Firefox and Updates

[Peter Oliphant]

I use Firefox as my browser. As a result, I'm banned from getting Windows
Updates. This seems a bit monopolistic on MS's part, and it means if there
is a security problem or a VS C++.NET 2005 patch needed, I'm out of luck.

This seems wrong to me...

BTW, I do have IE on my system, but it won't use it since Firefox is my
default browser (and I have no idea how to change which browser is my
default browser, so there you go). At the very least it should see that I
have IE installed, and use it if it's a REQUIREMENT. Forcing me to change my
default browser and/or get their browser (which isn't actually 'free', it
takes up HD space), again, seems wrong...

[==P==]

[Jim]

Use this extension in Firefox and mark the Windows update site as "always
view in ie". When Firefox is launched for a Windows Update, it will open
the update site in IE automatically.

https://addons.mozilla.org/extension...cation=firefox

You may also want to try....IE Tab
(https://addons.mozilla.org/extension...fo.php?id=1419) that opens
pages in Firefox in an IE tab.
"Peter Oliphant" <po*******@RoundTripInc.com> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

I use Firefox as my browser. As a result, I'm banned from getting Windows
Updates. This seems a bit monopolistic on MS's part, and it means if there
is a security problem or a VS C++.NET 2005 patch needed, I'm out of luck.

This seems wrong to me...

BTW, I do have IE on my system, but it won't use it since Firefox is my
default browser (and I have no idea how to change which browser is my
default browser, so there you go). At the very least it should see that I
have IE installed, and use it if it's a REQUIREMENT. Forcing me to change
my default browser and/or get their browser (which isn't actually 'free',
it takes up HD space), again, seems wrong...

[==P==]

[Pohihihi]

you can change the setting for default brw in tools -> options for IE in
program tab.
you can uncheck this after your work is done and go back to default. I am
sure you do not update every day thus you do not need to worry changing it
again every day.

BTW, many will agree with you including me but voicing MS monopoly is not
the main subject of this NG.
"Peter Oliphant" <po*******@RoundTripInc.com> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

I use Firefox as my browser. As a result, I'm banned from getting Windows
Updates. This seems a bit monopolistic on MS's part, and it means if there
is a security problem or a VS C++.NET 2005 patch needed, I'm out of luck.

This seems wrong to me...

BTW, I do have IE on my system, but it won't use it since Firefox is my
default browser (and I have no idea how to change which browser is my
default browser, so there you go). At the very least it should see that I
have IE installed, and use it if it's a REQUIREMENT. Forcing me to change
my default browser and/or get their browser (which isn't actually 'free',
it takes up HD space), again, seems wrong...

[==P==]

[adebaene]

Peter Oliphant a écrit :

I use Firefox as my browser. As a result, I'm banned from getting Windows
Updates. This seems a bit monopolistic on MS's part, and it means if there
is a security problem or a VS C++.NET 2005 patch needed, I'm out of luck.

This seems wrong to me...

1) This seems out of subject on this newsgroup to me.

2) No VC updates are distributed through Windows Update (at least, I
haven't seen any yet, and it seem doubfull to mee that there will ever
be any since Windows Update is mostly there to distrubute security
patches.).

Arnaud
MVP - VC

[David Wilkinson]

Peter Oliphant wrote:

I use Firefox as my browser. As a result, I'm banned from getting Windows
Updates. This seems a bit monopolistic on MS's part, and it means if there
is a security problem or a VS C++.NET 2005 patch needed, I'm out of luck.

This seems wrong to me...

BTW, I do have IE on my system, but it won't use it since Firefox is my
default browser (and I have no idea how to change which browser is my
default browser, so there you go). At the very least it should see that I
have IE installed, and use it if it's a REQUIREMENT. Forcing me to change my
default browser and/or get their browser (which isn't actually 'free', it
takes up HD space), again, seems wrong...

[==P==]

Peter:

And your C++ question is?

I use Mozilla as my default browser, but if I launch Windows Update on
my XP SP2 machine it automatically uses IE. This doesn't happen for you?

I agree that these "IE only" policies on the microsoft web site are
extremely childish. At least you don't need it for MSDN, though
occasionally there are things that do not display properly.

David Wilkinson

[Peter Oliphant]

>>And your C++ question is?

I'm sorry others think it was inappropriate for me to ask this question in
this forum, but I beg to disagree. My VS C++.NET 2005 question was how do I
get VS C++.NET 2005 updates while using the Firefox browser. How is this any
less appropriate than, say, "VS 2005 Win32 Console Project Behavior",
"Linking Errors....any one plz help", or "Converting a .mak file to
..vcproj"? None of these are strictly C++ questions either. They are
questions about how to use the VS C++.NET 2005 product, as was mine.

I possibly could have "framed" the question a bit better, ala "Can't get VS
C++.NET Updates" and then casually mentioned I'm using the Firefox browser.
But I spoke what I felt instead of worrying about form.

I'm guessing is was the - uh - critical tone which I took that people don't
like. Is it inappropriate to give MS praise in this forum too? If I said MS
has done a great job with VS C++.NET 2005 (which I believe by the way), I
doubt people would tell me that was an inappropriate thing to say, or
mention it wasn't a question about C++.

But, before I go too far, I better ask : where is the
"inapproriate-posting-in-threads-discussion" newsgroup, since discussing
inapropriateness of posts isn't a C++ question either... LOL

[==P==]
"David Wilkinson" <no******@effisols.com> wrote in message
news:On**************@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...

