Read Latest Entries..: (Post #24) by NeXDesigns on Jun 25 2005, 08:28 PM. (Line Breaks Removed)
they are trying to defend their territory, i can see that, but that still is no excuse if they are doing it for no reason (some sites are not compatable, but forcing it to be like that is just wrong) i know msn spaces wont allow firefox, and neither does gmail (tho it works it limits functionality of it sadly)I think microsoft finally sees that firefox just might be better than IE and is trying to... read more.
It appears Microsoft is blocking Firefox from a number of it’s webpages. I’ve heard of this before, but now thanks to the new reporter tool, we have hard data to back it up. At the time I’m writing this there are 39 reports in the database. I should note that we have a little over 1000 users in the system at this point, so 39 reports is rather significant.
Most of the reports are about Firefox are that they are being told:
Sorry, we are unable to show you the page you requested. Please try again later.
In IE obviously the links work. Spoofing the user agent to that of Internet Explorer also has success. The area being reported is the downloads section of their site. Yes downloads worked. I tried several and had no problems.
Besides for illegitimately blocking Firefox, Microsoft has mislabeled their error message to encourage the user to “Please try again later”, as if it’s a server issue and will likely be resolved shortly. At least on Windows Update they say right away that it requires Internet Explorer, which is an honest dialog as Firefox does not support ActiveX which is used by Auto Update.
The only issue I can see with those pages is that the gradient on the top of the Microsoft site doesn’t render correctly. As I recall (and Asa blogged a while back) the css for it isn’t in the specs, hence unsupported in Gecko, though I haven’t verified that as I’m not a css guru. The same problem appears on the Microsoft homepage, but they don’t block that (presumably because the point of the page is to get people to buy things).
Come on Microsoft. You did move a bit towards standards. Save the browser sniffing for when it’s necessary (such as Windows Update). Let your customers use the browser that they feel comfortable using. Here’s a hint. We’re closing in on 65 million downloads in the next few hours. That’s 65 million people who believe in choice. Isn’t it time to respect computer users choices?
I hope to see Microsoft address and correct this issue.
Update: some report Firefox 1.0.4 working. Safari and OmniWeb seem to be blocked as well with that cryptic error message.
this is crazy there just jelous cuz their products s**k b***s
wow ... that is kinda stupid for them to do that .. hoping that people will that firefox is not as competent as internet explorer ... but i think they will do something to solve the thing ... or not there will be another market monopoly lawsuit
After thinking for awhile ... i think that we cannot do anything about this ... microsoft owns their website ... and they can support any browser they like ... they can also not support any browser they like ... it's their rights ..
So ... if you want to download things from microsoft ... just use internet explorer instead of firefox ..
I'm beginning to dislike Microsoft more and more. That is just plain ridiculous of them! Most of the time, if it won't work in Firefox, I don't visit that site. I only use IE if it's the only browser on the computer. I highly doubt that they'd ever force a Firefox user to switch back to IE. Firefox is just plain better and has more features than IE will ever have.
Its amazing that Microsoft, who have already been accused of holding a monopoly on everything software related, needs to block out other browsers when there is no need to. If a site doesn't appear correctly in Firefox then obviously the webmaster doesn't care about the millions of potential surfers they are missing out on. Microsoft is even implementing tabbed browsing into IE, so obviously even Microsoft thinks FF is better!
After thinking for awhile ... i think that we cannot do anything about this ... microsoft owns their website ... and they can support any browser they like ... they can also not support any browser they like ... it's their rights ..
So ... if you want to download things from microsoft ... just use internet explorer instead of firefox ..
That is a really stupid decision made by microsoft. With all this it looks like they want to have a monopol in everything connected with the computer software. And if that will happen, yeah they'll be full of money, but they will be also the most hated corporation in the world. But that wouldn't be the biggest problem. Users of software will be cut of of many privileges and better things that could be avaliable if there would be many software productions.
But let's turn to this problem. As ashiezai said, they have all rights to made his website avaliable just for those with Internet Explorer, but they are stupid, because with this they are losing potential clients.
Maybe one day they'll see that they are doing the wrong thing
It’s an open secret that Microsoft aims to make the users of other better browsers inconvenient. Say, their website for Windows update is accessible by the stupid Internet Explorer only. When you enter hotmail and blank out the user-agent, the system would pop up a window asking you to get their stupid browser. More outrageously, Microsoft often uses the security-nightmare, ActiveX in their webpage and so alternative browsers often have problem accessing them. I think the most foolish thing is that some web developers only have Internet Explorer in mind. Say, the online teaching software of my university, WebCT only accepts Internet Explorer. This is outrageous.
Microsoft stole many technologies form others. The JavaScript and Jscript, the Java and the dot Net platform. In my opinion, the only thing that Microsoft is still not able to copy is Macromedia’s Flash. The Flash player has become such a success that Microsoft is still not able to come up with something equivalent. If Firefox is to survive and re-colonize the market, perhaps some sites should make themselves Firefox only.
