMs to ship a browser that isn't IE.

      --
      "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
    48. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Acapulco · · Score: 1

      Since IE is such an integral part of Windows, I believe they will just delete the shortcut to it and add the one for the "new" browser.

      Why would you make a fundamental change when you can just keep bloating the software? ;)

      --
      Slashdot. Unreadable news to annoy nerds. - wonkey_monkey
    49. Re:Some possible problems, here? by mikael_j · · Score: 1

      So you're saying you've never had a job where you had to deal with end users pretty much all day every day? Because doing that will quickly show you that the "average" user is pretty ignorant and really only cares about "reading my outlook and checking $SITENAME in my explorer/internet".

      /Mikael

      --
      Greylisting is to SMTP as NAT is to IPv4
    50. Re:Some possible problems, here? by gi.net · · Score: 1

      apt-get install firefox

    51. Re:Some possible problems, here? by hairyfeet · · Score: 1

      Well,if you are talking about Vista,I wouldn't know. Both myself and my customers are trying to avoid it like the black death. Just yesterday a guy tried to bring yet another cheapy Vista laptop in to have Vista removed. Frankly I'm so damned tired of trying to find drivers for the sub $600 laptops I told him that unless he had XP drivers come with the laptop he'd have to take it to the shop down the street. I must have switched over a good 60 of the damned things in the past 6 months,and that doesn't count the 100 or so I had to send away because they wanted a hot XP disc put on it. Man,I hope Win7 doesn't suck if for no other reason than I am so damned tired of seeing folks with crappy Vista laptops asking for it removed. I personally wish the whole laptop craze would just die already.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    52. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Jesus_666 · · Score: 1

      *whooosh*

      --
      USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
    53. Re:Some possible problems, here? by ignavus · · Score: 3, Funny

      Maybe they could call it a "Repository".

      Suppository would be more appropriate.

      As in "Where do I put this?"

      --
      I am anarch of all I survey.
    54. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you didn't get the point, which is that anyone interested in installing a different web browser would still have to download IE from Microsoft in order to access that browser's page. Like it or not, a web browser is part of a modern consumer OS.. Microsoft did a sensible thing when they included it in Windows, and everybody else has done it since. If Netscape had been better, people would've kept paying for it.

    55. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

      So why should the OS come with FTP application if it can't come with a web browser? Why is one OK when the other is anti-competitive?

    56. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Leynos · · Score: 1

      Start->Run

      "ftp"

      [OK]

      --
      "Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?"
    57. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Alpha+Whisky · · Score: 1

      Well, I don't know about Vista, but in XP one opens a command window and types "ftp" which opens up Microsoft's command line ftp client (presumably more or less the BSD client compiled for Win32).

      --
      it's = it is

      its = belonging to it

    58. Re:Some possible problems, here? by notknown86 · · Score: 1

      Er. More like...

      KDE's Webkit which trails behind Apple's, but is "stable" in that it's not a moving target, it's simply not as up to date.

      Apple's Webkit which trails its internal builds by anywhere from months to years.

      Google's Webkit which could be anywhere from two months newer to two months older than Apple's, and demonstrates that no such proprietary hacking is necessary to get ActiveX to work.

      MS's Webkit which would probably be a direct copy of Google's, with a hack to require all sorts of extraneous metadata to turn it on. MS won't do any other hacking because they believe it is not possible to do.

      ActiveX can't be done by another plugin - the browser has to parse it and host the AX objects. Doing that kind of scale changes to Webkit would fork the code, and I'm not convinced the web would benefit. - Chris Wilson, Platform Architect of the Internet Explorer Platform team at Microsoft (and ex-Group Program Manager)

      Would MS still be interested in hosting ActiveX controls in the browser, though? Might be that MS has more of an interest in pushing people over to whatever .net equivalent might exist...

      That said, I'm sure MS wouldn't try to kill an existing technology... I can barely remember FoxPro... J#... XP....

      I'm just glad I made the switch away from MS a couple of years ago... My "grep", my "C++" and my "Linux" ain't goin nowhere - which is good, cause they kinda just works.

    59. Re:Some possible problems, here? by ozmanjusri · · Score: 1
      anyone interested in installing a different web browser would still have to download IE from Microsoft

      Why?

      Just install your browser of choice from the repository.

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    60. Re:Some possible problems, here? by noidentity · · Score: 1

      I just got thinking. So let's say Microsoft doesn't include the new IE in it's next Operating System -- how do you get it?

      "Sorry, you do not have Internet Explorer installed. To download, please visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/"

      wget http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

      Failing that, there's always

      telnet windowsupdate.microsoft.com 80

    61. Re:Some possible problems, here? by atraintocry · · Score: 1

      "reading the outlook and checking the $SITENAME in the explorer/internet"

      That's more like how they'd say it, I think. You always know how a call is gonna go if "the Google" makes its way in here.

    62. Re:Some possible problems, here? by mikael_j · · Score: 1

      Actually, most users I deal with seem to refer to it as reading "their" outlook and using "their" explorer/internet.

      /Mikael

      --
      Greylisting is to SMTP as NAT is to IPv4
    63. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      Or do it the Linux way...
      Provide a minimal OS, and let third parties create distributions of it with third party applications added, like OEMs do now but extend it to retail versions too.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    64. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      Or you know, a package manager like virtually every unix system has these days...
      Select what you want from a list, hit install and just let it do the work for you.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    65. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      But both Gecko and Webkit are LGPL, which allows linking to a library...
      The frontend to Safari is not GPL, but the actual rendering engine is LGPL. Nothing to stop MS using Webkit in exactly the same way Apple does.
      There's also nothing stopping you creating your own frontend to Webkit...

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    66. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Rogerborg · · Score: 1

      If they put a GPL engine into IE, they would have to GPL IE, and that isn't happening.

      Or what?

      At some point, Microsoft are going to have to tackle the GPL head on, and it's in their interests to do it while they still have overwhelming market share and resources.

      They'll likely keep doing it via proxies like SCO, they might do it themselves in a small compartmentalised way that they can retreat from, or they might gamble the company on it by hijacking GPLd code straight into the Windows core and saying "So sue us" (or pre-emptively launching a bullshit legal attack in a friendly jurisdiction).

      It'd be insane for them to do the latter, but... Ballmer.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    67. Re:Some possible problems, here? by badpazzword · · Score: 1

      Last time I checked apt, aptitude, adept, synaptic, etc. run just fine without a browser.

      --
      When ideas fail, words become very handy.
    68. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      depending on your network it can be.
      please log in to continue.

    69. Re:Some possible problems, here? by blind+biker · · Score: 1

      You joke, but I'd love to have something akin to Kpackage, running on Windows.

      But I know it's not so much a technological as it is a "political" problem.

      --
      "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
    70. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FTP. No, not a solution for the average user, but on a fresh install of XP, I'll often just ftp Firefox (and then install noscript, abp, flashblock, etc. and restart) in order to download the other stuff I need to keep the computer in a relatively useful state.

      Uhhh... what do you think your FTP client is?

    71. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe they could call it a "Repository".

      Could be, but I was thinking of another word

    72. Re:Some possible problems, here? by domatic · · Score: 1

      Well if you do get any more of those foisted on you Driverpacks slipstreamed into an OEM XP cd helps quite a bit. Still some machines will still force you to load the mass storage driver from a USB floppy but only the older special USB floppies that the XP installer likes. Don't blame you at all for that; it really sucks. Incidentally, your requirement that they find the drivers means you probably won't be doing anymore. Just finding the drivers takes a more than a little savvy now.

    73. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Daengbo · · Score: 1
      From the Mozilla website,

      Core Mozilla project source code is licensed under a disjunctive tri-license giving you the choice of one of the three following sets of free software/open source licensing terms:

      • Mozilla Public License, version 1.1 or later
      • GNU General Public License, version 2.0 or later
      • GNU Lesser General Public License, version 2.1 or later

      MPL-licensed code can be combined with proprietary files in a single program. It's even "weaker" copyleft than the LGPL.

    74. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Daengbo · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Apple didn't "open source" anything. They took an LGPLed program, forked it, and held the source "until it could be cleaned up." Holding it was against the license.

      Summary: it was open source code when they took it. They tried to pretend that it wasn't, but it still was.

    75. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Ant+P. · · Score: 1

      That depends. Are we allowed to have netcat and dd installed first?

    76. Re:Some possible problems, here? by ozmanjusri · · Score: 1
      You joke, but I'd love to have something akin to Kpackage, running on Windows.

      The great thing about open source is that if somebody wants something, it generally happens.

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    77. Re:Some possible problems, here? by RobBebop · · Score: 1

      They could just fix the "Add or Remove Software" applet so it points towards a collection of optional software hosted on a secure server.

      Sort of like a useful "Application" that's used to "Get" other applications. They could call it "Application Getter" or just appl-get for short. No, it wouldn't be confusing.

      --
      Support the 30 Hour Work Week!!!
    78. Re:Some possible problems, here? by RobBebop · · Score: 1

      Hilarity ensues as the average little old granny tries to understand how to use the clunky command line FTP client.

      You joke about command-line FTP being clunky, but the only time I ever use it instead of more convenient GUI options is while transferring files from a UNIX system to an embedded system. In Windows, the Explorer has enough sense to load a graphical file view if you specify the target's IP address. OTOH, the command-line version is easily scriptable so if I really needed to do any heavy FTPing I'd just write the UploadWebsite.sh or DownloadTestResults.sh and let them do the job for me.

      --
      Support the 30 Hour Work Week!!!
    79. Re:Some possible problems, here? by jez9999 · · Score: 1

      C:\>ftp -?
       
      Transfers files to and from a computer running an FTP server service
      (sometimes called a daemon). Ftp can be used interactively.
       
      [...]

      Dunno, but if you're implying that it has some link-in with IE, I doubt it.

    80. Re:Some possible problems, here? by maxume · · Score: 1

      No. Microsoft does not need to tackle the GPL head on. Ever.

      In the event that linux becomes 'the' desktop OS of choice for most users, Microsoft can become a linux vendor (if they want). I guess they might not be real popular with the faithful, but there really aren't any roadblocks if they want to go that route.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    81. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or you could use Start->Run "http://www.mozilla.com/" and save yourself the trouble...

    82. Re:Some possible problems, here? by kchrist · · Score: 1

      You laugh, but those of us who worked ISP phone support in the pre-Win98 days remember doing exactly this, only with the added hilarity of talking people through navigating the Netscape FTP server directory tree while they were at it (the actual downloadable Netscape binary was something like eight levels deep). This situation is the reason so many ISPs distributed CDs back then -- so that first-time internet users could more easily install a web browser.

    83. Re:Some possible problems, here? by KnowledgeKeeper · · Score: 1

      The blue e is "the internet" for them. For once and for all.

      This is should be a very lousy argument in the 21. century. People should be educated how to use computers and Internet services enough not to mix "the blue e" and "the Tnternet", they should know what a file, what a directory and what an operating system is and why they need it. The problem is people don't know essentials that could be learned in one afternoon. We're not talking about high-energy particle physics here, for goodness sakes!

      Here's my proposal: with every computer sold distribute a booklet that explains those topics (what's what, basics of how to use a GUI, basics of how to handle file system objects, basics of using internet services, basics of computer security, best practices) which would be of at least the same quality as those booklets that were distributed along with computers of early 1990s. Optionally, quiz the user with 15 questions for basic usage when the user logs in for the first time (and deny access until he gets all 15 right), and do the same when he/she attempts to connect to the Internet. That should solve a lot of bad things and drastically increase starting knowledge of a pc/internet newbie.

      --
      It is always better to be a first grade version of yourself than a second grade version of someone else.
    84. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can change the homepage in the control panel before you load it the first time, FYI.

      It does make for a smoother Firefox download experience. Certainly one grandma can do.

    85. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Start-->Run--> "iexplore www.mozilla.org"

    86. Re:Some possible problems, here? by hairyfeet · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Well I have found that cheap laptop buyer often=cheapskate,so they are going to bitch and moan about how much the job costs anyway. You'd be surprised how many of them would look me in the eye and expect me to come up with a free(hot) copy of XP. So now the second they say they need a laptop converted to XP I say $250 minimum. That covers my costs along with a copy of XP Home. I get enough work from XP clients and SMBs to not want to deal with whiny cheapskates that think I should risk $$$$ and jail just for the privilege of fixing THEIR stupid purchase!

