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Busting IE8’s Mythbusting

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Re: Busting IE8’s Mythbusting

#21

Post by ZeroGravitas »

snprbob86 wrote: post #2

First: I use Chrome. IE is an awful browser. IE8 is bearable. I think that the advertising campaign that they are using for IE8 is disingenuous and despicable. As a Microsoftie, I'm not proud of it. I'm going to let it slide simply because I want as many people as possible to upgrade from IE 6 and 7. I do, however, believe there are more honest ways to go about it. I think people have found my defensive insight into…

Doesn't IE8 support some of HTML5? Doesn't that make it obvious that the "unfinished" line is total BS to justify strategic standards compliance manouvres?

Note they use the exact same excuse for dodgy ODF in Office and surely no one is gullible enough to believe Microsoft has a sincere desire to deliver on that standard.

Re: Busting IE8’s Mythbusting

#22

Post by zimbabwe »

enra wrote: post #5

I'm almost starting to think that this recent IE8 promotion and "facts" is actually a clever marketing strategy. Just releasing a poor or decent browser doesn't get that much mentions or headlines - but with outrageous claims or even lies you get tenfold mentions in blogosphere and media. It might not be a smart for Microsoft appear as liars but hey, at least people know that IE8 is out.

The media really doesn't care much for web browser competition. Blogs, do, but the blogs that care are the ones read by people who already know IE is bad.

Microsoft isn't doing some clever targeting with this. It's pretty obvious that they're going after ignorant people with an ignorant tactic, and let's face it, they couldn't attract users any other way.

Re: Busting IE8’s Mythbusting

#23

Post by rbanffy »

zimbabwe wrote: post #22
enra wrote: post #5

I'm almost starting to think that this recent IE8 promotion and "facts" is actually a clever marketing strategy. Just releasing a poor or decent browser doesn't get that much mentions or headlines - but with outrageous claims or even lies you get tenfold mentions in blogosphere and media. It might not be a smart for Microsoft appear as liars but hey, at least people know that IE8 is out.

The media really doesn't care much for web browser competition. Blogs, do, but the blogs that care are the ones read by people who already know IE is bad. Microsoft isn't doing some clever targeting with this. It's pretty obvious that they're going after ignorant people with an ignorant tactic, and let's face it, they couldn't attract users any other way.

For them, the best way to attract users is to make OEMs bundle only Windows+IE with computers they sell. Most people don't reinstall the OS or even know what IE is.

Targeting smart people is seldom a smart strategy - they are not as numerous.

Re: Busting IE8’s Mythbusting

#24

Post by mtarnovan »

Microsoft marketing has gone from uninspired and mildly disingenuous to outright pathetic lies.

This should come to no surprise to anyone, they feel the heat building up from multiple directions (the web slowly replacing the OS, apple gaining more and more marketshare, oss quality steadily increasing, drastic measures imposed on them by anti-monopoly organisations in the EU and many more). They face this heat, as noted by multiple commenter above, with their usual embrace/extend/extinguish tactic. Wonder if it will work on HTML5, the stakes are unusually high on that one.

Re: Busting IE8’s Mythbusting

#25

Post by zimbabwe »

rbanffy wrote: post #23
zimbabwe wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The media really doesn't care much for web browser competition. Blogs, do, but the blogs that care are the ones read by people who already know IE is bad. Microsoft isn't doing some clever targeting with this. It's pretty obvious that they're going after ignorant people with an ignorant tactic, and let's face it, they couldn't attract users any other way.

For them, the best way to attract users is to make OEMs bundle only Windows+IE with computers they sell. Most people don't reinstall the OS or even know what IE is. Targeting smart people is seldom a smart strategy - they are not as numerous.

Point. But I was talking about outside of bundling, since I figured it was a given. I'm guessing Microsoft here is trying to retain that hold, at a time when many people download Firefox or Chrome or Safari first thing on bootup.

Re: Busting IE8’s Mythbusting

#26

Post by rbanffy »

zimbabwe wrote: post #25
rbanffy wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For them, the best way to attract users is to make OEMs bundle only Windows+IE with computers they sell. Most people don't reinstall the OS or even know what IE is. Targeting smart people is seldom a smart strategy - they are not as numerous.