Peter Oliphant wrote:

I use Firefox as my browser. As a result, I'm banned from getting Windows
Updates. This seems a bit monopolistic on MS's part, and it means if
there is a security problem or a VS C++.NET 2005 patch needed, I'm out of
luck.

This seems wrong to me...

BTW, I do have IE on my system, but it won't use it since Firefox is my
default browser (and I have no idea how to change which browser is my
default browser, so there you go). At the very least it should see that I
have IE installed, and use it if it's a REQUIREMENT. Forcing me to change
my default browser and/or get their browser (which isn't actually 'free',
it takes up HD space), again, seems wrong...

[==P==]

Peter:

And your C++ question is?

I use Mozilla as my default browser, but if I launch Windows Update on my
XP SP2 machine it automatically uses IE. This doesn't happen for you?

I agree that these "IE only" policies on the microsoft web site are
extremely childish. At least you don't need it for MSDN, though
occasionally there are things that do not display properly.

David Wilkinson

[Bo Persson]

"Peter Oliphant" <po*******@RoundTripInc.com> skrev i meddelandet
news:ug**************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

And your C++ question is?

I'm sorry others think it was inappropriate for me to ask this
question in this forum, but I beg to disagree. My VS C++.NET 2005
question was how do I get VS C++.NET 2005 updates while using the
Firefox browser. How is this any less appropriate than, say, "VS
2005 Win32 Console Project Behavior", "Linking Errors....any one plz
help", or "Converting a .mak file to .vcproj"? None of these are
strictly C++ questions either. They are questions about how to use
the VS C++.NET 2005 product, as was mine.

Mentioning Firefox in the subject line is a bit risky. :-)

In practice you won't miss much if you can't check for updates,
beacuse there aren't any. Considering that VS 2003 is still waiting
for it's first service pack, you can make a guess on the odds that
there will be any for the later edition anytime soon. Zero is a good
guess.
Bo Persson

[David Wilkinson]

Peter Oliphant wrote:

And your C++ question is?

I'm sorry others think it was inappropriate for me to ask this question in
this forum, but I beg to disagree. My VS C++.NET 2005 question was how do I
get VS C++.NET 2005 updates while using the Firefox browser. How is this any
less appropriate than, say, "VS 2005 Win32 Console Project Behavior",
"Linking Errors....any one plz help", or "Converting a .mak file to
.vcproj"? None of these are strictly C++ questions either. They are
questions about how to use the VS C++.NET 2005 product, as was mine.

I possibly could have "framed" the question a bit better, ala "Can't get VS
C++.NET Updates" and then casually mentioned I'm using the Firefox browser.
But I spoke what I felt instead of worrying about form.

I'm guessing is was the - uh - critical tone which I took that people don't
like. Is it inappropriate to give MS praise in this forum too? If I said MS
has done a great job with VS C++.NET 2005 (which I believe by the way), I
doubt people would tell me that was an inappropriate thing to say, or
mention it wasn't a question about C++.

[snip]

Peter:

Sorry, I guess I forgot the smiley. Or maybe I really have been hanging
out in comp.lang.c++ too much. But nevertheless, I did try to answer
your question (you won't get that in comp.lang.c++...).

I think you're right though, your question was not well-phrased because
it was based on the false hypothesis that fixes to Visual Studio would
be delivered by Windows Updates. They wouldn't. And as others have
noted, there likely will not be any anyway.

Criticism of Microsoft? I think that's pretty much fair game here. Back
in the days of VC5 and VC6, there was much less criticism, and that
should tell you something. But, to Microsoft's credit, they do not seem
to try to moderate these groups.

David Wilkinson

[Peter Oliphant]

Hi David,

Don't mind me, I was just a bit cranky yesterday... : )

Indeed, problem solved, thanks! : )

[==P==]

"David Wilkinson" <no******@effisols.com> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

Peter Oliphant wrote:

And your C++ question is?

I'm sorry others think it was inappropriate for me to ask this question
in this forum, but I beg to disagree. My VS C++.NET 2005 question was how
do I get VS C++.NET 2005 updates while using the Firefox browser. How is
this any less appropriate than, say, "VS 2005 Win32 Console Project
Behavior", "Linking Errors....any one plz help", or "Converting a .mak
file to .vcproj"? None of these are strictly C++ questions either. They
are questions about how to use the VS C++.NET 2005 product, as was mine.

I possibly could have "framed" the question a bit better, ala "Can't get
VS C++.NET Updates" and then casually mentioned I'm using the Firefox
browser. But I spoke what I felt instead of worrying about form.

I'm guessing is was the - uh - critical tone which I took that people
don't like. Is it inappropriate to give MS praise in this forum too? If I
said MS has done a great job with VS C++.NET 2005 (which I believe by the
way), I doubt people would tell me that was an inappropriate thing to
say, or mention it wasn't a question about C++.

[snip]

Peter:

Sorry, I guess I forgot the smiley. Or maybe I really have been hanging
out in comp.lang.c++ too much. But nevertheless, I did try to answer your
question (you won't get that in comp.lang.c++...).

I think you're right though, your question was not well-phrased because it
was based on the false hypothesis that fixes to Visual Studio would be
delivered by Windows Updates. They wouldn't. And as others have noted,
there likely will not be any anyway.

Criticism of Microsoft? I think that's pretty much fair game here. Back in
the days of VC5 and VC6, there was much less criticism, and that should
tell you something. But, to Microsoft's credit, they do not seem to try to
moderate these groups.

David Wilkinson