Internet Explorer 10 Will Not Have Plugins In New Windows 8 UI - Polidicks

[quote=Ars Technica]Windows 8 will have two versions of Internet Explorer 10: a conventional browser that lives on the legacy desktop, and a new Metro-style, touch-friendly browser that lives in the Metro world. The second of these, the Metro browser, will not support any plugins. Whether Flash, Silverlight, or some custom business app, sites that need plugins will only be accessible in the non-touch, desktop-based browser. Should one ever come across a page that needs a plugin, the Metro browser has a button to go to that page within the desktop browser. This yanks you out of the Metro experience and places you on the traditional desktop. The rationale is a familiar one: plugin-based content shortens battery life, and comes with security, reliability, and privacy problems. Sites that currently depend on the capabilities provided by Flash or Silverlight should switch to HTML5. Microsoft has been vigorously promoting HTML5 for the last year and a half as the best way of providing rich interactivity on the Web. HTML5 potentially has reach far beyond that of Flash, since it can target both conventional browsers and closed ecosystems (such as iOS) alike. However, until now, Microsoft's messaging has been tempered somewhat: use HTML5 when you can, but if you can't—if you need support for DRM-protected media streaming, for example—then it's reasonable to switch to an alternative, plugin-based technology. With Windows 8, however, those reasonable decisions to use Flash or Silverlight will now be heavily penalized. Technically, there's nothing wrong with the desktop browser, of course; the rendering engine and performance will be identical between both Metro and desktop. But the experience will be substantially inferior. The desktop browser isn't designed for touch inputs, meaning that users will either have to switch to a mouse and keyboard, or fumble around with an interface that wasn't built for fingers. The switch to the desktop browser also appears to discard things like back button history and current page state. This puts the Metro browser in a peculiar position. Microsoft has positioned tablets as merely a different kind of PC. That, the company argues, affords capabilities and features not possible on iPad-style devices. But PCs have browser plugins—more generally, they have the ability to use the right technology for the job. If Metro doesn't include that flexibility, that could be seen as diminishing the "PCness" of the platform. HTML5 still isn't a total replacement for plugin technologies, either. The gap is certainly narrowing: Web Sockets, Web Workers, built-in support for webcams and microphones, and more, are all coming to HTML5 browsers (or are available already), and these features will obviate the need for plugins for many applications. But certain corners are likely to remain; DRM-protected video, for example, might forever be impossible in HTML5, and while many people find DRM distasteful, many broadcasters feel they have little choice but to use it. The solution to this conundrum on the iOS platform has been the app: companies like Netflix and the BBC have applications to watch video on these devices. The result is that in the desire to push an open, plugin-free Web, companies are being forced to migrate away from the Web entirely. Silverlight developers, at least, will have an easy migration path available to them: the new Metro development environment, used for producing native Metro applications, borrows heavily from Silverlight, and making the switch from an in-browser plugin-based application to a standalone Metro application should be relatively easier. Flash developers will have to wait to see what tools Adobe delivers. HTML5 design and developer tools also remain weak, though this situation is improving with the creation of products like Adobe Edge. With Microsoft's promotion of HTML5, and the precedent set by iOS, the decision to get rid of plugins in the Metro browser is perhaps unsurprising. But it's not clear that this will truly help Windows 8; the awkward user experience penalizes users who, for no fault of their own, need to use plugins, and detracts from Windows 8's PC claims. A switch to a more HTML5-powered Web will happen regardless—does Microsoft really need to force the issue like this?[/quote] [url=http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2011/09/metro-style-internet-explorer-10-ditches-flash-plugins.ars][source][/url] Well, I suppose every Windows release must have some stupid awkward thing about it. I wonder how many people this will prompt to switch browsers and seriously question using Windows. Windows 8 looks interesting, but I don't know about Metro.

[QUOTE=RichyZ;32312473]why are they still updating ie?[/QUOTE] Because a lot of people still use it. It is also hard to get on the internet without a web browser too, it would make getting an alternative web browser a bit difficult.

[QUOTE=MR-X;32312494]Because a lot of people still use it. It is also hard to get on the internet without a web browser too, it would make getting an alternative web browser a bit difficult.[/QUOTE] It should come packaged with the most popular web browsers, which you can then choose when you install win8.

[QUOTE=Sparkwire;32312550]It should come packaged with the most popular web browsers, which you can then choose when you install win8.[/QUOTE] As if Microsoft would ever do that.

[QUOTE=Bombardier.;32312623]As if Microsoft would ever do that.[/QUOTE] Browserchoice.eu

I'm hoping we can get a version of Google Chrome for this. (assuming Google makes a touch based version of it or hasn't already)

[QUOTE=Bombardier.;32312623]As if Microsoft would ever do that.[/QUOTE] Hello welcome to Europe where we don't take Microsoft's monopoly bullshit and get greeted with [url=http://www.browserchoice.eu/BrowserChoice/browserchoice_en.htm]this[/url] upon trying to get onto the internet after installing Windows. I don't think Microsoft would do it at their own will though.

[QUOTE=Jsm;32312879]Hello welcome to Europe where we don't take Microsoft's monopoly bullshit and get greeted with [url=http://www.browserchoice.eu/BrowserChoice/browserchoice_en.htm]this[/url] upon trying to get onto the internet after installing Windows. I don't think Microsoft would do it at their own will though.[/QUOTE] Why does every uninformed Microsoft critic think that they're money hungry and trying to form a monopoly? This is the same company that gives almost all of their software out for free and bailed Apple out, to quote Bill Gates, "because I believe Apple can offer a lot to the computing world". There's plenty of legitimate things to criticize about Microsoft like the occasional ridiculous idea like songsmith, why waste your time coming up with stupid bullshit. Honestly is taking the 3 minutes to install another browser when you start up Windows the first time THAT BAD?

