[...] they were written in pure XML, so could quite easily be examined - and even edited by the end user.
Except for the ones that were DLLs, or ActiveX controls. And the percentage of users who will merrily hack XML is tiny.
they had to be explicitly installed, and required multiple acceptances before they could have been run...
I'm less worried about the idea of them being downloaded on the fly than I am about them being installed quietly by Windows Update/An [Outlook/word macro] Virus/A dodgy porn dialer/Kazaa/any damn fool with installshield/[insert social engineering trojan here].
I don't regard Microsoft as the Big Bad here. They're just the fools who nearly left the door open.
Also a smart tag link looked very different to a standard link (including having a tool tip that popped up indicating that the link had been inserted by a smart tag...).
Like I said, many users are not as tech-savvy as us. Over the last few years, it's got to the point where links can (and do) look like anything. Many (most) users wouldn't know the difference.
I quail at the thought of trying to explain the difference between a web browser and "the Internet" to some users I know. Explaining smart tags to them ain't gonna happen in any reasonable timeframe.
I do agree it's a pity that IE became the dominant browser
I'm a lot less bitter about that than I used to be. Before it was IE, it was Netscape. If IE hadn't knocked Netscape off, someone else would have. Hey, I *USED* NN4.6x, and it crashed more often than me playing the old Demolition Derby video game in the student union - I swapped to mozilla M15 because it was more stable(!). And don't get me started on NN4 and CSS :)
After much thought, I'm not really happy with the idea of a browser monopoly, period. I don't care who it is.
You guys over on OS X have a nice little browser war going on, and as far as I can see, IE/Mac has a fight on its hands from the Camino/Safari posse. Good.
Now I want to see some competition over here on Windows. I agree, I think it's coming, and sooner than many people expect.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2003-03-16 16:46 (UTC)Except for the ones that were DLLs, or ActiveX controls. And the percentage of users who will merrily hack XML is tiny.
I'm less worried about the idea of them being downloaded on the fly than I am about them being installed quietly by Windows Update/An [Outlook/word macro] Virus/A dodgy porn dialer/Kazaa/any damn fool with installshield/[insert social engineering trojan here].
I don't regard Microsoft as the Big Bad here. They're just the fools who nearly left the door open.
Like I said, many users are not as tech-savvy as us. Over the last few years, it's got to the point where links can (and do) look like anything. Many (most) users wouldn't know the difference.
I quail at the thought of trying to explain the difference between a web browser and "the Internet" to some users I know. Explaining smart tags to them ain't gonna happen in any reasonable timeframe.
I'm a lot less bitter about that than I used to be. Before it was IE, it was Netscape. If IE hadn't knocked Netscape off, someone else would have. Hey, I *USED* NN4.6x, and it crashed more often than me playing the old Demolition Derby video game in the student union - I swapped to mozilla M15 because it was more stable(!). And don't get me started on NN4 and CSS :)
After much thought, I'm not really happy with the idea of a browser monopoly, period. I don't care who it is.
You guys over on OS X have a nice little browser war going on, and as far as I can see, IE/Mac has a fight on its hands from the Camino/Safari posse. Good.
Now I want to see some competition over here on Windows. I agree, I think it's coming, and sooner than many people expect.