Microsoft appeals to poverty to get people download Internet Explorer 8 | Hacker News Reader

Microsoft appeals to poverty to get people download Internet Explorer 8

browserforthebetter.com

15 pointsbarredo22 comments

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I downloaded a copy to my ubuntu box. Then deleted it. Anything for the hungry.

And for added toolishness, the site breaks your browser's 'back' button.

As long as it gets people to not use IE6, it's doing the world a favor

Only here could donating a million bucks to charity be further evidence that Microsoft is evil. Truly impressive guys.

I wrote a script and downloaded it 6.2 billion times!

Everyone's getting a free meal, on me!

While your script was running, more hungry people were born...

In theory, everyone should get 8 free meals.

Should've read the fine print ;-) Maximum of 1 million dollars. $1.15 per download (which is apparently 8 meals...), so you could've stopped at only 869,565.22 downloads ;-)

Check the fine print at the bottom.

Microsoft® is donating $1.15 per download to Feeding America® up to a maximum of $1,000,000.

If each download is 1.15 and each download is 8 meals that's 14c a meal. Ignore that ..........let move to the next issue Why the million dollar maximum does Microsoft fear that a download frenzy will put a hole through their pocket jeez!? Anyway just downloaded it and will install it when it rains cats and dogs. lets all download it guys ...four times if you feel like it...we be Robin Hoods stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.

What's $1M for Microsoft? This is outrageous on so many levels...

I expect they are more afraid of a single individual (or a concerted group of individuals, possibly going by the name "anonymous") downloading N copies for large values of N.

Umm ... guys I take back my statement. Bill is one of the world greatest philanthropists. Despite the shortcomings of this particular campaign lots of MS $ are going to charity through the Bill and Mellinda Foundation.

Saying this will cost me some karma but trust me my real world karma will go up having realised how unfair my critique was.

Selling MSFT stock to fund a charity is not the same thing as MSFT funding that charity.

Someone should start a campaign to push downloading of Firefox and Chrome as well as donating to Feeding America. I'm sure we could donate more than $1 million. I realize this someone should probably be me, but I'm lazy.

I donated my $1.15, and if I had something to install IE8 on, I honestly would.

If I did, I probably wouldn't...

As much as we bash IE, it's my opinion that it's a step in the right direction with IE8. We should have had something like this 4-5 years ago, but I would much rather my customers use IE8 than any browser made 6+ years ago.

If it supported any sort of full, light extension model by default, I could see myself even recommending my parents stick with it because I could tweak it to help them.

Quick sanity check.

Cost to you: 0

If you happen to be one more "extra" click that goes over the $1m cap, fine you aren't out anything. However, the cost to someone else leaving Microsoft's money on the table could actually be their life.

Just don't paint it as anything different than what it is. This isn't charity money. This is marketing money.

If we don't collectively use all of it up it isn't going to the Gates Foundation, it's going to more "I'm a PC" ads.

Should be a compulsory upgrade, at least from IE6, not exactly like anyones using FF1 anymore, and the only usage I seen of 2 is from some machines at Uni that have had a serious lack of IT staff attention.

Microsoft bribing again, but in a sensitive way.

Steve Jobs was right about Microsoft - "they just have no style"

I'm primarily, but not only, referring to the design of the website here.

Don't download IE8

You can be sure that they will get more than 869566 downloads amongst 'legitimate' (if rather misguided) users. So they will reach the $1M ceiling easily enough.

Save your bandwidth. Reduce C02 emissions. Don't download it.

Don't give M$ the chance of singing about how quickly they've served so many downloads....

It's a crap browser anyway. And it didn't run on my Mac or my Ubuntu box.

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