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Microsoft is Taking Desperate Steps to Stop You Using Internet Explorer

posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday October 28 2020, @04:24AM   Printer-friendly
from the RIP-IE dept.

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for c0lo:

Microsoft is taking desperate steps to stop you using Internet Explorer:

In the summer, Microsoft confirmed it would kill off defunct web browsers Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy, as plans for a phased termination are brought to a close.

However, a sizable pool of users have remained loyal to Internet Explorer, forcing Microsoft to take additional steps to incentivize switching to the new Chromium-based Edge.

Now, when an Internet Explorer user visits an incompatible site - of which there are currently more than 1,000 - the page will be launched automatically in Microsoft Edge, along with a message that reads: "This website doesn't work in Internet Explorer".

The roster of websites that do not support Internet Explorer is ever-expanding and currently includes popular services Twitter, Instagram, Google Drive, Yahoo Mail and more.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by coolgopher on Wednesday October 28 2020, @07:11AM (3 children)

    by coolgopher (1157) on Wednesday October 28 2020, @07:11AM (#1069781)

    And if they were serious about it they'd just have rolled out a mandatory update that removed it from the OS altogether. It wouldn't be the first "feature" they deactivated.

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  • (Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Wednesday October 28 2020, @12:49PM

    by SomeGuy (5632) on Wednesday October 28 2020, @12:49PM (#1069843)

    Keep in mind that the issue here is not just people opening the Internet Explorer application and viewing a web page.

    Microsoft Internet explorer was designed to be embeddable and controlled programmatically from within other applications. Microsoft very, very heavily pushed this feature because it was a way to crate lock-in.

    There are still many applications out there that stupidly embed IE in one form or another (it may not even be visible). Completely remove IE, and those applications may not run at all.

  • (Score: 2) by Dr Spin on Wednesday October 28 2020, @08:42PM (1 child)

    by Dr Spin (5239) on Wednesday October 28 2020, @08:42PM (#1070088)

    I read that as if they were serious about it they'd just have rolled out a mandatory update that removed the OS altogether.

    A assumed MS had finally decided it was cheaper to sell Ubuntu!

    I was about to have a third brandy to celebrate!

    --
    Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 29 2020, @02:29AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 29 2020, @02:29AM (#1070203)

      In a choice between Windows and Ubuntu I'd probably have to pick Windows these days. Neither appeals, but at least I can keep gaming on Windows.