Point. But I was talking about outside of bundling, since I figured it was a given. I'm guessing Microsoft here is trying to retain that hold, at a time when many people download Firefox or Chrome or Safari first thing on bootup.

They never engage competition on a level playfield - for them, it's a waste of resources.

Bundling makes a lot of sense because they can deal with ten, at most, clients and have a huge impact on just about every computer user on the planet. Groklaw has an interesting piece on the probable reasons why Asus pulled the plug on their ARM-based netbook and I guess this is their typical behaviour.

Want to bet the net MSN Live Messenger (or, will they call it "Bing messenger"?) will make every search on the system default to Bing?

Playing fair is so strange to their corporate DNA it would provoke a violent allergic reaction.

Re: Busting IE8’s Mythbusting

#27

Post by zimbabwe »

rbanffy wrote: post #26
zimbabwe wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Point. But I was talking about outside of bundling, since I figured it was a given. I'm guessing Microsoft here is trying to retain that hold, at a time when many people download Firefox or Chrome or Safari first thing on bootup.

They never engage competition on a level playfield - for them, it's a waste of resources. Bundling makes a lot of sense because they can deal with ten, at most, clients and have a huge impact on just about every computer user on the planet. Groklaw has an interesting piece on the probable reasons why Asus pulled the plug on their ARM-based netbook and I guess this is their typical behaviour. Want to bet the net MSN L…

Microsoft is stuck in a bad place. I don't doubt they've got some brilliant people working for them, but they made a bunch of tasteless products and now they can't even scrap it all and start again because they have to offer support for all the crap they've made. So they take the only viable path, which is continuing to force crap into crap and making everybody unhappy.

Re: Busting IE8’s Mythbusting

#28

Post by rbanffy »

zimbabwe wrote: post #27
rbanffy wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They never engage competition on a level playfield - for them, it's a waste of resources. Bundling makes a lot of sense because they can deal with ten, at most, clients and have a huge impact on just about every computer user on the planet. Groklaw has an interesting piece on the probable reasons why Asus pulled the plug on their ARM-based netbook and I guess this is their typical behaviour. Want to bet the net MSN L…

Microsoft is stuck in a bad place. I don't doubt they've got some brilliant people working for them, but they made a bunch of tasteless products and now they can't even scrap it all and start again because they have to offer support for all the crap they've made. So they take the only viable path, which is continuing to force crap into crap and making everybody unhappy.

Not everybody.

I won't let them ruin my day.

Re: Busting IE8’s Mythbusting

#29

Post by ersi »

bengtan wrote: post #18
netsp wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft doesn't want IE to render the same as its contemporaries because then you don't need to test on IE anymore, which means you don't need Windows anymore. Are you implying MS are purposely breaking IE in order to sell Windows licences to web developers? How many licenses exactly do you think are on the line here?

There's one here. I'm an Ubuntu user, but I have a paid copy of XP that I use in VMWare so I can test IE6 & 7. EDIT: But I'm probably an outlier.

You could try out "ie4linux" (unofficial, of course) http://www.tatanka.com.br/ies4linux/page/Main_Page

I've heard it's nice, I think it's essential IE files and wine slapped into a pretty package - but I've also heard/seen that you can have several versions of IE for testing stuff out. Might.. be nice. I dunno.

Re: Busting IE8’s Mythbusting

#30

Post by cookiecaper »

ersi wrote: post #29
bengtan wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's one here. I'm an Ubuntu user, but I have a paid copy of XP that I use in VMWare so I can test IE6 & 7. EDIT: But I'm probably an outlier.

You could try out "ie4linux" (unofficial, of course) http://www.tatanka.com.br/ies4linux/page/Main_Page I've heard it's nice, I think it's essential IE files and wine slapped into a pretty package - but I've also heard/seen that you can have several versions of IE for testing stuff out. Might.. be nice. I dunno.

It's illegal to use Internet Explorer without a valid Windows license, even through Wine.
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