MS abandons pre-XP users
p2pnet.net News:- If ever you needed a good, solid excuse excuse beyond the legions of security ‘difficulties’ to switch from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer to another browser such as Firefox or Opera, you now have it.
In spades.
“Microsoft this week reiterated that it would keep the new version of Microsoft’s IE Web browser available only as part of the recently released Windows XP operating system, Service Pack 2. The upgrade to XP from any previous Windows versions is $99 when ordered from Microsoft. Starting from scratch, the operating system costs $199,” according to CNET News.
“The Internet’s security mess has proved profitable for many companies, particularly antivirus firms,” says the story, continuing that by refusing to offer IE’s security upgrades to users of older operating systems except through paid upgrades to XP, “Microsoft may be turning the lemons of its browser’s security reputation into the lemonade of a powerful upgrade selling point”.
Say no more.
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See:-
switch – Microsoft to secure IE for XP only, CNETÂ News, September 23, 1004
September 23rd, 2004 at 6:23 pm
Yep, and I’ve already started upgrading all my systems from Windows os’es to linux.. Thx for the helping push Microsoft – I now only run one windows box (for games), can I have a refund for your defective software now? I’d hope so, since every other business in the world would be expected to work with their customers over problem software they sold….without charging $150/hr to talk to them too… *sighs* I wont hold my breath on any of that though.
_-Jile-_
September 23rd, 2004 at 7:05 pm
That sour lemon really fits. I can’t stop laughing.
Is that a p2pnet original?
September 23rd, 2004 at 8:02 pm
Yep. I try to do the pix : )
Cheers!
September 24th, 2004 at 2:50 am
Considering you only need msie for windows update and for added vulnerability, Firefox or mozilla are the way to go.
As for removing IE, MS has time and again been proven a complete and utter LIAR with regards to the “impossibility” of removing MSIE.
For those interested in hardening their already paid for older versions of Winodws, go to this site and find out how to remove IE:
http://litepc.com/
September 24th, 2004 at 9:48 pm
I have Win2k and that’s as far as I’m going. I would’ve probably moved over to Linux by now had it not been for two things: Shareaza only runs on Windows and I couldn’t find a distro that’d work with my winmodem. I won’t be moving to XP, or any future M$ OS’s, unless I’m forced to change by any lack of W2k supporting software, in which case I’ll probably move over to Linux anyway.
When it comes to web browsing, Firefox is my main tool. I still have IE installed but only ever for site development purposes.
I can’t wait for the rest of the world to catch up and dump IE. I’ve often discovered some code I write works very well in Firefox, and other browsers, but IE usually manages to mess something up. I can often solve the problem by sticking in extra attributes but then the page doesn’t validate. Perhaps I should just not bother to support IE at all?