J'ai bien aimé cette échange :

Bruce_MS : ali : Q: Why aren't Microsoft's own pages programmed accoding to w3c standards?

Bruce_MS : A: There are numerous teams doing Microsoft's hundreds of sites. Like developers everywhere, they choose for themselves what's important. There's no central directive saying how to build a web page.

Si vous avez du temps à dilapider, le prochain chat avec l'équipe d'IE est programmé au 14 octobre 2004, à 10h00 am heure du Pacifique, soit 19 heures à Paris (selon MS).

Standblog, En Vrac, 12 sept. 2004, Tristan Nitot

The chat's topic has changed to: Sep 9th: Internet Explorer

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Moderator_Andy : I'll now have the hosts introduce themselves.

joedib_ms : My name is Joe Dibee. I work on the internet explorer security team as a security tester and have a particular interest in cryptography

Dave_MS : Hi. I'm Dave Massy a Senior Program Manager on the Internet Explorer team. We're interested in hearing feedback on IE in Windows XP SP2 and any other feedback.

jeffdav_ms : Hello, I am Jeffdav. I am a Developer on the Internet Explorer Browser UI team. Recently I have worked on the Information Bar, Pop-up Blocker and other security features in Windows XP SP2.

Moderator_Andy : And I'm Andy Quig, Communities Program producer.

jeffdav_ms : It remembered my font settings from last time.

Dave_MS : Dunderklumpen : Will tabs be implemented in Internet Explorer?

Dave_MS : A: Hi Dunderklumpen, We've certainly heard the requests and are looking carefully at solutions to the problem of grouping windows. It's too early to say exactly when we will deliver this though.

Bruce_MS : MrDee: Will Internet Explorer be part of next generation Windows beyond Longhorn, or will the IE Team be merged with MSN Explorer to form a new generation of browser experiences?

Dave_MS : xpuser : Q: When will the next IE be released

Dave_MS : A: Hi xpuser, It's too early to say when at this time but we are hard at work in the planning phase at this time.

Bruce_MS : A: IE will continue to be an important part of Windows. MSN Explorer is part of MSN Premium and Plus, the paid subscription for MSN. I know of no plans to combine these.

Dave_MS : ali : Q: Why develop your own browser? Why not bundle 3rd party browsers with windows. As MS isn't obviously able to actively continue with the development of IE.

Dave_MS : A: Hi Ali, We believe that browsing is an essential part of any experience on the PC. It is therefore important to have a great browser as part of the Operating System.

joedib_ms : Q: if you find sp2 and ie6 to act in certain ways not of your liking is there anyway you can go back to using ie5 with sp2

joedib_ms : A: No there are significant architectural changes between IE5x and 6x which preclude IE5x being used xpsp2

Bruce_MS : MrDee: Q: Why hasn't the IE Team implemented use of Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc, through the browser?

Bruce_MS : A: If you mean hosted versions of applications, well, that's really not what the IE team does. IE can host the display and editing of Office docs through docobject hosting.

Dave_MS : jon : Is lack of proper PNG support in MSIE a serious issue, requiring immediate repair? 17502 Total Signatures

Dave_MS : A: Hi Jon, we have certainly heard the need for alpha channel transparency support in PNG rendering. Unfortunately this work is not as easy as it might appear due to the architecture optimised around image rendering. We definitely hope to address…

Dave_MS : … this though in a future release.

jeffdav_ms : Ace : Q: Why over time, does Internet Explorer become slower when starting up, and also slower to render pages?

jeffdav_ms : A: There are many factors which contribute to slower startup times. Third party browser add-ins, such as toolbars, explorer bars, etc all have to be created at launch. Sometimes these browser plug-ins are fairly invisible but still use resources. Disk

jeffdav_ms : Page rendering is generally dependent on your connection. If it takes a while for something to happen but then the whole page renderes at once, you have good bandwidth but bad latency. If you get bits and pieces of the page at a time you have a bandwidt

jeffdav_ms : h issue. Available memory also effects IE's rendering time.

Bruce_MS : MrDee : Q: How much input does foundation people such as Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Jim Allchin have on IE. Do they talk about their experiences with IE and what they would like to see in it?

Bruce_MS : A: Certainly. They take a direct interest in IE. A: Certainly. They take a direct interest in IE. A: Certainly. They take a direct interest in IE.

Bruce_MS : Sorry for that repetition

Dave_MS : ali : Dave_MS: Why not do something like Netscape does… Take an actively developed code and customize it to suite windows

Dave_MS : A: Hi Ali, As an Operating System provider we do not believe we should take dependancies on other providers for such an essential part of Windows.

