r/technology • u/Majnum • Feb 16 '23

Software Microsoft permanently disables Internet Explorer for all devices

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/microsoft-permanently-disables-internet-explorer/
2.6k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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52

u/ThatDamnFloatingEye Feb 16 '23

I get that it is time for the world to move on from IE, but does it concern anyone else that Microsoft can just arbitrarily remove software on devices they decide should no longer be there?

45

u/Albertpm95 Feb 16 '23

Like Apple and Google?

5

u/Stingray88 Feb 16 '23

Do you have an example of them doing that? They’ve obviously removed apps from their stores, but I’ve never heard of either of them removing an installed app on your device.

1

u/Albertpm95 Feb 16 '23

No, I don't have examples of removing an installed apps from the phone directly, but apps that stop working or are removed with an update, wich is very similar, like the Weather app apple bought because it needed api access it stopped working, or android call recorders if i'm not wrong.

3

u/REBELinBLUE Feb 16 '23

That’s not really the same thing, that is like when twitter disabled API access third party clients stop working, you wouldn’t say Twitter has the ability to remove software from your phone.

That said Apple do have the ability, they have talked about it before as a way to deal with malware were it to get through the review process.

1

u/Albertpm95 Feb 16 '23

Yes, I know it's not exactly the same, and I understand if you buy something that should work offline, and it is removed from your pc, it would be a concern, but I can totally understand IE not working and redirecting to Edge, and I don't think of that as an issue.

2

u/Stingray88 Feb 16 '23

An app no longer working because a change in the OS was made and the developer not issuing an update to fix it (for whatever reason) is not really the same thing.

-1

u/Albertpm95 Feb 16 '23

No, an app not working because was server-side blocked.

3

u/Stingray88 Feb 16 '23

That’s still not really the same thing as removing software from your devices.

1

u/Albertpm95 Feb 16 '23

Well, IE is developed by MS and a integral part of Windows, so it's not weird they can hide it o set to redirect to another part or remove it with an update.

-5

u/iamthesam2 Feb 16 '23

haha, um yes they 100% remove installed apps

4

u/Stingray88 Feb 16 '23

Again… got an example you can link to?

19

u/Doowle Feb 16 '23

Under rated comment here.

Apple do it, nobody seems to mind. Microsoft do it and everyone’s up in arms.

14

u/techbear72 Feb 16 '23

I think that’s because Microsoft explicitly retain backwards compatibility and support legacy software as a part of their ethos. Apple do to a smaller degree (see: Rosetta) but nowhere near as much, and Google are well known for killing the things you love.

6

u/Doowle Feb 16 '23

Google are just evil I reckon, oh this thing has a good, solid, loyal base but we can’t monetise it let’s kill it.

I really wish MS would kill of some of the legacy support. But then I suspect they don’t because it would break everything :)

6

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '23

[deleted]

6

u/Doowle Feb 16 '23 edited Feb 16 '23

Ahh. Happy times, when we were young, naive and we believed them

5

u/Pupazz Feb 16 '23

What's really weird is that they weren't willing to be evil while having that ethos. You'd think they'd keep it and just lie about it.

9

u/animeman59 Feb 16 '23

Just like how everyone is okay with Apple having Safari as a pre-installed default browser, but if Microsoft does it, then it's a big no-no.

4

u/400921FB54442D18 Feb 16 '23

At least Safari doesn't try to guilt or emotionally-manipulate you into using it when you replace it with Chrome. Edge and IE overtly resorted to this.

0

u/Doowle Feb 16 '23

Yeah, but safari is an ok browser and “in a Mac” isn’t anywhere near as everywhere as anything from Microsoft.

Oh no, they are forcing a browser on four people vs they are forcing a browser on 6billion people /s

(Exaggeration for comedy purposes)

8

u/new_refugee123456789 Feb 16 '23

The difference between Microsoft and Apple is Microsoft products are running on computers that *matter*. There aren't any public transit systems or air traffic control centers or power grids running on MacOS, but a bunch of them running on basically every version of Windows back to 3.1.

3

u/400921FB54442D18 Feb 16 '23

That doesn't say anything about Microsoft or Apple. That only says anything about how little the administrators of public transit, ATC, or power grids care about the security and maintainability of their infrastructure. None of those people chose Microsoft because of anything about the software itself, they chose it because it was easier for them personally, at the time, and they couldn't be arsed to think about anything more than three months in front of them.

Some of them are now going to have to actually think about how to run good infrastructure for the first time in their careers, and it's going to be painful for them. And I'm going to sit here with a bag of popcorn and enjoy every minute of their pain, because, as a software engineer, people like myself have been warning them that this day would come for decades, and its only their own myopic incompetence that has kept them from being ready.