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    87. Re:Some possible problems, here? by GleeBot · · Score: 1

      You can also enter a URL directly in various places (like the Run box and the address line in the Explorer), since IE is integrated with the shell.

    88. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Miseph · · Score: 1

      As a matter of fact I have and still do. I've also done it long enough to observe that the stupid questions of today were insightful yesterday, and I can surmise that the insightful questions of today will be mind-numbingly stupid tomorrow.

      Do you realize just how much progress is implied by the fact that average people actually know at least the correct names for the applications they are running? and that they can usually distinguish between locally run applications and websites? 5 years ago that was simply unthinkable.

      5 years from now, I expect that average users will be asking "stupid" questions about which browser is best for working with Google Office and complaining that Comcast has throttled their connections and made it harder to watch streaming video.

      --
      Try not to take me more seriously than I take myself.
    89. Re:Some possible problems, here? by mikael_j · · Score: 1

      Heh, my experience of end users is that that while they tend to learn the basic lingo of whatever is fashionable ATM they rarely bother to actually learn how anything works. This generally becomes apparent when they attempt to troubleshoot various problems on their own. Would you say that someone who pours gasoline on his/her car and then sets it on fire in an attempt to change the tires is "progressing"? The difference between the common idiot^Wuser in 1995 and the same today is basically the difference between someone who decides to call IT/helpdesk before doing something stupid and someone who does something stupid and then calls IT/helpdesk to blame them because clearly he/she is an IT prodigy because he/she's been playing lots of CS...

      Yeah, I'm bitter as hell, it comes with having to fix problems caused by idiots who think they know enough to fix problems with technology they clearly don't know anything about.

      /Mikael

      --
      Greylisting is to SMTP as NAT is to IPv4
    90. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Walter+Carver · · Score: 1

      Right click on the blue "e" on your desktop (or go to Internet Settings on Control Panel) and change the default homepage to about:blank or something.

      But I see your point, ftp is coool :P

    91. Re:Some possible problems, here? by Ugtar · · Score: 1

      would you reject a firefox patch just because it was signed with a @microsoft.com email address? seems to me that runs counter to the ideals of foss. Let upstream decide if what they're getting is good software and if it is, it should go in no matter where it comes from.

  4. The third "E". The other browser. by Tackhead · · Score: 3, Funny

    'Open source is interesting,' he said. 'Apple has embraced Webkit and we may look at that, but we will continue to build extensions for IE 8.'" [emphasis added]

    Embrace, Extend... wait, there's a third "E" and a third browser technology, isn't there, Steve, and it's probably got something to do with what you'd like to do with Gecko/Firefox.

    Wonder what it might be.

  5. 3 E's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Embrace
    Extend
    Enjoy

    1. Re:3 E's by Jorophose · · Score: 1

      I wonder how long before this ends up in my spambox?...

    2. Re:3 E's by bursch-X · · Score: 3, Funny

      But on Slashdot it would have to be:

      1. Embrace
      2. Extend
      3. ???
      4. Profit!

      --
      There are two rules for success:
      1. Never tell everything you know.
    3. Re:3 E's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exterminate!
      Exterminate!
      Exterminate!

  6. Open Source? by Skiron · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    MS still do not under open source code at all...

    Why the fuck can't they just try to do what they do, and not try to deliberately fuck up/poison what everybody else is doing?

    1. Re:Open Source? by nog_lorp · · Score: 4, Funny

      Deliberately fucking up/poisoning what everybody else is doing is the only thing they do well!

    2. Re:Open Source? by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      Well yeah, but you have to admit they do it with a certain panache.

      --
      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;
    3. Re:Open Source? by ZerdZerd · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It even complies with Unix' "Do one thing, and do it well"

      --
      I'm not insane! My mother had me tested.
    4. Re:Open Source? by flyingfsck · · Score: 1

      Uhh, regarding your sig: The Mafia controlled the Italian government for decades. The president of Italy, Andriotti, was the chief of the Mafia!

      --
      Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  7. Reality check? by girlintraining · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes, I suppose Microsoft might embrace open source. Of course, our politicians might lower taxes too. But Microsoft, like politicians, have a long history of saying one thing and doing another. That, and I'm pretty sure Balmer knows that if he mentions open source he'll get a free plug on Slashdot and on other media sites where highly technical people frequent. From a marketing standpoint, it makes sense to hint at open source as much as possible. From a legal and business standpoint, it's more likely he'll dance around on the stage in a Gir suit while singing the doom song.

    --
    #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
    1. Re:Reality check? by lyml · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yes because I'm sure Ballmer just can't think of anything more than ways to get slashdots attention.

      Remind me again, does one spell delusional with one or two l:s?

    2. Re:Reality check? by VisualD · · Score: 1

      So fairly likely then.

    3. Re:Reality check? by guyminuslife · · Score: 2, Funny

      So you mean, pretty likely.

      --
      I don't believe in time. It's a grand conspiracy designed to sell watches.
    4. Re:Reality check? by canistel · · Score: 2, Funny

      ... as a matter of fact, he does seem to be rather interested in developers, and keeping them on his platform; slashdot is full of developers (I think) just a thought.

    5. Re:Reality check? by ickoonite · · Score: 1

      Last I heard he was more interested in chairs than developers...

    6. Re:Reality check? by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 1

      I believe he was interested in throwing chairs AT (or at least around) developers.

    7. Re:Reality check? by myrdos2 · · Score: 1

      So... I'd say the odds of IE switching to an open-source engine are looking promising?

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsboPUjrGc

    8. Re:Reality check? by MK_CSGuy · · Score: 1

      From a legal and business standpoint, it's more likely he'll dance around on the stage in a Gir suit while singing the doom song.

      It's not far-fetched as you think, you know...

  8. HEAR ME by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I USE TEH LINUX AND I R ANGRY

    1. Re:HEAR ME by HermMunster · · Score: 0, Troll

      I used Vista, XP, Linux, and OSX. I own and operate a computer store.

      If you had one iota of intellect you'd have been following what happened with the Justice Department trial, Microsoft's conviction, and what the States themselves uncovered and disclosed to the American public. If you had one iota of intellect you'd have followed that Japan, South Korea, and the EU have all found Microsoft guilty of unfair trade practices and deemed them a monopoly. If you had followed Microsoft's action after the EU conviction you would not be questioning the motivation of those who are trying to bring some balance back to this market.

      If you had one iota of intellect you'd have some understanding that you can't overcome a monopoly and the very bad influences of that monopoly on any given market by ignoring it. People must take action. That action starts with a few, and hopefully many others will follow suit.

      If you had any clue about life at all you'd fight for that which is greater than you.

      I am angry but not in the way you try to assuage with your humiliation tactic. So, you don't have a brain and you can't think for yourself or you are being paid in some way to try to block the advances of other OSes.

      As much as I despise Microsoft I also despise the lack of effort I see in people in the Open Source arena. But, with Microsoft I can do nothing but give them more money, whereas with Open Source I can give them my commitment to help them make things better.

      You, you're just a dog. Go lay in your own shit and stop tramping it around here for everyone else to smell.

      --
      You can lead a man with reason but you can't make him think.
    2. Re:HEAR ME by HermMunster · · Score: 1

      Yes, you are retarded.

      --
      You can lead a man with reason but you can't make him think.
    3. Re:HEAR ME by HermMunster · · Score: 1

      A troll is someone who patently states false things in order to aggravate others. Good for you for marking this a troll and using your head about all my lies.

      --
      You can lead a man with reason but you can't make him think.
  9. How? by Darkness404 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How can MS really adopt anything open source at this point? IE isn't just a part of Windows, IE practically *IS* Windows and having it being open source would make a valuable part of Windows open source which Ballmer hates with a passion. Take away IE and Active X and half the reason to use Windows goes away. And really, why use WebKit? Sure, its a decent rendering engine but no better than Gecko or the other OSS rendering engines. I really fear for WebKit if MS manages to use it, because rather than having WebKit we will have MS WebKit which is a highly modified version of an older release, Google's Bleeding Edge WebKit and Apple's Stable WebKit. And honestly, this is taking us back to Netscape Vs IE....

    --
    Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    1. Re:How? by Sentry21 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Honestly, leaving IE and ActiveX in is half the reason NOT to use Windows. Replacing them with a more secure, stable, standards-compliant browser core? Sounds great. Updating the old junk and pretending it's not five years past its prime on release date? Fail.

    2. Re:How? by rtb61 · · Score: 0, Flamebait
      M$ will have to adopt the open source, service and support, web portal business model whether it wants to or not. Ballmer statement is much more about his own personal survival as the M$ CEO rather the given any indication of the future direction of M$. Ballmer has managed to produce the least successful version of M$ windows and M$ Office, xbox has been limping along and MSN is a disaster.

      So the statement about using open source in the browser is just to big note himself, a means by which to gain business publicity, to preserve his identity as the CEO of M$. M$ is stuck, IS is way too tightly embedded with the OS, making it impossible to realisticly combine Firefox with windows or open the source code of M$ IE. Of course M$ are currently stuck with their investment in sliverfish, the flash replacement that nobody wants, so perhaps this is just another song and dance to accompany the relaunch of version 2 advertising for that product.

      I M$ seriously want a long term future, they have to focus on MSN and, for that Ballmer has not been the solution, he has been the failure.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    3. Re:How? by Darkness404 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I know, but some of the people who are determined to hate Linux or OS X say that their bank, work, school, grandma won't work without Active X or that their bank, work, school, grandma won't render correctly with Firefox/Safari/Chrome.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    4. Re:How? by Sephr · · Score: 1

      Google's Bleeding Edge WebKit? It's not like they would be stupid enough to use the nightly webkit builds in their major or minor releases, only in their nightly builds does such a thing happen.

    5. Re:How? by Darkness404 · · Score: 1

      What I meant wasn't like nightly builds or anything, but you can expect Google's Chrome to have a more recent version of WebKit than Safari or MS's browser.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    6. Re:How? by Toone_Town · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And really, why use WebKit? Sure, its a decent rendering engine but no better than Gecko or the other OSS rendering engines.

      One reason for using WebKit over Gecko would be the licensing...I know that for lots of corporations, BSD-licensing is much favored over anything related to GPL...(Gecko is MPL)

    7. Re:How? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Most likely, if they were to do such a thing, it would be a recognition of the fact that it is no longer possible/practical to attempt lockin by mucking with HTML/javascript rendering stuff. I would expect to see a browser that is very heavy on the Silverlight, with webkit used to render HTML and Javascript at the lowest practical cost.

      ActiveX is an abortion, and has (mostly) died its well deserved death; but MS now has Silverlight, which is a much more competent stab at the web-stuff-plus-secret-windows-sauce concept than ActiveX ever was. I do strongly suspect that they cannot, and know they cannot, continue to make IE exclusive HTML/javascript a selling point. Keeping IE current is a chore, keeping it ahead has proven impossible, and there are now enough mac users out there, particularly among desireable demographics, that making websites IE only is no longer practical for anybody who wants a broad audience. That said, though, they seem to be moving forward with Silverlight, which isn't an IE exclusive; but might well be exactly the sort of "proprietary innovation" that Ballmer is referring to. Unfortunately, Silverlight is more competent than ActiveX ever was, so just waiting for it to collapse of its own weight probably won't work.

    8. Re:How? by SanityInAnarchy · · Score: 2, Informative

      Take away IE and Active X and half the reason to use Windows goes away.

      Legacy apps. DirectX. DRM'd-but-still-interesting things, like NetFlix.

      And the absurdly huge vicious cycle of user base -> developer base -> application base -> user base.

      If IE and ActiveX were the only reasons to use Linux, well, they work under Wine, and they usually aren't demanding enough for a virtual machine to be a problem either.

      --
      Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
    9. Re:How? by SanityInAnarchy · · Score: 2, Funny

      ...GAH!

      If IE and ActiveX were the only reasons to use Windows...

      --
      Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
    10. Re:How? by Rhapsody+Scarlet · · Score: 4, Informative

      One reason for using WebKit over Gecko would be the licensing...I know that for lots of corporations, BSD-licensing is much favored over anything related to GPL...(Gecko is MPL)

      Parts of WebKit are under the LGPL and parts are under a BSD-style license (I don't know which parts and I can't be bothered picking through the source code to find out), Gecko is all MPL/GPL/LGPL tri-licensed. You're going to have to adhere to the conditions of the LGPL if you actually want to use all of WebKit, so what's the difference? Gecko could be said to be better as you get to choose between a library-level or file-level copyleft, since you only have to adhere to one of the licenses.

