Boycott IE 7? Not Exactly
联合抵制IE 7？不完全正确
It's amusing but disconcerting to me that what I write can be so widely misunderstood. In an article earlier this week about Microsoft's plans for improving the Web standards compliance in Internet Explorer (IE) 7, I repeated a recommendation I've been making to Windows users for years: Boycott IE.
我觉得很有趣但是也令人不安的是，我写的一写东西竟被普遍地误解了。在本周早些时候，在一篇关于微软要改善IE 7的网络标准支持性的文章中，我重申了一个我一直对Windows用户的倡议，就是联合抵制IE。
This recommendation was completely misunderstood by a number of people. Some misread it as "Boycott IE 7." And some were amazed that a Windows advocate like me would take the "bold" step actually calling on Windows users to stop using a Microsoft product. And clearly, describing IE as "a cancer" was a bit strong. But allow me to explain what's really happening here.
这个倡议却被许多人完全地误解了。一些人误解成了“抵制IE 7”。还有一些人表现出非常惊讶，说一个像我这样一个大力鼓吹Windows的人竟会大胆地迈出抵制Windows用户使用微软产品一步。当然，显而易见的是，把IE说成是“毒瘤”有点过分。但是，请允许我在下文中解释一下。
First of all, put out those torches: I'm not leading a charge on Castle Frankenstein. Years ago, when Microsoft added the buggy and unproven IE code to the core of Windows NT 4.0, I felt that it was the worst decision the company had ever made. And since then, I've been proven right time and time again: IE has become the number one vector for malware intrusions in Windows, as shown by the vast number of security exploits this product has suffered over the years. As a result, one can make only a very weak argument about the benefits of fusing IE with Windows. But one can make a much better argument about the benefits of leaving the browser code separate from the OS.
首先，我声明一下：这篇文章不是为了改变这个自掘坟墓产品的命运。数年前，在微软把未经测试、全身漏洞的IE编到Windows NT核心时，我觉得这是这个公司做过的最糟糕的决定。之后，一次次的现实证明我是正确的：大量的安全漏洞显示，IE已经变成了Windows被恶意软件入侵的第一大媒介。所以，Windows中集成IE是弊大于利。
IE's security ills were so bad for so long, in fact, that Microsoft stopped even thinking about new end user features for the product for several years. The version of IE included with Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) in 2004 fixed some of the security problems, but as even Microsoft acknowledges, it was just a step down a long road towards making IE truly secure (if that's even possible).
IE的安全漏洞严重性之大，时间之久，几年内连微软都想过停止给用户增加新的功能。在2004年发布的Windows XP SP2中包含的IE虽然解决了一些安全问题，但是连微软都承认，这只是让IE真正安全的万里长征的第一步（如果可能实现的话）。
In any event, I've been calling on Windows users to try less-often-hacked browsers such as Mozilla Firefox for years. Other browsers, like Opera 8, are probably equally acceptable, though I just don't have as much experience with that product as I do with Firefox. My Web browser recommendation applies to the here and now: Today's IE, even with XP SP2, is just not secure enough. Too, IE 6 doesn't offer the broad feature set found in most modern browsers, so IE users are likely not even aware of the incredible functionality you can get with other choices. I most thoroughly explored these differences in my Target IE series on the SuperSite for Windows last year.
在任何时候，我一直在呼吁Windows用户使用像Mozilla Firefox一类的很少被攻击的浏览器。其他浏览器像Opera 8也是可以接受的，尽管我不像用Firefox那样经常用它。我对于使用浏览器的忠告适用于任何时候，就是说今天的IE，甚至是XP SP2上的，都是不够安全。还有就是，IE 6不像其他大多数现代浏览器那样提供大量的功能，所以IE用户可能都不知道使用其他浏览器后所带来的不可思议的功能。去年，我曾经在SuperSite 的my Target IE series文中彻底地讨论了这些不同点。
As for IE 7 specifically, I've analyzed what Microsoft is planning to do with this product and would like to clear up some misconceptions. First, there are really two versions of IE 7: The standalone version that will ship for XP SP2 (and Windows XP x64 Edition, and Windows Server 2003 with SP1), and the version that will ship in Windows Vista. The Windows Vista version of IE will be a superset of the standalone version, offering security features that are impossible to implement on previous generation Windows versions.
对于IE 7，我特别解释一下。我已经分析出微软的打算和要消除的误会。首先，IE 7会有两个版本：为XP SP2 (包括Windows XP 64位版本和Windows Server 2003 SP1)的单独版本，和为Windows Vista的版本。Windows Vista版本的IE将会是那个单独版本的一个扩展集合，提供那些不能在早期版本Windows上执行的安全功能。
If you simply must use IE for some reason, you would be crazy not to upgrade to IE 7 when it comes out. On both platforms, IE 7 will offer crucial anti-phishing technology and a number of end user features that look interesting, including tabbed browsing and better add-on management. However, on Windows Vista, IE 7 will be even more powerful, offering a new protected mode in which the browser runs without any add-ons, allowing you to get work done if an electronic attack does infect the system. I'll write more about this in my upcoming IE 7 Beta 1 review on the SuperSite for Windows.
