12 reasons not to use Internet Explorer, ever

[Imani]

Anyone who actively supports Internet Explorer over the alternative browsers instantly loses all respect from me.

Hmm, I'll take that risk.

[The Rev]

Right off the bat, I have a problem with reason #1. "You are safer by avoiding software that bad guys target."

Sounds great, right? But if everyone jumps ship from IE to Firefox or another browser, you bet your ass hackers will switch their focus to whatever becomes the new most popular browser.... What then? Switch again? Ok, lets go to Google Chrome for a few months or a couple years. Oops now that one is getting targeted the most.... Time to switch again..

Honestly, if you are responsible about how you surf the web, keep your antivirus/antispyware up to date, have a good firewall, chances are you will never have a problem with any exploits. Doing these things is a much more effective tactic, not to mention the hassle of switching browsers all the time, to averting the hacking community that wishes for nothing else than to exploit your system. Switching browsers is only a temporary solution.

[remixedcat]

Umm I'm seeing more businesses using Firefox these days... doctors offices, salons, and even restaurants are using FF!

[Ryoken]

My biggest problem with other browsers is easily visible in this thread. That is, the users/community that feel the need to go around and badmouthing and belittling anyone and everyone who for whatever reasons doesn't become a sheep to your browser of choice.

IE, Opera, Chrome, FF, Safari, all have their pro's and cons..

IE has it's history, and limited extensions.

Opera has a user base of 12 people :p Plus they like to bitch a lot about how other companies are keeping them down, despite the fact that they have been around since the 90's and never got any serious traction.

Chrome is made by the evil Google.

FF has a cult around it that could give Apple fanboi's a run for their money. That and it's been getting slower, more bogged down, and less progressive with each release.

Safari for Windows is just a nightmare, Safari for Mac, people just don't like much for reasons I never understood.

Personally I run Chrome as my main browser, IE9 as the backup.. I have FF installed for testing. Chrome just works, has good extensions, and I like the UI. IE9 is the same as Chrome, less the extensions. FF, I have to install a few extensions for web development, and a theme because the UI looks like it's from Linux and doesn't belong in Windows. Once I do that, despite running it daily, I get prompted every few days about a new update that I need to restart the browser for right after launch.. Seriously ? wtf. Chrome does all this in the background, I need to reboot the browser for it's updates, but extensions, they most I ever need to do is re-enable one when it changes the access permissions it needs.

[ylinkz]

Everybody seems to be on the chrome bandwagon but i beg to differ. Firefox is my sweetheart for one reason. ITS HISTORY. all i have to do is remember one word from the web page i have once visited and it tries to remember it for me. Chrome seems lacking in this area or is there a setting i do not know about? In chrome, it seems i have to type in the web page name from the first word to get anything reliable.

[jakem1]

The BIGGEST issue with IE is that, all through it's history, it can't render sites properly.

After 16 years I could count the number of rendering issues I've experienced with IE on one hand. The same can't be said for their competitors which is why I use IE as my backup browser.

[bobbba]

IE's pretty good to me. and most of these pints are pretty weak. I have to agree with no. 8 though and the fact that IE can only be disabled not removed is a situation that should never have occurred.

[link8506]

It doesnt matters how much vulns it has and yes which ones! A super-mega blackhat underground xploit that 3 crackers in whole world can perform probably cant harm ur browser cause they tend to be specific to some targets but that tons of vulns kiddies does everyday can. That's IE issue, weak on the most popular issues. But nvm, use it then.

Ignorance is a bless. Users will always be users. Cya.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/firefox-zero-day-under-attack-at-nobel-peace-prize-site/7550

funny how some people seem to have no clue about security, and yet continue to do long talks about how anything NON-IE is inherently more secure than IE, even when then have no technical argument to explain why they think so.

and what makes those .exe files any safer?

maybe the fact that accelerators are NOT installed through EXE files? :whistle:

accelerators are just a single xml file containing a description of a service. No javascript, no native code, no potentially harmful code. They get installed from a webpage, through a javascript call displaying a dialog box asking the user if he wants to install an accelerator for the service described in the xml file.

Anyone who actively supports Internet Explorer over the alternative browsers instantly loses all respect from me.

who cares anyway about being respected by a troll who obviously doesn't know anything about web browsers and security? :p

[Solid Knight]

What's a browser? Shiny is all you need to know!

[Guest xiphi]

I stopped used Firefox when IE9 came out. From a security standpoint, I've always prefered IE since IE7. Besides, Firefox started to feel and look cumbersome, and the fact IE9 had pinned sites is what won me over. The only other browser I'd recommend these days is Chrome.

[link8506]

Thats a risk you run with any browser, IE included... IE's had its fair share of malicious plugins too. What do you do for features that IE doesn't have?

everything I need is already in IE9:

-css/javascript debugger

-flash blocker (activex filtering)

-ad blocker (tracking protection list set to easylist TPL)

-facebook/hotmail notifications in pinned sites

-google translate as accelerator

-phishing filter and download manager that blocks known malicious files and tells me if a download file is not widely known

What else am I supposed to need that must absolutely be implemented as a browser extension?

