IE6 SP1 Will Be Last Standalone Version

Microsoft to integrate in browser

[pgrote]

Saw this on Slashdot this morning and thought I'd pass it along. I wonder how this will affect the "standards" used by Microsoft in IE right now.

The information came out during a May 7th technet chat. Here is the URL to the news:

[microsoft.com...]

[tedster]

That will lock web developers into needing at least one Windows machine, no matter what. But I guess that's pretty much already the case.

[Big_Balou]

Good find.

[TGecho]

Oh great. It was already annoying not being able to run multiple versions on the same PC (life is so hard...)

[msr986]

This is nothing new really. I can remember MS saying that that IE5.x was to be the last of the stand alone browsers. That rumor seemed to die as IE6 got closer.

I'll believe it when I DON'T see it! (IE7.0 that is).

[SethCall]

yeah u can pretty much bet when windows server 2003 comes out, we will get out ie7

U know, for some reason, I am hoping the very most for native .png support.

[john316]

Article [news.zdnet.co.uk]

[eskipii]

just saw this...

[news.zdnet.co.uk...]

[tedster]

Thanks both for the additional article. ZDNet has had some time to digest the news and add some analysis - mostly speculation, really.

In its defence against the charge it illegally tied the browser to its monopoly operating system, Microsoft argued that the operating system could not function properly without the Web browser.

Now Microsoft has flipped its argument around, claiming that future versions of the browser won't be able to function properly without the OS.

[Hester]

So basically we have to wait until 2005 (when Windows Longhorn comes out) for a new version of IE. By that time Mozilla and Opera will be so far ahead.