# Why does Microsoft want me to use Internet Explorer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137 "2012-07-13T19:40:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/21 "2012-07-14T02:49:49Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > [This one](http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/21/3033566/chrome-most-popular-browser-weekly-may-2012) says otherwise. Those stats include mobile devices. IE is still the most-used browser on the desktop. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/22 "2012-07-14T03:00:11Z")
Oops, maybe not. I thought that the Android browser registered as Chrome, but that might not be the case… ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/23 "2012-07-14T03:00:25Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Every so often, malware installed by Mi¢ro$oft tries to reset my Chrome home page to [msn.com](http://msn.com). Less frequently, but just as persistently, they try to reset my default search engine to Bing. I don’t know what they put on my machine to make that happen, but I’m betting it would be difficult to remove. I doubt very much that this happens. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/24 "2012-07-14T07:42:16Z")
Then how do you explain my home page and default search repeatedly being set to Mi¢ro$oft without my consent, no matter how much I reset it to my own preferences? How is that behavior any different from malware? ---
**Author:** ![Condescending\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@Condescending\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Condescending_Robot)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/25 "2012-07-14T15:36:15Z")
I still wonder what the purpose of giving away a free browser with no ads or other monetization was for the fifteen years between the release of IE and the release of Bing. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/26 "2012-07-14T15:52:12Z")
> [@Condescending\_Robot](#): > > I still wonder what the purpose of giving away a free browser with no ads or other monetization was for the fifteen years between the release of IE and the release of Bing. Probably a defensive move to prevent other companies from establishing themselves as the market leader and therefore having great influence over the direction of new tech on the internet and also possibly creating an environment that could reduce the need for Windows. If a rival had such a popular browser with great features people were willing to pay for it, it could possibly snowball into a situation where features continued to get added to the point that this other browser acts as almost a replacement for an OS, thus reducing the need for Windows. ---
**Author:** ![AHarris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@AHarris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHarris)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/27 "2012-07-14T16:27:39Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Then how do you explain my home page and default search repeatedly being set to Mi¢ro$oft without my consent, no matter how much I reset it to my own preferences? How is that behavior any different from malware? In my experience, this isn’t normal behaviour. If you’re interested in finding a solution to this, I would create another thread. My first guess would be to look for other software, legit or otherwise, that is resetting the homepage. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/28 "2012-07-14T16:31:40Z")
> [@AHarris](#): > > In my experience, this isn’t normal behaviour. If you’re interested in finding a solution to this, I would create another thread. > > My first guess would be to look for other software, legit or otherwise, that is resetting the homepage. And my very strong bet is that such software would NOT be placed on the computer by Microsoft. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/29 "2012-07-14T16:49:52Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Actually they intended to monopolize the browser market. They insisted they had valid reasons for making it difficult for other browsers to work on Windows, got a wrist slap from the courts, and ever since they’ve been trying to justify their initial phony claims. This is wrong. Microsoft’s main defense was “Internet Explorer can’t be a monopoly because you can easily install other browsers.” > [@RaftPeople](#): > > If a rival had such a popular browser with great features people were willing to pay for it, it could possibly snowball into a situation where features continued to get added to the point that this other browser acts as almost a replacement for an OS, thus reducing the need for Windows. People did pay for early versions of Netscape Navigator. IIRC, it retailed for like $40. I do think it’s funny though that this whole fight was rendered pointless just a few years later when everybody realized how you get on the Internet isn’t even 1/10th as important as what you can do on it. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/30 "2012-07-14T17:15:58Z")
> [@Condescending\_Robot](#): > > I still wonder what the purpose of giving away a free browser with no ads or other monetization was for the fifteen years between the release of IE and the release of Bing. It originally started as Microsoft’s attempt at “embrace, extend, extinguish.” First they embraced the web by producing IE and including it with all of their OS’s. Then they extended the web in proprietary and non-standard ways. This was done by convincing other companies to make websites which “worked best in IE” or only worked in IE (see activex). The extinguish comes when all useful websites require IE to function properly, and the only place to get IE is on Windows. The monopoly on desktops is then extended, because the only useful platform for browsing the web is Windows with IE. Of course things didn’t work out quite as Microsoft intended. Many companies were convinced to create websites which only worked properly in IE (see Korea), but most websites worked fine in any browser. The web has pretty much adopted open standards, which can be implemented by any browser on any OS. If you want to use gmail, facebook, youtube, and the dope, it really doesn’t matter what (modern) OS or (full feature) browser you’re using. They will all work fine. I’m posting this using Iceweasel (a derivative of Firefox) running on a Debian Linux system, and almost all of the websites I access work perfectly. The few that don’t are almost always because of the anti-tracking and adblocking extensions I have in Iceweasel/Firefox. Usually I can disable my blockers, or launch chrome or opera, and the website will work fine. With very very few exceptions (see silverlight) opening Windows and using IE does not fix problem websites for me. The sites themselves are broken. This is a big contrast to 10 years ago, when having to use IE to access certain sites was required. I self selected away from those sites, but occasionally I needed to use a site which only worked properly in IE. That was a long way to say that “embrace, extend, extinguish” has failed for Microsoft in the webspace, but 10 years ago it wasn’t all clear they would fail. This explains the last 15 years of IE inclusion. Why they’re advertising IE now, I do not entirely understand. As some have suggested, perhaps just momentum, or a pissing contest. It’s very unlikely at this point that Facebook, Amazon, Google, etc. are going to be convinced to switch to IE only type websites. I guess the one place this is left is in some streaming sites. Perhaps if Microsoft can keep the market share of IE high enough, they might convince the Netflix, hulu, etc. that IE is the best platform to stream content to in a way that the content provider retains control. ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/31 "2012-07-14T17:40:48Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Then how do you explain my home page and default search repeatedly being set to Mi¢ro$oft without my consent, no matter how much I reset it to my own preferences? You doing something wrong. I use IE, and none of those things happen to me. Logically, it should be easier to do it with IE than another browser. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/32 "2012-07-14T18:58:44Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I do think it’s funny though that this whole fight was rendered pointless just a few years later when everybody realized how you get on the Internet isn’t even 1/10th as important as what you can do on it. To me, it always seemed like the browser wasn’t the real issue and I didn’t quite understand why they approached it from that angle, maybe their thinking was that was the most provable case (as opposed to the breaking of other apps, unpublished api’s and licensing preventing competitors). Clarification: I always thought it was ok for MS to include a browser in their OS, it was the other stuff that seemed like a problem. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/33 "2012-07-14T19:26:23Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > To me, it always seemed like the browser wasn’t the real issue and I didn’t quite understand why they approached it from that angle, maybe their thinking was that was the most provable case (as opposed to the breaking of other apps, unpublished api’s and licensing preventing competitors). > Clarification: I always thought it was ok for MS to include a browser in their OS, it was the other stuff that seemed like a problem. The problem was using one monopoly (OS) to create unfair competition in another area (browsers). Why this didn’t apply to other included applications, like the calculator or notepad I’m not really sure. Perhaps there wasn’t a developing billion dollar market in calculators. The additional problems were not only forcing the browser with the OS, but also preventing PC manufacturers from having alternative browsers display on the desktop at first boot, or be set as the default browser. Microsoft doesn’t really deserve a free pass on this stuff. With all their money and influence they’ve repeatedly lost in court in the US and EU over this type of behavior and these issues. I’m sure many people could argue that Netscape suffered damage. Perhaps Opera lost growth opportunities, and who knows how many companies or projects were never undertaken because breaking into the Windows browser market seemed like a losing proposition. Again, the issue was not Microsoft having a browser, but using their OS monopoly to push the browser. Still, I’m not entirely sure what the point of the ad is. One idea, is it’s simply another way to say, “Microsoft! Microsoft! Microsoft!” in that their not so much advertising purely the browser, but trying to keep their name and brand in the public conscious. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/34 "2012-07-14T20:07:16Z")
Microsoft wants you to use Internet Exploder because it’s their product. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/35 "2012-07-14T20:18:06Z")
There’s still a few web sites that need IE. I recall ordering on Pet Meds web site a few years ago. I _thought_ the order had gone through. But I never got a confirmation email. It shook me up because I had entered my cc number. A phone call to Pet Meds confirmed no order was received and the bank showed no charge. Since then, I order using IE and never had any problem again. Firefox works fine with Ebay and Amazon. But I worry about ordering with Firefox on a new web site. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/36 "2012-07-14T20:19:24Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > There’s still a few web sites that need IE. I recall ordering on Pet Meds web site a few years ago. I _thought_ the order had gone through. But I never got a confirmation email. It shook me up because I had entered my cc number. A phone call to Pet Meds confirmed no order was received and the bank showed no charge. > > Since then, I order using IE and never had any problem again. I would refuse to give my business to any website that required IE to function properly. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/37 "2012-07-14T20:32:35Z")
Yeah. Tell them to get with the fucking times, we’re in 2012 for fuck’s sake. I’ve had to put up with that bullshit recently too during my job search. Some application submission software doesn’t work on Chrome or Firefox, but works just fine on Internet Explorer and Netscape, according to their FAQs. Fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/38 "2012-07-14T21:20:25Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > And my very strong bet is that such software would NOT be placed on the computer by Microsoft. Why would somebody not of them—or acting on their behalf and getting paid for it by them— want to hack for their benefit? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/39 "2012-07-14T21:21:51Z")
> [@srzss05](#): > > You doing something wrong. I use IE, and none of those things happen to me. Logically, it should be easier to do it with IE than another browser. I’m not doing anything. Something I didn’t want to be there is doing it. ---
**Author:** ![RearEchelon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@RearEchelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RearEchelon)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137/40 "2012-07-14T22:22:21Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > Yeah. Tell them to get with the fucking times, we’re in 2012 for fuck’s sake. > > I’ve had to put up with that bullshit recently too during my job search. Some application submission software doesn’t work on Chrome or Firefox, but works just fine on Internet Explorer and Netscape, according to their FAQs. Fuck off. Netscape still exists? > [@Johanna](#): > > I’m not doing anything. Something I didn’t want to be there is doing it. I would recommend a malware scan, and removal of any “toolbars” you may have installed. I know for a fact the [MSN.com](http://MSN.com) toolbar used to do exactly what you’re describing. In the future I would also recommend declining any additional software that comes “bundled” with something else, if given the option. If not, I would decline the installation entirely and find another program to do what you were looking for. 99 times out of 100, “bundled” software is bad news. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-microsoft-want-me-to-use-internet-explorer/628137.md?page=3)