5 ms·

Ditto, but I don't get it. Isn't it a massive security risk?

by coopdog 14y ago

oatmealsnap 14y ago
but it would be more of a hassle to upgrade all the computers to IE7, and make sure all their software is still compatible. And then what? You'll just need to upgrade to IE8 in a few years anyway.
- josefresco 14y ago
  Clearly there are some who still weigh "hassle" and cost over the potential risk that falling behind current tech brings to their business. The "why upgrade when I'll have to just upgrade again later" logic is clearly not a healthy long term strategy for any business (even outside of IT). Skipping a generation to saves costs may work but how many do you skip before your risk and cost to catch up becomes too much?
  - GFischer 14y ago
    What's the potential risk for a business when you're a monopoly? Or a government - see Korea's stuff with banking and ActiveX, they managed to force it for decades: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120507/12295718818/south-korea-still-paying-price-embracing-internet-explorer-decade-ago.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120507/12295718818/south-...
- kylec 14y ago
  And why not jump directly to 8? Every OS that runs IE6 can also run IE8, it should just be one Windows Update away.
- olliesaunders 14y ago
  Aren’t we on IE 10 now? Why would you upgrade to IE7?
  - ygra 14y ago
    XP might have some trouble running IE10.
- derefr 14y ago
  Given hardware produced in the last five years, I'm surprised anything requiring IE isn't just done in a VM pinned to a clean snapshot of XP+IE6, rather than expecting the host OS to be able to deal with it. We don't expect to be able to run real-mode DOS programs "on the metal" any more; instead, they're virtualized. Why is running IE6 on the metal any less ridiculous?
  - bskap 14y ago
    Microsoft tried, really. They made it super-easy to set up in Windows 7. It just didn't really help. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/windows-xp-mode http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/feature...
    - freehunter 14y ago
      Actually at my enterprise, the team that manages the Windows installs specifically disabled XP mode and application compatibility settings. I've never gotten a response from them as to why, but they mandate anyone who needs to use an IE6-only application has to stay on XP with IE6. Although the good news is, Chrome is the company-wide default, with IE6 limited to intranet use only. Still sucks.
- mtgx 14y ago
  Just upgrade to Chrome or Firefox. Unlike Microsoft, they don't intend to leave one browser behind every other Windows release, so they can sell their new version of Windows.
GFischer 14y ago
They probably have a humungous firewall and several dozen antiviruses on computers that are reduced to a crawl.. what can an attacker do in that scenario? In my office, most users can only access 2 or 3 webpages anyway. When I did development for a financial company, I had a separate computer for internet access, on a separate network (shared by several devs).
LarryMade2 14y ago
Bet there's some older "sacred cow" app or web portal that they connect to that REQUIRES IE6. Saw that in a former job, and when inquired about updating, "it would cost too much" was the typical response.

Ditto, but I don't get it. Isn't it a massive security risk?

by coopdog 14y ago

Ditto, but I don't get it. Isn't it a massive security risk?

but it would be more of a hassle to upgrade all the computers to IE7, and make sure all their software is still compatible. And then what? You'll just need to upgrade to IE8 in a few years anyway.

josefresco 14y ago
Clearly there are some who still weigh "hassle" and cost over the potential risk that falling behind current tech brings to their business. The "why upgrade when I'll have to just upgrade again later" logic is clearly not a healthy long term strategy for any business (even outside of IT). Skipping a generation to saves costs may work but how many do you skip before your risk and cost to catch up becomes too much?
- GFischer 14y ago
  What's the potential risk for a business when you're a monopoly? Or a government - see Korea's stuff with banking and ActiveX, they managed to force it for decades: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120507/12295718818/south-korea-still-paying-price-embracing-internet-explorer-decade-ago.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120507/12295718818/south-...
kylec 14y ago
And why not jump directly to 8? Every OS that runs IE6 can also run IE8, it should just be one Windows Update away.
olliesaunders 14y ago
Aren’t we on IE 10 now? Why would you upgrade to IE7?
- ygra 14y ago
  XP might have some trouble running IE10.
derefr 14y ago
Given hardware produced in the last five years, I'm surprised anything requiring IE isn't just done in a VM pinned to a clean snapshot of XP+IE6, rather than expecting the host OS to be able to deal with it. We don't expect to be able to run real-mode DOS programs "on the metal" any more; instead, they're virtualized. Why is running IE6 on the metal any less ridiculous?
- bskap 14y ago
  Microsoft tried, really. They made it super-easy to set up in Windows 7. It just didn't really help. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/windows-xp-mode http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/feature...
  - freehunter 14y ago
    Actually at my enterprise, the team that manages the Windows installs specifically disabled XP mode and application compatibility settings. I've never gotten a response from them as to why, but they mandate anyone who needs to use an IE6-only application has to stay on XP with IE6. Although the good news is, Chrome is the company-wide default, with IE6 limited to intranet use only. Still sucks.
mtgx 14y ago
Just upgrade to Chrome or Firefox. Unlike Microsoft, they don't intend to leave one browser behind every other Windows release, so they can sell their new version of Windows.

GFischer 14y ago

They probably have a humungous firewall and several dozen antiviruses on computers that are reduced to a crawl.. what can an attacker do in that scenario? In my office, most users can only access 2 or 3 webpages anyway. When I did development for a financial company, I had a separate computer for internet access, on a separate network (shared by several devs).

LarryMade2 14y ago

Bet there's some older "sacred cow" app or web portal that they connect to that REQUIRES IE6. Saw that in a former job, and when inquired about updating, "it would cost too much" was the typical response.