Microsoft gets silent upgrade religion, will push IE auto-updates - ComputerworldMicrosoft today said it will silently upgrade Internet Explorer (IE) starting next month, arguing that taking the responsibility out of the hands of users will keep the Web safer.
The move is an acknowledgement by Microsoft that Google's model -- its Chrome browser has updated in the background without user involvement since it debuted more than three years ago -- is the right one.
Personally, I do not mind browsers autoupdating as long as they do not start having pop-ups prompting you to restart the browser. What do you guys think?
While I don't approve of forced updates in almost all cases, I think people should at least update from IE6 (but not be forced).
This is just another attempt in a line of them that MS is trying to push people to do it. I don't think it will work much.
IE to Start Automatic Upgrades across Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7
Read more at:Everyone benefits from an up-to-date browser.
Today we are sharing our plan to automatically upgrade Windows customers to the latest version of Internet Explorer available for their PC. This is an important step in helping to move the Web forward. We will start in January for customers in Australia and Brazil who have turned on automatic updating via Windows Update. Similar to our release of IE9 earlier this year, we will take a measured approach, scaling up over time.
As always, when upgrading from one version of Internet Explorer to the next through Windows Update, the user’s home page, search provider, and default browser remains unchanged.
IE to Start Automatic Upgrades across Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7
Not happy with the attitude from MS but it's nothing new. At least they have a toolkit to block the IE9 delivery:
Toolkit to Disable Automatic Delivery of Internet Explorer 9
Download: Toolkit to Disable Automatic Delivery of Internet Explorer 9 - Microsoft Download Center - Confirmation
Time to start loading the machines I support.
Regards,
GEWB
Not a big problem. We still have control.
JimUnder its plan, IE will be silently upgraded only to those users who have opted in to automatic updates on the Windows Update service.
"[And] customers who have declined previous installations of IE8 or IE9 through Windows Update will not be automatically updated," Microsoft promised in a Thursday blog post.
I don't see anything different from what MS has done (provided) in the past. You can choose auto update or not. What's the purpose of the news release other than pushing HTML5? Again!
Of course, it wouldn't bother me to see Adobe Flash die a painful death.
I'm not all that comfortable with Opera automatically checking for updates, although it at least requires an operator approval for it to actually install it. It seems to be the trend that many developers are going toward, but I will continue my back-stroke all the way upstream.
I should have said "silently updating" rather than autoupdating. Basically the regular updates will be installed with or without having updates set to install automatically without user input and new versions of IE we go from being considered "optional updates" to being "important updates." Basically it will update similar to Google Chrome as opposed to how it has in the past. At least I believe that that is how it will work based on what I have read.
Sounds the same to me.Respecting Customer Choice and Control
While the benefits of upgrading are numerous, we recognize that some organizations and individuals may want to opt-out and set their own upgrade pace. One of the things we’re committed to as we move to auto updates is striking the right balance for consumers and enterprises – getting consumers the most up-to-date version of their browser while allowing enterprises to update their browsers on their schedule. The Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9 Automatic Update Blocker toolkits prevent automatic upgrades of IE for Windows customers who do not want them. Of course, we firmly believe that IE9 is the most compelling browser for business customers, and we want them to make the decision to upgrade at their convenience. Commercial customers can learn more about how this auto upgrade affects them here.
Similarly, customers who have declined previous installations of IE8 or IE9 through Windows Update will not be automatically updated. Customers have the ability to uninstall updates and continue to receive support for the version of IE that came with their copy of Windows. And similar to organizations, consumers can block the update all together and upgrade on their own. Finally, future versions of IE will provide an option in the product for consumers to opt out of automatic upgrading.
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