Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/4816/metro-ie10-to-be-plugin-free

When using the browser's Metro interface, Internet Explorer 10 will be completely plug-in free, says Microsoft's Dean Hachamovitch on the Building Windows 8 blog. The new browser will depend largely on HTML5 to serve ads, videos, and other traditionally plug-in-dependent content, which is in line with Apple's current strategy on the iPad. Also similarly, Hachamovitch cites "battery life as well as security, reliability, and privacy" as driving reasons to keep IE10 plug-in free.

This decision will most prominently affect Adobe's Flash, which is installed on the vast majority of desktop and laptop computers today and still drives much interactive Web content. In the face of increased competition from HTML5, Adobe has been buffing up both the Flash plug-in and its Flash development tools in recent months - Flash 11, currently available as a release candidate, brings 64-bit and 3D support to the plug-in, while the company is also working on Flash to HTML5 conversion tools. Adobe Edge, a new product currently in a preview state, will also be available to developers looking to replace Flash.

Microsoft's decision to go without plug-ins in its touch interface is an important one, but that doesn't mean they're completely going away - the non-Metro desktop version of IE 10 will still support plug-ins just as the browser currently does. This is consistent Windows 8's "no compromise" design philosophy - bring in the new without completely throwing out the old.

Source: Building Windows 8 Blog

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