      Choosing WebKit over Gecko would probably be more about speed (WebKit is definitely faster), code-cleanliness (I hear Apple chose KHTML over Gecko to base WebKit on because of this), and simple bad feelings. A lot of people at Mozilla still don't like Microsoft, and the feeling may well be mutual among the browser developers on both sides. Apple probably just seem a more palatable choice to be working with for Microsoft.

    11. Re:How? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ActiveX is an abortion, and has (mostly) died

      tell that to the koreans

      (Captcha was reinvent)

    12. Re:How? by pseudonomous · · Score: 1

      It DOESN'T matter if you hate linux or not, there REALLY are some websites out there, in particular one of the website's my mom does banking on, that will not work unless you use internet explore, even if you tell firefox to alias itself as windows explorer. I don't know about Safari or Chrome, but that CAN be a problem, and CAN lock people to Windows. Hate or no hate. (For the record: I like Linux, but hate OS X ... well actually I just hate Apple)

    13. Re:How? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Can you please use a few more dollar signs when you post? Right now you're at the point where I simply dismiss whatever you're saying. But verily, if you use a few dozen more, I'll start to think you're just disabled and take your opinion seriously in the name of equality and progress.

    14. Re:How? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >One reason for using WebKit over Gecko would be the licensing...I know that for lots of corporations, BSD-licensing is much favored over anything related to GPL...(Gecko is MPL)

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_layout_engines#General_information

      According to Wikipedia, Gecko is tri-licensed (MPL/GNU GPL/GNU LGPL tri-license) whereas Webkit is GNU LGPL only.

      If it were a licensing issue where corporations were allegedly wary of GPL ... then there is no discernable reason to choose Webkit over Gecko.

      BTW ... since the open source "copyleft" provisions of the GPL (whereby that code which is released under the GPL must remain as open source whenever re-distributed) apply only to re-distribution, why on earth should any corporation which is not in the business of modifying source code have any concern at all about the GPL? Just re-release the code (which was already open anyway) as you used it and you are compliant with the license ... for no development cost to you whatsoever.

    15. Re:How? by HeronBlademaster · · Score: 2, Informative

      The only way to update the BIOS on some MSI motherboards is to use their ActiveX control. The downloadable version they provide is 4 versions old.

    16. Re:How? by ya+really · · Score: 1

      And really, why use WebKit? Sure, its a decent rendering engine but no better than Gecko or the other OSS rendering engines

      Really? Gecko is on par with webkit? KDE's benchmarks for the top rendering engines beg to differ on this (and these tests were done just a month ago). Off the top of your head (without using google) can you name a OSS engine that isnt a fork of KHTML or Gecko? Gecko is nice in the fact it complies pretty well with w3c standards, but in terms of performance, it has a ways to go to be up there with khtml/webkit. So why use webkit? Because you spend less time waiting for pages to load. If you don't like fast speeds, I'm sure I can refer you to other software tools that will allow you to fully "optimize" your cpu's usage :) .

    17. Re:How? by bursch-X · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why do you need to hate OS X, just because you don't like Apple? I personally love OS X, don't particularly like Apple too much.

      I love my Ubuntu Box, but I think Linus Torvalds is a dick, I also have a certain dislike for Stallmans overly zealous attempts of forcing people to his idea of freedom (BSD is fine for me). I respect him, though for what he's achieved for free software.

      I can like Linux esp. Ubuntu for it's technical merits, while at the same time diskliking its "Leading Personalities". Is that such a difficult thing to do?

      --
      There are two rules for success:
      1. Never tell everything you know.
    18. Re:How? by dhovis · · Score: 1

      Webkit seems to have gotten a lot of "wins" across the board. Not only does Apple use it everywhere, but Nokia uses for their phones, Google uses it for Chrome and Android. There must be something about the code base that makes it appealing to these companies.

      --

      --
      The internet is the greatest source of biased information in the history of mankind.

    19. Re:How? by scamper_22 · · Score: 1

      Precisely. MS is actually just wasting money having their own rendering engine. They realize is and I think it would be very fiscally prudent of them to adopt an open source one.

      They still have silverlight which will remain their own thing.
      They will still have IE extensions so things like sharepoint can work nicely.

      That's where the money is. In the integration, not in the rendering engine.

    20. Re:How? by lilomar · · Score: 4, Funny

      M$ will have to adopt the open $ource, $ervice and $upport, web portal bu$ine$$ model whether it want$ to or not. Ballmer $tatement i$ much more about hi$ own per$onal $urvival a$ the M$ CEO rather the given any indication of the future direction of M$. Ballmer ha$ managed to produce the lea$t $ucce$$ful ver$ion of M$ window$ and M$ Office, xbox ha$ been limping along and M$N i$ a di$a$ter.

      $o the $tatement about u$ing open $ource in the brow$er i$ ju$t to big note him$elf, a mean$ by which to gain bu$ine$$ publicity, to pre$erve hi$ identity a$ the CEO of M$. M$ i$ $tuck, I$ i$ way too tightly embedded with the O$, making it impo$$ible to reali$ticly combine Firefoxwith window$ or open the $ource code of M$ IE. Of cour$e M$ are currently $tuck with their inve$tment in $liverfi$h, the fla$h replacement that nobody want$, $o perhap$ thi$ i$ ju$t another $ong and dance to accompany the relaunch of ver$ion 2 adverti$ing for that product.

      I M$ $eriou$ly want a long term future, they have to focu$ on M$N and, for that Ballmer ha$ not been the $olution, he ha$ been the failure.

      There you go! Courtesy of sed.

      --
      The creator of this post (Jacob Smith) hereby releases it, and all of his other posts, into the public domain.
    21. Re:How? by mooingyak · · Score: 1

      You're going to have to adhere to the conditions of the LGPL if you actually want to use all of WebKit, so what's the difference?

      IIRC, the LGPL is somewhat BSD-esque. You can't do binary only distribution on the changes to the LGPL code itself, but you aren't required to release source code on anything that links to the LGPL.

      --
      William of Ockham had no beard. The most likely explanation is that it was chewed off by squirrels every morning.
    22. Re:How? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > IIRC, the LGPL is somewhat BSD-esque. You can't do binary only distribution on the changes to the LGPL code itself, but you aren't required to release source code on anything that links to the LGPL.

      Linking is not necessarily "including". Dynamic linking is certainly not "including", but statically-linked code arguably does "include" the linked code in the final product. Only a work which includes an earlier copyrighted work, which is then known as a "derivative" work, is covered under copyright law.

      You can only violate a "copyright" by making a copy that is not permitted by the author.

      Therefore, any code can dynamically link to other code without running into any copyright squabble ... including dynamically linking to GPL code.

      The GPL license applies only to the code which is GPL, after all. If your product doesn't include any GPL code (but merely links to other code which is GPL), then you clearly haven't violated any copyright provisions because you haven't copied anyone else's code.

      For statically-linked code, it is a different story. Now you **HAVE** included some other code as part of your product the you are now re-distributing. Copyright law provisions now apply.

      The LGPL license, however, allows you to do even this without incurring the copyleft provisions ... your own product does not have to be open source. Both Webkit and Gecko fall into this category.

      The GPL license does not allow you to statically link (ie actually include, and therefore copy) the GPL'd code without re-distributing the source code of the GPL'd part of the total product.

      What exactly this would mean to the part of the product you had written for yourself is open to question. Some contend that it would require you to release your own code as open source. Others point out that much code which is GPL is also dual-licensed (for example, Qt is like this), so that you could go and buy a license and then be able to re-distribute your product as closed source.

      Never been tested in court.

    23. Re:How? by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      Is there anywhere with a good compatibility database...
      That is, a big list of different devices somewhere that reports compatibility with various OS's, as well as the level of compatibility (ie some features not working) and any hoops you have to jump through to get it working...

      And most importantly, a facility to search and find the most compatible hardware for the software you intend to run.

      That way, things like MSI motherboards where you cannot update the BIOS using Linux, and the standalone versions are out of date (and make you jump through hoops like making dos boot floppies), can be avoided by people planning to use Linux...

      Interestingly, the default Linux kernel includes a driver for updating the BIOS on Dell machines, I haven't tried it but it looks like a good idea.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    24. Re:How? by MadMidnightBomber · · Score: 1

      Oh, but ActiveX is a very good reason to use Linux.

      --
      "It doesn't cost enough, and it makes too much sense."
    25. Re:How? by Aladrin · · Score: 1

      Netflix actually just went to Silverlight instead of ActiveX, and works on IE/FF for Windows, and Safari/FF on OSX... So it's probably a bad example.

      I can't actually think of any other websites I visit that require IE any more... Netflix was the last for me.

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
    26. Re:How? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Microsoft is hounding after their "proprietary innovation" because they've been ripping off other "proprietary innovation" and don't want to fall for their own tricks.

    27. Re:How? by t482 · · Score: 1

      Microsoft used to use khtml as the rendering engine in IE 5 for Mac. So this is nothing new. As you mentioned they have no problem copying software with the BSD license.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Explorer_for_Mac

    28. Re:How? by Zaiff+Urgulbunger · · Score: 1
      The wikipedia article you link doesn't mention khtml! It does however kick off saying:

      Internet Explorer for Mac (also referred to as Internet Explorer:mac, IE:mac or Internet Explorer Macintosh Edition) was a proprietary web browser developed by Microsoft for the Macintosh platform. Initial versions were developed from the same code base as Internet Explorer for Windows. Later versions diverged, particularly with the release of version 5 which included the Tasman rendering engine.

      So I think you _may_ be mistaken. ;)

    29. Re:How? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You only translated dollars. Does MS make no cents?

    30. Re:How? by the+entropy · · Score: 1

      Any more and it'll start looking like perl.

    31. Re:How? by lilomar · · Score: 1

      You try getting a cent symbol to print through slashcode.

      --
      The creator of this post (Jacob Smith) hereby releases it, and all of his other posts, into the public domain.
  10. I don't know what to make of this by Dracos · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Either Ballmer is throwing out a red herring, or future versions of IE (presumably after 8) will finally be decoupled from Windows.

    But, what open source browser engines are there other than Gecko and Webkit? Both are developed by MS' sworn mortal enemies. Browsers are complex, time consuming beasts to develop.

    1. Re:I don't know what to make of this by dreamchaser · · Score: 3, Interesting

      There is no reason at all that they couldn't integrate an OSS web rendering engine into Windows just as tightly as they have done so with IE.

    2. Re:I don't know what to make of this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I see these comments often and they are from people who don't really understand the technology and who must not be developers themselves.

      The coupling between Internet Explorer and Windows is fairly limited, and always has been. The extent is that Internet Explorer is really a series of modular libraries that can be used in other applications. Explorer, the Windows shell, made use of these libraries to provide additional "active" content, much like Konqueror does in KDE. Beyond that, there is no integration. And the integration itself is a contractual one only, and that is completely abstracted from the underlying technology. The applications are certainly not concerned about the details of the underlying rendering engine, and they interact with the DOM in the same exact manner that Javascript does. The "coupling" comes from the fact that if you remove the library all of the programs that depend on that library will invariably fail, which is what Konqueror does if you remove KHTML/Webkit.

      Basically, Microsoft could very easily take Gecko or Webkit and use that in place of Trident, wrap them into a compatible API contract and existing applications would never know the difference. They could provide full ActiveX support and extend the renderer to support some of their additional API for compatibility sake. They could even include all three renderers and switch between implementations seemlessly to the hosting applications, and you would likely never know the difference.

    3. Re:I don't know what to make of this by Gewalt · · Score: 1

      There are only 4 main engines. Gecko and Webkit, which you already mentioned, then there's opera's and IE's engines, neither of which I can remember the names of at this moment.

      There are many other minor engines as well, I call them minor because they are not even remotely html spec complete.

      --
      Modding Trolls +1 inciteful since 1999
    4. Re:I don't know what to make of this by cafelatte · · Score: 1

      The IE engine is called Trident and the Opera engine is called Presto. List of layout engines

    5. Re:I don't know what to make of this by Fnordulicious · · Score: 1

      You forgot Poland^WAmaya. It has its own engine, and is "html spec complete" by dint of being the browser used as a testbed for standards development.

      http://www.w3.org/Amaya/

      "It supports HTML 4.01, XHTML 1.0, XHTML Basic, XHTML 1.1, HTTP 1.1, MathML 2.0, many CSS 2 features, and includes SVG support (transformation, transparency, and SMIL animation). You can display and partially edit XML documents. It's an internationalized application."

