Internet Explorer won't be supported for long

[simracingstudio]

Hello,

Is it possible to switch from IE rendering to Edge Chromium?

We are getting this warning now:

[vslavik]

Is it possible to switch from IE rendering to Edge Chromium?

Sure, if somebody contributes such code, while preserving compatibility with older Windows versions. Perhaps — seeing how you're affected, use WinSparkle commercially and have "we" kind of manpower — you could be the one that contributes the PR?

At the very least please provide full, detailed reproduction instructions (incl. precise versions of Windows etc., steps to see in WinSparkle example or required patches etc.), because contrary to the implicit assumption, this is not something that just shows for everybody on up-to-date Windows 10.

Thanks in advance!

[vslavik]

Note to self: wxWidgets (the UI library we use) now has code for this, including static linking, so we'll get the upgrade almost for free by updating to wx-3.1.7

[AndreLuyer]

Microsoft did drop support for MS Internet Explorer. When you click on a link in the 'Release notes' window a new (IE) window is launched with a 'Internet Explorer 11 is now out of support' message. So MS IE is nobodies default browser anymore, resulting in a WTF response from users.

Ideally the user's default browser is launched (Chrome, Firefox, ...). Second best would be to switch to Edge. Anyway the use of unsupported software should be stopped; please update this.

[vslavik]

please update this.

Maybe reserve that phrasing for people you actually do have a consulting contract with... Why don't you submit a PR? That would help a lot, unlike this sort of "me too" comments.

[AndreLuyer]

Your comment on 9 June gave me the impression that you already investigated this and that it is a relative easy fix. If I have misunderstood this then I am sorry.
But when this issue was opened MSIE was 'deprecated', now it is 'unsupported'.

For me, before I can think of a PR, I'll need to deep dive into the source and understand how it is supposed to work. That will take some time.

[vslavik]

Your comment on 9 June gave me the impression that you already investigated this and that it is a relative easy fix.

A major upgrade of the GUI toolkit is not particularly hard, but it's far from easy.

But when this issue was opened MSIE was 'deprecated', now it is 'unsupported'.

WinSparkle doesn't use MSIE. It uses the WebBrowser control, which remains part of the Windows API. It does sound like you hijacked this issue for something unrelated: that clicking links, which don't open inline (see #177), doesn't use user's browser. If I understand you correctly, that's a separate issue from this one.

[AndreLuyer]

Hi vslavik, I do think it is related.

The WebBrowser control does, as the name suggests, launch a browser in embedded mode.
And just like a normal browser you can open a link in a new window, but in case of an embedded browser the new window is no longer embedded.
The OP shows that the embedded browser is MSIE, so it makes sense that a new window is also using MSIE.

If I understand correctly the WebBrowser control is used in src\ui.cpp line 1000 UpdateDialog::ShowReleaseNotes, with the comment “Load MSIE control” on line 1004.
Microsoft has introduced a new control called WebView2: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/webview2/ (with a lot of supported platforms). This control uses Edge as embedded browser. I believe that it is intended as the successor of WebBrowser.

Regarding using the users default browser instead of Edge; it looks like that is very hard to do. It’s more like a nice-to-have feature for me.

PS: When compiling using WinSparkle.sln I get currently stuck at “packages\Gettext.Tools.0.20.2\tools\bin\msgfmt.exe not found” error.

[vslavik]

I do think it is related.

(Loosely) related doesn't mean same issue.

Thanks for the incompetence-assuming lecture, but it is misplaced. If you're willing to submit a PR, please do. Otherwise this is just wasting time of both of us. Both of the issues are tracked, I'm aware of them.

it looks like that is very hard to do. It’s more like a nice-to-have feature for me.

It's literally the one thing you complained about. You attached a screenshot of MSIE being opened, not of an issue with the embedded release notes viewer.

PS

Don't. One issue, one thing. You're making a mess.