[Bug 1] Re: Microsoft has a majority market share

[Amir E. Aharoni]

2009/1/11 traxtermaster <jasonmougeot at hotmail.com>:
> For the website that will push you to use IE you can install the mozilla
> plug-in called agent switcher which allows you to fake IE or other
> browser. some times it works fine but when it comes to .net stuff it can
> be a problem. .NET is an other attemp of microsoft to keep people to
> switch to linux since its a windows application only.

I call it "Microsoft Internet". When people ask me why do i use
Firefox even on Windows i reply: "Microsoft Internet Explorer, as its
name implies, is a browser for Microsoft Internet. I us a genuine web
browser to surf the genuine Internet." Every now and then it convinces
people to try Firefox.

It is more than a joke: Since about 1997 Microsoft tries to treat the
Web as its own territory. In 1997 it was ActiveX controls vs. Java
applets. ActiveX failed almost completely, as they were terribly
insecure and completely unportable. Java applets failed, too, 'cuz
despite their portability, their bad performance made them unusable.
In that war Flash won, which is quite a problem, as Gnash and swfdec
are not yet on par with the proprietary Adobe software.

Then Microsoft pushed IE4. It was a success, but for the most part,
Firefox is compatible. Standards-incompatible sites are disappearing
day after day.

Microsoft tries something new now - pushing .NET and Silverlight as a
client web platform. Although .NET is a success for server and desktop
applications, it fails miserably as a client web platform, so it's not
a big thing to worry about.

(On a personal note - it is quite a shame to see this: .NET is
terrible software-freedom-wise, but not bad at all
software-engineering-wise.)

-- 
Microsoft has a majority market share
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