An add on to my angry post about Internet Explorer 8; having accessed my company’s Outlook Web Access application – the webmail side of the Exchange server we use (Exchange 2003), I was unable to forward an email using IE 8.
Google at least claims to have Chrome tested before unleashing it unto the world. Microsoft apparently does not even test its own products. Trashing mercilessly. I know.
I was stupid enough to believe all the offhand mentions like on the Wall Street Journal that said that Internet Explorer 8’s beta actually worked nice. So much so that having not been burnt by installing Chrome, I felt bandwagonesque enough to also install IE 8.
First, IE 8 *overwrites* and *replaces* IE 7. That is as uncool and unacceptable as it gets. You (Microsoft) are replacing a WORKING, STABLE program with a BETA in an all-or-nothing move without too much warning. That’s a load of crap. Suppose you have so much faith in it that you are fine with that.
Next, Security so high it is outrageously stupid. File again, under ‘unacceptable’: on my Windows XP machine, IE 8’s default setting disable JavaScript *ENTIRELY*. I repeat, no f-n JavaScript. Never mind Flash, but you know, it 2008. JavaScript is an unproven, new tool, yup yup. Fail fail fail. Anyway, they tell you that your add-ons are disabled. You click the link to the add-on manager and lo-and-behold, ALL OF THEM APPEAR ENABLED. WTF?
So how do you solve this? According to Microsoft’s support, it is as simple as changing an f-n REGISTRY KEY?! As user friendly as entering a class id to the registry. ARE THEY NUTS? DO THEY EVEN CARE?! Is it possible to goof off even more?! A beta means ‘on the verge of release’. This is plain dreadful, Microsoft. Look in the f-n mirror and like, think again. I am so selling my miserable 10 stocks of yours. You suck beyond belief. Really. Done. Indefensible.
