From Redmond with Love - IE team sends cake for FF4

[Derbasti]

I wish more companies would do something like this. Honestly, IE9 and all the surrounding tech media is really leaving an awesome impression on me. Gestures like this prove that the IE team wants to take part in a modern internet world much more than any standard compliance chart ever could.

On a side note, I found Office 2010/2011, IE9 and Windows 7 a joy to use. And this is in stark contrast to Office 2003/2008, IE8 or Vista. Some things seem to be changing in Redmond!

[some1else]

Nothing will ever bring back hours of IE6 workaround time, or change my mind about using a Windows computer.

Cumulatively, developers and clients paid millions in billable hours for their neglect in monopoly.

They couldn't warm up to me even if they swapped their board of directors with Sesame Street characters.

[Vipsy]

They sent a cake while FF3 release too ! http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/256292

[pettazz]

I still think it's funny how they brand the cake with their own IE logo. It's like sending a picture of yourself as a birthday card.

[sp332]

I think it's more like a signature.

[mseebach]

It's a Internet-themed cake and they put the Internet-icon on it? That seems perfectly reasonable.

[kmfrk]

It's tongue-in-cheek. I like it that way.

[gregschlom]

Is that the IE3 icon on the cake?

Or maybe it's because the cake don't support full-resolution png icing.

Anyways, huge improvement over the first one, which was only black and white:

http://fredericiana.com/2006/10/24/from-redmond-with-love/

[some1else]

See.. Back in 2006 they couldn't even produce a dotted border on a cake, let alone in the browser.

edit: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ie6+dotted+border

[notyourwork]

Sounds like Microsoft has never heard of the Carlito's Bakery or Charm City Cakes. Considering M$'s size I think the cake could have been a hell of a lot cooler.

[tianyicui]

No wonder Firefox is planning to move to a shorter release cycle!

[FirstHopSystems]

I think it's a hoax. If it was the real IE team parts of the cake wouldn't be on the pan. I'm also pretty sure the E would be hanging off the right side.

[moeffju]

Not if the cake hasLayout.

[some1else]

Position is everything :-P

[maurycy]

A clever MSFT plan. It motivates the Firefox team to increase the number of releases, so they eventually stop the actual development and realize that the infinite supply of free cakes is easily convertable to cash.

[Tyrannosaurs]

> the infinite supply of free cakes is easily convertable to cash.

Do you think there's a big market for second hand IE branded cakes? ;-)

[geuis]

I get the feeling Firefox gets more cakes from Microsoft than they send in return, if its entirely based on release cycles.

[jeza]

I guess it keeps the IE developers in a job. IE was neglected before FF started taking market share away. Probably not many (or the right people) working on it before that.

[sliverstorm]

Does the FF team reciprocate?

[jonursenbach]

FF team reciprocates by putting out a decent browser. Everybody gets cake.

[cop359]

This is a bit of a naiive question, But what is the business rational behind Microsoft putting so much time and effort into IE? Where is the payback? Is it just so more people have Bing as their default search? Is it just so that Windows ships with a working modern browser as the user expects?

If anyone could clear it up for me, Much appreciated

=)

[PakG1]

You could ask the same of Google and Chrome.

An excellent treatise on the topic is discussed in Breaking Windows: How Bill Gates Fumbled the Future of Microsoft, by David Bank. It describes a lot of the tensions that existed inside Microsoft as they tried to figure out how to continue selling Windows as a platform, while still seeing the threat of the web as a platform on the horizon. IE was part of that threat response to stay in the game, ahead of the game, and in control of the game.

[joesb]

As long as you can have significant number of users on your software, you can direct (or misdirect) the direction of that technology.

Nobody knows how bigger the web browser is going to be, MS sure doesn't want to lose the power in influencing and ensuring that their other product stay relevant.

[rythie]

Maybe it's to say thanks for supporting the other half of Windows users Microsoft forgot, Windows XP users.

[nickpp]

I guess sending cake to Google on Chrome release wouldn't be as funny. And it would be too often as well.

[hanifvirani]

This is a really nice gesture from Microsoft. A humble example for everyone to learn from.

[enthalpyx]

I wonder if Google gets a cake too...

[Paulomus]

From Bing? Presumably Google would put the cake under a microscope to see if the flour came from their own cupboard.

[some1else]

Snickers :-)

[olalonde]

But is the cake standards compliant?

[billybob]

Aw, isn't that sweet. You know what would be sweeter? A little note attached saying "P.S., we give up, we are switching to Webkit."

[sagarun]

They keep sending cakes, Firefox will keep eating IE's market share cake!