      "Amaya includes a collaborative annotation application based on Resource Description Framework (RDF), XLink, and XPointer."

      I.e., Amaya bleeds XML if you cut it. And then the W3C will blow up your car, shoot your dog, kidnap your family, and torch your house.

      Just because nobody uses it regularly is not a reason to discount it, considering its role in the standards processes. Feel free to discount other browsers as you like.

    6. Re:I don't know what to make of this by ion.simon.c · · Score: 1

      *psst* Hey.
      I'll paypal you a dollar if you get me an ounce of liquid XML. Think about it, kid.

    7. Re:I don't know what to make of this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They could, but that would break apps.

    8. Re:I don't know what to make of this by radarsat1 · · Score: 1

      So what stops someone *other* than Microsoft going ahead and doing this?

    9. Re:I don't know what to make of this by jez9999 · · Score: 1

      <?xm
        l v
          er
          sio
            n=
            "1.
                0"
                  encodin
                          g="UTF
                                -9" ?>

      Now where's my dollar?

    10. Re:I don't know what to make of this by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 1

      Microsoft's Expression Web editor has a HTML editor that's more compliant than almost anything else out there. I think it's called Orcas... in any case, MS *does* have a really good standards-complaint engine in-house, it's just not well suited for end-user tasks. I'm sure with some optimization it would make a great engine for IE 9.

    11. Re:I don't know what to make of this by lawpoop · · Score: 1

      But then, wouldn't that expose much of the inner workings of windows, and accelerate the advance of projects such as WINE?

      --
      Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
      -- Pablo Picasso
  11. Seems reasonable to me. by jellomizer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Microsoft won the Browser Wars but failed to achieve its objectives in victory. The war against Netscape was to insure that all apps either network based or not needed Microsoft Windows with IE to run the apps. With such failures such as Active X which never really made it past the Intranet and Extranet application. What happened was web developers for the most part designed as much using open standards (or at least plugins that were more universally compatible) and then were able to make apps that run well on Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD or whatever just as long as you have a fairly modern browser. What was probably really surpassing to Microsoft most of this. Even decided to give the apps a step back in functionality (just recently for the last couple of year the AJAX method with DHTML became fully functional, or at least 85% there) just to keep compatibility.
    What killed Microsoft objective more then anything was the insecurity of Active X and the general habit for people when asked a question is to answer yes and get it done. So now Microsoft is spending millions of dollars in IE development without really getting any major competitive advantage out of the deal. Sure you may have 90% of the market but only 5% of that market actually doing IE Only things you are just wasting your money.
    Going to an open source rendering system just seems a way to keep up with the time. By joining the Jones you don't need to keep up with them. Just like with Safari or Chrome all the company needs to do is maintain the browser in features and UI (stuff that closed source companies have seem to shown they have an advantage over open source) and use someone else's Open Source rendering engine (Following specs and making things like rendering engines are what Open Source Developers are good at) So what Microsoft accomplish is a new objective. People will want to stick with Windows because they Like IE over the others.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:Seems reasonable to me. by NoobixCube · · Score: 1

      In reference to your sig, I was saying "Cloud Computing" was a trap long before RMS (publicly) said it. Actually, I was fearing the return of the thin-client long before this "Cloud Computing" came out of the mouths of marketing, because I knew it would lead to everyone having a computer that can't stand on it's own, and requires a Microsoft's (or some other vendor's) online services to function.

      I'll go back to my crazy doomsday prophet rantings now... More people would probably listen to me if I had a beard...

      --
      Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
    2. Re:Seems reasonable to me. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't feed the troll.

    3. Re:Seems reasonable to me. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How did you figure Microsoft won the browser wars? In 2002 IE5 and IE6 had around 85% of the browser market. In 2008, IE7 and IE6 have under 50%.

      http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

      That for a browser that comes bundled with the OS.

    4. Re:Seems reasonable to me. by David+Gould · · Score: 1

      How did you figure Microsoft won the browser wars? In 2002 IE5 and IE6 had around 85% of the browser market. In 2008, IE7 and IE6 have under 50%.

      Simple: the Browser Wars officially ended in 2002, at which time MS was in the dominant position. Mission Accomplished!

      --
      David Gould
      main(i){putchar(340056100>>(i-1)*5&31|!!(i<6)<< 6)&&main(++i);}
    5. Re:Seems reasonable to me. by Kjella · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Microsoft won the Browser Wars but failed to achieve its objectives in victory. The war against Netscape was to insure that all apps either network based or not needed Microsoft Windows with IE to run the apps.

      Was that it? I thought it was their objective to do their damndest to make sure network applications never took off in the first place by cramping the browser as much as possible and deploy Win32 thick clients instead. Considering they killed Netscape, crippled Java and delayed webapps by refusing to improve IE6 for years, I'd say they were wildly successful. ActiveX was simply to fool all those in the dotcom wave to give an illusion of freedom while still being tied to Windows, like a dog on a leash. For years I heard that you needed to make a "real" application to do this and that. What's happening now though is that they're considering going with the flow to keep control of IE - to for example ship the latest version of Silverlight with it and things like that. The clue is to have two new hooks stuck before you have to let go of the first one, rather than lose it completely.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    6. Re:Seems reasonable to me. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You just fed the troll.

    7. Re:Seems reasonable to me. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Microsoft has not won the war. If they had, they would be defining the HTML 'standard' by now.

      The main objective in the beginning was to compromise netscapes server business.

    8. Re:Seems reasonable to me. by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      I always favored Thin clients for the opposite reason. As it allows the server to run on whatever platform you want and the thin client can too just as long as the follow the standards (like HTML and Javascript) With Thick Clients you need the OS and the Software to work for the OS and the Hardware that can run the OS for all it to work. You can have say a Windows HTML thin Client or a Linux based Thin Client you can have a bunch of them mixed together and they will all run the same.
      As for my sig. I wasn't gun-ho about cloud computing but when ever I posted against it I got a slew of posts saying how stupid I was and cloud computing is the future and everything should use it. Then after RMS comment most of them swap positions. My position is the same as ever Use it in those rare cases where it has a real advantage over others.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    9. Re:Seems reasonable to me. by NoobixCube · · Score: 1

      I resent being called a troll. I prefer hobgoblin.

      --
      Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
    10. Re:Seems reasonable to me. by NoobixCube · · Score: 1

      I understand the advantages of a thin client in a corporate environment. Hardware costs can be greatly reduced if you've got more than a thousand computers to work with. I was afraid of the "home thin client", for lack of a better word. People are already vendor locked into Microsoft, but imagine if people had a thin client at home completely reliant on a Microsoft software subscription.

      --
      Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
  12. Tags by Sasayaki · · Score: 5, Funny

    itsatrapwhatcouldpossiblygowrongembraceextendextinguishrunrunforthehills

    --
    Check out my sci-fi book "Lacuna" at http://goo.gl/MVxX8
  13. Battles. by Darkness404 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In this second great browser wars there are 4 major battles:

    Features
    Standards compliance
    Speed
    Security

    MS can get features and even standards compliance through proprietary means, on the other hand, security and speed depend on lots of people looking through the code. So in essence, without an open source rendering engine MS can't hope to win. On the other hand, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome have made great leaps because they have all of the above.

    --
    Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    1. Re:Battles. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please stop posting. Everything you write is uniformly idiotic.

    2. Re:Battles. by Kalriath · · Score: 1

      security and speed depend on lots of people looking through the code

      Actually, no. They don't.

      --
      For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
  14. Microsoft can't win evidentially... by Manip · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Funny how when Microsoft rejects Open Source they get people crawling down their backs. When they suggest they might move in that general direction they get people accusing them of trying to poison Open Source and calling them liars.

    Seems whatever happens people just want to hate Microsoft whatever moves the company makes...

    1. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by QuantumG · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If your abusive spouse buys you flowers, you don't stop planning the escape.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    2. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Seems whatever happens people just want to hate Microsoft whatever moves the company makes...

      Yes.

    3. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by oGMo · · Score: 1

      Seems whatever happens people just want to hate Microsoft whatever moves the company makes...

      Apparently you were born recently. The reason Microsoft is hated no matter what they do is because they have a history of doing reprehensible things at every single turn. IBM. Apple. Lotus. Stac. Netscape. Tons of names in between.

      Never have they competed fairly, honestly, or been good business partners. Always there is backstabbing, monopoly abuse, and underhanded tactics to increase their market position. Where there was a new feature or a new application, it was to crush the competition. There is nothing wrong with a good, strong business profiting from a great product. But Microsoft is an evil, twisted company that thrives on crushing everyone else with inferiority.

      Fortunately the market has shifted in the past decade to a position where Microsoft has a much harder time competing. No longer can billions of dollars buy their way into a market; when your competition is free and open, you have a harder time competing by product dumping. When everyone is using a cross-platform web, you have a harder time locking people in. When you're old and all you can do is market your way out of a situation, you have a hard time beating the other guy who's way better and doesn't need marketing.

      --

      Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage

    4. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I understand Stac and Netscape. What the heck did Microsoft ever do to IBM or Apple? Are you upset Apple was given competition? Well, I guess IBM was sort of screwed over by the OEM deals MS did that locked OS2 out. So what did Microsoft do to Apple that was that terrible?

      --
      Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
    5. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by bh_doc · · Score: 1

      "People do this" "People do that". I hate that phrase and all its kin. By using it the author implies that every individual person is responsible for all of the actions listed. Maybe, just maybe, the sets don't overlap that much?

    6. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by omfgnosis · · Score: 1

      Someone buy the above poster a beer.

    7. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by SargentDU · · Score: 4, Insightful

      How soon you forget OS/2 and the screw job MS did to IBM there...

    8. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by HeronBlademaster · · Score: 1

      Reminds me of an old interview with one of the 3com founders I saw the other day. When asked about a particular meeting with Microsoft, the 3com CEO said this:

      "Bill said, 'You made a mistake. You trusted us.'"

      That about sums up Microsoft's business practices.

    9. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by bledri · · Score: 4, Funny

      Someone buy the above poster a beer.

      Well since flowers didn't work, I guess beer is worth a shot.

      --
      Some privacy policy Slashdot.
    10. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by MrCreosote · · Score: 1

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/special_report/1998/04/98/microsoft/210650.stm

      Peter Hoddie [Apple]: "Are you really asking us to kill playback? Do you want us to knife the baby?" -- meaning QuickTime.

      Christopher Phillips [Microsoft]: "Yes, we're talking about knifing the baby."

      This dramatic exchange at a meeting in April 1997 was quoted by Dr Avadis Tevanian, Apple's senior Vice President for software, during the cross-examination by Microsoft attorney Theodore Edelman.
      Microsoft wanted Apple to drop QuickTime product and leave the multimedia playback market to Microsoft, while Apple concentrated on software tools for Internet content.

      and

      Dr Tevanian accused Microsoft of threatening to stop the development - important for Apple's business viability - of a new version of Microsoft Office for the Mac.

      A Microsoft e-mail confirming this was introduced during the questioning of Bill Gates on video last week.

      --
      MrCreosote Meow!Thump!Meow!Thump!Meow!Thump! "You're right! There isn't enough room to swing a cat in here!"
    11. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      stole the same Xerox interface they did i suppose...

    12. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I understand Stac and Netscape. What the heck did Microsoft ever do to IBM or Apple? Are you upset Apple was given competition? Well, I guess IBM was sort of screwed over by the OEM deals MS did that locked OS2 out. So what did Microsoft do to Apple that was that terrible?

      The deal was that Microsoft was developing Windows by poaching ideas and people from Apple while at the same time being a 'partner' writing software for Mac OS. With friends like that you don't need enemies. They pulled the same shite with Spyglass, licensing it for IE and then putting 1000 developers on the IE project, insuring the Spyglass browser could never compete with its new 'partner'. Oh and they fucked spyglass on royalties relating to IE sales. I could go on and explain the IBM thing but how about you research it.

    13. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 1

      Yeah, spyglass was pretty bad. They were in the height of their monopolistic behavior at the time. I never understood why they didn't either buy the company outright, or write their own. I guess it was easier just to screw over spyglass.

      --
      Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
    14. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by glwtta · · Score: 1

      Seems whatever happens people just want to hate Microsoft whatever moves the company makes...

      This isn't a "move", this is just talk, so of course we are skeptical.

      --
      sic transit gloria mundi
    15. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by IntlHarvester · · Score: 1

      MS eventually threw seven figures at Spyglass, so the investors probably made out OK in the end.

