IE10 Metro: no freedom allowed

[qubit]

Windows 8 will include a version of Internet Explorer 10 that uses Microsoft's "Metro" touch interface, and this new-age browser will not allow plugins – at all. The move is yet another blow to Adobe Flash, which is famously banned from Apple's iPhone and iPad.

With Internet Explorer 9 and its successor IE10 – which is currently available as a software "preview" – Microsoft has finally embraced web standards in a big way, including HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. The company took another significant step down this road late last night, when it revealed its plans for the "Metro" incarnation of Internet Explorer 10 in a post to the Building Windows 8 blog.

"For the web to move forward and for consumers to get the most out of touch-first browsing, the Metro style browser in Windows 8 is as HTML5-only as possible, and plug-in free. The experience that plug-ins provide today is not a good match with Metro style browsing and the modern HTML5 web," said IE chief Dean Hachamovitch.

"Running Metro style IE plug-in free improves battery life as well as security, reliability, and privacy for consumers. Plug-ins were important early on in the web’s history. But the web has come a long way since then with HTML5. Providing compatibility with legacy plug-in technologies would detract from, rather than improve, the consumer experience of browsing in the Metro style UI."

Hachamovitch doesn't always play it straight with web standards, but in this case, Microsoft is making a serious statement about its intentions, and it has taken the fight to Flash in a way Google is unwilling to.

Due next year, Windows 8 will include two versions of Internet Explorer 10: one with a standard desktop interface, and one with Metro. The "legacy" version will allow plugins, but Microsoft says that a recent study of the web's top 97,000 sites showed that the time was ripe for a move to a plug-in free Metro browser.

According to Hachamovitch, 62 per cent of the top 97,000 websites currently use Flash, but "many" already fall back on HTML5 when they're visited by a browser without the Flash player. "When serving ads in the absence of plug-ins, most sites already perform the equivalent of this fallback, showing that this approach is practical and scalable," he says.

Google also believes in an HTML5 future for video and so many other web applications, but at the same time it has to accommodate YouTube, which was built on Adobe Flash. The company is moving the world's largest video site to HTML5 video and the open source WebM media format, but for the foreseeable future Flash will remain in place. HTML5 doesn't offer DRM, and though all the major browsers have embraced HTML5 video, they've yet to agree on a common codec. Whereas Mozilla, Opera, and Google use WebM, Apple and Microsoft back the royalty-encumbered H.264 – although Redmond has made a move towards WebM.

After Steve Jobs launched his jihad against Flash, Google leapt to Adobe's rescue. Mountain View now ships Flash with its Android mobile operating system, and it actually integrates the Flash Player with Chrome.

Microsoft has done the opposite.

What a great step backwards. Plug-ins are what make Firefox so fantastic and customizable. In particular, there's no ad blockers for IE10, so I'd have to put up with flashing animated ads all over the place and only have features that Microsoft wants me to have. No thanks.

Of course with Flash out of the way, I bet their competing Silverlight gets 'integrated' into IE10, showing up Microsoft's hypocrisy - it will be embrace and extend all over again.

The Register

 

[erocker]

If I don't like it I'll use a different browser. No one is being forced to use IE.

 

[digibucc]

it seems there will be 2 versions anyway, ie10, and ie10 metro. am i wrong there?

 

[qubit]

If I don't like it I'll use a different browser. No one is being forced to use IE.

Of course and obviously I do already. But it is the default browser, so it's not good to see this trend.

it seems there will be 2 versions anyway, ie10, and ie10 metro. am i wrong there?

No, you're right, but it's not a good trend. It's always bad when any company tries to lock you in. Apple are especially bad in this respect and is the main reason why I don't buy their stuff. MS have been relatively open so far, especially in recent years. Now they're trying to reverse it, which is bad. Stuff like this will spread to the whole of the Windows experience if left to run unchecked.

 

[LifeOnMars]

Qubit your thread titles are getting more and more like Btarunr's everyday

Have you downloaded and tried the OS yet? I'm rocking it as my main OS at the moment.....giving it a thorough workout

 

[qubit]

Qubit your thread titles are getting more and more like Btarunr's everyday

Have you downloaded and tried the OS yet? I'm rocking it as my main OS at the moment.....giving it a thorugh workout

Thanks matey. I do try to make them compelling and interesting. No, I haven't got round to it yet, but I will soon.

Is that download totally legit, btw?

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Adobe might sue Microsoft over that one because Microsoft would be putting in a "barrier to entry" allowing the use of their product (Silverlight) and not Adobe's (Flash). Additionally, Microsoft still has the most browser market share so it is a blow directly to the bottom line of Adobe.

 

[qubit]

Adobe might sue Microsoft over that one.

What would be their argument? Anticompetitiveness? Possibly, but they haven't sued Apple yet over the same thing.

 

[WhiteLotus]

Adobe might sue Microsoft over that one because Microsoft would be putting in a "barrier to entry" allowing the use of their product (Silverlight) and not Adobe's (Flash). Additionally, Microsoft still has the most browser market share so it is a blow directly to the bottom line of Adobe.

I guarantee you that the EU will fine them. Good old EU. When in debt... fine everybody!

 

[erocker]

Qubit your thread titles are getting more and more like Btarunr's everyday

Have you downloaded and tried the OS yet? I'm rocking it as my main OS at the moment.....giving it a thorough workout

Which reminds me..

