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Rant

Why can't I interrupt a page download in IE any more?!

Jun 29, 2013 9:43AM PDT

Why can't one stop a page downloading any more? (And I am NOT talking about a dual purpose "refresh" icon!) I want the little square that used to HALT the download--leaving whatever had downloaded to that point. The way Microsoft is implementing it now, either the whole page disappears or I have to suffer through every extra bit of junk a site tries to bog me down with! (And I tried to post this question to the Microsoft support site--but I have to give my life history to do so! -- and this from a Microsoft fan-girl!) I have IE 10.

Discussion is locked

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Why can't I interrupt a page download in IE any more?!
Jul 10, 2013 1:28AM PDT

Getting Internet Explorer to stop.

The problem is that Internet Explorer actually can't stop everything that's happening. Things have gotten amazingly complex over the years.

When browsers were first created, the web was basically a simple download of an HTML file. It was really nothing more than text, maybe a few graphics and then a way to display all of that.

The stop button was introduced so that you could actually stop whatever was going on: be it mid-download, mid-display or whatever. The browser was pretty well architected to be able to stop things when you press that button.

Increasing complexity

Add-ons can slow a computer

The stop button is limited.



In reality, there's so much more going on these days that can affect what Internet Explorer has to do, that the stop button (as you say), doesn't always work.

It's not up to MS IE. It's not Internet Explorer deciding that it does or doesn't want to stop. It's trying; it's doing its best to respond to your request. It's just that not everything is in its control anymore.

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I miss "the good old days"
Jul 10, 2013 1:43PM PDT

I miss "the good old days" when, it seemed to me, that the users were driving the internet. Now it seems like the businesses and media are shaping and molding the experience--and defining and putting boundaries on what we get. (And I don't mean Microsoft !)