AOL to Release Tweaked IE?

[Brett_Tabke]

Bizarre story of the week:
[eweek.com...]

the forthcoming AOL Browser a standalone piece of software and it will not need the America Online client software to be running to be used, sources familiar with the software said. In what could be considered a surprising move, AOL Browser is based on Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer and not on AOL's Netscape browser engine.

[Leosghost]

The questions would have to be ..
Why would anyone want to run an AOL browser without the client software ..?
Unless they are aiming this squarely at site designers and SEO companies ( for cross browser compatibility checks )..
How large a percentage of the net's surfers ( country by country ) use AOL ...?
It sounds cute compared to IE ..but are Redmond going to stand still and see their market share eaten into by their own tweaked browser ...like you said Brett..this is really "left field".

[xcandyman]

Microsoft does not plan on releasing any changes to Internet Explorer until the release of Windows Longhorn, not due out for several more years.

Several years? Where did they get that from! Last I heard it was to be released by the end of 2006. More like a couple of years :)

[BlobFisk]

Were AOL not already trialing Mozilla as a replacement for the proprietaty AOL browser on one of their smaller ISP markets?

This certainly is a very bizarre story and it would seem that either the Mozilla trials failed or some deal was done with Redmond in light of the recent IE vunerabilities...

[Leosghost]

and which SE are they going to integrate?

[adfree]

I don't really see any value in it. What sense does it make?
How do they want to control it commercially?

Right now they got their site carrying all the commercial weight.

If they were to include heavy loads of commercial nignag, nobody will ever use it. If they don't why would I prefer it over the regular IE?

Am I THAT stupid?

[restricted access]

--- Am I THAT stupid?

No, probably not, but other AOL users are not renowned for their tech saviness.

[peterdaly]

This certainly is a very bizarre story and it would seem that either the Mozilla trials failed or some deal was done with Redmond in light of the recent IE vunerabilities...

From watching this over the past few years, my impression is that AOL really is not interested in Mozilla other than having something to use for bargaining power when it comes to Microsoft. The Mozilla on Compuserve project looks to be nothing more than a sideshow for Microsoft's benefit.

Personally, I don't understand it. I think Mozilla currently has a much better product than Internet Explorer, but I AOL may just be on the path of least resistance...IE, since it's already coded into their client.

[restricted access]

Part of the settlement with Microsoft involved shelving the project to switch to Gecko in the AOL software. That's also when AOL basically let loose the mozilla project and helped create the mozilla foundation.

[jcoronella]

People like stuff from AOL.

AIM is a given, but there are lots of people who have used AOL for years and like the news, keywords, chat rooms, etc. This may be an attempt to keep these users on their properties as the users migrate to broadband or cheaper alternatives. Take IE, add lots of buttons and crap from AOL and keep at least some of your revenue.

[attard]

People also aren't fond of switching email addresses. Plus, if the browser lets them use AOL dialup networks, it's a way of getting access to the Internet when traveling (if there's no Internet connection in the room) and in areas of the country that don't have broadband.

[ricfink]

So IE7 is coming from AOL? Yes, very strange.

[shri]

I posted this on Slashdot -- I figure AOL is going to embed a few custom BHO's and turn itself into a super affiliate of sorts. :)

Time will tell.