Oh dear... well, doesn't this sort of go to show in a more obvious way than ever that MS is insecure about the popularity of IE? I mean, I wouldn't know too much about the browser buissnesses, but they must have their strategies for doing what they do. I also think the move is stupid, but that does not prevent them from having their reasons, eh? But I still don't get the point, won't people be more likely to switch if/when they come to know of a trick like this? Won't this do more harm than good for MS in general? *phew*
they are trying to defend their territory, i can see that, but that still is no excuse if they are doing it for no reason (some sites are not compatable, but forcing it to be like that is just wrong) i know msn spaces wont allow firefox, and neither does gmail (tho it works it limits functionality of it sadly) I think microsoft finally sees that firefox just might be better than IE and is trying to get rid of the compition.
Microsoft does this type of *BLEEP* all the time. It just takes awhile for people to realize it. The sad part is, is that as much money Microsoft has put into blocking things, if they would just up their expertise and make Microsoft semi bug free then maybe we wouldn't be looking at different things such as Firefox.
Hmm, while I wouldn't decide to make the decision that Microsoft has made, I don't think that what they did really surprises me that much. They know that Mozilla Firefox dominates Internet Explorer and are trying to solve the problem by running away from it (not a very smart thing to do). It's pretty stupid of them to limit how many people will look at their site, therefore they are ultimately losing possible customers and clients. Oh well, let Microsoft shoot themselves in the foot. I am not trying to say that just because they made some parts of their site off-limits to users of other browsers other than Internet Explorer, but this isn't the first and last time that they will do something like this. What Microsoft should be focusing on instead is trying to omprove and restore the image of their outdated and unsecure web-browser. Will they manage to do that with Internet Explorer 7, or will it be just another lame attempt by Microsoft at trying to "update" their software. Only time will tell.
(I've always wondered why...) ...Windows always employs a "you don't need to know what
you're getting" attitude with its updates. By default, updates are set to be automatic, in the
name of "protecting your computer from exploits" (I call this Level 3 automatic updates). With
Level 3, everything is automatic. Windows automatically downloads and installs the updates, and then
turns off your computer in 5 minutes if you don't postpone it. This is the most annyoing level,
in my opinion. I set it to Level 2 (download, but don't install yet) myself. This....
I stumbled upon this today, not sure how many of you actually read this before, so here it is:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/...100reasons.mspx I think that this list is freaking
hilarious. I know I'd be speechless because I'd be laughing so bad I wouldn't have time
to respond.....
How to install Microsoft Windows XP automatically As you know, during installing Microsoft
Windows XP, setup asks you several questions about your installation drive, windows serial number,
your language, administrator password, local time zone and … . So that you should sit and answer
above questions. But there is a small tool in Microsoft Windows CD , let's you answer these
questions before installing Windows. 1- Put Windows XP CD/DVD in the CD/DVD in your CD/DVD ROM and
go to following folder: X:\Support\tools\ 2- Copy deploy.cab in your Hard Dr....
Some Microsoft Windows Xp Registry Tips Here I would like to learn you, some Microsoft Windows Xp
Registry Tips. Please note that incorrectly changing registry entries may damages your computer. If
you are not familiar with Microsoft Windows Registry, please do not change your registry entries.
Please backup your registry for future restores. To run Registry Editor: Click Start menu > click
run > type "regedit" in Run dialog box and press Ok to run Registry Editor. To disable Display
Properties Tabs You can disable Display Properties Tabs, to do this go to follo....
How to create your own setup file with Microsoft Windows XP As you know there are many software
that can create installation wizard for your files or programs such as install anywhere, install
sheet, but today I want a simple way to create your own installation file without any program to do
this: 1- Click on Start menu and then click on Run, to open RUN dialog box. 2- Type Iexpress and
then click ok, Iexpress Wizard appears. 3- Select first radio dox (Create new self extraction
directive file) and then click next. 4- Here select final result of the package and then ....
United States congress passed to encourage energy conservation and have made changes to Daylight
Saving Time (DST) as follows. This will reflect accordingly if you set your Windows to update the
time automatically. It will begin Spring of 2007. For more articles visit
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=928388 ....
QUOTE Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of local PC users running pirated Windows
operating systems will soon face the shame of being reminded of their illegal action every time they
switch on their machines. The feature will be added to the operating system by Microsoft Corp from
tomorrow and cannot be erased. It will nag the guilty users and can be awkward if it shows up on
corporate PCs." QUOTE The anti-piracy move is being kicked off in five countries tomorrow –
the United States, Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia. Full Story: http....
really sad if even Mike Reavey, operations manager for Microsoft's Security Response Center,
call it "a very serious issue". read on here: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10651414/ ....
microsoft offer 100% free windows xp sp2. just go to this link
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloa...us/default.mspx and fill your address they will send
you the cd to you. I just recive the cd yesterday. /biggrin.gif' border='0'
style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /> I see new feature like directx 9c , WMP9 ,
firewall , and the one I like is popup blocker! /wink.gif' border='0'
style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /> PS. waiting for the cd about 1-2 week if you
write an exact address.....
A few months ago, while i was visiting some harware hackers store, I noticed they got a new OS, call
Microsoft Longhorn XP, and it actually worked as an add on to microsoft window XP, It has a kool
design though, But I am not sure, as microsoft did not release anything officially about a new
windows called so.....
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