Windows Vista: No IE10 for you

Microsoft follows blueprint information technology gear up last yr when information technology denied IE9 to XP users, says IE10 is just for Windows seven

Senior Reporter, Computerworld |

Microsoft'due south new browser, Internet Explorer x (IE10), volition not run on Windows Vista, either now in its developer preview class or when the software ships, the company confirmed today.

The decision makes Microsoft the first browser programmer to drop support for Vista, and follows the move concluding year when it announced Windows XP would not run IE9, the browser that went final four weeks ago.

In release notes published Tuesday, Microsoft said that users need to run the IE10 Platform Preview on Windows seven RTW -- the designation for the original 2009 release of the Os -- or Windows seven Service Pack 1 (SP1). The latter started reaching users on Feb. 22.

Windows 7 RTW must be updated earlier it'south able to run IE10, said Microsoft.

When Vista users try to install the IE10 preview, they come across a dialog box that reads, "Windows Cyberspace Explorer Platform Preview does non back up any operating system earlier than Windows 7," later which the installation process terminates.

Windows XP users run across the same bulletin when they try to install IE10.

Wed, Microsoft confirmed that the new browser is intended just for Windows 7.

"Windows Vista customers have a slap-up browsing feel with IE9, but in building IE10 we are focused on continuing to drive the kind of innovation that only happens when you lot take advantage of the ongoing improvements in modern operating systems and modern hardware," a Microsoft spokeswoman said in an email reply to questions.

The spokeswoman as well lumped Vista in with the 10-year-old Windows XP when asked why Microsoft was abandoning the sometime with IE10.

"Regarding Windows Vista, our conclusion with IE9 was not to build to the lowest common denominator," she said. "With IE9 we made the decision to help unlock the best Spider web experience possible, which means taking advantage of everything around the browser -- including Windows 7 and modern PC hardware."

Microsoft has been aggressively promoting the idea that a browser is merely every bit good every bit the operating system information technology runs on, and that by extension, browsers that run on older OSes are sub-standard.

Last month, Dean Hachamovitch, who leads the IE team, went and then far as to say that rivals -- presumably meaning Google and Mozilla -- "dilute their engineering investments" by creating browsers for the Mac, Linux and Windows XP.

Vista users were unhappy about the news that their machines won't run IE10.

"IE10 is non supported for Vista? Looks like IE9 is the new IE6," said 1 commenter, labeled merely as "IE9 is the new IE6."

IE10 dialogue box
Try to install IE10 Platform Preview on Windows Vista and this dialog appears.