Is it time for Microsoft to Open Source Internet Explorer?
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Distribution: Debian, Red Hat, Slackware, Fedora, Ubuntu
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Is it time for Microsoft to Open Source Internet Explorer?
Quote:
Being the only closed source mainstream browser isn't a good position.
In the world of mainstream Web browsers, Microsoft stands alone. Apple's Safari browser is a closed source shell wrapped around an open source rendering engine, WebKit. Google's Chrome browser is a closed source fork of an open source shell wrapped around an open source rendering engine, Blink. Opera, too, puts its own shell around the Blink engine. Mozilla's Firefox is entirely open source.
But Internet Explorer is closed from end to end. While the same kind of logical separation as is found in Safari and Chrome exists—the Internet Explorer shell is separate from the Trident rendering engine—both components are entirely proprietary.
This puts Internet Explorer at a disadvantage. While the Web community has a multitude of different priorities and agendas, and the different participants frequently do not see eye-to-eye, it nonetheless has a consistent attitude of openness. Web standards are developed in public, and except for Internet Explorer, Web browsers (or at least, the most important parts of browsers, their rendering engines) are likewise developed in public.
This enables open discussion of and experimentation with new features. The public bug trackers that go hand in hand with the open development lets interested third parties monitor the development of features they care about and even provide detailed feedback before the code has been finalized.
And while it's a minority interest, the availability of source enables the community to find bugs and even contribute fixes.
It's time for Microsoft to fit in with the rest of the browser industry and open up Trident.
One might argue that this argument could be made of any software, and that Microsoft should by this logic open source everything. But I think that the browser is special. The community that exists around Web standards does not exist in the same way around, say, desktop software development, or file system drivers, or user interfaces. Development in the open is integral to the Web in an almost unique way.
They could "open source" it and send free CD's with bonus gratis copy of their latest so-called OS, in chrome plated collector cases via FedEX and it would attract exactly the same attention given to the latest Nigerian SCAM-SPAM.
I know the point of origin to be harmful, no need to open the box.
I would only resent the intrusion and the effort required to carry it from the door to the dumpster plus the contribution to the cost of my landfill fees.
During the past two weeks, I've spent two afternoons helping an elderly acquaintance who is every Linux geek's idea of a "typical Windows user" free IE in Win8 of various pop-ups, browser hijackers, and general nasty stuff (if you haven't tussled on a computer with "ytdownloader," you haven't tussled on a computer). I know this person; she is definitely not going to porn sites or the other usual suspects.
.......I know the point of origin to be harmful, no need to open the box.
I would only resent the intrusion and the effort required to carry it from the door to the dumpster plus the contribution to the cost of my landfill fees.
I can never quite understand the level of "anything but Microsoft" that I come across when on Linux forums. Sure I understand Microsofts less than stellar history (Netscape, IE6 etc) but why the need to automatically assume the worst of them - can they never escape that legacy ?. Like it or not for the vast majority of "ordinary computer users" Windows is where it's at.
What IE lacks is a dedicated user base that would improve it. If it became an open source product, who would develop it for Microsoft for free? (or even for all the Cheetohs and Jolt Cola you can hold down, which was Googles kind offer)?
Distribution: Mainly Devuan, antiX, & Void, with Tiny Core, Fatdog, & BSD thrown in.
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I wouldn't be interested, & nor would the majority of FOSS users, we know which browsers work for 'us'.
People only get to know Microsoft because they have their OS put onto nearly every PC sold, those that have some knowledge of better OS's almost always replace it at the first opportunity.
During the past two weeks, I've spent two afternoons helping an elderly acquaintance who is every Linux geek's idea of a "typical Windows user" free IE in Win8 of various pop-ups, browser hijackers, and general nasty stuff (if you haven't tussled on a computer with "ytdownloader," you haven't tussled on a computer). I know this person; she is definitely not going to porn sites or the other usual suspects.
Now she's using Seamonkey.
This sounds only too familiar to me. And also probably to anyone who has been at one time involved in computer repair stuff. There is this *insane* belief in MS world that it's *normal* that a windows machine needs to be 'cleaned' regularly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brianL
When I ran Windows the only time I ever used IE was to download Firefox.
Again, I do the same thing, *exactly*.
Security wise, best thing to do with IE is to completely wipe out every bit of it from a computer. I mean it.
First off they can't. In order to win the court case they had to integrate deep into the OS so that would mean open sourcing portions of the rest of the OS.
Second if they allowed community involvement then they would loose some of the non-standard features and non standard interpretation of standards so they couldn't lock customers into using IE only.
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