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A new Microsoft browser?

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Re: A new Microsoft browser?

#31

Post by userbinator »

gosukiwi wrote: post #20
nawazdhandala wrote: post #10

I actually think Microsoft is re-branding IE rather than completely rewriting it.

Rumors say it's the same rendering and javascript engine but the UI will get more similar to Chrome and FF and there'll be extensions. Also yeah no backwards compatibility it seems, and more regular updates. Sounds good to me.

but the UI will get more similar to Chrome and FF

I don't think this is a good thing at all. People choose to use different browsers partly because they have different UIs, and UI changes are particularly jarring as evidenced by all the "I'll use browser Y" complaints when browser X changes something about their UI... only to be followed later by "I'll use browser X" when Y changes. There's no longer any real choice, it's just an illusion of choosing between narrowing alternatives.

Especially to see browsers' UI turning into clones of Chrome is sad, since I personally hate the "hide everything away that could possibly confuse users" and the associated "treat users like idiots" mentality that's particularly prevalent in browsers today. IE is one of the few browsers remaining that had relatively more UI, but I'm not surprised to see it disappearing... the trend seems to be to turn browsers into glorified televisions, with UIs like this one: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8670503

Re: A new Microsoft browser?

#32

Post by sharkweek »

Encosia wrote: post #23
s_extra_s wrote: post #4

It's a good idea to create a new browser that updates automatically every few weeks like chrome rather than IE, which normally can't update automatically because of corporate policies.

IE has been automatically updating for a while now.

Yes but... I used to work for a large financial institution that wouldn't let any of us do anything to our computers so we were all stuck with outdated IE that didn't update itself automatically

Re: A new Microsoft browser?

#33

Post by brink »

beaner wrote: post #27
ynniv wrote: post #26

Recently the news broke that Microsoft may be working on another browser instead of IE. After reviewing the available evidence I’ve come to the conclusion that, although Microsoft is making a few adjustments, and a name change for IE might be a good idea, the new browser will essentially be IE12. Still, I think we web developers should support the “new browser” narrative. This is how you start an article. I didn't re…

Why? I don't get anything particularly insightful at all from this snippet.

I think that he means that there's no storytelling cruft that just fills paragraphs and wastes time. It's short, concise and rich in information.

Re: A new Microsoft browser?

#34

Post by Animats »

UnoriginalGuy wrote: post #28
wideroots wrote: post #22

I will give it a try if the new browser no longer supports ActiveX and has better extension supports similar to Chrome.

ActiveX isn't a major concern, in current IE if you look in the security tab in the Internet context, it is pretty locked down and damn near depreciated. Intranet is more liberal. But a lot of enterprises add their internal portals to the trusted list if they still depend on ActiveX (as a depressingly large number do). Chrome and Firefox's extensions are better. Although Firefox's extension model is a little clunky d…

Chrome and Firefox's extensions are better. Although Firefox's extension model is a little clunky due to how old it is.

New-style "Jetpack" add-ons in Firefox and add-ons in Chrome are very similar. I have the same add-on for both platforms, and there's about 80% code commonality. If Microsoft does something reasonably similar, that would be convenient for add-on developers.

Re: A new Microsoft browser?

#35

Post by rictic »

brink wrote: post #33
beaner wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? I don't get anything particularly insightful at all from this snippet.

I think that he means that there's no storytelling cruft that just fills paragraphs and wastes time. It's short, concise and rich in information.

Yeah, the first paragraph summarized the entire article, which is incredibly respectful of the reader's time. Presumably many sites intentionally leave this out in order to maximize revenue and "engagement."

Re: A new Microsoft browser?

#36

Post by benaiah »

parag_c_mehta wrote: post #30
UnoriginalGuy wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ActiveX isn't a major concern, in current IE if you look in the security tab in the Internet context, it is pretty locked down and damn near depreciated. Intranet is more liberal. But a lot of enterprises add their internal portals to the trusted list if they still depend on ActiveX (as a depressingly large number do). Chrome and Firefox's extensions are better. Although Firefox's extension model is a little clunky d…

Yes but a good browser with Chrome's features will be a great alternative. Right now Chrome has become a big memory hog and is slowly going to competition with old IE.

If you're having memory problems with Chrome, check to see if you have AdBlock Pro installed - it often results in vast amounts of additional memory required for Chrome[0]. I recommend µBlock[1] if you're using Chrome - it works quite well in my experience.

[0]: http://www.extremetech.com/computing/182428-ironic-iframes-a... [1]: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/%C2%B5block/cjpalh...

Re: A new Microsoft browser?

#37

Post by MichaelGG »

wideroots wrote: post #22

I will give it a try if the new browser no longer supports ActiveX and has better extension supports similar to Chrome.

Lack of an addon architecture is what completely killed IE for me. No adblock is a no-go. (It's also the non-idealogical reason I use FF on Android: Chrome is locked down.)

Re: A new Microsoft browser?

#38

Post by MichaelGG »

frozenport wrote: post #9
ChrisNorstrom wrote: post #2

At this point, Microsoft has pulled the plug on so many of its products & services over the years that developers and users are cautiously avoiding everything it puts out. Even if it's good. From Zune (iPod competitor), to Kin, to Origami (small touchscreen laptop), to Games for Windows Live (steam competitor), to Live.com (google competitor v1), Bing.com (google compeititor v2), Expo (craigslist competitor), whats-i…

>>Windows Phone Hey! When did Windows Phone die?

Probably referring to Windows Mobile. The platform that came out of nowhere, killed Palm and got total PDA/smartphone dominance... then suffered the IE fate because terrible management decided to remove resources since they had "won".

Not everyone remembers, but it was viewed as near-impossible to dethrone Palm, but inside of what, 5 years?, MS had Palm selling WM devices.

Re: A new Microsoft browser?

#39

Post by vcjohnson »

MichaelGG wrote: post #37
wideroots wrote: post #22

I will give it a try if the new browser no longer supports ActiveX and has better extension supports similar to Chrome.

Lack of an addon architecture is what completely killed IE for me. No adblock is a no-go. (It's also the non-idealogical reason I use FF on Android: Chrome is locked down.)

Pretty sure IE has an adblock extension

Re: A new Microsoft browser?

#40

Post by imarihantnahata »

MichaelGG wrote: post #37
wideroots wrote: post #22

I will give it a try if the new browser no longer supports ActiveX and has better extension supports similar to Chrome.

Lack of an addon architecture is what completely killed IE for me. No adblock is a no-go. (It's also the non-idealogical reason I use FF on Android: Chrome is locked down.)

Adblock for IE: https://adblockplus.org/releases/adblock-plus-12-for-interne...
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