Posted 07/15/09 at 03:49:04 PM by Andy Salisbury

According to a screenshot taken by an IE6 user who was watching some videos on YouTube, it would appear that support for the browser will be phased out very soon.

The screenshot suggests that an upgrade to a “more modern” browser, including Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3.5.  And, they’re not alone – apparently Digg is looking to cut their support for IE6 as well.

There’s been no official word yet from YouTube, so this information is only as good as its sources (truthfully, folks on Twitter). But, it doesn’t seem illogical, so if it turns out to be true, there’ll be little surprise.

Read More

Posted 07/08/09 at 05:01:32 PM by Andy Salisbury

Mozilla just launched a new project, named Electrolysis, which is meant to bring multiprocess browsing to Firefox. And, according to Mozilla, this project has allowed them to improve Firefox’s performance, security and stability. Developers of the project have already put together a prototype that’s able to render a page in a separate process from the interface shell that it’s displayed in.

Apparently the idea of implementing multiprocessing into the browser didn’t gain much traction until its use by Google and Microsoft in Chrome and IE8. Chrome’s multiprocess architecture allows it to fill in security holes, and it prevents page specific glitches from crashing the entire browser – something that Mozilla hopes to do as well.

There’s no word yet if the multiprocess browsing will be ready in time for the next release of Firefox, but the work will be done separately so as not to impede the current stages of development.

Read More

Posted 07/01/09 at 10:30:40 AM by Paul Lilly

Far be it for Microsoft to shy away from hiring known celebrities to pitch its products, as was the case with hiring Jerry Seinfeld as its OS pitchman. But now the software maker is looking to push Internet Explorer 8 in the cutthroat browser wars, and it's getting a bit of help from TV Superman Dean Cain. Oh, and there's puking too.

So far there are a total of four adverts, each one starring Dean Cain as the on-screen narrator. But it's the fourth video in the series that will get all the attention for its vivid portrayal of a woman puking after viewing something apparently offensive online - or maybe she's a Houston Rockets fan and just read up on Yao Ming's foot.

Take a peek:

• G.R.I.P.E.S.
• F.O.M.S.
• S.H.Y.N.E.S.S.
• O.M.G.I.G.P. (NSFWS - Not Safe For Weak Stomachs)

Hit the jump and tell us what you think of the new ads.

Read More

Posted 06/15/09 at 05:25:41 PM by Andy Salisbury

Call it a gimmick, call it what you want, but it looks like Microsoft is doing some good by helping out those in need via their Internet Explorer 8 advertising.

Along side their Dean Cain commercials that went live earlier this month, they’ll be donating the equivalent of eight meals to the Feeding America Network for each completed download of Internet Explorer 8.

Make sure that you download soon though; this promotion will only run from June 10th to August 8th. So, if you’re not downloading IE8 for yourself, download it for those in need! You’ll feel better tonight knowing you did.

Read More

Posted 06/12/09 at 09:30:22 AM by Paul Lilly

When it comes to handing out fines, the European Commission doesn't mess around. Just last month the EC ____ slapped Intel with a record setting $1.45 billion after finding the chip maker guilty of anticompetitive practices, while in 2004, the EC slammed Microsoft with what today would amount to about a $790 million fine.

The aforementioned incidents no doubt weighing on Microsoft's mind, the software maker will release a version of Windows 7 in Europe with Internet Explorer 8 stripped out.

"To ensure that Microsoft is in compliance with European law, Microsoft will be releasing a separate version of Windows 7 for distribution in Europe that will not include Windows Internet Explorer," Microsoft said in a memo. "Microsoft will offer IE8 separately and free of charge and will make it easy an convenient for PC manufacturers to preinstall IE8 on Windows 7 machines in Europe if they so choose."

Probably a good move, as European regulators earlier this year warned that bundling a browser in Windows would likely violate European antitrust law.

Much more on the topic here.

Read More

Posted 04/14/09 at 03:45:24 PM by Paul Lilly

If you haven't been impressed with Microsoft's latest browser -- or just haven't felt compelled to give IE8 a spin and kick its tires -- you're not alone. Despite a significant speed increase, better web compliance, and a handful of new features, IE8 hasn't been attracting the kind of response Microsoft had probably hoped for, at least not if market share data from Net Applications is any indication. At last count, IE8 made up for a little over 4 percent of the browser market share, taking away from IE7 at a conservative pace. The solution? Throw IE8 into the Automatic Update queue as a 'High Priority' update.

"Last week, we released IE8 via Automatic Update to users still running pre-release versions of IE8 (Beta 2 or Release Candidate 1). The goal was to make sure users who chose to install IE8 have the latest up-to-date version," Microsoft wrote in a blog post. "Starting on or about the third week of April, users still running IE6 or IE7 on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008 will get will get a notification through Automatic Update about IE8."

Microsoft went on to say that the rollout will start with a narrow audience and expand over time to include its entire userbase. IE8 will be labeled as an 'Important' update for those running Vista and Server 2008, and 'High Priority' for XP users. However, IE8 won't automatically install; users will still have to opt-in.

Read More

Posted 03/27/09 at 05:53:07 PM by Mark Edward Soper

Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 8, has gotten mixed reviews from MaximumPC.com readers (see comments here and here), but one question that's hard for any individual user to answer about any browser is "how secure is it?"

To find out, Microsoft asked NSS Labs to pit IE8 RC1 against its predecessor, IE7, as well as the following third-party browsers: Firefox 3.0.7, Safari 3.2, Chrome 1.0.154, and Opera 9.64. The objective: find out which browser did the best job at handling so-called social-engineering malware sites - the ones that try to con you into downloading malware disguised as something else ("Adobe Flash update," anyone?).

ComputerWorld reports that IE8 did the best job of fending off attacks from 492 malware-distributing websites, blocking 69% of attacks (details here [PDF link]). If you're not using IE8, join us after the jump to learn how your favorite browser fared.

Read More

Posted 03/24/09 at 10:46:57 AM by Paul Lilly

Microsoft's recently released Internet Explorer 8 runs faster than previous versions, boasts better standards compliance, and serves up some nifty features like Tab Grouping, Web Accelerators, and Web Slices. And without any major UI changes to pull end-users out of their comfort zone, Microsoft likely expected a mad rush to upgrade. As it turns out, those who are upgrading appear to be running back to IE7, according to data by Net Applications.

After being released on Thursday of last week, IE8's market share ramped up to 2.59 percent on Sunday. By Monday, that number dropped to 1.86 percent and today sits at 1.17 percent. Going by Net Applications' numbers alone, this would seem to indicate early adopters aren't all that impressed with IE8.

Because of the improvements made to web standards compliance, Microsoft had to implement a Compatibility Mode to prevent itself from essentially 'breaking the web.' Major sites known to render improperly in IE8 automatically run in compatibility mode, while others require end-users to manually switch modes. Complaints have surfaced from not being able to print from greeting card sites to missing images on pages built with Microsoft Publisher.

Are you having issues with IE8? Hit the jump and sound off.

Read More