Steam Using IE...

[TBSN]

I love steam. I am totally on the "steam is friggin awesome" side of opinions about it. I just find it annoying that it always uses Microsoft Internet Explorer to open screenshots of games when browsing through the store. All of the other links to outside sites use my default browser of choice.

Does this happen with everyone?

Also, less importantly, is there a way to use something other than WMP to open the game trailers? I don't really care much about that though, mostly just I hate IE :disgust:

 

[CrazyLazy]

I just don't like the steam browser. Never saw the purpose of using it vs. just my normal one. Branding I guess?

 

[dlock13]

Originally posted by: CrazyLazy
I just don't like the steam browser. Never saw the purpose of using it vs. just my normal one. Branding I guess?

Convenience. IE is installed on EVERY computer whether it's default or not. They coded it specifically for that reason. They'd have to recode for use with FF, and I'm sure that'd take some time and testing. Makes no sense in the end.

 

[TBSN]

Well all other links within the steam browser open straight into Firefox for me, so I don't know why the screenshots wouldn't...

 

[CrazyLazy]

Originally posted by: dlock13

Originally posted by: CrazyLazy
I just don't like the steam browser. Never saw the purpose of using it vs. just my normal one. Branding I guess?

Convenience. IE is installed on EVERY computer whether it's default or not. They coded it specifically for that reason. They'd have to recode for use with FF, and I'm sure that'd take some time and testing. Makes no sense in the end.

What I am saying is why do I need a steam theme browser at all? Can't I just use my normal one and their website?

 

[AnthroAndStargate]

To piggy back I wish Steam would be platform independent. Meaning come to OS X and/or Linux. Then they could release games that can be played on those systems as well (i.e. Quake wars is in OS X and Linux), COD 4, etc.

That would be the dream of my life. And it would take them away from IE... so ev1 in the thread wins!

 

[Raduque]

Originally posted by: CrazyLazy

Originally posted by: dlock13

Originally posted by: CrazyLazy
I just don't like the steam browser. Never saw the purpose of using it vs. just my normal one. Branding I guess?

Convenience. IE is installed on EVERY computer whether it's default or not. They coded it specifically for that reason. They'd have to recode for use with FF, and I'm sure that'd take some time and testing. Makes no sense in the end.

What I am saying is why do I need a steam theme browser at all? Can't I just use my normal one and their website?

He's talking about INSIDE the Steam client itself - it uses the IE rendering engine to browse the store and purchase games and such.

Personally, I've never understood why VALVe couldn't simply use the general Windows APIs for creating and skinning windows, instead of having to do their own thing that doesn't behave like every other window in existence.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: Raduque
He's talking about INSIDE the Steam client itself - it uses the IE rendering engine to browse the store and purchase games and such.

Personally, I've never understood why VALVe couldn't simply use the general Windows APIs for creating and skinning windows, instead of having to do their own thing that doesn't behave like every other window in existence.

I think it behaves pretty normally. And the reason they use IE is probably so that steampowered can function in 2 manners, via the steam client and also via the website.

 

[PingSpike]

I kind of wish they just used like a firefox light distributed with the steam client or something. As others said, it'd be cool if it worked on other platforms. But Gabe Newell is old Microsoft man. One thing that sucks about steam is that is too windows oriented, which really wasn't necessary and actually sucks more for Valve then anyone. I bet they wish they had an OpenGL renderer right now...while it looks like Windows Live! is in the shitter more or less...being tied to Microsoft tech while microsoft is trying to compete with you is a disadvantageous position to be in.

 

[drebo]

Originally posted by: PingSpike
I kind of wish they just used like a firefox light distributed with the steam client or something. As others said, it'd be cool if it worked on other platforms. But Gabe Newell is old Microsoft man. One thing that sucks about steam is that is too windows oriented, which really wasn't necessary and actually sucks more for Valve then anyone. I bet they wish they had an OpenGL renderer right now...while it looks like Windows Live! is in the shitter more or less...being tied to Microsoft tech while microsoft is trying to compete with you is a disadvantageous position to be in.

By that same token, NOT using Microsoft as your platform is suicide from a business perspective.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: drebo

Originally posted by: PingSpike
I kind of wish they just used like a firefox light distributed with the steam client or something. As others said, it'd be cool if it worked on other platforms. But Gabe Newell is old Microsoft man. One thing that sucks about steam is that is too windows oriented, which really wasn't necessary and actually sucks more for Valve then anyone. I bet they wish they had an OpenGL renderer right now...while it looks like Windows Live! is in the shitter more or less...being tied to Microsoft tech while microsoft is trying to compete with you is a disadvantageous position to be in.

By that same token, NOT using Microsoft as your platform is suicide from a business perspective.

While I agree, my point was valve used a lot of Microsoft only technologies that not only crippled their ability to easily target other platforms but locked them up tight with Microsoft. Its true you can't make money without working Microsoft's stuff, but you can at least limit your reliance on their technologies. None of that really matters much honestly for PC Gaming (which windows pretty much owns) until Microsoft starts coming after your product!

 

[AdamK47]

Internet Explorer Microsoft sucks Windows Vista hate Windows Media Player hate sucks. Microsoft. Sucks. Hate. Hate.

 

[postmortemIA]

it is not just convenience, who ever programmed windows forms knows that it is almost impossible to use controls of other browser, and very simple to use internet explorer engine. Steam is windows app.

 

[drebo]

Almost impossible? Not hardly. It just would have been much more time consuming to embed the Mozilla engine into a form, instead of the IE engine, as the IE engine has pre-canned Windows controlls and APIs.

I'm sure Mozilla does, too, now, but it probably didn't back when Steam was written. Besides, why add the bloat to the application? IE's already on every computer Steam is going to be on.

 

[Elcs]

Surely Steam can see "I need to open this screenshot. Should I open A) Default Browser or B) Open IE?"

Then it makes an appropriate decision to open Default Browser.

Maybe I am being too simplistic about this but this is all I see.

 

[dlock13]

Originally posted by: Elcs
Surely Steam can see "I need to open this screenshot. Should I open A) Default Browser or B) Open IE?"

Then it makes an appropriate decision to open Default Browser.

Maybe I am being too simplistic about this but this is all I see.

They'd have to recode steam and add Firefox to it. Why take the time to mess with something that's already perfect as is. It's not like you are even using any of IE's features whilst under Steam so what's the point of having FF as your browser? There would be absolutely no difference at all.