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General discussion

Does IE lawsuit affect Fx too?

Dec 2, 2005 1:41PM PST

Discussion is locked

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This whole article confused me, can Tom & Molly explain?
Dec 4, 2005 6:17AM PST

I read the article, and I hadn't heard of this before, and I felt like I was really coming in toward the middle. First, I thought Firefox doesn't use ActiveX and that's partly why it's more secure. I know there's some sort of ActiveX extension for Firefox and they warn you NOT to install it.

But I couldn't tell what the lawsuit was about? Did someone sue Microsoft, saying that they thought you should have to click before ActiveX scripts run on any page you visit? I'd be interested to hear more about this.

Then there's this sentence (from the same article): "Microsoft will incorporate the new version of Internet Explorer into all new copies of Windows and also into the next version of the browser, IE 7, which will be available for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and as part of Windows Vista."

That made me realize how confused I am. First, isn't Vista the next version of the Windows OS? So, it would replace XP? I have no idea what Windows Server 2003 is, does anyone else? What this seems to be saying is that, even if you don't upgrade to Vista you can get IE 7. When? Anyone know of a date?

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Some answers...
Dec 4, 2005 7:15AM PST

* While I don't know the specifics, the lawsuit was/is over Microsoft using a technology that Eolas Techologies has a patent on. Microsoft lost, and now must adjust Internet Explorer's coding, which will most likely result in an extra click being necessary to access certain content.

* You are correct in saying Firefox does not use/support ActiveX, and that that is one of the ways Firefox has greater security. Unfortunately it also makes Firefox incompatible with some sites, particularly Microsoft Update.

* Since Firefox does not incorporate ActiveX, and handles Java differently, I don't think Mozilla will be affected by this.

* Vista is the next version of Windows, which will replace Windows XP. The current release date is set for August 9, 2006, but that's subject to change.

* Windows Server 2003 is the most recent/current version of Windows designed to run on servers. (Computers that simply host websites and downloads.) It replaced Windows Server 2000, and will eventually be replaced by a server edition of Windows Vista.

* Internet Explorer 7 is currently in in testing (Beta 1), and available to developers and MSDN subscribers only. Windows Vista will come with IE7 preinstalled, while those with Windows XP SP2 will be able to download IE7 for free. While there is no set date for the release of IE7 for XP, it will most likely be released shortly after Windows Vista, so keep an eye on late next year.

Hope this helps,
John

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Firefox Plug-ins
Dec 4, 2005 12:59PM PST

From what I understand, ActiveX is dangerous because it is unsandboxed code running inside the web browser. Firefox supports the old Netscape Plug-in Engine which is how Flash and Google toolbar works. Those are not very different than ActiveX, but they might be sandboxed, I don't know.

Now, those plug-ins to launch other applications within the browser seems to be covered by the patent, so Firefox may need to change the way it does stuff as well.

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Thanks!
Dec 5, 2005 12:53AM PST

This is a very complete answer to my questions. I appreciate it.