Before I get started let me say this, I believe in patching, and updating systems and software. It is essential to security fo a system.
That being said, there is something to be said about forcing updated software by calling it a high priority update. Yep, I’m talking about IE8 yet again. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used it, and for general web browsing, it is ok, although a lot of sites still seem broken when using it.Some of it is because of the higher security settings built into IE8 the rest because a lot of sites are not optimized for IE8 yet.
The problem is that it is listed as a high priority update, and if you have a machine set to automatically install critical updates, it gets automatically installed on your machine. This is totally against the statement from Microsoft that IE8 is optional. The non-tech person does not know to check, nor is expected to know how to decline the installation of something like IE8. All of a sudden this is costing my clients money, due to the fact that they have to pay me to remove IE8 and then reinstall IE7 on their machine.
Yeah, its nice for my revenu, but it makes the IT world look bad overall. Clients jsut want things to work, and I can’t blame them on that. I just want things to work also. Microsoft doesn’t seem to care about anything except market share and money, and with more and more viable options coming out, they better start learning that reputation means everything, and properly working software is the way to get more market share and money.
Even with high-priority updates going through automatically, you still have to approve the installation. IE8 will /not/ install without asking. It /will/ continue to attempt the update until you outright deny it, but it won’t install it without your express permission. How can I say this so assuredly? Because the installation has a splash verification screen built into it. It will sit on your desktop until you tell it to continue, or until you turn off the machine. Maybe you overlooked the window, or clicked through it, but there’s no way for Microsoft to force people to read the information they provide. Its always a good idea to read through the popups before you agree to anything.
Lee Caparoon
IT Manager
Security Title Inc.