A friendly reminder:

Posting a lot of tech news articles in the forums. One or two things when the newsposters are all on vacation is nice, but in general, please leave the newsposting to the news posters. It's their job.

By all means though, cary on with the discussion on topic.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

What would be their argument? Anticompetitiveness? Possibly, but they haven't sued Apple yet over the same thing.

Because Apple doesn't have a similar product; Microsoft does.

Of course with Flash out of the way, I bet their competing Silverlight gets 'integrated' into IE10, showing up Microsoft's hypocrisy - it will be embrace and extend all over again.

"Metro" and Silverlight are essentially one in the same (different appplications of WPF).

 

[LifeOnMars]

Thanks matey. I do try to make them compelling and interesting. No, I haven't got round to it yet, but I will soon.

Is that download totally legit, btw?

Absolutely, I haven't had any problems with drivers other than Catalyst betas which I had to run in win 7 compatability mode. Running like a champ but a bit scary as I don't fully know my way around it yet

 

[Drone]

they said

Microsoft announced that they will be dropping Flash from the Metro version of Internet Explorer (IE) 10, but not to worry as the desktop version of IE10 on Windows 8 will continue to support Flash and other plug-ins.

So I will just use desktop version. However I ain't no flash fan anyway. Maybe they try to push html5 and silverlight

 

[qubit]

Which reminds me..

A friendly reminder:

I take it that was directed at me and I've been a bit naughty.

Thing is, really everything like this could be considered as "news", which means us members really can't post it, but I think it makes a really good thread and I love to talk about these things with you lot. I'm not sure what to do now.

 

[erocker]

I take it that was directed at me and I've been a bit naughty.

Thing is, really everything like this could be considered as "news", which means us members really can't post it, but I think it makes a really good thread and I love to talk about these things with you lot. I'm not sure what to do now.

Carry on with the topic. I sent you a PM on the matter as not to go too off topic in this thread.

 

[Derek12]

With the new standards like HTML5, SVG, Animated SVG, video and audio tags, CSS animations, etc... (there are many spectacular sites made with those technologies out there free of Flash/Silverlight) Flash is increasingly less meaningful IMHO as well as Silverlight, besides they aren't fully cross platform if I understood well.

When the browser support is fully and bug free and webmasters take care of them or begin to learn those, I think flash/silverlight will have a slow death.


Anyway I wouldn't like a browser which isn't extensible so very bad if IE metro won't allow plugins and dropping Flash at this day would be a TERRIBLE idea because most sites uses some flash currently like YouTube.

 

[newtekie1]

What a great step backwards. Plug-ins are what make Firefox so fantastic and customizable. In particular, there's no ad blockers for IE10, so I'd have to put up with flashing animated ads all over the place and only have features that Microsoft wants me to have. No thanks.

Of course with Flash out of the way, I bet their competing Silverlight gets 'integrated' into IE10, showing up Microsoft's hypocrisy - it will be embrace and extend all over again.

The Register

Sure there are ad blockers for IE10, just grab a custom host file or use a custom DNS to block ads.

As for not having any ad-ons, it might be what makes Firefox great(I don't believe so), but it is what makes IE terrible. Remember how everyone makes fun of all those toolbars that IE gets hit with, those are ad-ons that everyone hates.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Flash and Silverlight have more strict compatibility requirements whereas HTML, JS, and CSS are loose and it is up to each browser developer to add support. In short, if you develop a Flash or Silverlight app, it is guaranteed to work on any browser that supports the Flash and Silverlight plugins. HTML5, you got to check yourself that it renders correctly on each browser.

Silverlight isn't going anywhere because it forms the core application environment of Windows Phone 7 programs. Nokia is ending Symbian and switching over to Windows Phone 7. In other words, if you're developing an app for Windows Phone 7, you might as well make it compatible with browsers too.

 

[digibucc]

because microsoft doesn't foster an open atmosphere. why should anyone create a real plugin for ie when it's a crap browser that is constantly insecure and outdated? on top of that, any real usefulness is negated by how closed the system really is.
they say it perfectly "The experience that (ie) plug-ins provide today is not ... good" not everything needs to be open, and i'm fine with no plugins if it's a complete product that doesn't NEED plugins.

but call it what it is. they had a shoddy plugin system from word go.

 

[qubit]

Sure there are ad blockers for IE10, just grab a custom host file or use a custom DNS to block ads.

As for not having any ad-ons, it might be what makes Firefox great(I don't believe so), but it is what makes IE terrible. Remember how everyone makes fun of all those toolbars that IE gets hit with, those are ad-ons that everyone hates.

Toolbars are indeed addons, but that's only one kind. The stuff you get for FF is incredibly diverse and can add some serious geek functionality. And for free.

For what it's worth, I don't think IE has ever qualified for "terrible", but it's not as nice as its rivals and I don't especially like the interface since version 7.

 

[eidairaman1]

tell u truth I will be using firefox or google chrome that supports Flash anyway, majority of sites out there use flash

 

[CyberDruid]

My love for FF and plug ins is not very strong. I just want a robust browser that resists hacks. FF is not that browser anymore. Flash is hackable. That's probably why it updates itself every few days.

 

[eidairaman1]

My love for FF and plug ins is not very strong. I just want a robust browser that resists hacks. FF is not that browser anymore. Flash is hackable. That's probably why it updates itself every few days.

never had any troubles with it and any piece of code is hackable...