ZDnet heeft een interessant artikel neergemikt waarin wordt besproken wat er eventueel zal gaan gebeuren met Internet Explorer 6.0. Er gaan namelijk geruchten de ronde dat IE6 niet als standalone te installeren zal zijn, maar enkel geïntegreerd terug te vinden is in Windows Whistler:
Sources claimed that Microsoft has been talking about opting not to release a standalone beta of IE 6.0. The sources added that debates have occurred within the company about whether or not Microsoft should make the final IE 6.0 code available as a separate product that can be downloaded or installed by CD. Instead, sources said, Microsoft has been strongly considering making IE 6.0 only available as part of Whistler.
A Microsoft spokeswoman initially declined to talk about IE 6.0 in any way, saying it was "too early to talk about features or deliverables."
After publication of the story, the spokeswoman said that Microsoft had no plans to make IE 6.0 available only as part of Whistler. "It's business as usual," she added, claiming that Microsoft also will make IE 6.0 beta 1 available for download separately once the company releases it.[break]Wat verder nog roet in het eten kan gooien voor IE6 is MSN Explorer. Deze browser zou in plaats van IE6 meegeleverd worden bij de Personal Edition van Whistler. Of IE6 dan wel een plaatsje krijgt in de Professional Edition is ook onzeker, omdat Netdocs specifiek voor zakelijke gebruikers zou worden worden gebruikt:[/break]"MSN Explorer is being positioned as the premiere platform for the consumer. Netdocs is being positioned as the business platform with a business browser. So there's no room left for IE," said a source close to Microsoft. "It's being squeezed."
[...] Some involved with Windows development are said to be advocating that MSN Explorer, instead of IE, be included as the integrated browser for the Personal release of Whistler, which is aimed at consumers, said sources. There is also a push by some to make the Netdocs interface the default on the business-oriented Professional Whistler flavor.
Netdocs, which is shaping up to be a competitor to Microsoft Office, is expected to be a single, integrated application that will include a full suite of functions, including e-mail, personal information management, document-authoring tools, digital-media management, and instant messaging. Microsoft is expected to make Netdocs available in the next year or two, only as a hosted service over the Internet, not as a shrink-wrapped application or software that's preloaded on the PC. The Netdocs interface is based on a piece of Microsoft .Net technology known as the "Universal Canvas."
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