Microsoft has decided which icon it will use for RSS feeds in Internet Explorer 7. Now, I hear you say, so what? Well, the funny thing is, Microsoft teamed up with the Mozilla team on this one. They decided that it’s in the user’s best interest that both browsers use the same icon for RSS. And so it happened that Microsoft chose Firefox’s icon.
Now it will be easier for IE RSS users to switch over to Firefox – they will no longer get to use the excuse of a different interface (well except for everything else : ))
That works in reverse too. If IE has tabbed browsing and RSS, then to the average Joe it is “good enough” and switching to firefox is less of an obvious thing.
Well, that’s kinda cool…
I wonder what else they’ve collaborated on (the developer says it’s not the first time)
Edited 2005-12-15 19:46
Microsoft, Mozilla, Opera, Apple, and the Konquerer guys are all collaborating on anti-phishing interfaces.
Here’s Google’s Anti-Phishing firefox extension
http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/safebrowsing/
Apple actually did not attend the meeting (I believe) you are refering to.
But, anyway, let’s hope Apple will also collaborate with the other parties on the subject.
I wonder if anyone in MS managment knew, or knows, about this…?
As to MS “collaboration” (insert extreme sarcasam), I wonder how much code they stole, OOPS! sorry, collborated on in their new browser version. Anyone remember the ‘new and improved’ tcp/ip stack in windows???
OMG
Well it’s in the best interest of the user to have an easy to recognise icon which is the same on all browsers.
I know it is a seemingly small thing, but the more we have Microsoft reaching out to the OSS community, even for things such as UI consistency, the better. It takes these types of thing to open up more channels for collaboration and cooperation and I for one am glad to see that the camps are talking.
Agreed. It’s hard not to be a little skeptical, but it certainly a refreshing change! Maybe because it’s Christmas……
> Maybe because it’s Christmas……
Christmas 1914 all over again? 😉
Yeah – one has to wonder which is Snoopy and which is the Baron eh?
Peace is good though.
I know it is a seemingly small thing, but the more we have Microsoft reaching out to the OSS community, even for things such as UI consistency, the better. It takes these types of thing to open up more channels for collaboration and cooperation and I for one am glad to see that the camps are talking.
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Take a hike,Astroturfer.
not a bad idea for MS to collaborate.
Right now, RSS is still not consumer-friendly yet, and creating a unified RSS symbol is actually … a good step!
Though I use Safari, it would be good if Apple jumped on this too … and Opera/OmniWeb/Camino/etc…….
Collaborate?
They just said “We’re using your icon, ummm for the sake of the user of course…”
They just said “We’re using your icon, ummm for the sake of the user of course…”
Read the f–king article before commenting, sonny. This was a mutual descision made by BOTH Mozilla AND Microsoft.
Very professional Thom. I guess we all can see where you want the site to head. If a poster’s comment offends you that much, you should ban them and say nothing, not have a fit.
If I was a 20 year old frustrated kid, I wouldn’t for sure calling anyone “sonny”. This is not the first time when you exercise in public your sexual frustrations. Mod me down, feel free , but I can come with examples.
Why can’t we mod OSNews so called “admins”? I bet Thom Holwerda would be gone by now.
Why can’t we mod OSNews so called “admins”? I bet Thom Holwerda would be gone by now.
I agree the mods should post vitriol like this under a normal user account so it can be properly modded (down!). But hey although Thom makes a few bad calls once in a while is no reason to wish him gone.
I think we’ve gone over that, well, only about 238263487628 times: when me and Eugenia can get modded down, people will mod us down only because we are Thom and Eugenia.
That’s why we can’t do it. Because, *surprise surprise*, I actually agree with you on this one (it doesn;t feel right here either that you can’t mod me down). Don’t look at me on this one, look at some of our readers. They’re to blame that you can’t mod me down.
Of course that doesn’t mean I won’t post the way I post. Hij die kaatst kan de bal verwachten.
Which does not remove the fact that discourtsey to others is unacceptable and unattractive, especially from an administrator. I’m sorry Thom, I often agree with much of what you say and indeed the original post was factually incorrect, but that does not excuse the use of swear words or derogatory terms such as “sonny”; I presume that you have no idea how old or of what gender the poster is.
Please, if the admins cannot display restraint and lead by example, what hope have we of ever taming the trolls and bigots?
“I think we’ve gone over that, well, only about 238263487628 times: when me and Eugenia can get modded down, people will mod us down only because we are Thom and Eugenia. ”
Lame excuse. Anyway, I had my rant.
“Of course that doesn’t mean I won’t post the way I post”
Of course not, it is in your character to insult people. Way older than your fresh 20’s.
“Hij die kaatst kan de bal verwachten”
… and what goes around comes around, don’t expect mercy when there will be a poll wether you should be removed or not from the editors position.
