IE and Windows: The Tail Wags The Dog

Only XP Users get the fix?

[ricfink]

I must have been asleep. When did this happen?
Once upon a time, MS used the popularity of Windows to make sure no other company got a stranglehold on Web standards by using Windows to propel IE to the top of the browser heap.

Now, MS is using IE to move users to XP by only offering the improved, no pop-up version of IE on XP?
Do I have this right?

But then again, I guess it's a natural progression for IE to drive Windows - when you stop and think about it, on the list of "Most-Used Tools In Human History", by now IE/Windows is probably up there with the wheel and the spoon.

[troels nybo nielsen]

Sounds a bit far fetched. My own reaction to IE lagging more and more behind is to use Opera and Mozilla. On my computer IE is now largely kept alive by the Google Toolbar. I would not dream of updating W2K to XP.

[Skylo]

but if your willing to lose the green bar:) then the G toolbar for firefox is just as good:)

[bull]

The green bar is no longer a reason to stay with IE since there is a toolbar hack for the Mozilla family.

[encyclo]

ricfink, you've got it almost exactly right. The enhancements offered in XP SP2 such as pop-up blocking are not being backported to older Windows versions. For the non-security related stuff you could consider it permissable, but the upcoming fixes for the Download.Ject style vulnerabilities are only going to be implemented in SP2, and IE (and Windows itself) is going to remain a target if you're running Windows 2000, Me or 98 without third-party software including a firewall and an alternative browser.

Microsoft's biggest problem at the moment if from companies and individuals who consider products like Win98 or 2K and Office 97 or 2000 to be "good enough", and resisting the temptation to upgrade (which is the only way MS can make money). MS is actually using it's poor security record to push upgrades, by blaming the problems on people using "out-of-date" software. Imagine your local car salesman who sold you a shiny new car a few years back. It's rusted through, the door locks don't work and it handles like a moose on skates. You go back to the garage and the salesman says, "You're still driving that old thing! You can fix the problem by switching to this year's model!"