Microsoft: No Regrets Abandoning XP Users for IE9

[crustyasp46]

Holding a 55 per cent share of the overall operating system (OS) market, Microsoft's Windows XP continues to be the world's most popular OS.



But, Microsoft's newest web browser, Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), won't run on XP -- a fact that has been the point of criticism for many industry experts. Nevertheless, Microsoft continues to stand by its decision to leave XP behind.

Abandoning XP Users: a Deliberate Decision

"It was a very deliberate decision," said Senior Director of Microsoft's Internet Explorer division, Ryan Gavin, in a recent interview. "You simply can't build on something that is 10 years ago." (Source: computerworld.com)

No doubt this is something of a jab at Microsoft's two main rivals in this market, Mozilla and Google, who have both built new browsers that can still be used on a Windows XP OS. Nevertheless, Gavin says his company has "no second thoughts" about forcing would-be IE9 users to upgrade to Windows Vista or, more likely, Windows 7.

A Tough Decision but No Regrets

Microsoft feels this was a tough decision that simply had to be made.

For his part, Gavin remains convinced that ditching the older technology found in Windows XP was absolutely necessary in advancing the capabilities of Internet Explorer.

"We could have continued down the path we were on," Gavin said. "We could have added more features to IE, [and changed the user interface]. We could have made it work across XP, but that's not what's going to push the Web forward."

XP Users Likely to Jump Ship

Some experts say Microsoft's decision to essentially abandon its XP users may not be worth the technological leap represented by Internet Explorer 9.

"[Windows XP] users will have to begin to use other browsers to handle [HTML5 content], and that is a risk because they may elect to stay on the other browser and never come back," said analyst Al Hilwa, a browser specialist for IDC.

"It is basic business that when you open such an opportunity for competitors, it is much harder to win them back. This is particularly true in the kind of fast moving disruptive market we are in and the high quality of the competitive browsers."

Still, Gavin remains convinced it will all be worth it in the end. "This is a temporal problem... Either we build a better experience or we don't. Pushing the Web forward, that's the best way to keep users."

Internet Explorer 9 Adoption Rate Much Higher Than IE8

So far, it seems, everything is going according to plan.

A recent report suggests that about 3.6 per cent of Windows 7 users are now browsing with Internet Explorer 9, a rate of adoption five times faster than that seen with Internet Explorer 8, says Gavin. (Source: pcmag.com

And, the decision forces the user to dig into their pocket once again to upgrade their OS to keep IE. Seems to me like another way of Microsoft to make their coffers even richer?


Self-proclaimed cranky technology and business journalist Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (whose articles have also appeared in the Washington Post, PC World and ZDNet) recently put together a list of five reasons not to upgrade to Microsoft's newest web browser, Internet Explorer 9. Topping the list of reasons are operating system incompatibilities and performance issues.

Expert Discourages Use of Internet Explorer 9

We've known for some time that Internet Explorer wouldn't be compatible with Windows XP, but that doesn't make it any easier for Vaughan-Nichols to swallow.

Even though Windows XP is slowly declining in market share, it remains an incredibly useful and easy-to-navigate operating system. It's also the only option for many netbook users, for whom an OS upgrade to something big and bulky like Windows 7 or Windows Vista would represent an inescapable nightmare of slowdowns and performance problems. (Source: cnet.com)

Internet Explorer 9 Speed and Security Major Concerns

Vaughan-Nichols' second issue with Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) is its speed.

While it's true that IE9 is considered quicker in loading web pages than its predecessors, Microsoft Watch expert Mary Jo Foley agrees that Google's Chrome browser is still the fastest browser out there.

Given the amount of hype surrounding IE9 and the sheer amount of resources available for its design, experts seem generally disappointed that Internet Explorer 9 is still lagging behind its competition.

Internet Explorer 9 64-Bit Edition "Second-Rate"

Third on Vaughan-Nichols' list are concerns with the 64-bit version of IE9, which he describes as "second-rate".

"It's several times slower than all the other browsers when it comes to JavaScript," says Vaughan-Nichols. (Source: zdnet.com)

Most concerning may be Internet Explorer 9's security features. Here, the situation is similar to questions about performance.

While IE9 is reportedly more secure than its predecessors, it doesn't seem as safe to use as some of its rivals. For instance, Firefox warns users if they're not running the latest version of an Adobe plug-in (which is then susceptible to exploits and attacks). On the other hand, Internet Explorer 9 does not make such a warning.

Finally, there have been lots of reports of trouble with the way IE9 displays web pages. Problems with text wrapping improperly led one expert to complain that he came away with a "splitting headache" after using IE9 for an extended period of time.

Chrome, Firefox Still the Choice for Experts

So, what does Vaughan-Nichols recommend instead of IE9? Chrome 10 or Firefox 4.

Regardless of preference, this is most certainly not good press for Microsoft just days after IE9's widespread release.

[te_lanus]

Bye Bye Microsoft Internet Explorer. Can't they let the poor Dinosaur die in piece?

[Guest]

That is one thing that I absolutely despise about windows is that they hard code IE into their OS. Come on. Thats just not even cool. But whatever, close to the first thing I do is use IE to download a diff browser (using chrome now) and then destroy IE as much as possible by deleting references, files, registry stuff =]

Ive had it hurt me in the long run but its the little things in the moment that count.