Microsoft Confirms to provide silent IE auto-updates

Posted on December 16, 2011 by iGennie Technical Services

Google’s subsidiary model: Google Chrome browser usually updates itself silently without the user acknowledgement. This has now been supported by Microsoft also. On December 15, 2011, Microsoft announced that it also will follow the same routine to upgrade Internet Explorer at the back of the web application, without the knowledge of the user. The reason given is that when the responsibility of upgrading web browsers to advanced versions is withdrawn from the user’s hands, the web will become much safer.

Totally in support of the Chrome’s initiative, Microsoft plans to bring in the automatic IE auto upgrade system in the first month of the next year, starting the practise in Brazil and Australia, and later on expanding it to other regions. It will decide the most suited IE version for a particular Windows computer and accordingly, upgrade Internet Explorer to the suitable version without seeking any user permission. For eg: Windows XP users that are still stuck with the IE6 and IE7 versions, will be upgraded to IE8 version. Windows Vista or Windows 7 users using IE6, IE7 or IE8 versions, will be upgraded to the IE9 version, and so on.

According to a Windows user who was wanting and urging Microsoft to implement the practise since long, says, “I see this as an acknowledgement that auto-updating has worked very well, at least as far as a single component, like a browser, goes.”

Wolfgang Kandek, chief technology officer at Qualys, keeps his views as “I think auto-updating is a great step in the right direction for Microsoft,”

Apart from Chrome, which is already practising the auto upgrade, and Microsoft, which is planning to practise the same, Mozilla is another member in the league that is planning for the same with its Firefox browser.

Earlier Mozilla was planning to bring in the background upgrade for Firefox 10; but, now it has delayed its decision and made its mind to implement the upgrade to Firefox 12.

Though, working on the same platform, Microsoft’s vision differs from that of the Google Chrome’s and Mozilla’s. Microsoft plans to give the authentication for background auto update to the enterprises. In addition, Windows users who have already declined the offers to upgrade their IE versions will not be forced to do the same. The silent update will be processed only on those Windows computer that are having the Windows Update Service turned on.