      (Mosaic at the time didn't even do things like tables, so they weren't going anywhere.)

      --
      Business. Numbers. Money. People. Computer World.
    16. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 1

      yeah, that's true. Spy glass made out better making the deal than not. But at the same time, they had a revenue sharing agreement for every copy of ie sold. Then Microsoft made it a part of the os, but didn't consider purchases of windows to be ie sales. Shady.

      --
      Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
    17. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      erm didnt the promise to develop stuff for os/2 and then simply not bother?

    18. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 1

      They orally committed, I don't know the exact language of any contract they might have signed. But requiring OEMs to pay for windows on computers that only have OS2 on them was criminal.

      --
      Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
    19. Re:Microsoft can't win evidentially... by prockcore · · Score: 1

      Aparently *you* were born recently.. MS saved us from the evil IBM.

  15. Is it colder in here... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... I thought they kept hell nice and toasty. It's down right cold down here.

  16. By interesting... by mrcharliebrown · · Score: 1

    Ballmer means non-profitable.

  17. Ballmer is so visionless. by tjstork · · Score: 2, Funny

    I mean, seriously... Microsoft is just not the same without Wild Bill at the helm.

    --
    This is my sig.
  18. Re:The third "E". The other browser. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Esteem?

  19. chair by Scholasticus · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Why is IE still relevant and why is it worth spending money on rendering engines when there are open source ones available that can respond to changes in Web standards faster?"

    "That's cheeky, but a good question, but cheeky," Ballmer said.

    What the story doesn't mention is that the developer who asked that question was found dead later that day with a folding chair wrapped around his neck.

    1. Re:chair by 2Bits · · Score: 4, Funny

      Good thing the chairs in Sydney's Exhibition Centre are all bolted down.

      Is any body giggling when you read this sentence from the article? I was imagining Ballmer looking around for a chair, and the expression on his face would be priceless when he found that all chairs are bolted down :)

    2. Re:chair by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually I'm alive and well :)

    3. Re:chair by Compuser · · Score: 1

      Butt-cheeky?
      Ballmer sure is kinky. Who knew?

    4. Re:chair by noidentity · · Score: 1

      I was imagining Ballmer looking around for a chair, and the expression on his face would be priceless when he found that all chairs are bolted down

      Maybe they make a patch for this sort of thing, like smokers can wear. I guess this would be a cellulose patch?

    5. Re:chair by bjb · · Score: 1

      Maybe they bolted them down because they knew Ballmer was coming?

      --
      Never hit your grandmother with a shovel, for it leaves a bad impression on her mind...
    6. Re:chair by Shadowlore · · Score: 1

      Is any body giggling when you read this sentence from the article? I was imagining Ballmer looking around for a chair, and the expression on his face would be priceless when he found that all chairs are bolted down :)

      Nah, he throws chairs, so I am sure he's watched Wrestling thus would know to look under the ring, errr I mean stage right next to the tables.

      --
      My Suburban burns less gasoline than your Prius.
  20. Correction. Apple didn't embrace WebKit..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    they embraced KHTML. WebKit was created by Apple from Konqueror's HTML library.

    jerky

  21. Yeah, he's interested by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    He's interested in Open Source in the same way ticks are interested in dogs.

  22. They're going to have to switch anyway by Anik315 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Why? There isn't a closed source rendering engine that processes JavaScript anywhere near as fast as Gecko or Webkit. Eventually, this is going to make it very difficult for IE to maintain its market share when common web developers start writing applications that require this kind of performance. There will eventually be web based applications that match Windows or OS X in responsiveness and functionality using only JavaScript HTML and CSS. When ordinary web developers begin to develop software that requires the performance advantage of open source rendering engines, Microsoft will be faced with the decision of switching or becoming obsolete on the web.

    1. Re:They're going to have to switch anyway by spikeb · · Score: 1

      Opera's rendering engine probably can.

    2. Re:They're going to have to switch anyway by Rhapsody+Scarlet · · Score: 1

      Opera's rendering engine probably can.

      Presto is pretty quick, but Opera seem to be losing their competitive advantage as of late. WebKit is an absolute screamer, Gecko seems to get faster every day, and Microsoft have even managed to get some speed out of Trident (though IE8b2 is still stone dead last). Presto has gone quiet though. It'll probably burst back into life once Opera 10 is out, but that seems to have dropped off the radar now. Does anyone even have a ballpark estimate of when to expect Opera 10?

    3. Re:They're going to have to switch anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Opera is closed-source and runs Javascript as fast as Gecko or Webkit. Opera was historically the fastest of the three until Webkit overtook Opera earlier this year. They're close together and are all continually improving in performance due to all the work going into them. IE doesn't have as much work going into it, and is therefore slow. Making one's own source code available has nothing to do with it.

    4. Re:They're going to have to switch anyway by omfgnosis · · Score: 1

      Presto certainly is not as fast as Gecko or Webkit. And unless Opera gets on the bandwagon and rethinks their JS engine, that gap isn't going to narrow.

    5. Re:They're going to have to switch anyway by ProzacPatient · · Score: 1

      FYI, the JavaScript engine is separate from the rendering engine.
      Take Firefox for example; the rendering engine is "Gecko", and the separate embeddable JavaScript engine is "SpiderMonkey".
      Another example is Chrome; the rendering engine is "WebKit", and the separate embeddable JavaScript engine is "V8".

      While I see your point I thought I might point out that the rendering engine and the JavaScript engine are separate.
      I was looking at developing a video game that makes use of JavaScript and that is when I discovered that after some research.

    6. Re:They're going to have to switch anyway by cultofmetatron · · Score: 1

      I believe torque uses a javascript derived language for scripting

    7. Re:They're going to have to switch anyway by Dhalka226 · · Score: 1

      Unless something huge happens, a common web developer who is writing applications that will not run well on a browser that maintains around an 80% global market share is still asking for trouble. Even assuming Mozilla, Apple and Opera continue chipping away at Microsoft's lead at the rates they have been the last year or two, you're still looking at something in the vicinity of decades before it is sufficiently low for most people (and pretty much all professionals, including many of the people who might be running such huge applications that they would need this power) to even consider ignoring it.

      In short, Microsoft is still the 800 pound gorilla. It will take either a long time or some fairly major gaffe before it even approaches becoming obsolete.

  23. Sig correction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    "The ultimate expression of business without government control is the Mafia. (sig stolen from Marxist Hacker 42)"

    No, the Mafia is the ultimate expression of business with excessive government control. They do best when the government supressess legitimate competition, thereby leaving the market to the most vicious and violent.
    Only a minimum of regulation is needed - like preventing theft and fraud - just enough to make it more profitable to please the customer than to not please him. But when too much regulation is imposed, so much so that the mere operation of the business is illegal, then it becomes more profitable to go for a monopoly by violent elimination of the competition.

    PS: You didn't 'steal' it from Marxist Hacker 42. You can't. He is a marxist - you liberated it.

    1. Re:Sig correction by TheVelvetFlamebait · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Your argument has two glaring problems. Firstly, government regulation does not equal less competition. In many cases it results in more competition, especially in the case of monopolies and collusion between companies. Secondly, the mafia cannot legally exist because of laws limiting them, in other words, government regulation. Without the most basic regulation, then any business could (and probably would) become like the mafia. Competition would be limited to companies competing to be the most intimidating, and whoever could intimidate enough people into paying them. In a world with excessive government regulation, even the kind that produces less competition, at least the government would be regulating against such behaviour.

      In other words, your argument makes no sense.

      --
      You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
    2. Re:Sig correction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      But we wikes his wittle argument.

      Aw, cute wittle wibertarian.

    3. Re:Sig correction by Curien · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Firstly, government regulation does not equal less competition.

      He didn't say it did. He said that a certain level of regulation (ie, outright prohibition) creates an environment which encourages mafia tactics.

      --
      It's always a long day... 86400 doesn't fit into a short.
    4. Re:Sig correction by TheVelvetFlamebait · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      As far as I can decipher it, the OP's argument breaks down as follows:

      Excessive government control ==>
      Insignificant competition ==>
      Violent business practices

      I broke down both of those connections. Excessive government control doesn't stifle competition. Government control is a normalising force, designed to keep the system working and the interests of the people first and foremost on the agenda. Unfortunately, just like with pretty much anything, excessive use of it ends up doing more harm than good. To say that excessive regulation results in less competition focuses on one relatively small, rarely used aspect of government regulation. More often than not, government regulation actually encourages more competition. The real danger of using in excess is that companies will suffer from the tall poppy phenomenon, and will have no motivation to stand out from the crowd, but certainly not that there won't be competition.

      As for the second connection, that makes little sense either, especially when taken in the context of government regulation. Regulation is designed to prevent shady practices, the most glaringly obvious of which is violence and intimidation. Only if the government stepped out of the business world completely could so obviously immoral, detrimental, and dangerous behaviour be allowed in the marketplace.

      So there you go: that's my interpretation of the OP's argument, and my argument explained carefully.

      Oh, and to the moderator who modded this thread offtopic: Remember, this is an article about Microsoft, and adopting code which could break their monopoly on their proprietary web browser. More competition, etc. Sound familiar?

      --
      You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
    5. Re:Sig correction by dunkelfalke · · Score: 3, Insightful

      exactly. the best example for that is russia of nineties. it was a real libertarian paradize with laissez-faire capitalism and the rest of the life.

      most buisnesses were undistinguishable from thugs and the rest paid protection money.
      even the law enforcement was the same.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    6. Re:Sig correction by PietjeJantje · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Government control is a normalising force, designed to keep the system working and the interests of the people first and foremost on the agenda.

      Well, that's a nice theory. However, you must have been living on Mars. In reality, it morphed into this decades ago: Government control is a force working to keep the Big Corp system working and the interests of the their sponsors - the filthy rich - first and foremost on the agenda.

    7. Re:Sig correction by TheVelvetFlamebait · · Score: 1

      Well, that's another interesting theory, but being unable to prove it one way or the other, and having vast tracts of circumstantial evidence backing up each, let's just stick to the theoretical, shall we? After all, we were originally talking about "ultimate expressions", which really should be purely theoretical. The mafia is one of the closest things we have to the ultimate expression of deregulation.

      --
      You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
    8. Re:Sig correction by Curien · · Score: 1


      As far as I can decipher it, the OP's argument breaks down as follows:

      Excessive government control ==>
      Insignificant competition ==>
      Violent business practices

      It's more like:

      Excessive government control ==>
      It's a crime simply to engage in a certain type of business transaction ==>
      People who engage in those business transactions have little incentive not to break other laws ==>
      Violent business practices

      This link is clearly demonstrated in the realms of human trafficking, arms dealership, drug trafficking, alcohol in the '20s, gambling, and usury. That last two are examples where an outright ban isn't necessary to encourage violent business practices; there are some instances where gambling is legal, for example, yet the mob still finds it profitable to involve themselves in casinos.

      To say that excessive regulation results in less competition focuses on one relatively small, rarely used aspect of government regulation.

      So what? The only one waving their hand about how common or rare this situation is, is you.

      --
      It's always a long day... 86400 doesn't fit into a short.
    9. Re:Sig correction by TheVelvetFlamebait · · Score: 1

      Excessive government control ==>
      It's a crime simply to engage in a certain type of business transaction ==>
      People who engage in those business transactions have little incentive not to break other laws ==>
      Violent business practices

      So you are referring to ineffective excessive government control. I guess, in effect, it would be very similar to absolutely no government control.

      for example, yet the mob still finds it profitable to involve themselves in casinos.

      So you would think that the mafia being violent is a result of business practices they do being illegal, rather than the other way around? The way I see it, the mob is naturally violent. That's their MO. They use intimidation and violence to practice their business. Since they already break one of the largest taboos we have (murder), they figure they might as well go after something lucrative like gambling.

      So what?

      So, to characterise excessive government control as less competition is extremely misleading.

      The only one waving their hand about how common or rare this situation is, is you.

      Perhaps, but then again, no-one asked me to delve any further on that point. I had assumed it was obvious, after people looked beyond the one or two cases of government regulation being anti-competition (in free markets), and realised that there really aren't that many examples, whereas antitrust laws are part of the law itself, and are actually enforced (I know, not as much as some would like, but they are enforced).

      --
      You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
    10. Re:Sig correction by rohan972 · · Score: 1
      You seem to have missed this:

      Only a minimum of regulation is needed - like preventing theft and fraud - just enough to make it more profitable to please the customer than to not please him.

