Safari 3.1 for Windows
By john on Mar 27, 2008 in featured
Last week Apple released Safari 3.1 – an update to it’s (IMO) great browser. When they released it, though, waves of outrage started making their way through the blogosphere. Why? Because Apple chose to release Safari 3.1 for Windows via it’s Apple Software Update tool, and had it listed even for people who didn’t have it installed on their windows machines.
So, lots of folks are up in arms because of the way Apple went about distributing their browser. They note that the check box next to safari is pre-checked to indicate you want to install it. And that, apparently, is an ungodly sin.
I’m not quite sure what to say: I honestly don’t see why that’s a bad thing. I mean sure, some idiot is likely to install it unknowingly, but is that REALLY Apple’s fault? Isn’t the onus on the end user to KNOW what they a.) have installed on their computer and b.) what they’re installing? This really would only cause a problem for people who a.) don’t have a clue what is installed on their computer and/or b.) don’t READ and pay attention to what they’re doing. In both cases they deserve what they get.
People today are starting to treat their computers like they treat their car. They assume it is some voodoo black magic happening “under the hood” and can’t be bothered to take care of it, and to know what they’ve been putting in it. That’s why there are an innumerable amount of Windows PC’s that are so clogged with spyware, malware, viruses and stupid little shareware programs that promise to “speed up your downloads by 100000%!” that it takes 15 minutes to boot. If you leave it long enough, a car’s engine will build up sludge too, will lose significant performance, and eventually stop running.
This issue of Apple’s software update having safari for windows pre-checked for install is silly and stupid. Are all of the tech sites and blogs out there bitching about it really trying to claim that windows users can’t read, can’t understand what they have installed and can’t un-check safari? They are acting as if Apple is forcing the update down their throats, when in reality it’s not – they’re just too damn lazy to click the mouse button once.
Now, that said – Safari 3.1 DOES have some flaws that need to be addressed – namely too very large security vulnerabilities that can lead to remote code execution. One of the vulnerabilities has to do with spoofing of websites (and phishing), the second is due to improper handling of the buffer for long filenames for downloaded files.
As of yet there are no patches for these holes, so if you use safari 3.1 on Windows be careful where you go (use only trusted sites) and what you download.
While it’s impossible to tell exactly when it will happen, but Apple is bound to release an update for these issues soon.
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