Dave_MS : Limit : Q: Will we be getting better web standards for IE before Longhorn?

Dave_MS : A: Hi Limit, We are certainly hoping to provide some improvements to css in the next release.

jeffdav_ms : ali : Q:Why does internet explorer render tables extremely slowly as compared to other browsers. It even gets stuck on pages with large tables.

jeffdav_ms : A: There are known performance issues with rendering tables. It is unfortunate. Fixed-width is faster.

jeffdav_ms : It is on our list of things to fix in the next update.

jeffdav_ms : Look for it in a future release.

Dave_MS : Smithee : Dave_MS: Firefox is pretty good though, would you ever consider lending out those kind of parts, if the competition was superior and your resources could be better directed elsewhere?

Dave_MS : A: Hi Smithee, I'd certainly never say never. However I do think it is unlikely

Bruce_MS : Q: Will there be a new IE before Longhorn?

Dave_MS : MrDee : Q: It seems that the direction Microsoft is taking with the Browser is for it to become the entire operating system, the actual Kernel, true?

Dave_MS : A: Hi MrDee, We certainly aren't going to bring the browser into the kernel. Internet Explorer is integrated into the Operating System but that does not mean into the kernel. It means simply that the functionality is available to other parts of the…

Dave_MS : … operating system and applications.

Bruce_MS : A: That's certainly a FAQ. Our stated plan of record is that IE updates with the OS, such as with XPSP2.

jeffdav_ms : xpuser : Q: Is it a flaw or bug? When u click Tools -> Internet Options -> Advanced the squares tend to be bigger as compared to those when u right click properties -> advanced on internet explorer on desktop?

jeffdav_ms : A: I am not sure if this bug exists in our database, but I am able to reproduce that on my laptop right now. We will look into fixing it. Thanks!

Bruce_MS : DannyBoi: A: That's certainly a FAQ. Our stated plan of record is that IE updates with the OS, such as with XPSP2.

Bruce_MS : sorry, bad paste

Bruce_MS : DannyBoi:: Q: HERES A MONSTER OF A QUESTION WHY DOES SP2 HAVE SO MANY PROBLEMS?

Bruce_MS : While XPSP2 has some known compatibility issues, and your mileage may vary, we're pretty confident in the quality and stability of XPSP2.

Dave_MS : ali : Q: Will the next release have full CSS 2 and CSS 3 support?

Dave_MS : A: Hi Ali, It's too early to make any commitments as we conentrate on implementing the features that make most sense to our customers. CSS2 is actually a flawed standard that nobody has full support for. CSS2.1 is currently in draft recommendation…

Dave_MS : … to fix this and we hope to improve out support there in the future.

Dave_MS : MrDee : Q: Did the IE Team get some inspiration from IE Hardening in Windows Server 2003 for IE in XP SP2?

Dave_MS : A: Hi MrDee, Yes. It is actually the same team that has done all this work and is currently in planning for the next major release. In SP2 we did a great amount of work to reduce the surface area for attack adn keep users secure.

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Dave_MS : To make it clear IE is under constand development. With corporate hotfixes, updates, service packs and work on future releases. We do not get a break here

Dave_MS : has done all this work and is currently in planning for the next major release. In SP2 we did a great amount of work to reduce the surface area for attack adn keep users secure.

Bruce_MS : ali : Q: Why aren't Microsoft's own pages programmed accoding to w3c standards?

Bruce_MS : A: There are numerous teams doing Microsoft's hundreds of sites. Like developers everywhere, they choose for themselves what's important. There's no central directive saying how to build a web page.

Dave_MS : CMH-MCP : Q: Did the IE team work with the MSN Messenger team to make http://webmessenger.msn.com ? It's pretty impressive.

Dave_MS : A: Hi CMH-MCP, No the MSN team is separate. I agree that's a great little solution.

jeffdav_ms : kimsue : Q: how do i do boot disk?

jeffdav_ms : A: This article will tell you in depth how to do it: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;305595

jeffdav_ms : Basically you need to insert the disk, go to My Computer, Right Click on the disk drive and select Format …

jeffdav_ms : Then check the box to make the disc bootable.

Bruce_MS : MrDee : Q: Could the IE Team, give me an idea of their feelings about IE and how they feel about what can be done to improve the experience for current and next generation versions of the browser?

Bruce_MS : A: We are a dedicated bunch of people on the IE team. Check out the IEblog (http://blogs.msdn.com/ie) and you can read all about it.

Bruce_MS : A: We know there are plenty of things that can be done to improve IE and we're working hard to make it happen. Every day.

Dave_MS : ali : Q: Will ActiveX be discontinued soon… because of its problems and will a move be made to a better less vulnerable system?

