News - Mozilla, Microsoft unite against Google Chrome frame

[HEXUS]

Not much can unite Mozilla and Microsoft, but that's just what Google appears to have done with its controversial new Chrome Frame.

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[directhex]

Hypocrites.

http://ietab.mozdev.org/

[dangel]

Bit shortsighted there bud - especially given Google's motives.

[aidanjt]

Microsoft is just mad that someone else is pegging on their Embrace, Extend, & Extinguish policy.

Besides, IE6 & co. are already giant gaping security holes, I don't see how popping Chrome into IE is going to make IE any worse than it already is.

[Mathonar]

Hypocrites.

http://ietab.mozdev.org/

I was thinking that but reading his actual comments there's a couple of things that are slightly different

IETab isn't written by Mozilla - although granted i don't recall them having a go about it for making Firefox insecure.

IETab is enabled by the user when they want it or on a site by site basis.

I think Mike Shavers comments appear to be more directed at the automated method of swapping to the chrome engine that is not under the users control.

At the minute the user has to install the Chrome Frame manually anyway so it's not like someone should be unaware of what's going on.
That could change if it eventually becomes part of the Chrome install by default but then that mitigates the other comment by Mike Shaver about just installing Chrome.

I see the biggest confusion for an end user likely occurring on a system that they bought where it was installed by default.

[latrosicarius]

A few thoughts:

1.) I can't believe that Mozilla, company representing free, open, & continuous improvement of internet development could have something against this kind R&D done by Google.

2.) Users who are still forced to use IE6 are obviously not going to be allowed to install this addon by their IT department. Hell, the probably don't have Administrative rights to their systems. And the IE department is certainly not going to push for Chrome Frame to be installed, since they, or their corporate executive overlords, are the ones stupidly insisting upon IE6.

3.) Anyone who is able to install Google Frame into IE6, and who knows of the downsides to using IE6 in this day and age, will most likely just opt to use the full version of Google Chrome or another browser. Actually, let me rephrase that... anyone who is even aware of Chrome Frame would probably already be using another browser, if they are able.

4.) IETab is not the same as Chrome Frame. IETab is a modification for Firefox that alters the way Firefox works (allowing it to use the IE engine which is available for any application to use -- e.g. Valve's Steam, for instance).

Chrome Frame is an modification to Microsoft's product by another company. Do you think Microsoft is happy that the words "Microsoft Internet Explorer" appear on their browser, but the guts of the browser are controlled by Google? What if somebody took over your body, committed a crime, and then left you to deal with the authorities? (Although, granted: I don't think MS has much to worry about with regard to Chrome making IE less secure.)

[Mattus]

Hypocrites.

http://ietab.mozdev.org/

That's a really poor comparison.

Firstly, IETab is produced by a third-party developer, not by Mozilla itself. You could write a Firefox extension to do practically anything - that doesn't make Mozilla responsible for it.

Secondly, anyone who installed IETab would be doing so for their own purpose and would know exactly what they were doing. The user who is told that he/she needs to install Chrome Frame might not comprehend exactly what's going on.

Finally, IETab extends Firefox functionality, where Chrome Frame intends to replace functionality.

I can't believe that Mozilla, company representing free, open, & continuous improvement of internet development could have something against this kind R&D done by Google.

Chrome Frame isn't really free or open at all. It amounts to tricking users into thinking they're still running IE when in fact the guts of the browser are being provided by Google. I want rid of IE as much as anyone, but you should always respect the wishes of the user. In this case, either the user wants to use IE or their admin wants them using IE. If they wanted to use Chrome then they'd use Chrome.