Depending on how you look at it, Internet Explorer is either getting off to a great start in 2012, or it's doing abysmally. Despite IE9's growing market share on PCs running Windows 7 and Microsoft's positive spin, IE as a whole continues to decline, while Chrome is growing rapidly – in fact, Computerworld reports that IE dropped to a whole new low in December via Net Applications.

Last November, Microsoft's Internet Explorer blog predicted that IE9 would be the number 1 browser on Windows 7 by the start of the new year, and it has indeed lived up to this prediction. When it made the prediction, Microsoft said that IE9 usage on Windows 7 had already surpassed all versions of Chrome and Firefox, and was second only to IE8.

Sometime in December, IE9 surpassed IE8 as the most used browser on Windows 7 PCs in the US, and was at about the same level worldwide. While this might seem like good news for Microsoft – they're often their biggest competitor – the other browser related news isn't so rosy.

Neowin has the full report HERE!

Freaking SEE-YA!

Beginning in January, the Internet Explorer browser will be updated to the latest version automatically through Windows updates. Although the browser update has been offered through the Windows updates for some time, it required additional action from the users which often prevented an actual update. Now, the process has been automated in a way that moves most users to the most recent version of Internet Explorer.

Web developers have long castigated Internet Explorer, especially older versions like IE6. Although these updates do not guarantee the death of the old version, it shows signs that Microsoft is equally interested in phasing out the version. All users will be upgraded to IE9 (or IE8 for Windows XP users).

Australia and Brazil will first get the browser updates packaged with the automatic Windows updates which will eventually roll out globally. User preferences will not be changed with the version update.

Read the entire article...

For the last 20 years, Microsoft has swooned over the idea of the "silent update," in which your software gets automatically upgraded without your knowledge or approval, and now it's taking action.

I've always thought this idea was inspired by AOL, which used to force updates on users no matter what they wanted. The real risk with this practice is that with an OS, you might load in some faulty code that will prevent further updates, be unfixable, and ruin the machine.

But there is more to it than that. The PC is not an appliance and users often develop what is called a work-around, used to circumvent any pesky bugs. Often when the software is updated with these work-arounds in place, it performs oddly or even fails. If the user knows of an update in advance, he or she can forestall it and wait for someone to remove the work-around or just ignore the update.

Also, one of the problems with Windows has always been the fact that with each patch the system seems to operate slower and slower. Many of the updates seem unnecessary, too. I always like to check the list of recommended upgrades since many are for products I do not use or are for very minor bugs. I pass on these.

Read the details HERE!

In January 2012, Microsoft will begin installing the latest version of Internet Explorer on Windows PCs automatically, via Windows Update.

Automatic browser updates will begin rolling out worldwide in Australia and Brazil and will gradually scale up to additional countries and continents over time. Customers running Windows 7 and Windows Vista will be updated to Internet Explorer 9. Those who are using Windows XP will get Internet Explorer 8—the highest version available for that platform.

The new policy represents a major change for Redmond, which currently classifies new browser versions as Important updates but requires the user to manually consent before installing an upgraded version.

With this change, Microsoft joins Google and Firefox, both of which currently push out automatic updates to all users. The big difference is that Microsoft will continue to support older versions of browsers. That’s a crucial distinction for enterprise customers, who need to test and approve any new software release before deploying it and who have complained loudly about Mozilla’s decision to drop support for all but the most recent browser version with their new rapid-release cadence.

Read the full details HERE!