Microsoft recommends rival browser to fix Hotmail problem -

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Software colossus Microsoft, which is so big sometimes it can't find its own bottom, has been having a few problems with its Hotmail system again.

Redmond has been rolling some new technology on its free webmail site, but users have been complaining like crazy.

But the clever people at Microsoft have worked out that the best way forward is to use the rival Chrome browser.

Skimming our way through the complaints on the Hotmail forum  it appears that the new Hotmail has a few scripting errors which stop users from writing emails. Of course there are those who can't get into their accounts at all and all it will take is another Watt Tylor and there will be a few Microsoft castle's burnt.

But it seems that the brilliant programmers have spotted the cause of the problem. It is that Hotmail no longer supports some browsers.

In particular, that nasty Safari 3 and Firefox 2. Redmond seemed to think its own browsers were okish, as was Firebadger 3, and the rubber band powered Safari 4 was ok but if you really wanted to be sure Chrome on Windows was the best.

"Some customers have indicated that if they use Google Chrome to view their Hotmail account they no longer encounter this problem," said a Microsoft person on the blogs.

The users are still restless. Some have threatened to abandon Hotmail completely after the revamp because Microsoft is not taking them seriously.

But it is always like that with users. You can't live without them and can't shoot them.