      The Russians had decades of excessive government control to create the conditions of the nineties. Under that regulation, pretty much every business was illegal, in the nineties those illegal businesses came to the forefront.

      No matter how bad it was, this is the essence of a quote (as accurate as I can remember) from a man that lived under both systems: With the criminal gangs, we were afraid every time we went outside. Under the communists, we were afraid all the time.

      Using Russia in the 90's as an example of libertarianism is climbing a fair way up to the peak of the heights of stupidity. Or perhaps just more socialists propaganda blaming the opposition for the results of their own failures.

    11. Re:Sig correction by Curien · · Score: 0, Troll

      So you are referring to ineffective excessive government control.

      So your argument hinges on government regulations always being 100% effective? Wow.

      So, to characterise excessive government control as less competition is extremely misleading.

      You're burning a straw man.

      I had assumed it was obvious, after people looked beyond the one or two cases of government regulation being anti-competition (in free markets)

      See? They EXIST. That's the ENTIRE point. That's it. Nothing more. You just 100% agreed with me.

      --
      It's always a long day... 86400 doesn't fit into a short.
    12. Re:Sig correction by Zencyde · · Score: 1

      Surely you can't deny the immediate advantages of being able to spend exorbitant amounts of money on lobbyists. :) Do I need to bring copyright extensions or marijuana prohibition into this? (Yes, I'm in America)

      --
      What day is it? Could you please tell me?
    13. Re:Sig correction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      B-B-B-But, what's about the Change We Need(tm)?!!?

    14. Re:Sig correction by Attila+Dimedici · · Score: 1

      Historically most monopolies came about through government intervention in the market.

      --
      The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
    15. Re:Sig correction by Attila+Dimedici · · Score: 1

      More often than not, government regulation actually encourages more competition.

      Government regulation of a particular business always increases the barriers to entry in that business. This is not always a bad thing, but it always reduces competition.

      --
      The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
    16. Re:Sig correction by skeeto · · Score: 1

      In other words, your argument makes no sense.

      The eighteenth amendment disagrees.

    17. Re:Sig correction by TheVelvetFlamebait · · Score: 1

      So your argument hinges on government regulations always being 100% effective? Wow.

      No, just somewhat effective. Enough to make illegal business risky. What's with the false dichotomy? Running out of counter-arguments?

      You're burning a straw man.

      Did you read the OP's post? If so, read it again. He did characterise excessive government control as less competition.

      See? They EXIST. That's the ENTIRE point. That's it. Nothing more. You just 100% agreed with me.

      They do exist. However, there are far more instances when government regulation has the opposite effect. Antitrust is built into the law, all designed to increase, or maximise the effectiveness of competition. Of course, we have occasional case-by-case exceptions, but they are exactly that: exceptions, and are designed to do a better job than competition could have done in the same situation. That's why I say it's misleading.

      --
      You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
    18. Re:Sig correction by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      russia of the nineties was the perfect example of pure libertarianism - even the government went private.

      that guy you quote, who was afraid all the time, i suppose, he was a criminal. because i have also lived under both systems and i'd rather live in the mid eighties of ussr than in the mid nineties of russia because the only thing the soviet citizens back then were afraid of were american nukes.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    19. Re:Sig correction by rohan972 · · Score: 1

      russia of the nineties was the perfect example of pure libertarianism - even the government went private.

      I don't know where you get your idea of libertarianism. I suggest you have a look here: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=libertarianism

      Libertarianism is not anarchy, although some libertarians may advocate the idea of no government, I don't think that would be commonly regarded as a more "pure" libertarianism. In practice, the ideal of freedom of thought and speech requires constitutionally limited government. The government going private would more commonly be termed fascism.

      that guy you quote, who was afraid all the time, i suppose, he was a criminal.

      A dangerous criminal no doubt. Probably had an unapproved opinion. Possibly even a religion.

      only thing the soviet citizens back then were afraid of were american nukes.

      Except the people being tortured in communist prisons for their religious or political views of course. Or those at risk of such abuse. Don't pretend it didn't happen, it's too late for that.

    20. Re:Sig correction by TheVelvetFlamebait · · Score: 1

      I disagree. I think most monopolies happen in small towns, where the local store is the only game in town.

      --
      You know, there is a difference between trolling and pointing out the flaws in your reasoning. Just saying.
  24. Re:The third "E". The other browser. by SanityInAnarchy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The problem is how.

    Open source makes this much more difficult.

    --
    Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
  25. Wasn't Microsoft going to kill Open Source? by The_One_Ring · · Score: 1, Insightful
    Oh well, as the old saying goes,

    First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.

    --
    ---- Now, where did I put that knife.....
    1. Re:Wasn't Microsoft going to kill Open Source? by omfgnosis · · Score: 2, Funny

      As [name any petty tech squabble] grows longer the probability of co-opting language used in historical social movements that faced abuse, torture, and often death against almost insurmountable oppressive inertia approaches one.

  26. He's all over the place by zmjjmz · · Score: 0

    Didn't he accuse the GPL of being some sort of cancer or a virus? Didn't he (just recently) decry Android for not making money? Does he even realize what he's saying?

  27. Re:The third "E". The other browser. by Merusdraconis · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Ballmer pretty much confirmed (was there yesterday) that was the strategy later on in his answer - to beat the standards bodies to new features. The entire strategy they presented was building a new Microsoft-only Web stack built on .Net, and then trying to lock people in with IE8+.

  28. Won't happen by joeflies · · Score: 1

    Microsoft's launch of Azure as their cloud computing OS and the Geneva identity backbone clearly defines the direction they're going. Why would they want to change out a portion of IE, which will be the defacto client for apps running on the Microsoft cloud? They have full control over it now and they have market share, I doubt they will just switch out the rendering engine when they have a big unknown on how well their cloud applications will run on it.

    Google came in from the complete opposite direction, jumping in the browser fray because they needed to build a browser that would work best with their intended cloud applications.

  29. Microsoft has used up it's credibility by microbox · · Score: 1

    Funny how when Microsoft rejects Open Source they get people crawling down their backs. When they suggest they might move in that general direction they get people accusing them of trying to poison Open Source and calling them liars.

    Seems whatever happens people just want to hate Microsoft whatever moves the company makes...


    I guess that means that Microsoft has used up it's credibility as a corporate citizen.

    --

    Like all pain, suffering is a signal that something isn't right
  30. Simple question, why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is why I don't use IE: it doesn't do anything, it's at the bottom(behind Opera, FF, Saffari), it's not open source, it's slow. it's facked!!

    When Ballmer says open source he means some random project in the corner. "Hey look we're open source."

    So many people use IE8, which sucks balls, there's so many better browsers out there.

  31. I think it will Re:Won't happen by rubies · · Score: 2

    If you look at the latest versions of .NET, silverlight, integration of Ajax and the overwhelming popularity of the Ajax model in delivering web content, they will have little choice. I suspect they know the architecture of IE just isn't suited to the technology they are trying to deliver their next generation of applications on.

    In other words, they want to own the server, not the client, when the applications will be delivered from there. Even their own developers use Firefox/firebug for debugging work (who doesn't?)

  32. With Apologies... by actionbastard · · Score: 1, Interesting

    to H. G. Wells...
    The browser war between Open and Closed, which is now in its three hundredth and twenty-sixth year has at last come to an end. There are no standards compliant websites left to view and few standards compliant browsers left to view with. The Internet has become so polluted with deadly viruses and proprietary code that it can no longer be viewed. There is no place on the Internet that is immune. The last surviving programmers for the manufacture of standards compliant code have been destroyed. Codebase improvements are rapidly diminishing and when they are gone, we must die...

    --
    Sig this!
  33. You got it all wrong, by CDMA_Demo · · Score: 2, Funny

    Extend, Embed, Enjoy

  34. learn from Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can you imagine if MS OSSed every app where the secrecy of its code wasn't something of importance to their business? The browser engine is one such thing. There are at least two F/OSS browser engines out there that are at least as capable (and more standards compliant) so browser engines is not some mysterious technology that only MS can figure out. Therefore their business will not suffer and may even enjoy huge benefits from going OSS. If you're concerned about GPL "infection" then make an F/OSS compliant DLL out of Gecko that any window can incorporate. Suddenly the browser, the help system, and anything else that must display web content uses that totally free DLL. If a financial app needs a web-like display, that's fine. The engine will be adopted and improved per the F/OSS requirements but stuff that's irrelevant to web browsing (like a financial app) do not become "infected." Take the ingenious example from Apple. Mac OS X really is UNIX (except that X sucks ass since the switch to X.org in 10.5) and every tool you know and love from Linux or *BSD is a compile away, plus it is compatible with just about any new desktop thing out there. An enormous part of this system is F/OSS! Only the stuff of significance to Apple's business is secret and that's plenty fine. Technically it's the absolute best OS for laptop use. MS could learn from that.

    1. Re:learn from Apple by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      Apple provide an OS which is highly compatible with unix like systems such as linux, bsd and solaris... But if that's all it was, it would be pointless...

      What differentiates OSX is the whole package, you get premium hardware which runs an OS and set of apps specifically designed and thoroughly tested to work together on the exact hardware you're using.

      What differentiates MS is compatibility with the existing applications and other MS products you may be tied in to...

      If MS were to embrace a unix system, then they would have nothing to force people onto their software instead of one of the many free unix systems out there, and each small step towards standardisation chips away at the artificial lock-in they have spent so long creating.
      MS just aren't geared up for competing on a level field based on quality and value. Competition would massively shrink their margins, they would have to curb their aggressive and costly expansion into other markets to cut costs, and they would have to invest a lot more in improving their products... And their costs for product improvement would be a lot higher than their competitors, due to the haphazard way in which many of their products are engineered.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    2. Re:learn from Apple by HermMunster · · Score: 1

      This is only partially true. The implementation of hardware on the Mac is now the same hardware found in the world at large. The hard drives can be swapped with impunity, video cards the same, etc. It only takes the proper drivers (just like linux and wind) to make them work properly. The processors are the same, the memory is the same, the chipsets for wireless and networking is the same.

      Yes, Apple has tested them to ensure that they work and have proper drivers but the Mac is nothing more now than a clone manufactured by the likes of Foxconn in China just as other pre-fab manufacturers do. HP, Dell, Gateway, Sony, Toshiba, etc all do it the same way. Does any other manufacturer have access to the source code to produce bug fixes and improved integration? No. But in reality the hardware is exactly the same.

      --
      You can lead a man with reason but you can't make him think.
  35. Re:MEMO TO RACIST AC: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Where is your bigoted speech now, asshole?

    Their mother told them to turn off the 'computer' and go to bed and if she catches them on 4chan again, she's going to ground them for a 'month of Sundays'.

  36. Foresight by Rasta_the_far_Ian · · Score: 1
    Looks like someone at the venue had a some good foresight - or, perhaps, is part of the Slashdot community!

    From TFA:

    Good thing the chairs in Sydney's Exhibition Centre are all bolted down.

  37. Microsoft will never by omfgnosis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Microsoft will never open-source Trident. It'd be like letting the entire world look at your dirty laundry.

    1. Re:Microsoft will never by denmarkw00t · · Score: 5, Funny

      My fucking whites!

      Someone else mod this guy +1 something - I can't find "Funderrated."

    2. Re:Microsoft will never by supernova_hq · · Score: 1

      I think a better analogy would be a sausage factory using transparent walls!

  38. Uh-oh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Please tell me that M$ is not a stakeholder in Nokia.

    Maybe it's time to dust Harmony?

    1. Re:Uh-oh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Twitter?

    2. Re:Uh-oh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can't believe Twitter has become a Slashdot meme.

  39. What Microsoft did to Apple by mattytee · · Score: 4, Informative

    So what did Microsoft do to Apple that was that terrible?

    Got two words for you there: "look" and "feel."

    MS was an early developer for Macs and had some of the first prototype machines. While assuring Apple that they weren't, they were using their knowledge of the thing that made a Mac a Mac, the Toolbox, to build a GUI on top of DOS. This GUI was released later as Windows, and although apologists try to play it off as based on Xerox's interface (whose designers were at Apple by then anyway), there is much evidence that they ripped Apple off. Apple put a ton of R&D into the interface, it was not much like Xerox's at all -- it was very much an "invented here" mindset as opposed MS's "NIH."

    Thus was born the Look and Feel suit; Apple sued Microsoft for ripping off their interface, but in the meantime, Apple's then-CEO, John Sculley, had given Gates a badly-worded agreement that was construed by the judge to be a license to produce Windows using Apple's "intellectual property." Then again, part of the settlement was that MS couldn't use overlapping windows; that's why they were tiled until version 3.

