Now that the Internet Explorer 9 Beta is out, Redmond is sharing a few more details about the final product. One juicy tidbit they've dropped is that users of Windows XP are boned if they expected to be able to update to the latest and greatest Microsoft browser. According to Microsoft's Ryan Gavin, the company won't be adding IE9's GPU acceleration to IE8, and IE9 won't be available on XP.
During this Windows XP hate-fest, Microsoft reps also took the opportunity to talk up Windows 7. So the picture is clear, If you're still on Windows XP, Microsoft is looking to leave you in the dust bit by bit. About 53% of global PCs are still on Windows XP, many of them in corporate settings. Much of the IE9 hardware acceleration is tied into DirectX 10, which is only officially available on Windows Vista and 7.
By making this move, Microsoft is basically ceding a portion of the market to Firefox and Chrome. If users want advanced web features, that's where they have to go. It's not clear if development of any sort will continue on IE8. Still, using language like this just invites clever users to make IE9 run on whatever they want.
Image via Reuters
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warhenT
September 26, 2010 at 10:46pm
After 2011, no new Ford Rangers could be produced in the United States The light pickup made by Ford has remained essentially unchanged for years. Here is the proof: Ford Ranger will cease production in 2011The pickup used to be one of the best selling light pickups on the market. Ford did not want to mess with a great thing. There can be no longer Rangers following 2011, as Ford has decided to retire the model. The business is deciding to focus instead on the Ecoboost equipped F-150 as the option for a fuel efficient pickup.
w7pro
September 26, 2010 at 10:27pm
Hi there,
XP has been a great and stable platform for a lot of users over the last years. Support for XP SP2 ended July 2010. Reasons aside, the important benefits to users for keeping up to date on your OS should be called out.
What does “end of support mean?” Go here for information http://bit.ly/c1AgE7 . If you're running the 64-bit version of Windows XP with SP2, you have the latest service pack and will continue to be eligible for support and receive updates until April 8, 2014. Regards,
John C. – Windows 7 Professional Outreach Team
Tekzel
September 24, 2010 at 3:52am
" First, to hate on their only REAL stable OS since it's inception,"
I beg to differ. Windows 7 was far more stable than Windows XP at a similar level of development. I ran the RC as my primary OS from when it was released to the general release and never once had a single issue. Since it was released I upgraded a notebook, a netbook, my main quad core machine and this dual core bedroom machine all to Windows 7 and have never once had a single issue that was related to the OS on any one of them. So, they have at least 2 super stable OSes. Windows 7 is superior to XP in every way possible.
Edit: Doh, this was supposed to be a reply to americanparatrooper down below.
drag00n
September 20, 2010 at 5:00am
Well well Microsoft has done it again, For users that just surf the net and email Xp works just fine, if they want more security use Linux you have plenty of options with the many distros. I for one rather use Firefox or chrome but for some business sites you require IE, that is the thing about Microsoft, they always try to lock the user in on a product because the competition is better in some areas then they are.
http://www.sagonet.com"Dedicated server hosting at Sago Networks”
Trooper_One
September 17, 2010 at 12:43pm
I hate to say it, but WinXP will be even more resilient than the 3.5" floppy. Just think, not everyone worldwide can afford brand spanking new computers with graphics accelerators to run Win7. And for places like internet cafe's, hotel lobbies, libraries, schools and even cash registers, why would you? WinXP does the job perfectly. Unless the next year WinXP is 100% dropped and forcing everyone to upgrade their hardware, adoption for IE9 will not be as high as MS would like.
I have 4 machines running: my main gaming desktop with Win7 Home, my laptop with Win7 Pro, a general computer for roommates with WinVista (it's not that bad if you're just running for browser and emails), and *GASP!* an experiment/general comp running Win7 Pro.
All my comps, including the older ones running Vista (running Opteron 165) and WinXP (running P4 D) are working just fine for their intended purposes (surfing the web, checking email, facebook, burn some disc that's not time sensitive; they can even play DVD movies just fine).
A note for the Top-of-the-Line Snobs: Although these machines aren't important to me, they are for some people with limited means and resources and enable them to participate in cyber social activities (e.g. facebook, email, web browse).
Not everything has to be lastest/greatest. We're such a wasteful society since there's a compulsion to upgrade, upgrade, upgrade!
Think about that.
nHeroGo
September 17, 2010 at 10:01am
...but what I don't understand is why Ford is no longer making spare parts for their model T, and maybe even improve it a bit. I think Ford should spend more resources on older stuff and not try to be so modern and work to develop new stuff - who needs it.
In regards to XP-powered netbooks; they are not known for their graphics acceleration abilities in the first place. It's the wireless phone companies that wants to sell you netbooks with 2-year internet contracts. These poor poor customers fell for it. They didn't buy the netbooks because they were informed that there is a future in XP, but because they were told it was a bargain (free netbook for $60 per month, HA!). And it is not like they are going to upgrade the hardware in these netbooks after they purchased it, I don't think.
