back to article Google targets Internet Explorer shops with Chrome admin controls

Google had rolled out IT admin controls for deploying and configuring its Chrome browser across business networks. On Wednesday morning, the company unveiled an MSI installer for deploying Chrome on Windows, Mac, and Linux machines, and it beefed up the increasingly-popular browser with support for managed group policies and …

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  1. The BigYin

    Oi! Mozilla!

    "it beefed up the increasingly-popular browser with support for managed group policies and authentication protocols"

    ***WAKE UP!***

  2. Alastair 7

    I don't understand...

    ...why MS hasn't provided an "IE6 frame". We've heard time and time again that companies are not upgrading because more recent versions of IE break their internal web apps. Absolutely ridiculous, but that's life.

    So why not do exactly what Chrome Frame does and allow you to switch browser engine based on an HTTP header tag? Or maybe a whitelist of sites? Either way, companies still need help moving on from IE6.

    1. TeeCee Gold badge
      WTF?

      Re: I don't understand...

      Too right you don't. It's called "compatibility mode", it's been there for some time and it has every feature you listed!

      I have yet to find anything written for IE6 that couldn't be used with IE8 in backwards-compatible mode (even our shonky old internal crap). There really is no excuse at all for using IE6 these days.

      1. Jordan Davenport

        @TeeCee

        IE8's Compatibility Mode is for IE7 compatibility, not IE6 compatibility. See, IE7 didn't follow standards either. IE8 defaults to a fairly standards-compliant mode that actually lets the browser pass the Acid2 test (not that that should be a real judgment of standards compliance). Running IE6 itself, either virtualized or not, is the only thing Microsoft offers for legacy support. They DO offer Expression Web SuperPreview which can render pages using IE6's engine, but that is for debugging only and cannot be used as a proper web browser.

    2. xenny

      eltiT

      MS have provided an IE6 frame; it is the XP mode in Win 7 Pro. Not as elegant as the way google has done it, but that's not hugely surprising, they want to encourage migration to IE8+ and Windows 7 after all.

      Kudos to what google have done, it makes my life easier, and my users potentially more secure.

  3. homercycles
    Thumb Up

    Puts them ahead of Firefox, I have to admit

    Packaing and deploying Firefox for a corporate install is a pain in the neck, but was worth doing to avoid IE or at least give users a choice. It's good to see Google are taking the needs of enterprises seriously, unlike Mozilla, I'm sorry to say.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Fair enough

    However I can't see many taking many risks and using any other browser than IE. there's just too many legacy apps out there to even risk moving away from IE for most companies.

    Our shop found some users had managed to wangle copies of FireFox onto desktops and there was crackdown like no other. FireFox and anything non-IE was purged, a browser cleansing if you will! The useful thing to come of this was that they finally listened to the lowly IT techs who had been asking for tighter controls on security, a full desktop security audit was instigated and we now have much better controls over apps, licensing and security. Downside is, no choice but MS/IE on all desktops.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      its amazing what can slip through the bet

      our systems are undermanaged (only me and a lack of AUP etc to warn the users off) fidding but I got a call from a user who was having trouble accessing a offsite 3rd party CRM system. After a few baffled moments while I tried to imagine their desktop and the location of the menu items on IE I twigged they weren't using IE but FF - a browser which our CRM had not been setup for because we dont use FF.

      then there was the time a user wanted me to help them install itunes so they could activate their personal iphone...

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