Fri 17 Aug 2007
I didn’t know that one can upgrade Firefox to Internet Explorer. At least this is what Microsoft recommends when you access the new Microsoft Update Catalog with Firefox. This catalog allows you to perform a full-text search in Microsoft Update database and download the patches. You can import these updates in WSUS or System Center Configuration Manager 2007. This is all quite useful.
However, I really wonder why you need IE and an ActiveX control for such a simple application. Imagine Google working with IE only after you install an ActiveX control.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not really an advocate for open web standards. If you have to break an open web standard because of a useful feature, then it is quite okay with me. Why should MS turn down a good feature, just because the standard doesn’t allow it? Should they wait for the sluggish W3C or their competitors until they finally all support this feature? As a Firefox user I have no problem launching IE if I get a nice feature for it in return. After all the IE Tab add-on allows me to display a web page using the IE rendering engine within Firefox with just a mouse click.
But in this case, I don’t understand Microsoft. I don’t see any reason why one should need IE for a simple search box. Rest assured that this will annoy many supporters of open web standards. Anyway, you can check out Jeff’s Connected Corner for other complaints about this new Microsoft service. You might also want to leave a comment in the Microsoft Update Product Team blog.
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Well, it is “Microsoft Update Catalog” and you’re looking to update “Microsft Windows”.
That aside, maybe they found it easier or more secure to do with an activex module?
Since I can say I don’t actually “browse
the internet”, more like “I go to the same few places, the majority of which are tech-related.”,
I’ve been using IE since, umm, Netscape bloated-up (I think that was 4.0) without incident. So, why switch?
I switched because IE6 didn’t have a good zoom function. It only worked with some sites. IE7 improved here, but now I am used to some Firefox plugins which are not available for IE. I guess everyone has his own special features. All in all I don’t think that there is a significant difference between Firefox and IE with respect to usability. However, IE is still the standard browser in my organization because it easier to manage. I summarized IE’s network related features some time ago.