Dave_MS : A: Hi ali, No ActiveX is a core enabling technology of Windows. We undertook a great deal of work in Windows XP SP2 to reduce the chance of getting tricked or inadvertantly installing software. ActiveX extends the browser in similar ways to…

Dave_MS : … Netscape plugins and the extensibility mechanisms of otehr browsers so we will continue to support this powerful enabling technology.

Moderator_Andy : We're now about half way into today's chat: Internet Explorer. We encourage you to repost any questions we may have missed. Thanks all for participating in the chat.

jeffdav_ms : TZNG: Q: Why was WMP10 not signed?

jeffdav_ms : A: The original version of WMP10 they posted was not signed; it was quickly reported and fixed.

jeffdav_ms : Please remember this chat is focused on Internet Explorer.

Bruce_MS : Smithee : What changed your (Microsoft's) mind, to start re-developing IE again, after it was reported IE had been abandoned?

Bruce_MS : A: The reports of the IE team's demise were probably exaggerated. IE has always been under development, for corporate servicing, hotfixes, security releases, and the like.

Bruce_MS : A: Certainly it's fair to say we have cranked up the scale of development for XPSP2 and for Longhorn.

Dave_MS : MrDee : Q: Is there consistency at Microsoft - does every employee at Microsoft (Redmond), use IE 6 or are their some employees who just can't let go of say IE 5?

Dave_MS : A: Hi MrDee, Our standard at microsoft is the latest version of the browser with all security patches installed. So we are encouraging everyone to install Windows XP SP2 at the moment. Clearly some people run older versions of operating systems adn…

Dave_MS : … browsers for some development and testing though.

jeffdav_ms : Dan : Q: I've started to see lots of sites popping up and tearing down small popup windows to detect if a popup blocker is being used. Any chance that type of information might be made available in a more straightforward way?

jeffdav_ms : A: The best way to detect a Pop-up Blocker is to check the value returned by window.open() for NULL.

jeffdav_ms : That results in the small window, but that is not necessary. They can detect it the first time a pop-up window would be shown.

jeffdav_ms : This will work for all browsers on all platforms. Anything else would have been Sv1 specific.

Bruce_MS : Smithee : I mean MS emplyees! Do they HAVE to use MS prducts

Bruce_MS : A: No, there's no directive to only use MS products. We'd be isolating ourselves if we did that. A: No, there's no directive to only use MS products.

Dave_MS : MrDee : Q: I know that the IE Team doesn't want to talk much about release dates, but could it at least be confirmed that there is a IE 7 in development and that it is coming?

Dave_MS : A: Hi MrDee, We can't say when and we can't say what at this time but we can confirm that we are working on a future version. We have been really busy with Windows XP SP2 but are now planning for the future.

Bruce_MS : Ace : Q: When will users be allowed to turn off IE's 'Phone Home' functions, such as the much hated implementation of MSN Search that can pop up out of nowhere when typing in -valid- URL's, and the IE6 upgrade page that pops up every once in a while

Bruce_MS : A: You can disable autosearch or change your autosearch provider, although in XP it's cumbersome. Google has directions on their site to set it to Google, for instance. I don't know of an automatic IE6 upgrade page or a phone home feature like that.

Dave_MS : XP-Fan : Q. again why no IE product roadmap, why no IE6 SP2 for 2000, why no regular yearly IE updates (even messenger gets them)

Dave_MS : A: Hi XP-Fan, We hope to have a roadmap in the future but at the moment it would be misleading to publish anything as we have no completed out plans. We currently update with operating system service packs as can be seen with Windwos XP SP2.

Dave_MS : u : Do the MS employees know when IE SP2 is coming out?

Dave_MS : A: Hi u, Windows XP SP2 is already available.

Bruce_MS : MrDee: Q: Kooky question, is the IE Team walking distance from the Windows and Office Team?

Bruce_MS : A: Yes. As part of Windows client, we're in bldg 9, upstairs from Avalon and the MSX design team. Office is about a third of a mile down the road in the 16/17/18 complex.

Moderator_Andy : We will be continuing this chat for about 15 minutes and will continue to take questions. We encourage you to repost any questions we may have missed. Thanks all for participating in the chat.

Dave_MS : u : Dave I said IE SP2

Dave_MS : A: Hi u, We currently have no plans for IE SP2 outside of Windows XP SP2.

Dave_MS : Smithee : Q Will you be improving the download manager, to support resume of downloads, and to see a list of previously downloaded files? Similar to what firefox and Mozilla/Netscape and Opera have?

Dave_MS : A: Hi Smithee, We are certainly looking at improvements in this area.

