Internet Explorer 8

Article = none , personal experience


Downloaded IE8 and took it for a spin.

Lets start by looking over the license.


Features in the software can retrieve related content from Microsoft and provide it to you. To provide the content, these features send to Microsoft the type of operating system, name and version of the software you are using, type of browser and language code of the device where you installed the software. Examples of these features are clip art, templates, online training, online assistance and Appshelp. You may choose not to use these web content features.


examples = a few , we might do it for anything we're spying on you.


We may use the computer information, and CEIP information, to improve our software and services. We may also share it with others, such as hardware and software vendors. They may use the information to improve how their products run with Microsoft software.


We reserve the right to give that information away to everyone and the
dog and you get no choice in the matter.

And it wants to install a thousand updates that will likely break
your system if you do so. On top of the IE. (I said no)

reboot computer

reset home page , tried to turn on some kind of list of suggested sites,
I said no (advertising)

Search bar is msn live search only , no other choices.
AOL ad , stuck right in the tool bar. One click to register.

I went to my favorites and deleted the AOL entry ...no dice , aol is still there.


The url bar now has ads instead of aproximate addresses when you type a url
"Download windows search to Improve history and search results"

"Allow previously unused active-x..." yadda yadda ...the old ones still
run anyways even when you hit disable
four other options that have to be hit to disable active-x , they're
automatically enabled even though I disabled them before.


Go to gmail.

"Gmail requires ActiveX controls to be enabled

Your browser seems to be Internet Explorer, and ActiveX seems to be disabled. Gmail's standard view requires ActiveX to be enabled in order to operate."

- and now gmail is in on the act


The new IE8 seems pretty fast , now that it's been installed on my nice virus free machine that was kept virus free because I don't use IE of any kind. But it punishes you , still , for turning off active x, which is the main path by which virii get to your machine (thus why I'm on firefox).

And they've got some websites (starting with google) in cahoots with them on this.

And they're loaded up with advertising that is at the very least difficult to turn off. I couldn't find a way to get rid of it.

And they want you to only use the microsoft search engine and nothing else , there are no other choices.

And they're sneaking a little closer in with the collecting of private information that isn't theirs to collect but they're going to grab it anyways. Always chiselling away , these companies. Always making you sign or agree to things so you can use their product that are really a bad idea.

I went back to firefox. This thing is still a virus trap and they have no intention of changing it. Active-X is still active by default , turned back on again even if you turn it off , and anyone who uses this browser without technical knowledge is caught between letting the virii in so you can go to certain websites , or doing without them.

Security is Job Last again , at Microsoft , though they bray loud and long like a mule with a sick stomach the exact opposite.

Oh yes ! The latest wrinkle ! This isn't your software, you're just borrowing it for a bit and they reserve the right to take it back at any time.

So don't get used to it or dependant on it, they could take a hissy fit and decide that since you're not installing the usual updates and being properly vender locked to microsoft products only they just might take it away from you with no warning at all.

Or if you all work at google , and they decide they hate you ... you get the picture.