Downloading IE8 will help feed hungry Americans

[soumya]

Microsoft has announced that for every completed download of Internet Explorer 8, they will donate the financial equivalent of eight meals to the Feeding America network.

The campaign is called "Browser for the Better," and runs from June 10 and August 8. Only IE8 downloads from the specific "Browser for the Better" website will count. Microsoft will be donating $1.15 (their reported financial equivalent of eight meals) per download, to a maximum of $1,000,000.

Feeding America is the leading domestic hunger-relief charity in the U.S and provides services for more than 25 million low-income individuals. They distribute 2 billion pounds of donated food per year.

The campaign kicked off on Wednesday in New York and San Francisco with artists on hand constructing the Empire State Building and Golden Gate Bridge with food cans.

Actor Dean Cain is also involved in the campaign starring in a series of viral videos directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. These videos can be found on the "Browser for the Better" website, accessible by the panel on the right side labeled "F.O.M.S: Fear Of Missing Something". The videos are shorts which tout the features of IE8 and how it can solve many web-related maladies.

neowin

[thewisecrab]

I dont mean to be rude, but isnt America the fattest and the most obese country in the world? What more can you feed hamburger and french fries eating kids?

[freshseasons]

How nefarious to use advt with charity.

[aritrap]

Originally Posted by soumya

The videos are shorts which tout the features of IE8 and how it can solve many web-related maladies.

Never knew that IE 8 could solve any web related maladies!!!

According to many, IE is the only browser which creates all the maladies. Web programmers having to code workarounds for only that browser while all other browsers adhere to the guidelines.
The Acid 3 test is a pretty good indication of that.

[kalpik]

So it has come to this? Shame on you MS for "using" this as an excuse to sell your browser

[MetalheadGautham]

Agree with Kalpik. MS is just playing dirty. And btw, there is a cap of 1 million dollars as charity. MS doesn't want to give anything more apparently.

Besides, hungry americans wtf ? If it was hungry africans or hungry Indians it would have made sense. But in the world's richest country ?

BTW, I'm curious to know the Acid3 results of MS IE8 and Apple Safari4.

[utsav]

I agree that hungry africans and indians would hav made more sense. Afterall african and indians too buy MS products and work for them

@metalhead
cant u delete your extra 2nd posts evry time u post a reply?

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by utsav

I agree that hungry africans and indians would hav made more sense. Afterall african and indians too buy MS products and work for them

Yeah and not to mention they need aid more than anybody else. Especially the Africans.

@metalhead
cant u delete your extra 2nd posts evry time u post a reply?

Yeah I do that. Sometimes I miss out. Sorry.

[nix]

There are lots of poor people in USA too...living in ghetto's. Charity is a noble act, whether less or more, its always good. And a million dollars doesn't sound like much until you convert it into indian rupees (rs five crores).

Bill Gates is the world's second largest donor. having donated in excess of US$ 20 billion till now. One billion is around 5000 crore indian rupees, donated around the world

[Rahim]

^Leave the feeding part to Barack Obama. I would have appreciated MS concern for Africans and not Americans. But what are people doing? They are more concerned with "One Laptop per Child" fiasco when the children dont get 2 meals a day
Saare ke saare paagal aur laalchi hain

[Indyan]

It is a ploy to promote IE, but since in the process MS is helping people I don't mind. Its better than spending bick bucks buying TV ad spots.
Btw, Facebook also has a similar program.

lool

[x3060]

lol.... business tricks these days are really crazy :-P

[IE8Nate]

Hi everyone,
I don't want to open up a discussion, or contribute to an argument on who needs donations more, but I would like to point out that there are a lot of hungry starving Americans. According to statistics from the Feed America organization, 37 million Americans are living in poverty. If your are interested in learning more about hunger statistics in the U.S. click here.

In addition to $1 million being donated to a good cause, the other benefit of Microsoft including a charitable organization in its marketing campaign, is that it provides a lot of visibility to the charity as well as the IE8 browser.

The Feed America network secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually, and supports approximately 63,000 local charitable agencies that distribute food directly to Americans in need. So you can be sure that by downloading Internet Explorer 8 from browserforthebetter.com that you'll be making a difference.

Cheers,
Nate

A member of the IE8 Outreach Team.

[kalpik]

Yeah.. Agreed.. I'd probably download the browser myself! But dont expect me to use it

[Krazzy Warrior]

Originally Posted by kalpik

So it has come to this? Shame on you MS for "using" this as an excuse to sell your browser

Agreed with u! Business trick by M$!:-P

[anandk]

The statistics that 1 in 8 people in US dont get enough to eat, really surprised me !

[Liverpool_fan]

At least someone gets something...so I download...

[ax3]

title should b "Feed the American Bhee-kaaris" ........

[ManishSinha]

to a maximum of $1,000,000.

If they really want to do charity. Just donate the $1,000,000.

Why asking us to download the browser and wasting world's bandwidth when after all we won't use it

[Krazzy Warrior]

^+1

I dont know why these IE guys don't accept that they are nowhere in front of Opera

[chesss]

there are a lot of hungry starving Americans. According to statistics from the Feed America organization, 37 million Americans are living in poverty.

In america poverty means, not having an internet connection. And there are no starving people there, even the poorest get free food from the govt

The following are facts about persons defined as "poor" by the Census Bureau, taken from various government reports:
Forty-six percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.
Seventy-six percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, 30 years ago, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.
The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars.
Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.
Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.
Seventy-three percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and a third have an automatic dishwasher.

Source

Goddammed MS , making tech forums discuss about poverty in US

[rosemolr]

i will download it for the poor people..but M$ don't tell me to use it..

[confused]

Originally Posted by anandk

The statistics that 1 in 8 people in US dont get enough to eat, really surprised me !

not surprising considering they dont think twice before start pointless wars which never end and cost hundreds of billions of $$.:-P:-P:-P

[Rahim]

^Who told you wars is a loss-model of business? Its profit all the way!!!!!!

[lalam]

It's kind of shocking getting to read this. Well have already downloaded it but nah far off from using it.