The .NET Framework Assistant Hysteria

Yes I know this is old news, but I had this post as a draft for a while and never got around to finish it, so here it is now.

A couple of weeks ago there was a major hysteria around the blogging world because of a Microsoft .Net update that installed an add-on to Firefox called .NET Framework Assistant. The outrage was because the add-on was installed without the user's knowledge when he or she downloaded an update to the .Net framework.

What does this add-on do? It lets Firefox run .NET ClickOnce applications, which are the equivalent to Java WebStart applications. Basically those technologies allow the user to click on a link and download an application that then runs on the user's machine. This is not a new concept and has been around for ages.

Now, I don't remember seeing any outrage with the fact that once you install Java it becomes possible to run WebStart applications from Firefox. But just because it is Microsoft who is doing it, we see ridiculous claims like "Is Microsoft Sabotaging Firefox With Sneaky .NET Updates?". And the worst part is that non-technical people believe this crap and perpetuate the hysteria.

As I get old I have less and less patience to this kind of fanboyism. The world has gone a long way since the days when Microsoft was seen as the evil force that had a monopoly on our digital lives.