MSN Messenger will, by design, open Hotmail and links to MS Spaces in Internet Explorer, but respects the "Default Browser" setting for other links (Default Browser, Mail, Messaging and Java settings were introduced in Windows XP Service Pack 2, and are user-settable).
When it's only called the Default browser, I guess that would be okay, but I specifically un-ticked the box that says "Allow access to this program" beside Internet Explorer. That should mean that my whole system acts just as if Internet Explorer does not exist at all. A link that specifically attempts to open in IE should be redirected to the correct browser, but Messenger stomps all over this setting.
I'd even be willing to put up with that except for one final insult: Messenger changes the Default Browser setting when I open Hotmail or a Spaces link, deliberately voiding my valid choice of what to do with my system and how it should work.
Mokalus of Borg
PS - I'll probably use an alternate messaging client.
PPS - Then I'll probably lose access to the contact cards that tell me when a friend has opened up their own Spaces site.
2 comments:
Hey John,
U could always get around that using the MSGPlus plugin for MSN (http://www.msgplus.net) and then use the Stuffplug-NG for MsgPlus which has the option to redirect all your MSN Messenger links to FireFox
Thanks for the tip, Stu - I'll check it out. Still, doesn't it defeat the point of offering a choice if you're not going to honour it?
To me, it's like I'm ordering from a menu at a restaurant but, no matter what I order, they're going to bring me spaghetti bolognese. Maybe that's what I wanted, and maybe that's what everyone else usually orders, but the fact remains that I'm going to get mad if I ordered a steak.
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