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Microsoft to roll out IE 8 with new defaults on Patch Tuesday

By Mary Jo Foley | August 11, 2009, 5:14am PDT

Summary

On August 11, amid the myriad patches and updates that Microsoft will roll out to users as part of this month’s Patch Tuesday bundle, there will be a new version of Internet Explorer (IE) 8 that includes different default-installation settings.

Topics

Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Corp., Web Browsers, Internet, Mary Jo Foley

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Mary-Jo Foley

Biography

Mary-Jo Foley

Mary-Jo Foley

Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 20 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She has kept close tabs on Microsoft strategy, products and technologies for the past 10 years. In the late 1990s, she penned the award-winning "At The Evil Empire" column for ZDNet, and more recently the Microsoft Watch blog for Ziff Davis.

Got a tip? Send her an email with your rants, rumors, tips and tattles. Confidentiality guaranteed.

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On August 11, amid the myriad patches and updates that Microsoft will roll out to users as part of this month’s Patch Tuesday bundle, there will be a new version of Internet Explorer (IE) 8 that includes different default-installation settings.

Microsoft officials publicly acknowledged the planned setting changes in mid-July via a posting to the company’s IE Blog. The new and clearer installation settings will affect only those XP, Vista and Windows 7 users who have not set IE as their default browser.

As a number of Microsoft competitors – as well as the U.S. antitrust regulators – have noted,  Microsoft didn’t make it clear that using the “Express Settings” default during installation automatically reset the browser default to IE 8. Users had to know enough to “choose custom settings” if they didn’t want IE 8 made automatically their default browser.

Microsoft officials said at the time that this installation-default change would be part of the next cumulative security update for IE in mid-August.

Microsoft officials have chalked up the changes they are making to IE 8 as being attributable to the company’s desire for user choice and control. They haven’t mentioned publicly the direct and indirect roles that government regulators here in the U.S. and in Europe have played in the IE user-settings switch.

Meanwhile, in other IE-related news, Microsoft officials are reiterating that the company is not planning to drop support for the non-standards-compliant IE 6 browser, in spite of some public calls for the company to do so. In an August 10 blog posting, IE General Manager Dean Hachamovitch noted that many corporations use IE 6 as the default browser on their intranets and are running applications that are built around IE 6.

“Dropping support for IE6 is not an option because we committed to supporting the IE included with Windows for the lifespan of the product,” Hachamovitch blogged.

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Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

Disclosure

Mary-Jo Foley

Freelance journalist/blogger Mary Jo Foley has nothing to disclose. WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). I do not own Microsoft stock or stock in any of its partners or competitors. I have no business ventures that are sponsored by/funded by Microsoft or any of its partners or competitors. I have not accepted any consulting funds from Microsoft, any of its partners or its competitors for any studies/projects.

Biography

Mary-Jo Foley

Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 20 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She has kept close tabs on Microsoft strategy, products and technologies for the past 10 years. In the late 1990s, she penned the award-winning "At The Evil Empire" column for ZDNet, and more recently the Microsoft Watch blog for Ziff Davis.

Got a tip? Send her an email with your rants, rumors, tips and tattles. Confidentiality guaranteed.

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Talkback Most Recent of 80 Talkback(s)

  • I think the EU is the only one who cares
    I really cannot believe this is such a big deal. If people don't know how to
    change their defaults. I hardly think they know about any browser but IE.
    Could the argument not be made against any Linux version? I have tried
    several and most only include one browser? How about Apple's OS X, last
    I saw only Safari came with it. The EU has obviously been biased towards
    Microsoft and Windows for the obvious reason that most computers run
    Windows. I would much rather the EU spend their time fighting things
    like unwanted software that comes with computers. Or the lack of good
    customer support. But instead we dwell on which browser is the default?
    Does Firefox not automatically change itself to the default browser when
    installed?
    ZDNet Gravatar
    jscott418
    08/11/2009 06:14 AM
  • firefox does not become default upon installation
    . You have a choice to make when or after installing firefox to become default browser. There is a message posted and also a place in firefox for it to become the default browser. Chrome is the same way.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    steverussell2@...
    (Edited: 08/11/2009 06:32 AM)
  • While I agree...
    ...that they should add a check box or something that states make IE your default browser upon installation or detect the default and keep it that way after installation this is no different than other softwares installing crap like toolbars or extras that you cannot see or change unless you do a custom install.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    bobiroc
    08/12/2009 05:29 AM
    • Flagged
  • Outside of government...
    and the extremist... not many actual users do care.

    I don't, and I prefer FireFox myself. Seems to me if your an avid user of another browser, it isn't likely you will be reinstalling IE8 would it?
    ZDNet Gravatar
    ShadowGIATL
    08/11/2009 06:38 AM
  • Default browser...
    What program, upon installation--especially "Express" installation--doesn't automatically make itself the "default" program of choice??

    When I install iTunes, do you think that it defaults to make Windows Media Player the preferred playback device?
    ZDNet Gravatar
    boothby
    08/11/2009 06:32 AM
  • You had a choice to install iTunes
    Windows users do not (and won't until Windows 7 is released) have a choice about installing IE. That's the difference.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Michael Kelly
    08/11/2009 06:40 AM
  • Actually...
    if your already up and running, then you don't have to install IE8 again.

    This is for those that wish to install IE8 WITH other browsers, and not have it set itself as default.

    The choice is always yours.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    ShadowGIATL
    08/11/2009 06:44 AM
  • But what if I don't want IE at all?
    With Vista I do not have the choice of uninstalling IE.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Michael Kelly
    08/11/2009 07:13 AM
  • So buy Win 7...
    but seriously... don't use it. If you don't use it... what is it hurting?

    Believe it or not, with todays HDD capacities it doesn't take up that much space, and if it isn't being used, it isn't a security risk even if it isn't updated.

    I use and push FireFox, but I have no problem with IE being installed. Should you be able to remove it? Yes. But it's no big deal. Going forward with Win 7 you will be able to.

    As someone who develops websites from time to time, I unfortunately have to have all the major browsers installed on my production machine.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    ShadowGIATL
    08/11/2009 07:44 AM
  • As long as there are bugs
    System calls can be made to it and it poses an unnecessary security risk. In the meantime I do follow your advice and do not use it, but I dare not keep it unpatched. You never know what other program may be making system calls to it.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Michael Kelly
    08/11/2009 08:05 AM
  • Hence the reason you cannot install it.
    You never know what other program may be making system calls to it.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    ye
    08/11/2009 10:19 AM
  • So install Linux...
    ...and stfu. Seriously. What's your point?

    By your so-called logic, no software on Earth is acceptable, because they all have security risks.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    GoodThings2Life
    08/11/2009 11:12 AM
  • Even with the most secure browser...
    all browsers must use Windows IP stack. Would you like to rip that out as well?

    I agree with the other poster in that if your that paranoid, just install Linux.

    Oh wait... it requires patches to stay ahead of the exploits as well.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    ShadowGIATL
    08/11/2009 05:16 PM
  • RE: Microsoft to roll out IE 8 with new defaults on Patch Tuesday
    Last time I tried to download Windows updates with Firefox, I got a message that I must use Internet Explorer. Is that still the case?

    If I need Internet Explorer to download necessary updates, are people forces to keep Internet Explorer on their PC?
    ZDNet Gravatar
    bobhaines@...
    08/11/2009 06:37 AM
  • I assume your running XP...
    and how long has it been since you got updates?
    ZDNet Gravatar
    ShadowGIATL
    08/11/2009 06:39 AM
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