The lack of dangerous and non-standard things like VB Script and ActiveX, and the fact that Steam or whatever could be removed along with the security problem if the vendor did not fix the problem in a timely manner. (Windows users have to wait 6 weeks or more)

Secondly, I’m not suggesting that Safari is any better, but Safari is far less dangerous to the overall system, and Apple was not the first to unreasonably bundle unrelated software that opened security hazards and provided no uninstaller.

Third, and I keep mentioning this, Firefox can be removed from any Linux distribution in about 10 seconds, provided it was even the browser the distro or user picked to be there.

And lastly, Internet Explorer *has* been an inconsistent target (dozens of versions at hundreds of patch levels across dozens of Windows platforms), held back true web standards by every definition of the word and stretch of the imagination, and is far far more difficult to extend than real web browsers.

IE requires compiled binary extensions that use a pre-defined interface, very little of IE’s behavior is customizable unless you want to hack around its deficiencies, test every supported configuration, and possibly have the next IE update break your add-on.

Internet Explorer belongs in 1999, not 2009. Even their IE 8 does not cut the mustard.

In production…EVERYTHING costs money. That includes the lighting and heating/cooling, machine wear and tear etc. also going on in the production environment when the product is being made.

I find it interesting that you complain about that, but that you seem to think it’s okay when Apple does the same thing and uses the Safari engine in apps like iTunes.

Are you really suggesting that it would be better if apps like Steam and Maxthon were broken?

Malicious Browser Removal Tool

This update scans for signs of Microsoft Internet Explorer, if found, it will remove it then go back in time to 1999 to insist that doing so without breaking Windows will not be possible for 10 years due to the advanced technologies required in order for the tool to work.

You can help to keep your computer safe by running this tool monthly to be certain that it stays gone, the tool will be updated to detect new variants such as “Internet Explorer 8 Optimized for MSN”.
—-

Internet Explorer was first distributed as a piece of “Everything installs it, can’t get rid of it” foistware, and was eventually integrated into Windows (no uninstaller) and with Microsoft encouraging people to make programs that embed it (to make sure the user cannot surgically remove it).

My take is that this “IE-free” Windows 7 has merely hidden or deleted a few megabytes of the front end and has left the rendering engine quite intact. You’ll know if the IE engine is still on the system if things like Steam or IE-based browsers like Maxthon work.

IE kind of reminds me of the episode of Stargate SG-1 (Season 1 Ep 3) “The Enemy Within”, where the Goa’uld deceives them into removing a dead husk that it had shed.

Brandon – interesting.

mhz- that was funny. Do you run the tool run manually or is it fully automatic????? LOL

They’re just trying to get some of that money back. LOL

It’s a 4% price *reduction* from Vista, and you now get the full version instead of just the upgrade disc.

So what exactly is the big deal?