
Microsoft Probably Not Really Considering WebKit For IE - nickb
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/07/AR2008110701084.html
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jm4
That little comment from Ballmer has really been blown out of proportion. When
I read it I thought to myself that Ballmer was just being polite to a
developer who had just asked a ridiculous question. It's absurd to think that
Microsoft is going to abandon one of the most widely used technologies on the
planet after spending over a decade developing it.

The developer who asked the question was no doubt trying to push Ballmer's
buttons. The easiest way out is to say exactly what Ballmer said.
"Interesting. We'll look into it." It's a polite, noncommital response. What
else is he going to do? Stomp on the guy for asking a stupid question? Try to
justify using their own rendering engine? Acknowledge WebKit's superiority? It
doesn't make any sense for him to say anything else because there's no
question Microsoft is going to develop their own browser and rendering engine,
and to get into a discussion of WebKit is taking the troll bait.

On an unrelated note, it's very disappointing to see that the Washington Post
is now running lame TechCrunch articles. It's going to be much harder to
filter them out now.

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blackguardx
When IE has a 40% market share, will the question still be troll bait?

The only reason it makes sense for Microsoft to continue developing the IE
rendering engine is because IE is still the most popular browser and they have
some control over the market.

When the popularity drops, it will no longer make sense. I think it was a
valid question, not "cheeky."

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krschultz
You say "When" as if it is a foregone conclusion. Firefox has been arguably
better for several years, but its growth isn't that explosive anymore. The
reality is that a lot of everyday people just don't KNOW or CARE that IE
sucks. By being the default installation for all Windows users IE is
guaranteed to continue its dominance. I would bet you won't see more than 30%
Firefox in the near future. And Apple would have to really give Microsoft a
punch in the face for Safari to get 30% of the browser market.

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cabalamat
I know loads of people who aren't techies by any means but use or are
considering using Firefox or Apple or Ubuntu. I can easily imagine Firefox
getting 30% market share.

