James Delahunty
24 Sep 2009 20:25
Microsoft Corp. has responded to the release of Google's Chrome Frame for Internet Explorer with criticism. The company has argued that the plug-in, which adds support for HTML 5 and speeds up Javascript, could double the security woes of users if installed.
"It's not necessarily that plug-ins aren't or can't be secure, but that running a browser within a browser doubles the potential attack surface in a way that we don't see is particularly helpful," said Amy Bazdukas, Microsoft's general manager for IE.
She claimed that by installing Chrome Frame, Internet Explorer users are essentially breaking the private browsing protections included with IE8. "Chrome Frame breaks the privacy model of IE. Users are not going to be able to use IE's privacy features, something that's not made apparent to users. They're essentially circumvented."
She also responded to Google's claim that IE users are looking for faster Javascript support and HTML 5. "HTML 5 is not a completed standard," she noted. "We're working on it very actively, and we see a lot of promise in it. But it's premature to support it."
Bazdukas also speculated on the the reason for Chrome Frame's release, citing Microsoft's share of the browser market and the release of Google Wave. "Chrome Frame is all about supporting the impending release of Google Wave," she argued. "Google hasn't been able to make an impact on market share with Chrome, and so they've turned to alternate means. Chrome Frame would look to capitalize on the leadership position that we have."