They just got that they cannot draw any good icon anymore. Why not borrow from someone else? Hey, they’ll rip some certain OS’s interface next.
“They just got that they cannot draw any good icon anymore”
What are you trying to say? Its hard to understand when you don’t use correct grammar.
“Its hard to understand when you don’t use correct grammar.”
It’s “it’s” not “Its”.
But even with you incorrect usage I was able to understand your meaning. I think the other poster was simply suggesting that Microsoft can’t draw their own icons anymore. Simple enough!
I give it two weeks after the launch of IE7 before MS makes the logo slightly different, thereby making it incompatible with the original.
Not to be a stickler here but exactly how to you make “the logo slightly different, thereby making it incompatible with the original.”?
The problem with written text is the lack of vocal intonation. It was an attempt at humor (obviously a poor attempt), playing on what MS did with Sun in respect to Java.
Can this icon be used in Prop Software? Did Mozilla Foundation or their artist get some money or is it free labour?
But MS has done the right thing… Didn’t expect it either. I wonder if Safari will pick up on this now? It’s good to see a little more consistency enter “our” world…
Unlike 1914, I hope this lasts…
It’s almost the same, but IMHO it looks better.
I’m using brushed theme for firefox, which uses totally different icon set for everything including rss feeds; but it doesn’t matter, they all look like a broadcasting symbol.
MS makes a step towards OSS, next it will make a step away, then again towards, then again away. Nothing really worth wetting your pants over.
Since icons are a big part of the interface these days it’s good to see icon compatibility – and by extension interface compatibility – between different products. Since I use Linux most of the time IE tends to be somewhat below the horizon on my personal radar-screen, but having this sort of compatibility when forced to use a Windows box with no Firefox installed would be a definite plus.
I don’t understand. Microsoft did what?!
Microsoft> I like the work you’ve done. I would like to give you 5 millions.
Mozilla> Thank you.
Microsoft> You’re very welcome.
Microsoft> May we have your RRS icon?
Mozilla> Uhhmmm….. well, yes, of course.
Although this is good for the customers, I don’t recal microsoft doing anything for just “the users”, but hey!!… microsoft is a company after all.
lol.
nice dialog! I like!
is that a joke?
its stupid and not funny.
i don’t think its a joke.
Even though “its just an icon”, its symbolic of the greater good that comes from cooperating. Standardizing on commonality is a step in the right direction, even if it is a simple icon. All voyages begin with a first step.
Good stuff.
I am curious as to weather all the execs at MS had a deep religous experience in which they suddenly decided to do something for the good of the end user as opposed to the good of the MS pocket book.
I really don’t think there are any (major) alterior motives here which is why it supprises me.
Hats off to MS on this one.
Perhaps next they will collaberate on the Oxygen Icon set in the upcoming KDE4 or they will collaberate by opensourcing specs to make wine run near flawless with nearly all Windows apps.
(are you getting my sarcasm) lol
This is just my personal opinion but I would like to see everyone standardize around Safari’s RSS icon. It’s so simple and functional. It actually SAYS RSS! Just me I guess…..
Don’t get me wrong, this is a good step in the right direction. And is quite unlike MS.
JRM7
Edited 2005-12-16 01:00
This is just my personal opinion but I would like to see everyone standardize around Safari’s RSS icon. It’s so simple and functional. It actually SAYS RSS! Just me I guess…..
That it says RSS is a good reason not to standardize around it. The icon should be protocol-neutral and not related to any implementation details since IE 7 and other browsers support more than just RSS. Atom is also supported currently, and in the future, there can be transparent support for other formats all without exposing the underlying technology details to end-users and confusing issues by having end-users referring to everything as RSS. There are also globalization issues.
Have Microsoft suddenly learned a new trait?
Microsoft has decided which icon it will use for RSS feeds in Internet Explorer 7. Now, I hear you say, so what? Well, the funny thing is, Microsoft teamed up with the Mozilla team on this one. They decided that it’s in the user’s best interest that both browsers use the same icon for RSS. And so it happened that Microsoft chose Firefox’s icon.
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Wonder how long it will be before Microsoft tries to claim that the Mozilla team “STOLE” the icon from them?
This is MS’ ‘Embrace and Extend’ in the works. So, years from now expect the RSS icon to be in Blue or Green, or whatnot instead of an orange after MS has extended it, and any use of the said icon would mean a royalty from MS.
I couldn’t agree more. It’s like those WMP icons you can put on your page. Did you know they get your UA string when you visit a page that has those. Yes, the collect all the UA strings in a database to spy on you. If you change your UA to say Linux instead of Windows your browser actualy crashes, but using the Soviet browser called Firefox you can see the debug info. It’s all there. Every page you ever visited.
Now work on w3c compliance to decrease rendering-differences, as it is “in the users best interest”.
Maybe Thom’s clogs are on too tight. Poor guy, it’s going to his brain. Oh well, I guess the site will just go /.