Microsoft’s Firefox problem — contd.

I know I mentioned it earlier, but there’s a lovely bit in Randall Stross’s NYT article that’s worth savouring:

“Stuck with code from a bygone era when the need for protection against bad guys was little considered, Microsoft cannot do much. It does not offer a new stand-alone version of Internet Explorer. Instead, the loyal customer must download and install the newest version of Service Pack 2. That, in turn, requires Windows XP. Those who have an earlier version of Windows are out of luck if they wish to stick with Internet Explorer.

Mr. Schare of Microsoft does have one suggestion for those who cannot use the latest patches in Service Pack 2: buy a new personal computer. By the same reasoning, the security problems created by a car’s broken door lock could be solved by buying an entirely new automobile. The analogy comes straight from Mr. Schare. ‘It’s like buying a car,’ he said. ‘If you want to get the latest safety features, you have to buy the latest model.'”