Microsoft Wants You to Use Internet Explorer, Not Chrome or Safari - http://clapway.com/2016/01/12/microsoft-wants-you-to-use-internet-explorer-not-chrome-or-safari-123/

It looks like Microsoft is giving up on Internet Explorer, but only to compete with Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. The company has officially announced that they will stop supporting all older versions of the browser. Users are being officially forced to update to Internet Explorer 11 or Edge before today.

Microsoft Pushes for Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge for Security

Older versions of the browser might make users vulnerable to hackers. As such, the corporation has officially decided to stop supporting older versions of the browser. Upgrading to the latest version of the Windows browser will give users a more efficient way to surf the web. They will be safer from bugs and viruses. Otherwise, customers risk being exposed to malware and hackers.

The Company Has Been Trying to Drop the Browser Since March 2015

The final straw came when Microsoft announced it would release an update with the final bug fixes and an ‘End of Life’ notification that will ask users to upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer. In the announcement, the company declared that the latest version of the browser will follow the current component policy. This means that it will follow the support lifecycle of the Windows OS that the device has installed.

The first warnings of ending support for older browsers came in August of 2014. Because users still used outdated versions of Internet Explorer, the company has made this move. Microsoft has also downgraded Internet Explorer to legacy status. This means that as of March 2015, Internet Explorer was only useful for business compatibility.

Do People Even Choose to Use IE Over Chrome, Safari and Firefox?

Microsoft is slowly killing the unpopular browser, but only to encourage the spread of Microsoft Edge. The company has lost a lot of market shares to Chrome and Safari. By making this move, they are one step closer to bringing a new major browser on the market. Currently, the most used browsers are Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox.

By supporting only Internet Explorer 11 and onwards, Microsoft has the chance to get rid of Internet Explorer completely. The next step would be to make the upgrade to Microsoft Edge a mandatory one, and its platforms can come with built-in Edge on all machines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGZ7KRjcXzQ

Microsoft Wants You to Use Internet Explorer, Not Chrome or Safari

Firefox Will Not Support Plugins by End of 2016 - http://clapway.com/2015/10/12/firefox-will-not-support-plugins-end-2016123/

Mozilla and their Firefox web browser have finally put their foot down.

They’ll follow in the footsteps of another popular web browser, Google Chrome, and put an end to plug-ins. According to Google, they stopped supporting plugins based on the Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface (NPAPI) structure on September 1st, 2015 for their Chrome browser. Now, Mozilla Firefox will do the same as they intend to stop supporting NPAPI plugins by the end of 2016, except for Adobe Flash.

Why Is Firefox Following in on Google’s Decision?

NPAPI plugins were originally intended to enrich the web browsing experience. Unfortunately, these plugins end up being more of a liability than anything. Slower playback on web browsers is one of the major problems these tools bring. However, the biggest concern with these plugins was the security issues.

One major example is Unity, which had an issue with one of their gaming plugins. According to a Unity researcher, there was a gaming plugin that was installed over 200 million PC’s that contained a flaw to allow hackers to get very precious information such as web mail and social networking accounts. Mozilla, because of these drawbacks has decided to pull the plug, no pun intended, on NPAPI plugins, that is except for Adobe Flash.

The Only Exception? Adobe Flash

Adobe Flash is almost impossible to get rid of considering how much support it gets. However, even with its popularity Mozilla is deciding to give Adobe a chance. In a blog posted by Mozilla’s manager of engineering Benjamin Smedberg, it is explained why Mozilla is sticking with Flash. Smedberg had this to say about Flash: “Because Adobe Flash is still a common part of the Web experience for most users, we will continue to support Flash within Firefox as an exception to the general plugin policy. Mozilla and Adobe will continue to collaborate to bring improvements to the Flash experience on Firefox, including on stability and performance, features and security architecture.” (Smedberg) Adobe Flash is still a work in progress, but Mozilla sounds determined to make Flash work on their web browser.

What this means for Firefox Users

This should be good news for all Mozilla Firefox users. This decision by Mozilla to end support for NPAPI plugins will only keep their browser more secure and keep the browser up to speed. Now many users will not even notice a change considering most probably do not even use plugins. Do not be confused with Firefox’s add-ons, much like Chrome’s extensions, that are not going anywhere and are not the problem that Mozilla intends to fix. This decision should go in affect by the end of 2016, so all Firefox users should be excited when that day comes.

Life’s All About Trial and Error. Firefox put plugins to the test, and we did the same with the RWATCH R10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCsj_JIRVAM

Firefox Will Not Support Plugins by End of 2016