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IE8 Released As Critical Update For XP
Binestar was one of several readers writing in to note that Microsoft is listing IE8 as a critical update to Windows XP. CNet reported a couple of weeks back that Microsoft would be rolling our IE8 to users in a gradual fashion, and requiring an opt-in before installing it. Opinion has been split as to whether IE8 is worth installing or not. Binestar notes delicately, "For those not interested in upgrading to IE8 at this time, the MSDN released information back in January on how to keep IE8 off your machine."
> IE6 has some root code that is insecure and patching is merely chasing the tail of the dragon when it comes to security exploits.
You haven't been paying attention to the way Microsoft works, have you? This has been typical for .... ummm .... as far as I can remember. Ship first, patch later and frequently.
Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
You do know the story from Iraq, right? Saddam's people were setting up anti-aircraft posts just under the walls of culturally important sites, so that attacking the posts would damage the mosques etc. The mean RAF (and I guess USAF) took to dropping training bombs on them. These were non-explosive and made of concrete but could take out an anti-aircraft post nicely. Iraq complained under the Geneva Convention which bans the use of "unconventional weapons".
I know that story... some guy with a deep, powerful voice says "You can run to the far reaches of the wilderness, you can hide behind treasured works of humanity, you can hide behind women and children, but we're not going to stop dropping bombs from the sky no matter what you do. That's the way we roll."
Then people die in droves, like an ants nest doused in gasoline by an abused child.
That was a great story, that one...
-1 Uncomfortable Truth
Yeah, whatever. Debating with unrepentant war criminals and listening to their empty justifications... that's a productive way to spend my time...
Go catch the swine flu.
-1 Uncomfortable Truth
They are manipulating things here. That much is clear. They have a pattern of manipulation.
Start with the WGA/WGN tools they use to spy on you and track your IP and Win Product Key. They began in Asia and after success there brought it here claiming that since they accepted it in Asia we should accept it here. Right. Then they were sued because no one wanted it, and because they made it a critical update. But they didn't say to the users that they were installing a piece of software that spies on them. The state of Washington, Texas and others sued them so they took it off their site. They later changed it to bring up a dialog box that informed you that it was being installed and you could opt out. Then they removed that and began to install it again without giving you notice.
If you are quick to notice it in the critical updates you'll see you can uncheck the box and it will prompt you to not see it again. Which you don't, but they update it periodically. That then means that you will have to be prompted again and if you think you have already made yourself safe from spying by Microsoft you may not notice the program.
Then they went in cahoots with AVG who began to mark the removewga.exe program as malware and refused to let it run and began to remove it from the computers without telling you.
Continue on you can find Silverlight, which is their response to Adobe Flash. It isn't a critical update but you can't turn off the prompt to install it. Every other one can be. In other words, you can go to any update and flag it so that you don't get prompted to install it again, and it will work, except for Silverlight. Microsoft wants this on your computer badly because they want a product as widely distributed as flash.
Nonetheless, it is not a good thing to continue to prompt someone to install a product they have stated they don't want.
As far as IE 8 goes, it is a very problematic install. It has wrought havoc across the line with messing up people's access to the net. It certainly is not a critical update yet they put it in critical updates, just like the WGA/WGN.
With that sort of attitude I would not recommend it because you never know what they are sending back to Microsoft (that which violates your privacy or reports back product keys, what you are doing, etc.)
Let's not forget to mention that IE8 is not a product that conforms to industry standards and it is exceptionally slow. It also attempts to obfuscate the choice for search providers hoping consumers will be so confused they just choose the default.
You can lead a man with reason but you can't make him think.