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back to article Microsoft copies Google with silent browser updates

Internet Explorer is about to do more than just look like Chrome - it'll silently update on your PC just like Google's browser, too. Microsoft in January will start rolling out auto updates moving you to the latest edition of IE available for your machine's operating system. Platforms covered are Windows XP, Windows Vista and …

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        1. fzz
          Reply Icon

          For the Bean Counters

          For most business users it'd be Impress able to replace PowerPoint that would be the big selling point. Calc may be used by many people, but most of its capabilities are untapped, just like Excel.

          For the real quants, better integration between R and gnumeric would be sufficient grounds to ditch Excel. Unless one lusts after coditional formatting eye candy.

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  2. b166er

    Mr_Happy, why can't you get them all on 7 Pro and use the XP VM for your legacy stuff?

    It's really not a good idea to be using IE6 anywhere near the internet (never was).

    Same can't be said of IE9, which is in fact a great browser.

    <opinion>

    IE9, great for plugins, compatibility and low memory usage

    Chrome, great for speed and low memory usage, poor for compatibility

    Firefox, poor memory management, good for compatibility, improving again

    </opinion>

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  3. Ken Hagan Gold badge

    How is this different?

    So if you need to have opted-in (by enabling AU) and you can refuse and you can go back later if you change your mind ... in what sense are these "silent updates"?

    Is it just that new versions of IE will henceforth be labelled as "critical" rather than "recommended". If so, then I'm not sure it will actually change anything. There can't be anyone still using IE6 or IE7 who isn't aware that IE8 is there if they want it. Presumably, then, everyone who might be picked up by this modest change has already opted-out.

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  4. eulampios

    Carthage and microsoft

    >>With IE only working on Windows,

    Yes, it is not new and is well known that MS makes products for their operating system only. Not that I miss any of it, I almost never use Windows actually, unless have to remove a malware from or fix slow Windows on a friend's PC . Not that I consider it's worth using... Not that MS HAS to have it available for other OS's. Not that it is very hard to have it available. Consider most free and open software, it is almost always crossplatform.

    Well, when you see that the company almost always tries to circumvent, trample and tamper with the IT fundamentals, like the principle of madularity, simplicity and crossplatformity, saying nothing about morality, you get the picture of it. Hence more reason for the disgust and hatred... Sic, ceterum censeo, Microsoftum de Redmondo deledndam esse

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  5. Penguin herder
    Linux

    Yawn...

    More breaking changes that are forced, or at best, optional only on an opt-out basis. I would be really concerned about this, *if* I were still running Windows for more than a couple of legacy systems.

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  6. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. Andrew 59
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      I hate Chrome because this loop never finishes...

      <!script

      for (i=1;i==0;i-=1)

      {

      alert (i);

      }

      script!>

      Most browsers work fine, but Chrome does weird things.

      Simple maths fail.

      Also, Google is evil and their software won't respect what MSConfig tells it to do.

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  7. gujiguju

    Chrome = IE6

    While Chrome has made some browser advances -- just as IE6 did back when it was current, Google's shameless illegal-tying to their own sites and dragging their feet with the other majors, including Opera, is ugly... (Ever tried doing a weather search in the pathetic Android, unChrome browser? Notice no slider in Opera Mobile or iOS Safari?)

    With 90% monopoly search share, when will dozing regulators wake up...? (I guess all that Google lobby money in Washington is paying off...)

    Meet the New Boss, same as the Old Boss.

    www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2397158,00.asp

    4 4
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      @gujiguju - Not quite correct.

      You search with Google because either you want it or you need good search results. However, you should face the truth that nobody is forcing you to type www.ggogle.com in your address bar. The same way I remove Bing,as a search provider from both IE and Firefox, you can do it with Google. If you don't know, ask here and we can help but don't tell us you're being forced by Google to use its searching engine.

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      1. Goat Jam
        Reply Icon
        Windows

        In Fact

        When you first install Chrome it asks you which search engine you want as default.

        IIRC your options are Google (goog), Bing(msft) or Yahoo(msft) so actually 2 of the three options you are given are for MS provided search.

        Does IE give you such a choice? No, no it doesn't, you have to deliberately figure out how to switch to Google.

        Despite MS illegally leveraging their monopolies* (Windows->IE->Bing), Google still has the highest market share.

        I think that says something about what people actually want despite the whining coming from Redmond and their hordes of sycophants.

        * IE is less a monopoly than it once was, despite it still benefiting from being prominently installed on every mandatory installation of MS monopoly OS. That also says something about what people actually want.

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        1. Anonymous Coward
          Reply Icon
          Anonymous Coward

          @AC - Out of interest why do you remove Bing?

