Microsoft hits bottom, begins to dig
I’ve never been a big Microsoft fan, but I’ve usually been able to see why they make decisions, even when I don’t agree with them. This, I don’t understand. They appear to be lowering the bar in regards MS Outlook’s ability to render HTML e-mail.
Microsoft Breaks HTML Email Rendering in Outlook 2007
All that changed when Microsoft dropped a lump of coal into every web developer’s stocking with the end-of-year release to business customers, and the upcoming consumer release, of Outlook 2007.
In short, unless your HTML emails are very, very simple, you’re going to run into problems with Outlook 2007, and in most cases the only solution to those problems will be to reduce the complexity of your HTML email design to accommodate Outlook’s limited feature set.
Why would a company do this? I can’t think of a single reason that this would be a good idea for this product. As a web designer, I’m regularly asked to design HTML e-mail. (I refuse to do spam, only solicited content.) It’s an easy way for a company to pass on content in an easily read and understandable format. Now Microsoft appears to be gutting Outlook’s ability to render HTML e-mail…
Do they think that people won’t notice? No. They assume people will just accept what they give them, which is a sad reflection on their company.
If you’re using the MS suite, and you’re thinking of upgrading… I have a word for you. Thunderbird. Download it, use it. A very good e-mail solution.
h/t On Influence and Automation
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson’s Website, Adam’s Blog, Right Truth, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, 123 Beta, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, third world county, Faultline USA, Woman Honor Thyself, stikNstein… has no mercy, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox News, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
I, too, am no fan of Me$$y$oft products in general. Indeed, I am slowly moving off Windows as my primary platform (although I am posting this from a Win2K machine).
I also do not use Firebird much or Thunderbird at all (although I did use T- Bird for nearly a year and find it nearly as capable as some versions of Outlook, and more capable in a few limited areas). I find Opera’s built-in email client to be sufficient to my email needs, MUCh safer than alternatives and surpassingly more user-friendly in managing/searching my email.
But all that aside, I’ll give you one (of a few) very good reason Me$$y$oft might limit html functionality in OL07: malicious embedded code. Sure, one can rely on one’s security software to nuke malicious embedded code, but Me$$y$oft has recognized that they are the 500-lb gorilla target for malkware writers and that OL is a prime target–especially since naive or lazy users will infect themselves any chance they can get anyway (and blame it on Me$$y$oft’s admittely “holey” code). Why give malware writers any more vectors than necessary?
Now, admittedly, I’d like to see full html capabilities in a secure email client, but Me$$y$oft’s not going to come up with such a critter, so this is a compromise: limited html capabilities in a vulnerable app used by lazy and naive users worldwide, the kind who’d infect themselves at the drop of a hat if someone didn’t try to frustrate their attempts to “innocently” spread viruses, trojans and worms, Oh! My! via their lax email handling, which includes, but is by no means limited to, NOT EVEN UPDATING (or in many cases HAVING) their security software on a regular basis. (I guess I could count up the numbers of folks whose machines I’ve cleaned who do not even have active anti-virus software, let alone up-to-date AV and firewalls, etc., but I’d be counting a long, long time. *heh*)
Limiting the embedded code opportunities doesn’t do anything to prevent such users from CLICKing on links that will take them places where they can freely infect themselves, but it does (slightly) hamper malware writers’ ability to use html emails to spread their lil wares.
Again, I’d rather see a better, more secure email client that had full html rendering capabilities, but it ain’t gonna come from Me$$y$oft… and Thunderbird, while better in
somemany ways, is not it either.(BTW, referring to my use of Opera, above, I’ve found it alone to be sufficient to my browsing, email, and RSS needs. As a one-stop Swiss Army Knife internet app, it does all three of those things very, very well. Yeh, simple html, though better than I’ve seen from OL07. And some sites still snoop for IE more thoroughly than others–although the “Mask as IE” function almost always spoofs those–but I really no longer see a reason for standalone apps for email, browsing and RSS reading, cos Opera does all those better, IMO, than the standalones/integrated functions from Me$$y$oft and from Mozilla. YMMV.)
Comment by David — January 12, 2007 @ 1:07 pm
Opentrack Weekend #37…
I’m starting the OTA early because I’m likely to be unavailable most of the weekend. Just leave a post and you’ll get a trackback ping from me. Since I send trackbacks manually, it may take awhile for it to show up……
Trackback by 123beta — January 12, 2007 @ 6:51 pm
David, this is not the reason. If they worried about malicious code embedded in HTML all they have to do is to disable rendering of HTML by default and make users agree to render it. Most email clients including the Gmail interface already block images embedded in emails by default so this should be no big shock to users.
I’m suspecting that real reason here is that integrating IE7 engine and Outlook 2007 under Vista will be a royal pain in the ass. Most likely this is due to IE7 team really trying (and failing) to outdo Firefox, and Office 2007 team getting really bored and inventing some crazy ribbon bullshit and inventing retarded semi-open-but-not-really XML formats instead of doing something actually useful – like implementing ODF support.
I would love to see OpenOffice.org becoming the next Firefox. The only way we can actually make MS act like a normal company, and even briefly consider actual consumer needs is to put heat on them. Firefox did just that – so lo-and behold: after years of inactivity Microsoft actually came out with a browser that can actually do half of the things Firefox could do when it was still called Firebird. :P
Comment by Luke — January 12, 2007 @ 10:25 pm
[...] HDW, while reporting the latest Microsoft screw-up with Outlook, says: If you’re using the MS suite, and you’re thinking of upgrading… I have a word for you. Thunderbird. Download it, use it. A very good e-mail solution. [...]
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