MleB
September 17, 2010 at 9:12am
..but up until about a year ago, they were happily having it included on the millions of netbooks that were being produced. Now they are telling those users (plus those with much older, but still functioning computers) that the their new browser won't work? So to get a new browser from Microsoft will cost you a full Win7 install at $250+? I think not.
Now granted,I haven't used IE in years - and I'll hazard a guess many with even a smattering of computing experience don't either - but for all Mom and Pop-style "I've got a computer, now what do I do with it?" types who run their XP computer that came out of the box (albeit with auto-updates), they are alienating that crowd and, incidentally, making those consumers more susceptible to problems down the road. Problems that might encourage them to give up on their PC entirely for another company or device.
Exarkun1138
September 17, 2010 at 5:31am
I've been running Windows 7 now for almost a year and love it, bit I refuse to run IE in any form. I run Firefox. Chrome is OK, but I just don't like the interface. Opera is pretty good, though.
It IS about time people migrate away from XP. It's slow, old, cumbersome, and just plain ugly. I could write a whole page worth of technical reasons, but I don't have the time. Needless to say, Windows 7 is superior in just about every aspect over XP....now with Vista, why bother when Win7 is so superior to it as well. But when it comes to browsers, MS has a long way to go to get me to switch!
amer1canparatrooper
September 17, 2010 at 3:27am
What's funny to watch is Microsoft shooting themselves in the foot not once, but twice. First, to hate on their only REAL stable OS since it's inception, but to also create a vulnerability to allow other vendors such as Opera, Chrome, Firefox, etc. to steal away market share. I know that this is a primal shift to evoke upgrades to Win 7, however, this move will weaken their branding overall and create more disdain towards purchasing further Microsoft products.
Caboose
September 17, 2010 at 8:27am
Windows XP is almost a decade old. Time to leave it alone and let it die already!
Greg4422
September 16, 2010 at 8:13pm
I'm a IE user, my current version is IE8, I refused to use that spyware google chrome, and firefox is just boring to me. So today for approximately 30 minutes I gave IE 9 Beta a test drive and I HATE IT!!! It really made me appreciate IE8, and I'll be using IE8 until they pry it from my cold dead hands....oh nvm
JohnP
September 16, 2010 at 8:11pm
Most folks don't realize that the speed of Firefox is considerably SLOWED DOWN by ADBLOCK. I was marveling at the speed of IE9 until I found a way to import blocked ads:
http://cid-83edeb637d37824c.office.live.com/browse.aspx/Public%20stuff/Adblock%20filters%20for%20IE8
just unzip and import to InPrivate Filtering. Turn on InPrivate filtering and POOF, pages come up a low more slowly. Why? Because the whole page has to be reformatted.
Is this slowdown worht it? You bet! Do web page providers like AdBlock? No way!
So, since they both work about the same now, why bother? FF is a mature product with tons of good add ons. Next...
Nimrod
September 16, 2010 at 4:46pm
I have DX10 and windows 7 and it sure as hell WONT be running on my computer.
Zachary K.
September 16, 2010 at 4:38pm
comeon XP users, vista is gone! you can join us, here in the future! we have candy....
MrGeek
September 16, 2010 at 4:27pm
I have Netgear WNDR3700... kick ass...
But IE9 is sllloooowwwww when accessing router settings. It takes a good 10 to 20 seconds before log in window appears, and when I click anything in the router settings windows, it takes another 10 to 20 seconds to get any kind of response.
Don't get me wrong, it access the router, it is just very slow. Chrome works as fast as IE8, click, and there it is. So I'll stick with Chrome to mess around with ma Netgear baby
whathuhitwasntme
September 16, 2010 at 3:47pm
Yet another reason to run firefox
it will still be better
it will still be faster
it will still be easier
IE will still be SECOND best
Zachary K.
September 16, 2010 at 4:41pm
i agree, WHAT? after the new FF4 and chrome 7 come out, it will be 3rd best. (note: chrome is 1st)
Ashton2091
September 16, 2010 at 6:43pm
Chrome is my favorite browser by far. I must say Opera is 2nd for me. Firefox and IE are on the same page. I could care less for either. FireFox is okay, but lets face it...the bigger a browser gets the more attention it gets from virus and spyware developers. make sense?
Eoraptor
September 16, 2010 at 3:35pm
Yeah, because something like the 55% of people using Windows Xp don't at all need the newest in browsing technology...
Well, PC World pointed out that to get IE 9 running in XP, you first have to get Direct X 10 running on it. So there's your starting point.
Keith E. Whisman
September 16, 2010 at 3:18pm
That's a fun idea, how about getting IE9 on a Linux distro such as Ubuntu and not just running in Wine or some other emulator or virtual machine.
Caboose
September 16, 2010 at 3:29pm
IE in Linux/Unix has been done before. Back during the days of IE5. So it's not impossible!
whr4usa
September 16, 2010 at 6:13pm
in those days IE was also C++ instead of .NET although SUSE will be getting .NET soon
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