Ah..the new IE10 software will vastly improve my experience of going to Mozilla's website to get Firefox. Thank you Microsoft

[QUOTE=Elspin;32313462]Why does every uninformed Microsoft critic think that they're money hungry and trying to form a monopoly? This is the same company that gives almost all of their software out for free and bailed Apple out, to quote Bill Gates, "because I believe Apple can offer a lot to the computing world". There's plenty of legitimate things to criticize about Microsoft like the occasional ridiculous idea like songsmith, why waste your time coming up with stupid bullshit. Honestly is taking the 3 minutes to install another browser when you start up Windows the first time THAT BAD?[/QUOTE] I didn't say they were money hungry or trying to form a monopoly, I have no idea how you came to that conclusion. I am merely pointing out that due to their breech of EU competition laws they are forced to show that screen when IE starts for the first time, because under EU law they [B]are[/B] running a monopoly. It doesn't matter what peoples opinions on it are, under EU law they are unfairly preventing competition (and causing a monopoly) by bundling IE with Windows.

who cares i don't use IE and i won't use Metro

Chrome master race

[QUOTE=Aurora93;32313747]who cares i don't use IE and i won't use Metro[/QUOTE] The way it looks at the moment, you won't have a choice but to use Metro.

Desktop Master Race [editline]15th September 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=LifeIsGood;32313772]Chrome master race[/QUOTE] That too.

"Maybe people will like it this time"

[QUOTE=CakeMaster7;32312714]I'm hoping we can get a version of Google Chrome for this. (assuming Google makes a touch based version of it or hasn't already)[/QUOTE] That would be pretty cool and it'd already at least have flash built right in.

[QUOTE=Irishman23;32313823]"Maybe people will like it this time"[/QUOTE] 10th time lucky perhaps. IE9 isn't [I]that[/I] bad.

I'm willing to bet most whiners here haven't even tried IE9. [editline]s[/editline] Let alone 10.

[QUOTE=fenwick;32313843]I'm willing to bet most whiners here haven't even tried IE9.[/QUOTE] I've used most versions of IE, and as far as I know I've used 9 and I still prefer Chrome any day.

[QUOTE=fenwick;32313843]I'm willing to bet most whiners here haven't even tried IE9.[/QUOTE] I suspect that as well, it really isn't that bad (especially when compared to previous versions). It isn't the best browser out there but it is very usable and when I do have the (mis)fortune to be forced to use it it does everything you could want a browser to do.

[QUOTE=RichyZ;32312473]why are they still updating ie?[/QUOTE] IE10 (9 too for that matter) isn't bad at all. It's as secure (perhaps a little more) than Firefox and Opera (Last I checked it still doesn't beat Chrome), and it properly renders web pages. The only major downfall is the lack of customization whether it be the UI or addons. They still update it because it's still the most widely used browser, and being so there's no reason to have it like IE7 and before where it was prone to malware, and sucked when it comes to rendering pages. [editline]15th September 2011[/editline] As for the article, I both agree and disagree with the decision. I can browse fine without plugins and I don't use any other than AdBlock. IE's has something (I forget what it's called) that does the same and uses many of the lists that AdBlock uses so that's no big deal. However I do know that a lot of people use plugins like Last Pass or XMarks. There's PDF reader plugins, media playback plugins, etc, which I think is still essential to web browsing.

I just don't like IE9's interface. Plus it always seems like it loads the pages slower, but maybe that's just me being biased.

[QUOTE=Zedicus Mann;32313941]I just don't like IE9's interface. Plus it always seems like it loads the pages slower, but maybe that's just me being biased.[/QUOTE] I know this won't be the same for everyone but I ran a test to see what launched and rendered first and the outcome was this: Open quickest to slowest: Opera Chrome IE9 Firefox Render Page quickest to slowest (Homepage too): IE9 Firefox Opera Chrome Outdated now and could be completely different though.

Read the article guys. Basically their rationale behind this is to try and convince more websites to ditch plugins in favor of just coding in a vastly improved HTML5. This does not sound like a bad thing. Even if all it takes is a push of a button to go to the normal version of IE. Because Plugins kind of suck ass on a large scale, and the internet will be a much better place once everyone uses HMTL5

doesn't this only apply to the immersive ui internet explorer? the one used in the tablet interface? it'd be kind of silly to remove it from the desktop browser

[QUOTE=Lazor;32315047]doesn't this only apply to the immersive ui internet explorer? the one used in the tablet interface? it'd be kind of silly to remove it from the desktop browser[/QUOTE] Yeah IE10 on the desktop will still allow plugins and addons.

How Windows 8 is already failing.

I played with IE10 in Metro took me three minutes to figure out how to bring up the address bar and another three to figure out how to manage tabs (turns out it was right-click, which apparently means context menus don't exist anymore) god forbid I wanted to save some bookmarks, I don't have all week really intuitive interface you have going here MS

Dig a deeper hole, Microsoft.

[QUOTE=Zeke129;32319289]I played with IE10 in Metro took me three minutes to figure out how to bring up the address bar and another three to figure out how to manage tabs (turns out it was right-click, which apparently means context menus don't exist anymore) god forbid I wanted to save some bookmarks, I don't have all week really intuitive interface you have going here MS[/QUOTE] Right click = holding the touchscreen I think. Everywhere where right click has been used holding a touchscreen in the same spot would make more sense. Metro is a touchscreen interface.