Internet Explorer to automatic update from 2012

Microsoft is set to automatically update Internet Explorer to the latest version on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 starting 2012 which will occur for those who have enabled Automatic Updates within Windows Update, the software giant said.

The move echoes a trend began with Google's Chrome, which automatically updates itself by default: other browsers including Firefox and Opera prompt before updating. Google Chrome's update strategy is why a previous version loses market share quickly when a new version comes out.

For Windows XP, the move means the update will deliver Interner Explorer 8, while Vista and Windows 7 browsers will get the latest version of IE9. Those who have specifically declined IE8 or IE9 in the past are opted-out.

Microsoft offers the Interner Explorer 8 or Interner Explorer 9, Automatic Update Blocker to prevent the update from occurring, an option many businesses choose to use. Microsoft mulls to integrate automatic update blocking into the the browser in future versions.

"The Web overall is better – and safer – when more people run the most up-to-date browser", Internet Explorer Business and Marketing manager Ryan Gavin writes to The Windows Blog. "Our goal is to make sure that Windows customers have the most up-to-date and safest browsing experience possible, with the best protections against malicious software such as malware".

The software giant has made a big deal about upgrading Interner Explorer at the consumer level. Earlier this year it launched a public relations campaign to get users of Internet Explorer 6 -- a decade old browser -- to upgrade. At the time, some 12 % of Web surfers still used it: that has since fallen to about eight percent according to Net Applications.