Dave_MS : MrDee : Q: What is the IE Team doing to ensure its survival so that future generation of developers will do the majority of their work with IE?

Dave_MS : A: Hi MrDee, Our strategy here is to make a better browser We certainly understand that web developers see IE as having fallen behind recently adn we hope to address many of their demands. Unfortunately it may take longer than a couple of days…

Dave_MS : … to deliver that though!

jeffdav_ms : Cormac : Q: Does MS intend to incorperate any type or IRC plugin or a full client in any of the future editions of IE?

jeffdav_ms : A: I am not aware of any plans to do this. IE is a Web Browser. We still have a lot to do in that space.

Dave_MS : MrDee : Q: Will the browser exist 20 years from now, (yes I'm talking about IE)?

Dave_MS : A: I wish I had a crystal ball We certainly have no plans to retire IE at this time.

Dave_MS : xpuser : Q: Is there anyway you can 'secure' IE users now before they runoff to firefox? Like maybe what can we hope in the next version of IE

Dave_MS : A: Yes. Upgrade to Windows XP SP2. This is the most secure way to access the internet.

Bruce_MS : MrDee: Q: Is the IE Team doing enough to invest enough resources into more research with user scenarios and the browser. Does the IE Team send people out into the field to do research find out how users are really utilizing IE?

Bruce_MS : A: Yes, we have social researchers, anthropologists, usability experts. We go out into the field with them and see how real people use IE, their scenarios, what they encounter good/bad, etc.

Bruce_MS : very informative feedback

Bruce_MS : We have the same research available for MSN and for other products and that also informs IE

Moderator_Andy : We are going to have to wrap up this chat in about 5 minutes. We're going to answer a few more questions, though.

Dave_MS : Cormac : Q: what kind of improvements where done for the current IE release to help stop malicious spyware coming from websites

Dave_MS : A: hi Cormac, We did a lot of work in Windwos XP SP2 around this. Specifically we made it difficult for websites to trick you into downloading and installing software. this includes restricting the createpopup script method and the information bar…

Dave_MS : … where a user has to take specific action to download something.

Bruce_MS : MrDee : Q: What kind of individual is the IE looking for to come work with them these days?

Bruce_MS : A: We have openings for PMs, developers, testers.

Bruce_MS : See

http://www.microsoft.com/careers/search/results.aspx?FromCP=Y&JobCategoryCodeID=&JobLocationCodeID=&JobProductCodeID=11057&JobTitleCodeID=&Divisions=&TargetLevels=&Keywords=&JobCode=&ManagerAlias=&Interval=25

Bruce_MS A: Read the job descriptions there, they're pretty informative A: Read the job descriptions there, they're pretty informative

Dave_MS : Smithee : Q How do you get involved in roadtesting IE?

Dave_MS : A: Hi Smithee, We expect to do public betas in the future. We'll announce that on www.microsoft.com/windows/ie when the time comes.

Bruce_MS : MrDee : Q: Is there competition between the MSN Explorer Team and IE since both are web browsers? And wouldn't you say MSN Explorer offers a better browsing experience compared to IE?

Bruce_MS : A: I used to be a development manager on the MSN Explorer team. That's less of a browser and more of an integrated Internet client – browsing, mail, etc. It does have some more features, thanks for saying it's better than IE.

Bruce_MS : But MSN Explorer is focused on a premium subscription experience, not just a browser.

Bruce_MS : A: Now I'm a dev manager on IE, where I can focus exclusively on making the browser better. As for competition, well, nothing negative.

Dave_MS : xpuser : Dave_MS : I am using XPSP2 now, it's nice with security features. However, I meant is there anyway you can 'lock the hearts' of IE users now before they runoff to firefox? Like maybe what can we hope in the next version of IE

Dave_MS : A: We're certainly looking at getting better updates on the internet explorer developer center on MSDN msdn.microsoft.com/ie and we also recently launched the community site off www.microsoft.com/windows/ie

Bruce_MS : BTW, many people on IE used to be on MSN Explorer, and before that they were on IE. Lots of cross pollination

Dave_MS : James_Mc : Q: your a big company so can't you just make IE better than Firefox so people will just use IE again?

Dave_MS : A: Hi James, As Bruce posted ealier the Internet Explorer team is hiring so we can make a better browser.

Bruce_MS : And we have plenty of people working it every day right now

Moderator_Andy : Thanks for joining us today and thanks for the questions. It's time for us to go now. You'll be able to find the transcript of this chat soon at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/chats/default.mspx

Moderator_Andy : Thanks all!

Dave_MS : Thanks everyone. This has been fun.