No this is not a horse race but a quick note to let our readers and clients know what’s going on in the internet world of late and how some upcoming changes unleasehed by Microsoft may alter the interactve experience of our website and many other creative websites out there. It looks as though even Mr. Godin is having trouble with IE
Microsoft will be releasing a “patch” for its Internet Explorer browser. The goal of the new version of IE 7 will be to disable automatic user interaction with browser plug-ins that use Microsoft’s ActiveX controls.
In a nut shell, PDFs, Flash movies, audio files, videos, movie trailers, and Java applications will not work when the page is first loaded if the user is using Internet Explorer 7, which requires at least Windows XP SP 2. To get any of those plug-ins to work, the user must first agree (on each page) to run an ActiveX control on that webpage. When another page is loaded, the same confirmation box will pop up again. Here are some common programs that use ActiveX controls:
- Acrobat Reader
- Flash
- QuickTime
- Windows Media Player
- RealPlayer
- Java Virtual Machine
What’s the Big Deal?
The big deal is that PDFs will require confirmation before a user can interact with them. Flash menus and Flash movies will not initially interact with the user and will require confirmation with each page load. Any other “fancy” part of common webpages will not function until the user approves them. On each page. This “update” is mandatory for IE7 users.
Who’s at Risk?
At risk are all users of Windows Internet Explorer 7 and all those who use new or updated Windows XP, Service Pack 2.
Who’s Safe?
Firefox users and those who use browsers other than Internet Explorer and operating systems relased prior to, or as an alternative to, Windows XP should see no change. Most commonly, pre-Windows XP, Firefox, Opera, Mac and Linux users should not notice a difference.
What If a Page is Disabled?
If trying to view a page that has been disabled by this update, let the site’s webmaster know. In the mean time, try to test the page in an alternate browser. If there’s an error on the Accure site, please let us know.
Sources
I think there’s additional information you might want to look at, like http://msdn.microsoft.com/ieupdate/. Basically, some web pages that were authored in a particular way wrt ActiveX controls will have different behavior than before.
Firstly, excellent post Donnie… most informative. The fact that Microsoft themselves saw fit to comment makes me feel that you’ve touched a raw nerve. (Guess I have to learn to be more diplomatic to be worthy of such visits). After visiting Dean’s suggested link above, I have to wonder what chance non-techies stand with IE 7. It is uses a lot of jargon and code (and therefore complexity), and will turn a lot of people off, especially in the ‘plug and play’ era. It is also curious to note that Microsoft’s own list of programs that will have ActiveX conflicts doesn’t include Media Player. The cynic inside me thinks that with Vista (MS’s new OS) soon to be released, that a new version of Media Player in just around the corner, and that it will be compatiable with IE 7. Microsoft have also released an IE 7 Readiness Toolkit. My best reading of this is that rather than providing a product that makes the most of the latest web developments and advancements, WE (in other words, the consumers) are expected to adapt to the new product even with its limitations and drawbacks. However, with an estimated 85% of web users using IE, I fear we will have no alternative. Microsoft… it’s time to step into the 21st century.