    All this actually didn't matter much; Apple made the bulk of its revenues on the Apple II line until 1987 or so, and Microsoft could likely have parlayed Apple's BASIC license into permission to use Apple's interface R&D anyway ("applesoft" BASIC was developed by MS, Woz did the superior "integer" BASIC but never upgraded it to handle floating-point math).

    Here's what I consider the main point: Apple saw the Xerox work, and took some of the key people who created it, but they totally improved it. Quickdraw did real regions, roundrects, and other stuff the Smalltalk interface didn't. Microsoft may have seen the Xerox work, definitely saw the Apple stuff, and then put together a half-assed, hackneyed piece of shit.

    This is what Microsoft has done ever since. Apple runs Microsoft's interface R&D, in a way. I think that's the real reason MS bailed them out in 1997. Bill Gates famously said, "I want Mac on a PC! I want Mac on a PC!" They always get pretty close, but somehow stay so far.

    Linux seems to be much closer, using technology (X) that really was developed independently on a parallel track; thus they have their own thing that isn't some wanna be copy and stands on its own.

    1. Re:What Microsoft did to Apple by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 1

      yeah, but all of that is a good thing. Its good there was competition. Apple was the evil one in that case. Full stop.

      --
      Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
    2. Re:What Microsoft did to Apple by GaryPatterson · · Score: 1

      Apple was the evil one in that case. Full stop.

      Apple were evil because Microsoft broke an agreement and used prototype Macs and full access to APIs to create their own copy?

      What bastards Apple are!

      Competition is Microsoft seeing Apple's Mac development and building something similar (or better). To do that properly, you need a clean-room environment and enforcement of seperation between Microsoft's Mac developers and the Windows developers.

      Competition is good. Copying is bad. It's as simple as that.

      Microsoft were in the wrong here, but got off due to Sculley's foolishness.

    3. Re:What Microsoft did to Apple by mattytee · · Score: 1

      I agree that competition is good. But, a few points before that full stop:

      Apple was not violating anti-trust law to discourage competition. Microsoft was free to legally compete without "stealing," like MIT in the development of X. Apple going after MIT might be evil, going after MS wasn't, in my opinion.

      If it is "evil" to follow the laws of the land, then it is the law that is evil. Do you consider the GPL or BSD licenses evil? They are based on copyright and patent law that it sounds like you do consider evil.

      I submit that a company stealing another company's ideas is not "a good thing" -- if Microsoft could be proven to have used GPL code in something and wasn't in compliance (providing code, etc), I'm sure you would have an issue with that.

      It's good to remember also that Apple then was not the Apple of today. Microsoft then was very much the Microsoft of today.

    4. Re: What Microsoft did to Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you ever see the documentary Empire of the Nerds, or that movie with Anthony Michael Hall playing Bill Gates and Noah Wiley playing Steve Jobs? Then you would know what shenanigans Microsoft did to Apple with respect to writing applications for Apple's Macinstosh vs. stealing the whole gui concept from Apple.

    5. Re:What Microsoft did to Apple by Kalriath · · Score: 1

      Interesting. So do you complain about the number of things Apple stole from Xerox PARC? Nope? Oh, of course, Apple would never do wrong!

      They were all pretty scummy back then. Get over it.

      --
      For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
    6. Re:What Microsoft did to Apple by IntlHarvester · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Apple were evil because they claimed they owned fundamental GUI concepts through copyright. They threatened to sue the entire industry to prevent any other computer from having a "WIMP" (windows icons mouse pointer) interface.

      Microsoft didn't break the agreement. In fact, the courts found that Apple signed away certain IP rights to Microsoft in return for what turned out to be killer apps for the Mac Platform (Word & Excel). Therefore Microsoft won the case -- with some minor exceptions like the Trash Can.

      Later on another court case (Lotus v Borland) ruled that "Look and Feel" couldn't be copyrighted, making the whole Apple legal effort irrelevant, and opening the way for other companies to make Mac-like GUI interfaces.

      --
      Business. Numbers. Money. People. Computer World.
    7. Re:What Microsoft did to Apple by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 2, Informative

      Oh, Apple would have gone after MIT, had Microsoft not been there. What Microsoft did may have given them a year or two head start, but Apple still would have sued them, even if they had crossed every T and dotted every eye and I. Review the details of their claims again. Its freaking ridiculous. Can you imagine the crazy messed up world we'd be living in if they had completely prevailed in that lawsuit?

      --
      Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
    8. Re: What Microsoft did to Apple by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I have a copy of the "Pirates of Silicon Valley" movie with Anthony Micheal Hall and Noah Wiley. I don't know how many times I have to post that I think they did us all a huge favor in creating a competing GUI that ran on cheaper hardware. I think everyone today would agree that windows 1,2,3 and even 95 were sufficiently different experiences than the Mac. You can't oppose Microsoft's patent threats against Linux, while being for Apple in that first confrontation.

      --
      Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
    9. Re:What Microsoft did to Apple by IntlHarvester · · Score: 1

      The legal bullshit surrounding Apple v Microsoft was actually one of the reasons MIT designed X11 around "mechanism not policy".

      Of course there was also engineering reasons for that, but it protected MIT from any lawsuit because X11 by itself did little to impersonate a Macintosh. Apple would have to go after DEC or other X GUI implementers.

      --
      Business. Numbers. Money. People. Computer World.
    10. Re:What Microsoft did to Apple by IntlHarvester · · Score: 1

      Also you seem confused about what happened. Apple lost the lawsuit and Microsoft won.

      --
      Business. Numbers. Money. People. Computer World.
    11. Re:What Microsoft did to Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, your saying Apple has the right to be pissed because Microsoft copied their idea that Apple copied from Xerox? Apple is just as bad, they just weren't as good at it.

      Oh and the reason MS bailed apple out had to do with trying to pressure Apple into using MS Java instead of Sun Java (They were trying to eliminate Sun out of that market entirely)

    12. Re: What Microsoft did to Apple by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      Commodore also created a GUI that ran on hardware which was considerably cheaper than anything MS or Apple ran on... And their whole system was better, the GUI ran well with less memory, multitasked properly and was considerably quicker.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    13. Re:What Microsoft did to Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, Apple paid Xerox for peeking around. Later, it was easy for Apple to hire PARC employees, that were more than delighted to go working for a company were their ideas would actually become real products.

  40. Smoke and mirrors by Hillview · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They're just tired of trying to compete with Mozilla.. if you can't beat 'em.. join 'em. ;)

    --
    -Troll, Flamebait, and Offtopic are NOT equivalent to disagreement.
    1. Re:Smoke and mirrors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, they'll never catch up to Firefox's 70% market share.

  41. Chinese copycat is one step faster by sam0737 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    They are selling a mobile phone + palm size projector

    Review:
    http://www.cheaa.com/Product/DH/HangQing/2008/11/37964152257.html
    http://chinese.engadget.com/2008/08/26/epoq-egp-pp01-kirf-projector-phone-now-shipping/

    just for 2000RMB (~285USD).

    It claims to have 34-64 inches projected screen at 1-2 meter @ 640*480 resolution, does not mention the lumen though.

    Better yet, looks like the speaker is much larger :P And after all it's a cell phone too.

  42. At this moment... by toby · · Score: 1

    Ballmer is as relevant as John McCain.

    --
    you had me at #!
  43. Some credit to IE8 though by spud.dups · · Score: 2, Interesting

    As a web designer, the nightmare of my day is having to check my code against IE, Firefox, Safari, etc. Most of all was IE. That crap [IE] could really screw with you. The fact that a complex page design almost always couldn't accommodate both W3C standards and IE has made many days almost unbearable. Now I understand, "Well then don't program for it," and trust me I would love to live that idea, but the truth is company execs don't give a rat's ass. A lot of people use IE, and you're page has to work accordingly.

    Anyway, my point is that IE8 beta 3 has shown some great improvements with CSS, XHTML, JavaScript support. Finally there will (should be) support for the pseudo :hover, etc. I've already seem some great improvements in complying with W3C standards. Though not up to par with its competitors, Microsoft has actually put some effort into this one that I haven't seen before.

    It looks like someone working there ran across this page, or one like it, and thought it was finally time to make a change.

    1. Re:Some credit to IE8 though by HermMunster · · Score: 1

      Everyone that comes into my computer shop gets Firefox installed. I then explain to them the pitfalls of using IE. I demonstrate things for them and explain IE's integration into the OS itself. In the end most use it after they leave and they like it. Most can't tell the difference they say so there's no reason to not use it.

      Everyone should be doing this--spreading it little by little. Everyone should be taught about lock ins and how Microsoft is a convicted predatory monopolist.

      As time goes by more and more will understand and realize there's more out there in the world than Microsoft's products.

      --
      You can lead a man with reason but you can't make him think.
  44. not only that by unity100 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    but you are also wrong about the mafia and the regulation too. it is indeed a mafia environment, that is the one without regulation. for, if you leave a place lawless, eventually big fish eats small fish and establishes an order according to its own preference. that is the way of life if there is not rule of law.

    we learned about this a long time ago (like 5000 years or so) and set up central governments so we can evade such wild west living. but apparently, you have missed the memo.

  45. Re:The third "E". The other browser. by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Extinguish.

    Hey, it's a Firefox, ok? It has to be extinguished, didn't you learn anything in your scout meetings?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  46. Standards compliant future IE... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I heard it all slightly differently, I thought he said they will need to continue developing their own engine so that they can add the functionality that will be needed in the future (cloud based references) - this functionality will be on top of a fully standards compliant browser as all browsers will eventually be standards compliant (he didn't mention whose standards though).

    Apologies for anonymous, unable to log into my account

  47. Re:MEMO TO RACIST AC: by coleblak · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Uh, no, they're not, it's called the first amendment and it guarantees the right of assholes to use their hate speech.

    --
    77 HITS
    Really Long Off Topic Combo
  48. Predictable by not+already+in+use · · Score: 1

    Does anyone ever get sick of the level of cynicism anything Microsoft is met with here on Slashdot?

    I fully expect to be down-modded for saying this, but I've seen sweeping improvements in Windows products as a result of open-source competition. Microsoft has seen open-source work in a proprietary OS with Apple, so I'm sure it's something they'd seriously consider for their own product.

    --
    Similes are like metaphors
    1. Re:Predictable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Does anyone ever get sick of the level of cynicism anything Microsoft is met with here on Slashdot?

      Maybe you should get off your high horse and learn something of the history of Microsoft's actions towards Linux, and you might understand a thing or two about the FLOSS community's degree of cageyness towards them.

      I fully expect to be down-modded for saying this, but [...]

      Your shoulder must sure get awfully sore carrying that cross around. :-/

    2. Re:Predictable by leomekenkamp · · Score: 1

      Well, since you ask: no. I do get sick of Microsofts behaviour, but not of its critics.

      --
      Wenn ist das Nunstueck git und Slotermeyer? Ja! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput.
    3. Re:Predictable by atraintocry · · Score: 1

      Yes and no. While they have been at work improving their products (and really, when aren't they?), they're also not above things like rigging ISO votes and asking to be shepherds of ODF.

      I think a large amount of the slashdot crowd's specific gripes stem from the so-called Halloween Documents". Also there evidence that MS was involved in SCO's case against IBM.

      Simply put, they never really stopped doing despicable things. So on one hand, I like their products and am not afraid to admit that. On the other, I'm actually surprised that they find time to work on them in between all of the evil shit they pull.

  49. Wont happen by jonwil · · Score: 1

    Microsoft will not replace the IE rendering engine with something else. Here are reasons why:
    1.Lots of stuff out there that relies on quirks of IE (both quirks in the way it parses/renders/etc the HTML and quirks in the way it works internally where apps poke into IE memory to do undocumented stuff)
    2.Too closely tied into the OS to be replaced
    3.Too many apps embedding IE rendering engine (MS and otherwise) and relying on it and how it works

    1. Re:Wont happen by kno3 · · Score: 1

      1 and 3 both effect a wide community of developers. MS wont worry about this too much (and shouldn't) because if they make decisions like that then it would make it almost impossible for MS to progress at all. 2 is a good point, however having it woven into a new release of Windows probably wouldn't be too hard?

    2. Re:Wont happen by miffo.swe · · Score: 1

      Well, Microsoft has hit a brick wall when it comes to development of their OS. They seem stuck where everything new breaks half of the old code. Windows is long overdue for a total rewrite just like Apple had to do. Vista shows with painful clarity how hard the current code is to manage.

