Run diferent versions of IE on same machine

... without using VMWare etc.
http://www.insert-title.com/web_design/?page=articles/dev/multi_IE

Stripped-down browser downloads:
http://www.skyzyx.com/archives/000094.php

It's all made possible by "DLL redirection" that first appeared in Windows 2000
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dllproc/base/dynamic_link_library_redirection.asp

It's really funny seeing IE 3.0 again!

It really begs the question: why on earth has Microsoft always given the impression that this sort of thing is impossible? Well, answering my own question: I guess it's down to their defence in the anti-trust case that IE was inextricably linked to Windows.

Duncan Smart
Tuesday, November 11, 2003

The fact that you can load the 'old' dlls and use a .local file doesn't mean that IE isn't coupled very tightly to the OS it just means that you can use the .local file for its intended purpose... The 'latest' dll which the OS and the tightly coupled browser both need is still used by the OS and the latest version of the browser. The .local file simply allows the old version of the browser to find your local copy of the old version of the dll...

Of course, that begs the question, why does a browser need to be so tightly coupled...

Len Holgate (www.lenholgate.com)
Tuesday, November 11, 2003

cool

name not available
Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Why is a browser tightly coupled?  One reason may be why should I care if the resource is local or (o what kind of resource it is) not when I want to look at it.  Shouldn't I be able to be looking at my filesystem and type a location in the address bar and just see the resource?  Modern Linux desktop managers have answered this question with a yes.  If anything windows doesn't go far enough.  I should be able to see, use, or work with the contents of any known file inside of my browser.  I get to do that for the most part with Konqueror and would like to see windows catch up.

K
Tuesday, November 11, 2003

The browser coupling is not a case of predatory practices, in my opinion (ducks thrown tomatoes).

The webbrowser control is just SO useful for doing quick screen layouts, and for information display in general, that Microsoft just started using it as part of the OS components. Sure, they could have built something else and avoided the dependency, but it was already there, and it already worked, so why not use it?

Chris Tavares
Tuesday, November 11, 2003

> Of course, that begs the question, why does a browser need to be so tightly coupled... <

It doesn't, though "desktop as web app" seems to be part of their long term strategy.

www.MarkTAW.com
Tuesday, November 11, 2003

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