Legacy OSes have reached their zenith with the addition of IE 6 SP1. Further improvements to IE will require enhancements to the underlying OS. [Microsoft TechNet] [via Sjoerd Visscher's weblog]
This (the TechNet chat) is interesting for discussing ESC (enhanced security configuration) for Windows Server 2003 and then the little snippets about IE futures at the end.
"Require" is a bit daft (enhancement could be just improved css support, which requires update of mshtml) unless mshtml is now considered part of the underlying OS and not a separate component. Or, mshtml has gone/significantly changed/bound up with something else. Or, they've just made the decision, IE6 is it as a stand-alone app - full stop. Perhaps they view it as time (after 10 years by the time Longhorn comes out) to move PCs beyond an obsession with the "web browser". Browser share is no longer an issue, they can well afford for IE share to go down because its not perceived as a threat to core business anymore - the killer XPlatform apps never appeared; Windows remains supreme and Mozilla et al even if they grow to say 75%-80% (again) present no threat in answering the question 'what OS do I want on my box?'.
posted at: 9:12:24 AM 
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