Why doesn't Internet Explorer support OpenGL?

Hello peoples.

I was looking at some posts on the blog. To my horror I realized that IE doesn't support OpenGL. Why is this? I think that IE is out-of-date with current technology avalible. E.g. IE8 not being able to support HTML5 (which sucks). As my school still uses IE8, and I can't play your great games. Why does Microsoft make Internet Explorer so out-of-date?

I would like your opinions about this. Do you use Firefox or Chrome? Is IE out-of-date? How can they compete with other browsers when IE is so...poo?

-Thanks

How can they compete with other browsers when IE is so...poo?

IE is shipped within windows, it is the default browser on this OS.

Using firefox or chrome requires more knowledge and the extra step of installing it, a step that mainstream consumers are not necessarely aware of/willing to take.

Is IE out-of-date?

On most points, I guess IE can be considered as under developed/late. But for the reason evoked earlier, It still has some large spread rate.

Some countries have even based their banking system on IE6 !

Do you use Firefox or Chrome?

I have both installed. FF is my main browser though, and the recent version 12 appears to make HTML5 games run far smoother.

Google was generaly advised so far, but the bugs that have been raising consistantly considering HTML5 gaming and FF catching up on fluidity, requiring less memory etc... will surely change this.

I don't use IE at all.

Microsoft invented DirectX, which is a competitor to OpenGL. So they probably aren't supporting it because they want people to use DirectX instead.

Firefox and Chrome sometimes can be installed without admin permissions - try installing them on your user account. Alternatively I'm pretty sure you can install Chrome Frame without admin permissions, which enables Chrome's latest HTML5 browser engine in IE8.

Alternatively I'm pretty sure you can install Chrome Frame without admin permissions, which enables Chrome's latest HTML5 browser engine in IE8.

Works in 9 as well.

And historically, MS didn't want the web to succeed. They created the MSN network, and wanted it everywhere (MS couldn't force anything on the open web, but could force whatever they wanted on their own network).

IE was there to crush competition (especially Netscape), and when it was done, they left it to rot.

When they saw that people where shifting to the web anyway (and the emergence of big players : Mozilla, Google/Apple -> Webkit), they switched strategies.

But IE has still a lot to catch...

Microsoft are making it difficult for web programmers to make websites. Because up to now, programmers have had to code pages twice. Once for most browsers and another time for Internet Explorer. When will Microsoft see that Internet Explorer will no longer be a competitor for other browsers?