Industry News » Microsoft Plugs-out with IE10 and Windows 8
Microsoft Plugs-out with IE10 and Windows 8
Microsoft has revealed that their upcoming releases will push for a full HTML5 browsing experience, without browser plug-ins.
In a move that may surprise a few, if only for how immediate the plan is, Microsoft has announced that the next versions of IE and Windows will run entirely with HTML5, to allow for growth of their Metro-style browsing. This will allow for greater visual consistency across desktop and mobile devices, though many may find this visual style unfamiliar and unwieldy. Further to this, Apple, Google, Mozilla and Opera have all stated huge support for HTML5, which could spell the end for Adobe’s beleaguered Flash plug-in.
Flash has, in recent years, had a hard time with security issues and bugs that have resulted in some very public airing of laundry, with Apple in particular making loud noises around their concerns with Flash.
However, plug-in support will not disappear entirely as the web has yet to fully embrace and harness the powers of HTML5. As the internet shifts towards a plug-in-free model, legacy technology will begin to hamper the development of the web and, moreover, the experience users have when using the web. To this end IE10 will be available in two flavours on desktop versions of Windows 8, with a Metro-styled mobile-like browser that uses solely HTML5 functionality, and a plug-in supporting desktop app available for those who would like to make plug-in decision themselves.
As there’s currently no specific release date for the latest version of Windows, it’s likely that there will be floods of details emerging over the coming months. It’ll be interesting to see what Microsoft has in store and how they plan to top the success of Windows 7.
(Source: MSDN blog)
Epicentre Says: “With the public slanging match between Apple and Adobe still fresh in many minds, Microsoft’s choice to move away from plug-ins seems a very sensible idea. Even more sensible is the decision to have both browser-styles accommodated within Windows 8. While many have rapidly become accustomed to the more streamlined and slimmed down approach of mobile browsing, the majority of internet usage is still from the desk or the lap. Failing to accommodate both types of browsing would have been a foolish move, as Microsoft’s grip on the browser market has been slipping consistently over the last couple of years.”
