Internet Explorer Independently Updateable On WP7

[Ed Hansberry]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.wmexperts.com/mobie-ie-independently-upgradeable-windows-phone-7' target='_blank'>http://www.wmexperts.com/mobie-ie-i...windows-phone-7</a><br /><br /></div><p>It seems that Internet Explorer will be independently updatable. That means that even if Windows Phone 7 has no major updates, you may still be able to get a browser update, just like you can on your PC. The info comes from the IE for Windows Phone Team's weblog in the comment section:</p><p><em><strong>Tom</strong>: "Will the browser in Windows 7 get more updates more frequently than only with full firmware updates?"</em></p><p><em><strong>Joe (IE Team Member)</strong>: "Yes, we are building in the ability to update the browser independently of firmware"</em></p><p>This is good news, but color me skeptical. I have heard promises of updatability the Pocket PC originally launched in 2000. Heck, even before that, some of the Palm-sized PC's advertised updatability through a replaceable daughter card on the motherboard. Updates though have been few and far between. Microsoft has really raised expectations with WP7, and now more so with this revelation on IE. They really need to make good on these promises.</p>

[PhatCohiba]

Well said Ed. I see this as the key benefit for the managed code position around WP7. If they make the apps and the OS modular and locked down, but use that structure to make regular independent updates to the base OS and other components (xbox, Office, etc.) then this will allow them to adopt a more web-friendly always-updating application system that will allow the multi-faceted development to grow on an internet time scale and not on a once a lifetime update of WM today.

[benjimen]

While it might be possible for the OS to do this, it might be interesting to find out if this feature could be carrier-disabled. I'd bet yes...

At the very least, enterprise users would need the capability to control any and all updates that occur on corporate devices.

[Ed Hansberry]

While it might be possible for the OS to do this, it might be interesting to find out if this feature could be carrier-disabled. I'd bet yes...

At the very least, enterprise users would need the capability to control any and all updates that occur on corporate devices.

If MS allowed the carriers to block updates, they might as well just close the Windows Phone division.

As for the enterprise, I doubt MS cares much about their opinion in this regard. The security and integrity of a device on a network is more important than whether or not an app needs to be tweaked to work on an update.

[Janak Parekh]

Ed, we had it. Remember EUUs with PPC 2002?

[Ed Hansberry]

Ed, we had it. Remember EUUs with PPC 2002?
Yeah, but not every device maker released them, and those that did not all were too timely. As I said, few and far between.

[benjimen]

hmmmmmmmmm

If MS allowed the carriers to block updates, they might as well just close the Windows Phone division.

As for the enterprise, I doubt MS cares much about their opinion in this regard. The security and integrity of a device on a network is more important than whether or not an app needs to be tweaked to work on an update.

[Janak Parekh]

Yeah, but not every device maker released them, and those that did not all were too timely. As I said, few and far between. Sort of. EUUs were generally distributed via the OEMs, but they were the same every time, and you could install it on other devices. http://www.pocketpcfaq.com/faqs/pocketpc2002sp2ms.htm -- this is unlike the AKUs of WM2003 and onward, which had to be made as part of a ROM build.

(Basically, MS had the technology to update part of the OS; the distribution was the last part of it, but they went backwards.)

--janak

[Richard76]

As a non-programmer, the only logical reason I can see for this course is to allow for more frequent and timely upgrades to IE to "keep up to" or preferably surpass the competition. But we all know about MS's history of best intentions. Time will tell.