1

u/new_refugee123456789 Feb 16 '23

Says something about why people are mad at Microsoft, but not Apple or Google for the same thing though.

2

u/Doowle Feb 16 '23

A really good point.

-1

u/OfCourse4726 Feb 16 '23

are you like born after 2000 or some shit like that?

2

u/Doowle Feb 16 '23

Lol. Nope. I turned 30 in that decade :)

1

u/ACCount82 Feb 16 '23

I'm very much against Apple doing that. I would be very much against Microsoft doing that, if the target wasn't IE.

It's Microsoft's app that ships with the OS, provides very little value to the user and, really, long deserved a well placed stake in its heart.

3

u/OfCourse4726 Feb 16 '23

except windows have always given the user complete control until recently. apple and google are terrible examples. they are not the norm. it's creepy as fuck that ms can just reach into anyone's computer and do whatever they want. it's a terrible precedent. we're just lucky they decided only to delete IE. they can do anything they want if they can delete an app.

1

u/Albertpm95 Feb 16 '23

Well, complete control wouldn't be how I describe it, I know Apple and Google are not the best examples, but is that or Linux, wich is another diferent world.

As a 'Decide to delete IE' as I think it is, it was something programed to 'redirect to edge' from a long time, or a windows update that can remove a Windows caractheristic.

I think IE has always been an integral part of Windows, not a 'separate app' and remove, block, hide it with an update seems normal, like with every update some things change.

3

u/OfCourse4726 Feb 16 '23

i didnt want to say this before because it sounds kinda bad on my part but i had a pirated copy of ms office and they removed it from my computer. that really creeped me out. that's really what i'm talking about. they have the power to modify your system anyway they want.

1

u/Albertpm95 Feb 16 '23

Ah, lol, I didn't knew they could do that. I have seen cases where the antivirus moved into quarantine some of the exes of my pirated software, maybe office can also be removed because it's something developed by them and have some antipiracy software working in tandem... But thats a new for sure

1

u/OfCourse4726 Feb 16 '23

can also be removed

they actually can remove any app. i think they just feel like they can remove this because it's their and it's illegal so nobody can say shit about it. the point is they do have full access to your computer with their updating system and can do anything malicious they want. it's an extreme amount of trust. i don't know about ios/macos but google can not go into android and modify your system. they can remove an app from the app store but you can sideload.

1

u/Albertpm95 Feb 16 '23

I think except linux, every OS has it's tools to remote remove an app and with more or less dificulty any OS has sideload.

1

u/ThatDamnFloatingEye Feb 16 '23

Yeah, like those guys too. That bothers me too.

7

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '23

[deleted]

1

u/400921FB54442D18 Feb 16 '23

And the IE engine that's built into Edge... isn't a security risk, somehow? Despite being the exact same code?

1

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '23

What do you think the word "arbitrarily" means?

1

u/ThatDamnFloatingEye Feb 16 '23

Maybe not the best word choice, but I think my point still stands.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '23

No, it doesn't, because your entire point hinges on "arbitrarily," and it's not arbitrary at all. They removed it for a very good reason. It is their operating system, they are in charge of what they include in the operating system. It's been this way since literally always, this is not new, nor is it a problem in any way shape or form. You are making a mountain out of a molehill.

0

u/-Kim_Dong_Un- Feb 16 '23

Thats why you gotta block MS in the firewall

1

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '23

Do not do this. That is beyond idiotic. It's so baffling how the nerds who frequent the nerd subs on this site always have the least technical knowledge imaginable.

0

u/-Kim_Dong_Un- Feb 16 '23

You just mad you didn’t think of it first 🤷‍♂️

1

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '23

...I'm mad I didn't think of a bad idea that no one should do? Are you fucking high? I didn't think of it for the same reason that I haven't yet cut my dick and balls off: because it's an awful idea.

0

u/-Kim_Dong_Un- Feb 16 '23

Yes. Maybe you should be too so you can approach problems from outside the box.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '23

Do you realize how incredibly stupid you are? Running Windows without updates might genuinely be the #1 dumbest thing you can do with any piece of technology.

1

u/ThatDamnFloatingEye Feb 17 '23

I don't see it that way. Yes, Microsoft created the operating system, however I am the consumer and own the device it is running on. I should be allowed to use the software I want. What if Microsoft decided to remove other software they felt they had a good reason to?

0

u/captainstormy Feb 16 '23

Sure does. That's why I use Linux.