If you try to use Microsoft’s flagship browser with the current version of their web-based email application, the program will crash.

I know two people who have tried this — me and another guy. Both of us saw the exact same issue. Is it just me or are these people on the ropes? I mean, damn…the new browser doesn’t work with OWA? How can you miss that? Is that considered minor by any stretch of the imagination?

So I’m left using Firefox (a free program) with OWA because if I use Microsoft’s own brand-new browser (with a vulnerability released on the same day it launched) it doesn’t work.

In. Sane. The best programmers in the world and billions of dollars, and I have to use a free product to get mail from OWA. The fall of Microsoft is upon us.

That’s a solid 64% of all people coming to my site in 2006 thus far. IE got only 21%.

Go Firefox.

I just tried going to a couple of wallpaper sites as a test of the next generation of Microsoft’s browser. Guess what I was greeted with? A Windows dialogue box telling me that it’s “preparing to install”. Excellent. Any chance we can discuss what exactly you’re installing?

Then, of course, I’m taken to like 4 sites via popups that are doing god knows what to this VMWare session. I finally got tired of dealing with it and opened the URL in Firefox. Guess what? No popups, no software installations — just wallpaper. Interesting concept.

It appears that, just as with Vista, the IE project has had a lifetime to get where it needs to be but has utterly failed to do so. Why is this? I refuse to believe the programmers are inept; I’ve heard too much to the contrary. So the question remains: what’s making Microsoft so impotent? Why does IE continue to suck so horribly? Let’s see:

1. The interface is crap. It’s not consistent, it’s not intuitive, and it even looks lame.
2. Rumor is that they’ll continue to not support web standards.
3. I’m using a relatively late beta and still can’t safely navigate a goddam wallpaper site due to on-the-fly software installs. They could get away with this being “a feature” in 2000, but today it’s just inexcusable.

Seriously, why can’t these people get their act together? Is it management? No leadership? Resting on laurels? I’m really curious. It’s just a sad joke at this point.