      --
      HTTP/1.1 400
  50. Awesome! One of my foes defending my position! Will you be my friend now?

    --
    Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
  51. Re:MEMO TO RACIST AC: by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Technically, their rights are not guaranteed here on Slashdot except by the permission of SourceForge.

  52. And Then ... by tuxgeek · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Another chair murdered while in the prime of it's life
    Ballmer, the cold blooded chair killer. And the killing spree continues ...

    --
    "Suppose you were an idiot...and suppose you were a member of Congress...but I repeat myself." Mark Twain
  53. The sea will soon turn red by ProfMobius · · Score: 1

    Microsoft embrasing open source, one of the many signs of Apocalypse. Beware !

    --
    EULA : By reading the above message, you agree that I now own your soul.
  54. would you accept patches from them? by wikinerd · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Let's assume they contribute patches back and you are the project leader. Would you accept their patches?

    1. Re:would you accept patches from them? by domatic · · Score: 1

      Just because they're from MS wouldn't be a reason to reject them but giving them a good going over would be wise. If said patches are huge architectural ones that are obviously intended to realign the project in question to MS goals then most project leaders would drop them. But I see no reasons to reject bugfixes and small feature enhancements from them. It would also make legally screwing the project with patents and so forth trickier for MS the same way SCO got amnesia about their own involvement with Linux before trying to sue it out of existence.

  55. Re:The third "E". The other browser. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You mean Apple has embraced WebKit and extended it with a proprietary UI. With the way Mac's are hitting the market, the next 'E' step is only a short matter of time.

    Just proves that Apple is no less evil than MS, they just do a better job of polishing turds.

  56. Re:The third "E". The other browser. by NormalVisual · · Score: 1

    "Enrage" the folks you're trying to lock in?

    --
    Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
  57. Re:The third "E". The other browser. by IntlHarvester · · Score: 2, Interesting

    In other words, exactly how IE4 eliminated Netscape in the first browser war. By burying them in the W3C.

    I think what people overlook is that the standards process favors the "big guy" over the "little guy" -- assuming the big guy is paying attention. It will take some time for Microsoft to catch up, but it's a real possibility that they could they could pull ahead of Mozilla/Webkit/Opera within a couple years.

    --
    Business. Numbers. Money. People. Computer World.
  58. The title of this article is complete bullshit! by PincusJr · · Score: 1

    I watched the speech yesterday, and saying Ballmer is "interested" in an Free/OS browser engine is complete bullshit. The title of this article is simply misleading. It should be changed. For starters, the woman who asked the question (they were not her questions) said she though the question was a bit "cheeky". Ballmer then repeated what she said basically, and then said he doesn't know what cheeky means, and suggested another word in replacement of cheeky. He went on to say that he is happy/confident with his IE8 developers. This article makes Slashdot look bad.

  59. Re:MEMO TO RACIST AC: by Duncan+Blackthorne · · Score: 1

    *shrug* I dunno, what that AC said makes at least as much sense as the AC he's calling out, and there's the added bonus that the AC he's calling out is likely so ignorant in the first place, that he'd actually believe that's true. Either way, can't see how everyone else can lose out here. ;-)

  60. So Balmer is "interested" in Open Source... by rwyoder · · Score: 1

    ...just as fleas are "interested" in dogs.

  61. Re:MEMO TO RACIST AC: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    OP never stated specifics, I went broad since its was broad in referencing disloyalty to country.
    -Cole, on laptop, too lazy to sign in or get on desktop to post as nonAC

  62. Re:The third "E". The other browser. by bofh29a · · Score: 1

    Emasculate?

  63. not funny, it's telling by roman_mir · · Score: 2

    it just means that many people don't like MS and don't trust it and don't want it. I am one of those people

  64. Wont happen by kno3 · · Score: 1

    At least not for a long time. He may say that he is interested, but its not something he or anybody else high up at MS is likely to push.

  65. IE tab for linux? by kno3 · · Score: 1

    If this does happen, does it mean that we could see IE tab in Linux?

  66. Balmer is 'OSS-aware' by Qbertino · · Score: 1

    Balmer, being the crazy nutcase original that he is, has actually acknowledged OSS achievements in the past and - for a MS exec - is quite aware of what it going on in OSS. After all, the newer Windows UIs perpetually copy the better ideas from KDE, so there has to be some awarness.
    Between him and BG I suspect he'd be more likeley to admit when it's time to move from shrinkwrap software to services, allthough he still doesn't even mention that in public.

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
    1. Re:Balmer is 'OSS-aware' by HermMunster · · Score: 1

      They just want someone else to write their code so they can profit far and wide.

      --
      You can lead a man with reason but you can't make him think.
  67. Seriously by dexomn · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Balmer throwing chairs is better PR than letting him actually speak to people in public.

  68. Re:Mod parent up hate isn't funny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, I'm sure iIf you talk about how much he pisses you off, he'll probably realise that his behavior is not appreciated and go away. Deep down, all the "Nigger Service Manual" troll and in fact all trolls want is for everyone to have a laugh and have their day brightened just a little bit, but knowing how mad he's making everyone will let him know he should try something different. So I'm sure if everybody posts about how much they hate him (and hate itself), it will make this troll realise that nobody is in the least bit concerned about what he is doing and that he's not having an affect on anyone. Right on.

    By the way, sarcasm isn't the lowest form of humour, "nigger" jokes are.

  69. Ballmet "Interested" In Open Source OS Kernel by mebrahim · · Score: 1

    'Why is Windows still relevant and why is it worth spending money on OS kernels when there are open source ones available that can respond to changes in computer world faster?,' asked a young developer to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in Tehran yesterday. 'That's cheeky, but a good question, but cheeky,' Ballmer said. Then came the startling revelation that Microsoft may also adopt an open source OS kernel. 'Open source is interesting,' he said. 'Novell has embraced Linux and we may look at that, but we will continue to build extensions for Windows 7.'

  70. Well spotted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You may have hit the nail on the head there. Just as microsoft doesn't have to care about the windows platform (linux, OS X) so much if they own the .NET platform and encourage everyone to use it before windows dies, so they don't have to worry about the browser, if they get everyone using silverlight. So, as you say, it would make a lot of sense to drop their investment in html browsers, and just focus on a silverlight plugin on top.

  71. Re:The third "E". The other browser. by atraintocry · · Score: 1

    Isn't that's sort of what they tried to do with ActiveX, Active Channels, MSJVM, etc? You say you were at the conference so maybe you can point out some of the differences in approach.

    My 2c: I think they might be underestimating the pressure on content creators to reach the common denominator, technology-wise. Obviously you're going to consider using newer or proprietary technologies if it outweighs the downside of losing potential eyeballs. But how often is that worth it? I think Microsoft.com is still the only website that I'm regularly at that can use Silverlight. I'm sure it's growing, but if it was IE-only people might have just laughed it away.

    Web devs were willing to code/design for a specific stack when there wasn't any other option. ECMAScript is getting to the point now where I really have to wonder what serious value an all-MS approach can offer vs. the usual LAMP + PHP + JS stew. Maybe it can speed things up on the development side (big maybe, considering the newer options: Django, RoR...), but again, isn't losing eyeballs too much to pay for quicker development?

    The stuff you can do with .NET and IE in terms of publishing networked apps is pretty slick, but I just can't see anyone lining up to do those sorts of things when the target audience is the internet at large rather than an office building.

    Maybe they do get it, but they're too big of a company to fundamentally change their strategy on this. I always hesitate to call Microsoft dumb. I'm sure there's no shortage of talent there. So I'm wondering what specifically is different this time around. What's in the pipeline that's so enticing that people won't flinch at tying themselves to a specific vendor?

  72. Re: could call it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    or suppository.

  73. Cheeky? by justkeeper · · Score: 1

    Does Ballmer even know what's cheekiness?

  74. New Title for Ballmer? by xactuary · · Score: 1

    Chair Man of the Borg.

    --
    Say hello to my little sig.
  75. WTF by hesaigo999ca · · Score: 1

    It's already here Steve....its called Firefox....get a life man!

  76. Circumventing the GPL on libraries, 101 by jonaskoelker · · Score: 1

    And even if the rendering engines were GPL'ed, you could write an RPC wrapper daemon and call the library's services thruogh a socket. Batch calls if you can, to minimize the number of ctx switches.

    Depending on what the library does, this may or may not be prohibitive. Talk to the disk? No problem. Do a single dot product? You're dead; look at compiz drawing a window while resizing it, and count the ctx switches.

  77. Why is Windows still relevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Why is Windows still relevant and why is it worth spending money on operating systems when there are open source ones available that can respond to changes in standards faster?"

    "That's cheeky, but a good question, but cheeky," Ballmer said.

    Indeed it is. If I was a Microsoft share holder I would want to know why Microsoft is sinking so much money into its own operating system when there are others available for free. ...
    Ballmer began his answer philosophically, saying Microsoft will need to look at what the OS is like in the future and, if there is no innovation around them, which he thinks is "likely", Microsoft may still need its own OS because of proprietary extensions that broaden its functionality.

  78. Re:The third "E". The other browser. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This doesn't make sense. How will Microsoft beat the Standards body whose input and decision is based on a large source where Microsoft's is only based from their own product users? Microsoft by this nature will continue to fall away from the mainstream if their strategy is lock-ins. They must be in some fairy tail world cushioned by their billions of dollars in revenue from their lock-in OS.

  79. cheeky? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When you're CEO of a publicly traded company, it's not cheeky to ask you why you're spending money on a product that could be freely replaced by something better.

  80. COMMUNIST pedigree revealed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I did know... Ballmer is a communist!!
    You don't mislead me with your Cadillac and with your yatch, no :D

  81. NO To Microsoft by HermMunster · · Score: 1

    We desire far less to have Microsoft's code in open source products. Microsoft is not an open source implementor. Microsoft is an opened source museum. You can't take their code to other platforms. With the threats of lawsuits against any user of Linux over the alleged 235+ patent violations, the open source community with impunity and with all imperativeness should shun any contribution by Microsoft. Any Microsoft involvement is a tainting of the water so to speak.

    The goal of Open Source is to create an environment where none have to fear the likes of Microsoft and their proprietard ways of life. The Open Source community will move forward on its own with adequate time given.

    This is a just say no to Microsoft imperative. Shortly after the time they announced the threats to everyone over the 235+ patents one notable party at Microsoft stated that 2008 was the year of the death of Open Source. What that means is that they fundamentally had their plans laid out to destroy Open Source, most likely through embrace, extend, extinguish.

    NO to Microsoft means no to this type of decrepit deceit of those that care about having a choice and being free of the encumbrances and lock ins from MS.

    The Open Source community created and has perfected webkit. To have Microsoft implement it is the embrace part. Not to mention they are the largest profiteer of software on the planet. As a consequence they can afford to fix their own product and have no need to have other unpaid contributors produce code for them to make more profit.

    In order to win one must be willing to fight the hard fight and endure. One can not long endure if they do not understand that once Microsoft embraces this they will extend it (just like they tried to do with Java). Any extension will kill the product finally by extinguishing Open Source actual efforts because Microsoft will have taken control. This is no different than what they did with OOXML to Open Doc--why use Open Doc when the rest of the world uses OOXML?

    --
    You can lead a man with reason but you can't make him think.
  82. I just hope by NuSkooler · · Score: 1

    They don't choose a terribad license. Anyway, why not just help out with existing superior projects? :)

  83. HEAR ME by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I CAnnOT TAkE A FUcKInG JoKE, I'M ReTArDED

  84. Why is parent +5 informative? by RichiH · · Score: 1

    It should be +5 insightful. Sheesh, can't you get anything right?

  85. Windows + IE = Illegal by mahadiga · · Score: 1

    Windows = Closed source from Microsoft
    IE = Closed source from Microsoft

    Microsoft has acknowledged that IE has reused Windows Kernel Source Code.
    And Netscape is denied and deprived of reusing Windows Kernel Source Code.

    Isn't this illegal?

    --
    I'd like to buy homeland for our 10 million people. http://twitter.com/mahadiga
  86. AC shame? by mrraven · · Score: 1

    If you aren't ashamed of what you are posting, why are you posting AC? And yes I think you have a right to post AC and would even defend that right, but OTH an AC post generally indicates shame IMO.

    --
    Tired of all the isms, don't exploit people as an employer, or a government, mmmmK?