The latest version of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer browser, made available for free download Monday, is drawing protests because it doesn't support two rival products commonly used on Web sites. Internet Explorer 6.0 will not automatically support the embattled Java programming language or Netscape-style "plug-ins," though users and developers will have tools to make the browser compatible with those products.
I have to admit, I'm of two minds on this one. No, I don't think that Microsoft has any responsibility to support Java -- and in fact, getting the Sun standard Java console is pretty easy; you can get it with almost any other browser download. However, relatively few sites actually do anything functional with Java (although the class of sites that does includes, unfortunately, many library catalogs). Mostly it's annoyingly decorative.
Also, the article is just plain wrong about QuickTime; Apple eventually decided to produce an IE6/5.5 compatible ActiveX control. (Although installing it on Win98 systems with slower connections seems to do something quite odd to the connections.)
Copyright © 2001, Iain Jackson, after-words.org
[Archives: 2001 and after]
Archives before February 5, 2001
Search entries:
12/19/2001: vive la france
12/19/2001: princess, redux
12/19/2001: yemen and rumsfeld
12/18/2001: you're NOT in the army now
12/18/2001: interesting donation
12/18/2001: shame on winn dixie, indeed
12/18/2001: saudi princess
12/17/2001: new resolve
12/17/2001: a victim of the attack ... yeah, right
12/17/2001: polluters ho!