Do Not Upgrade to Internet Explorer 8
I have been perfectly happy with Internet Explorer 7 for quite some time. I was hoping that version 8 would come with the same success, but I am quite mistaken. The problem isn't that 8 is buggy or prone to vulnerabilities. I would bet that 8 will be less buggy and less vulnerable than its predecessors. My problem is with compatibility. For the first time, I found a piece of old software that will not run with version 8. Sure, my piece of software is 11 years old now, but that doesn't mean I should upgrade it.
The good news this time around, unlike during the forced Internet Explorer 7 upgrade, is that microsoft has put out an IE8 Blocker Toolkit to prevent your computer from installing IE8. Why they don't make IE8 an optional update is beyond me. We're stuck ignoring the update or filling our hard drives with this toolkit.
My software is old, but by no means is it obsolete. I have been running perfectly well with it up until Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8 came about. Microsoft is promising that their new Windows will let you virtually run in Windows XP mode. That's cool, but that doesn't fix this problem. They are now pushing people to download and install Internet Explorer 8 ON Windows XP. My old software requires a specific Internet Explorer component and they decided to remove it from version 8. This old software is built by Microsoft, so it should work, but no, I'm being forced into installing version 8 and on top of that I'm going to have to pay them more money to upgrade my old software. Well forget it.
I am sick of upgrading. Version 8 may have some tempting features, but I have to go and spend $50 before I can upgrade. $50 may not be a lot, but it's still another "Microsoft Tax". If you want me to upgrade, bundle your other software with it for free. I only have two pieces of software keeping me on Microsoft Windows, and I'm very tempted to contribute to the Linux Wine to get them working under Linux so I can dump Windows for good. I'm also tempted to write my own program to replace my outdated software. I just don't have time this year.
Anyway, enough about my situation. My concern is for your own situation. If I have compatibility problems, then a large portion of the world is going to also have problems. This is the first time I've come across software that is incompatible that will cost me money to fix. I plan to wait quite a while before I make a switch. That may be about two years, but it does mean I will be annoyed by upgrade nagging for the next two years. Maybe now is a good time to try switching to Linux again. If you're thinking about switching, but have Windows-only software, try the Wine App DB to see if your software can be emulated in Linux.
And now for something completely different. Check out question 6 about Swine Flu. It may not be the best thing you ever heard, but it's still amusing. Apparently some bio-med people have fun researching the virii.
The good news this time around, unlike during the forced Internet Explorer 7 upgrade, is that microsoft has put out an IE8 Blocker Toolkit to prevent your computer from installing IE8. Why they don't make IE8 an optional update is beyond me. We're stuck ignoring the update or filling our hard drives with this toolkit.
My software is old, but by no means is it obsolete. I have been running perfectly well with it up until Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8 came about. Microsoft is promising that their new Windows will let you virtually run in Windows XP mode. That's cool, but that doesn't fix this problem. They are now pushing people to download and install Internet Explorer 8 ON Windows XP. My old software requires a specific Internet Explorer component and they decided to remove it from version 8. This old software is built by Microsoft, so it should work, but no, I'm being forced into installing version 8 and on top of that I'm going to have to pay them more money to upgrade my old software. Well forget it.
I am sick of upgrading. Version 8 may have some tempting features, but I have to go and spend $50 before I can upgrade. $50 may not be a lot, but it's still another "Microsoft Tax". If you want me to upgrade, bundle your other software with it for free. I only have two pieces of software keeping me on Microsoft Windows, and I'm very tempted to contribute to the Linux Wine to get them working under Linux so I can dump Windows for good. I'm also tempted to write my own program to replace my outdated software. I just don't have time this year.
Anyway, enough about my situation. My concern is for your own situation. If I have compatibility problems, then a large portion of the world is going to also have problems. This is the first time I've come across software that is incompatible that will cost me money to fix. I plan to wait quite a while before I make a switch. That may be about two years, but it does mean I will be annoyed by upgrade nagging for the next two years. Maybe now is a good time to try switching to Linux again. If you're thinking about switching, but have Windows-only software, try the Wine App DB to see if your software can be emulated in Linux.
And now for something completely different. Check out question 6 about Swine Flu. It may not be the best thing you ever heard, but it's still amusing. Apparently some bio-med people have fun researching the virii.