          -

          @Goat Jam - IE does give a browser search choice, I just ran through a Chrome install and it didn't. Either way Microsoft v Google is not Bad Buys v Good Guys.

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  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What about enterprise web apps...

    ...designed for ie6?

    Do they not risk bricking or at least severely damaging a lot of customers' systems?

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    1. DJV Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Happy

      Hopefully!

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  9. FozzyBear
    Happy

    Damn

    When I read the title and grab for the story I had a glimmer of hope that Micro$lop were finally dumping IE in favour of a better Web browser (Chrome, Firefox). The next second my medication kicked in and I realised how fanciful that hope was.

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  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I hate IE, Chrome and Safari

    Firefox is ok (so far). Not a big fan of Opera, but I don't hate it.

    Anything Google or MS does is always suspicious too me....I don't trust those two at all.

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  11. petur
    FAIL

    Content-driven desktop?

    "You can see a list of pinned sites here and see the kind of rich, content-driven desktop idea Microsoft had in mind here."

    Which is why, on windows 7, you can no longer have webpages integrated in the desktop (active desktop). It certainly pissed off my father (I'm on linux & I'm fine with screenlets)

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  12. veti Silver badge
    WTF?

    I'm wondering... How exactly is this update going to be pushed out? That is - of all those computers out there still running IE6, how many even have Windows Updates switched on?

    I'm sure MS has an idea of the answer to that, but I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere.

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  13. P. Lee
    FAIL

    Silent Updates

    It's all fun and games until you check your 3G data usage...

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  14. bobdobbs
    FAIL

    silent brick wall

    Older versions of Windows are being limited to outdated versions of IE? Even when they're ripping something off they can't get it right!

    Expecting users to shell out and upgrade their OS just so they can break through the IE upgrade glass ceiling will push even more of them into the arms of Google and their ilk.

    With stupid (Windows-cash-cow protecting) restrictions like this, they'll never stop the user-base bleed to Chrome.

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  15. tempemeaty
    Pirate

    Nothing like a big company violating your computer

    So your runS a number graphic progys and such, the software is stable, coexisting and then the big brother decides it's their computer not yours and forces software updates on your computer. Suddenly a good stable running situation is borked. Some of your programs are unstable and big brother has ruined your software tools working together with this. Who owns your computer? You or them?

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  16. Mage Silver badge
    Boffin

    "pin" to Task bar?

    Umm.. you can save a web link and have it on your task bar in XP. It then opens with a single click in the default ("any") Browser.

    So how is IE9 and the Apple clone Win7 taskbar pin better?

    In fact I suspect you can do similar on ANY OS and Browser actually modern enough to be usable on the Internet safely (XP is over 10 years old).

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    1. Ben Tasker
      Reply Icon
      Stop

      I was wondering that too, surely it's just a shortcut to a URL? I'm not sure I'm aware of a properly configured OS/Browser combination that can't do that.

      Are we missing something, or is it just MS spin on a 'feature' that's not actually new?

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      1. Fuzz
        Reply Icon

        pinning to taskbar is slightly different

        In Windows 7 the buttons on the taskbar act as shortcuts to the programs and also the way of selecting open programs. If you pin a site to the taskbar then this indicator is moved to the location of your pin. It's quite useful if you use several web based applications, by default they are all grouped under the IE button on the taskbar together with any other website you have open. Selecting one with the mouse involves hovering over the button and choosing the correct tab from the ones that pop up. If you have aero glass you do this using thumbnails (peak) if you have no aero glass you are stuck with the page titles.

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  17. Wensleydale Cheese

    Windows update tried to make me miss my train this week

    Time for home.

    "Do not switch off your computer" it said.

    Nuts to that, I ain't missing my train.

    (though in fact the relevant instance was in a VM, so I simply suspended it)

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  18. KirstarK

    I hate chrome and its spyware.

    I f***ing hate ie9. I like ie8. I have blocked the update to ie9 on my systems because of this.

    I like firefox 8 and use it and ie8 all the time.

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  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Really?

    "With IE only working on Windows, however, the idea is that IE gives you one more reason to buy Windows"

    People who use IE don't know what a browser is, its just "teh intar web button". Similarly they don't choose Windows, its just what comes on the machine.

    1 1
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      B*llocks mate!

      The same could be said of Safari on Mac, Firefox in linux (shipped on a lot of netbooks). While you are generally right, I actually prefer IE because I get to choose when I update the sodding thing.

      For me, Firefox always seems to choose the *least* convenient time to update; I'll want to show someone something, or quickly check cinema times and rush out... "PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE UPDATE! - GRRRR!

      Yes, I have these disabled on my own machine, but I tend to use a lot of other peoples machines, where changing their settings is considered impolite.

