June 14, 2007 9:49 AM PDT
Apple updates Safari with version 3.0.1 for Windows (beta)
Stung by the harsh reception to Safari for Windows (beta), Apple today released Safari 3.0.1 for Windows (beta), addressing three flaws. The updated version patches CVE-2007-3186, a command-injection vulnerability that may lead to arbitrary code execution; CVE-2007-3185, an out-of-bounds memory read issue that may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution; and CVE-2007-2391, a race condition that may allow cross-site scripting. The patches are issued for Windows XP and Windows Vista users; these issues do not affect Mac OS X systems.
The latest version can be downloaded from Apple here.
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even if it's beta. It makes for great flame wars in TALKBACK.
I use Safari and Firefox, and they both seem like good cross-platform browsers.
I've read that IE7 is also a good Windows-only browser. Unfortunately, the company I work for (typical Fortune 500 I guess) "standardized" on IE5 and IE6 years ago. And now efforts to migrate to IE7 have failed, since too many internal web sites only work with IE6. Even though I'm not supposed to, at work I use Firefox almost exclusively. IE6 is a terrible browser by today's standards.
A colleague recently tried Safari 3.0.0 on XP and seems quite pleased with it. I don't have that option yet, still being stuck on Windows 2000.
As for the Safari bugs...
As others have pointed out, the purpose of a beta is to find and fix bugs. And after only two days, Apple has found and fixed several in their v3.0.1 release. It's all good. Seems like a pretty quick turnaround time for a company the size of Apple.
instead of looking at the most obvious issue, being that Safari 3
is a BETA and thus, isn't meant to be used by the masses. Those
that downloaded it should have taken note that it is only meant
to be experimented with and not to be taken as a representation
of a final product or downloaded by casual users. I can
understand the disappointment if approached this way.
People should be happy that companies nowadays are more
willing to release betas of their software. It means more real-
world testing and a better end product. When Firefox first came
out it was accepted quickly for its superior features and much
needed competition for IE. While Safari doesn't add a lot on top
of Firefox (other than supposed faster page rendering), it is nice
to see more competition. Maybe the Firefox team will work on
speeding up their page rendering even more now? That means a
better end product for Firefox users.
Maybe instead of bashing Safari because Apple makes it, people
should try embracing it (if they can get it to install
the other browsers work harder and integrate its features. You
can bet that MS wouldn't have put a lot of the features in IE7 if
Firefox hadn't given them a run for their money and Windows
Vista wouldn't have incorporated some of its features without
looking at OS X. Competition drives innovation, and killing a
product before it releases is only shooting yourself in the foot.
What goes around comes around. Enjoy your lumps. Maybe next time you think before flaming a Microsoft BETA.