6 ms·
IE9 Won't Support Windows XP
- motters 17y agoHah. Now there's a surprise. Just business as usual for Microsoft.
- mseebach 17y agoI don't get why people are upset that IE9 may not run on XP. Did they think that running XP is a perpetual entitlement to be able to run all future Microsoft software? What can IE9 do that's so important that IE8 or any of the competing browsers can't do?
- BSeward 17y agoI don't think it's people running XP who are disappointed. If this news means much to you you're probably tech-savvy enough to have installed a more capable browser. Developers must be disappointed because this means the millions of non-tech users running XP (and not interested/capable in upgrading to 7) won't be automatically upgraded to a browser that can run websites built on modern technologies. Consumer-oriented HTML5-powered webapps will continue to require kludges or hacks or concessions to work for many users, and will keep requiring these until a critical mass of grandpa- or aunties-owned computer machines break and grandpas and aunties go to the Best Buy and get new ones.
- zandorg 17y agoAll they need is a flag which says 'This is XP, don't use those features'.
- awt 17y agoSo, Chrome, Safari, and Firefox can run on XP and support HTML 5, but IE 9 can't? Wow. What a kick in the nuts. 10 more years of IE6.
- iwasakabukiman 17y agoThe reason it can't run on Windows XP is because it uses some Windows Vista/7 APIs that aren't in Windows XP. HTML5 has nothing to do with it.
- jorgeortiz85 17y agoThe point is that Mozilla, Apple, and Google have all built capable (HTML 5) browsers using the APIs Microsoft provided in Windows XP. If they can do it, why can't Microsoft?
- ElbertF 17y agoBecause they want people to buy their super fancy Windows 7 instead of running XP forever.
- fnid2 17y agoIE9 on XP won't fix the problem, because IE6 will still run on Windows 7.
- CoreDumpling 17y agoIE6 is packaged with XP. A large part of why it's around is that people who bought XP couldn't be arsed to upgrade to anything better. If some corporate IT department wants to upgrade to Windows 7 but still reinstall IE6 over it for some crufty legacy app compatibility, I think they'll probably have much bigger problems that would make the OS upgrade pointless altogether. Granted, Windows 7 currently ships with IE8, so we'll still have the same problem for a while.
- fnid2 17y ago
- InclinedPlane 17y agoConsidering that the IE ship train has been tied to Windows for the past several cycles and IE9 will ship with Windows 8, this is hardly surprising (at that time XP will be 3 releases prior).
- CWIZO 17y agoI don't see how this will affect anything. Those who are still using IE6 had plenty of time to upgrade to IE7/8, what makes you think that once IE9 comes along, everybody will suddenly upgrade?
- calvin 17y agoIt's because this means all the PC users who stay on Windows XP will be perpetually using IE6/7/8. IE9 usage will only grow as adoption of Vista/7 picks up. In essence, IE9 will have slower marketshare growth and web developers will be forced to cater towards the XP-using masses for another 5 years or more.
- zokier 17y agoI'd guess there are 3 types of people: 1) Those who just use computers as they come out of box. These users will have Windows 7/Windows Vista and therefore are capable of running IE9 2) Those tech savvy people who insist on installing XP. They are smart enough to install and use some alternative browser (fx/chrome) 3) Those who are using that 10 year old computer and are using it as it came from the box. These people are the problem (in addition to corporate droids)
- GHFigs 17y agoThose who just use computers as they come out of box. These users will have Windows 7/Windows Vista Most netbooks sold in the last few years have run Windows XP Home, and some continue to ship with it. Granted, many of the buyers probably fall under your type 2, but not all of them.
- catfish 17y agoMicrosoft is making a business decision that makes sense. For them. For those of us who prefer not to DRM our machines to death, XP is going to be around for some time to come. Most folks like us stopped using explorer long ago. This decision helps open source browsers gain greater market share so I welcome it. Anything Microsoft does that helps open source alternatives is win in my book. Thanks MS!!!!
- j_baker 17y agoErm.... Microsoft is a business. They are required by law to consider their shareholders' interests above all else.
- dirtbox 17y agoIt's not even a browser at this point, it's simply a closed test suite.
- InclinedPlane 17y agoTo turn the logic around here. If MS should feel obligated to make sure all its software works on windows XP, then shouldn't web developers continue to feel obligated to make sure all their websites work on IE6?
- tsuraan 17y agoThat's a bizarre statement; MS wrote XP, and it wrote IE6. Why would MS supporting or failing to support its own software have any relation on third parties supporting MS's software?
- InclinedPlane 17y agoThe point I am making is that this logic doesn't work, MS has no obligation to make IE9 run on XP. MS continues to release patches for both XP and IE6, and that's all the obligation it has in terms of support. They have no obligation to release new browsers for old operating systems.
- martingordon 17y agoIt's up to web developers to take the plunge and decide to stop supporting IE6. Stop complaining about having to support IE6/IEx, bite the bullet and just direct people to download a competent browser.
- mbenjaminsmith 17y agoI guess this means if I want to not break the law I have to buy another, heavier os to VM for testing. Do I really have to buy win7 or vista just to test another substandard browser? (Screams at ms, shakes angry fists towards the heavens.)