Pushing IE8: how far will Microsoft go?

Davey Winder
Tuesday, 14 April 2009 02:29

Business IT - Technology

There has been something of a storm in a teacup brewing over news that Microsoft will be pushing out automatic upgrades of IE8 to IE6 and IE7 users, but just how hard will it be pushing?

Internet Explorer 8 has most recently been making news because no sooner had it been officially launched by Microsoft, complete with the usual 'most secure ever' spin, that someone went and hacked it.

Now the talk is moving away from security and towards freedom. Freedom to choose if you want IE8 or not, that is.

The online grapevine has been buzzing over the Easter weekend since an official Microsoft blog posting revealed plans to start pushing out automatic updates for the new web browser client.

That announcement stated that, starting "on or about the third week of April" users who are still running either IE6 or IE7 on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008 "will get will get a notification through Automatic Update about IE8."

Conspiracy theorists were quick to spot the line which mentioned that the update rollout will start with a narrow audience but "expand over time to the entire user base" and took this to mean the eradication of IE6 and IE7 with no user choice in the matter.

The truth, however, is that while the update will indeed be rolled out as high priority to XP and Server 2003 users, and important for those running Vista and Server 2008, it will not automatically install for any users at all.

Eric Hebenstreit, the IE8 Lead Program Manager, has confirmed that "Users must opt-in to install IE8. Users will see a Welcome screen that offers choices: Ask later, install now, or don’t install."

Furthermore, there was a blocker toolkit released back in January 2009, with no expiration date, that can be used by organisations wishing to keep Windows up to date via the Automatic Update service but handle their own deployment of IE8 at their own pace.