Embrace the standards, nicely, or get out of browsers
If there was a functioning market for web browsers and operating systems, the past few weeks would have seen two announcements from Microsoft. After a firestorm of criticism from the web design community about Internet Explorer 8's misguided mode switching proposal, Redmond would have publicly backed down. Second, Microsoft would have bowed to 90,000 users demanding that Windows XP continue to be sold.
There were no such announcements. Why? Because Microsoft, with its dominating position in the web browser and operating system markets, acts like a monopoly.
A monopoly doesn't have to consider its customers' wants or needs. In a functioning market, vendors must consider such things in order to compete successfully. But the market isn't functioning.
Microsoft's failure to respond to its customers' outcry shows that it is time to call on established antitrust laws that allow governments to impose sanctions on a vendor that has a dominant position in a market. The purpose of these sanctions is to ensure competition and innovation and thereby create a market in which consumers are heard.
Recently, the European Commission opened several investigations into Microsoft's dominant position. As a regulatory body, they could decide to impose sanctions and while Microsoft might ignore their frustrated customers, they would have a harder time ignoring the European Commission.
A recent string of high-profile ActiveX vulnerabilities caused the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) to advise users to disable the ubiquitous Microsoft browser plug-in technology altogether.
Comments
Stephane Rodriguez
2008-02-20 10:35:07
Roy Schestowitz
2008-02-20 11:01:41
Mark Fink
2008-02-20 16:12:12
Roy Schestowitz
2008-02-20 16:35:36
Stephane is against ActiveX, just for the record.
Stephane Rodriguez
2008-02-20 18:50:42
If you remove the insult, we could have a discussion between adults. Shall we?
To play a .swf player, Internet Explorer needs an ActiveX control, the Macromedia Flash player.
I will demonstrate this to you right now.
If you are using Windows, open-up a command line and type :
regedit
then browse HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash / CLSID
on the right hand side you should find a serial enclosed in braces. For instance, {D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000}
Now browse HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / CLSID / {D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000}
In that branch, you'll find a number of subkeys that are used to register an ActiveX control. In other words, this demonstrates what I'm talking about. But for the sake of playing the game, let's proceed.
Unfold HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / CLSID / {D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000} / InprocServer32,
you should find on the right hand side a filepath of the form "C:\WINDOWS\System32\Macromed\Flash\Flash9e.ocx"
Ok, now open-up a command line and type :
regsvr32 -u "C:\WINDOWS\System32\Macromed\Flash\Flash9e.ocx"
This has unregistered the ActiveX control.
Now start Internet Explorer, head over to Youtube, for instance here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6c-umQ_hlc
And what happens?
The video does not show up. The ActiveX control has been disabled. So you are left with a message saying that you should download the Flash player.
Eh..
Stephane Rodriguez
2008-02-20 18:53:25