如果因为一些原因，你一定要用IE，当IE 7发布时，你肯定要去升级，否则你一定是疯了。在两个平台上，IE 7都将提供非常重要的反钓鱼技术和一些看上去有趣的用户功能，其中包括多标签浏览和更好的插件管理。不过，在Windows Vista上，IE 7将会更强大，它提供一个新的可以不运行任何插件的保护模式。这个模式可以让你在系统受到电子攻击感染的情况下还可以完成工作。我将在我即将发表在SuperSite for Windows上的IE 7 Beta回顾中做进一步讨论。
That said, I still have my concerns about IE's compliance with Web standards. Many of you don't realize this, but I have a Web development background tracing back over a decade, and I developed or helped develop some of the first database-backed Web sites on the Internet 10 years ago. In fact, WinInfo was one of these sites, back when it was hosted on the Internet Nexus in the mid-1990s. Since then, I've scaled back on Web development work to focus on writing, but I've also written and contributed to a number of books focusing on database-backed Web development, Visual Basic, and databases over the years. I understand the issues Web developers face, and I watched as Microsoft exerted its dominance and pushed its proprietary technologies over true Web standards. While Microsoft can truly claim to want to deliver a good "Web experience," it's equally true that the company is working to ensure you can only get that experience with its own products. Microsoft is not interested in a level playing field where users have a choice of browsers, all of which offer equivalent user experiences.
还有人说，我仍然是关心IE对网络标准支持性的问题。可能你们许多人不知道，我有十几年网络开发的背景。10年前，我开发过或者说是帮助开发过一些第一批基于数据库的网站。事实上，20世纪90年代中期运行的WinInfo就是其中之一。从那以后，我就不搞网络开发，而专心写作了，但是几年来，我也写了一些关注基于数据库网络开发，Visual Basic和数据库的书。我理解网络开发所面临的问题，同时我也看到微软暴露出了它的优势，而且它不断推行它自己的网络标准专利技术。当微软能够真正的宣称要提供一个好的“网络体验”时，就是说这个公司正在竭力确保你只能用它的产品来得到那种体验。微软不希望用户有大量有同样体验的浏览器可供选择。
Folks, that's OK. It's called a competitive advantage, and it's something all companies seek to get. My issue with this is that I don't personally care what's good for Microsoft. I care about what's good for the people that use its products. And sometimes what's good for Microsoft and what's good for its customers are completely at odds with each other. Windows Genuine Advantage, Product Activation, and, yes, bundling IE with Windows are three obvious examples.
大伙，其实这是可以理解的。这叫做竞争优势，一个所有公司都想要的东西。我的问题是我个人不关心什么对微软好，我关心什么对使用它产品的用户好。有时，对微软有利的东西对用户无利。Windows正版增值验证、产品激活，还有同Windows捆绑IE就是三个明显的例子。
Finally, I spoke with the IE team this week and while it was a somewhat tense discussion--I did, after all, refer to their product as "a cancer"--I think we reached a workable understanding. IE Lead Program Manager Chris Wilson, for example, continues to insist that the Acid2 test I mentioned previously is "not a compliance test." And technically, he's right: Passing the Acid2 test doesn't mean that you've reached compliance with any particular Web standard (such as CSS 2.0). My beef with the Acid2 test is that Microsoft, alone among the browser makers, has publicly shown no interest at all in passing the Acid2 test, which was designed to "help browser vendors make sure their products correctly support features that Web designers would like to use. These features are part of existing standards but haven't been interoperably supported by major browsers." I commend the company for seeking to fix the IE issues that Web developers say are most onerous. I'd still like to see them do more, however.
最后，本周我和IE的开发队伍进行了一次交谈。我有点紧张，毕竟我把他们的产品叫做“毒瘤”。我认为我们达成了一定程度的谅解。例如，IE项目经理Chris Wilson一直强调，我以前提到的Acid2测试“不是一项支持性测试”。从技术上来讲，他是对的。通过Acid2测试并不表示你达到了支持任何网络标准（比如CSS 2.0）的程度。我对Acid2测试所发的牢骚是因为连同微软在内的所有浏览器制造商们已经公然地表现出对通过Acid2测试一点兴趣都没有。Acid2测试本身就是设计来“帮助浏览器制造商确保他们的产品能准确地支持网络开发者们想要的功能，这些功能是现存标准的一部分，但并没有被主要浏览器共同支持。”我要表扬那些寻找和结决IE问题的公司，网络开发者都说是最费事的事。不过，我还想看到他们在做得更多。
Gary Schare, the Director of Product Management for the IE team, discussed with me the security features Microsoft will be adding to IE 7, and while I've highlighted a few of them above, I'll be writing more about this in my IE 7 Beta 1 review. The long and the short of it is that IE 7 will be better than IE 6. The question is whether it will be good enough. In the meantime, I will still use and recommend Firefox today. That's because IE 7 isn't here yet, and I can't possibly make a recommendation about an uncompleted product one way or the other.
IE队伍的产品主管Gary Schare和我讨论了微软将在IE 7中加入的安全功能，而在上文中，我已经突出介绍了其中的一些，我将在我的IE 7 Beta 1回顾中再多写一些。不管什么说，IE 7将比IE 6好。问题是它是否会足够好。现在，我还是推荐使用Firefox。这是因为IE 7还没发布，无论如何，我是不可能推荐使用一个未完成的产品的。