      So, while many people will no doubt shoot me down in flames and extol the many benefits of Firefox with Adblock etc etc, the fact remains that some of us that do actually know what a browser is are happy with IE and perfectly capable of updating the damn thing when WE want to.

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      1. Wensleydale Cheese
        Reply Icon

        Firefox updating at the least convenient time

        "For me, Firefox always seems to choose the *least* convenient time to update; I'll want to show someone something, or quickly check cinema times and rush out... "PLEASE WAIT WHILE WE UPDATE! - GRRRR!"

        Yes, I've had that with Firefox and it is indeed annoying. I've seen it do that right in the middle of other folks' presentations too.

        Though with the flavours of Linux I use the latest Firefox comes with a bundled software update which you can apply when _you_ decide to.

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  20. Grease Monkey Silver badge

    In the space of three paragraphs you neatly contradicted yourself there. First you say that holdouts will be booted up to the latest version.

    Then you say "You won't be forced to move, if you've deliberately decided old is your thing."

    They can't both be true can they.

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  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bosses reaction: "Well it won't affect us because IT lock down our systems."

    I probably shouldn't complain about guaranteed money but when the end of the month comes and they want to know where £1.2m of web development went I might point and say "supporting fecculant IT depts that think paying it's ok to spend hundreds of thousands securing a network and VPN only to leave IE6 and Lotus Notes installed on it like a gaping hole in the office wall"

    -and if you're a manager, consider the salary IE6 support costs. It's only 'kin necesarry because you don't have the balls to stand up to an admin who is your EMPLOYEE and is clearly doing a bad job.

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  22. squilookle
    Happy

    I use Chrome for my day to day browsing, Firefox and IE8 (at work) and IE9 (at home) for testing.

    I think to an extent, whatever Microsoft do with IE, the name is tainted and is going to conjure up negative images for a while. They might be able to fix this by releasing a few really good versions that get positive press and reviews and make us forget about IE 6 - 7, but it is not going to happen overnight.

    In the mean time, I actually think smart phones and tablets will hurt IE, simply by making some users realise that the blue E and Internet Explorer != the internet. If they can get on the Internet in different ways on those devices, then why not on the desktops as well...

    Personally, if they can release a few really good versions of IE, I will consider moving to it. I'm not loyal to any one browser and have used IE, Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Konqueror as my main browser at various times in my life - whichever suits my needs best at the time.

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  23. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Will it update itself? Without admin rights?

    Not even Chrome dared this, you must visit the about link first.

    If IE manages to update itself silently without admin rights... (shudder)

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    1. Wensleydale Cheese
      Reply Icon

      Will it update itself? Without admin rights?

      It certainly can if the system has been set up to allow non-privileged users to apply Windows Update patches.

      But speaking of non-privileged accounts, both Firefox and Opera had problems with these until this year.

      In my experience, from a non-privileged account Firefox wouldn't even let you check to see if an update was available , while Opera would try to apply the update and fail.

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  24. yossarianuk

    Doesn't I.E have hooks embedded in the whole OS ? - slient updates potentially brake your OS

    Unlike Firefox and Chome I.E has deep hooks in your OS (as far as i'm aware). so couldn't a (bad) silent update break your entire system?

    At least if a silent update broke Chrome/Firefox/Opera at least you change browser - you can't if your OS suddenly becomes un-bootable

    Hey I could be wrong, I avoid anything MS.

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  25. b166er

    @AC 10:18

    We're always remoting to people's desktops, and the ones that are using IE, have named their desktop shortcut 'The Internet' lol

    The Internet, there's an app for that

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  26. Steve 76
    Black Helicopters

    IE? What's that for?

    I should be outraged, but then I never use IE and find a good fire wall can block any MS traffic.

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  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    there's no reason anybody should still be on IE6?

    There is if your internal site doesn't work on anything else and you can't be bothered to fix it!

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    1. Gordon Fecyk
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      "Can't be bothered to fix it" is your fault, not Microsoft's

      http://www.antiwindowscatalog.com/?mode=rant&id=63

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  28. Doug Glass
    Go

    DILLIGAFF

    More crap about more crap that 99% of the world's computer users don't give a shite about.

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  29. accountant
    Mushroom

    Google Chrome wins

    Chrome works with Google Apps for Business.

    IE9 on Win7x64+antivirus takes more than 10 seconds to launch; on the same machine, Chrome is instant (<1 sec).

    Enough said.

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  30. Bob. Hitchen
    FAIL

    Don't use IE except on the rare occasions when I needed to re-download chrome. I'm waiting for the first mega cluster F where a silent update kills or severely disables boxes worldwide: It isn't like MS have a perfect record. I don't use firefox since it's such a memory hog. I use to but chrome meets my needs. Windows XP OK for games but these days little else and it will run most older games. I might just disable the network period and just use XP for that.

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