The Future of Internet Explorer I Just said something to Sam Ruby in a comment that has caused me to stop and think. We are currently seeing all kinds of supposedly leaked information and screenshots of MS's next operating system, Longhorn. This is not due out till the end of 2004 or the beginning of 2005. A full 1 1/2 to 2 years away. Where are all the leaked screenshots and Information on the next version of Internet Explorer? Is there a next version? I read somewhere the other day that the IE team was actually smaller than the MS Works team. given that IE owns 95% of the browser market and MS Works owns, what?, of the office suite market, this seems a little more strange.

Not strange at all, that's how Monopolies operate. They do not have any embracing to do right now (in other words there is nothing to kill in this market place).

I have over 150 weblogs I monitor through my new reader and a good portion of them are MS employees (becuase I work in a MS enviroment). To the best of my knowledge, not one of them is from the IE team. All this has lead me to ask if IE is dead. If so, is it because MS doesn't see any point in developing it further or could they be worried that any further development would be viewed as anti-competitive?

The problem here is no direction, many of the larger companies live of the innovation of smaller companies. The like to say, "Ah"! "We'll have one of those in the future sometime...", and then crush smaller company if the FUD (Fear Uncertainty Doubt) doesn't bury the perceived threat (anything that is generating revenue that they aren't taxing; bottom-line).

Well while the cat's away the mice will play, Mozilla is getting stronger and better by the minute. So there may just be a reason for IE to come back to its destructive life.

[via Slightly Bent]