Basically don't download random stuff from untrusted sources, you know, common sense and all that.

and yet people still download tons of EXE and firefox extensions from unknown developers! Even most of the power users I know do that! (I don't!)

At least, with accelerators and pinned sites, there is no security risk.

A user can pin any site without security issue and get easy access to that site, and notifications through the taskbar. To achieve the same thing in firefox/chrome, you would have to download an extension which can potentially do anything more malicious than what it is supposed to do.

Accelerators also provide the same safety as pinned sites as an alternative to most basic extensions.

[Max Norris]

Besides, Firefox started to feel and look cumbersome, and the fact IE9 had pinned sites is what won me over.

Can't comment on the others, but Firefox has had the ability to use frequent and pinned sites on the jumplist for some time now, since v4 if I recall.

everything I need is already in IE9:

-css/javascript debugger

-flash blocker (activex filtering)

-ad blocker (tracking protection list set to easylist TPL)

-facebook/hotmail notifications in pinned sites

-google translate as accelerator

What else am I supposed to need that absolutely need to be a browser extension?

Well I'm happy for you there, a lot of us use a lot of various extensions for other functioanlity. (And IE's ad blocking mechanism is pretty weak by the way.) Customization is a good thing.

At least, with accelerators and pinned sites, there is no security risk.

Until you decide to go viewing a new site, or that pinned site of yours is hacked. Again, basic common sense there.

and yet people still download tons of EXE and firefox extensions from unknown developers! Even most of the power users I know do that! (I don't!)

How is being from a trusted developer any safer? They make potentially fatal mistakes too. Ask any Ubuntu user who ran into the "funny" uninstall bug with Bumblebee a while back, completely obliterated their system, and that's right from the repositories. (And a proof of concept of the perfect trojan delivery system no less.)

[Guest xiphi]

Can't comment on the others, but Firefox has had the ability to use frequent and pinned sites on the jumplist for some time now, since v4 if I recall.

You're thinking of the wrong thing. I'm talking about pinning sites to the taskbar, not the jumplist.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/products/ie-9/features/pinned-sites

[Jen Smith]

You're thinking of the wrong thing. I'm talking about pinning sites to the taskbar, not the jumplist.

Just me of course, never saw use for that feature myself, not a fan of cluttering up the taskbar with a bajillion shortcuts that are all called from one program, the jumplist (which is also pinned to the taskbar) is a lot more convenient and streamlined. Granted, that functionality in IE9 is pretty slick, probably wouldn't use it if/when it came to Firefox though. Not a fan of clutter.

[remixedcat]

IE's ad hider is weak ... yes it's not an ad blocker it merly hides the ads.

can you put alternate styles on sites like youtube to make it dark for HTPC setting?

does it have an easy screen capture utility that you can make screenshots with one click?

can you have custom userscripts to bring back the classic google image search or get rid of other annoyances like that?

IE may be fine for simple people but to power users it's meh.

[neo158]

Anyone who actively supports Internet Explorer over the alternative browsers instantly loses all respect from me.

Why should anyone worry about having any respect from you just because of the browser they use?

Personally I don't give a **** if you respect me or not, I use IE9 btw!!

Umm I'm seeing more businesses using Firefox these days... doctors offices, salons, and even restaurants are using FF!

That'll change now they know the policy Mozilla has on corporate use.

[Original Poster]

google chrome is the way forward with browsers i have my whole family using it and they know little about computers and now they wont use anything else ...my linux and pc have it just need to put on my mac :D even my nan uses google chrome if you like IE you have something wrong with you lol

[remixedcat]

even opera is better then IE right now.

and don't forget IE was the LAST browser to have tabs.

[neo158]

google chrome is the way forward with browsers i have my whole family using it and they know little about computers and now they wont use anything else ...my linux and pc have it just need to put on my mac :D even my nan uses google chrome if you like IE you have something wrong with you lol

"Chrome is the way forward with browsers"

How?

It has the most security flaws out of all the browsers on the market.

Copied from link8506's post:

IE 8: 98 flaws in 2.5 years

http://secunia.com/a.../product/21625/

Firefox 3.6: 122 flaws in 1.5 year

http://secunia.com/a.../product/28698/

chrome 1 to 13: 200+ flaws in 2 years

for example:

http://secunia.com/a.../product/34150/ (chrome 9: 58 flaws)

http://secunia.com/a.../product/34532/ (chrome 10: 33 flaws)

http://secunia.com/a.../product/33215/ (chrome 8: 25 flaws)

http://secunia.com/a.../product/30134/ (chrome 5: 56 flaws)

(not listing every chrome version)

even opera is better then IE right now.

and don't forget IE was the LAST browser to have tabs.

Maybe, but first doesn't always mean best!!

[Brandon H Supervisor]

even opera is better then IE right now.

and don't forget IE was the LAST browser to have tabs.

honestly, what does that last statement even matter?!? i'm tired of people just spouting that out randomly IT'S IN THE PAST NOW, IE's HAD TABS FOR 3 VERSIONS NOW!!!!! that argument is pointless

and yes, opera probably is better than IE, but IE is also better than opera, it's all about prospective and what you most want out of the browser

[jakem1]

and don't forget IE was the LAST browser to have tabs.

Seriously, the best you can come up with is a five year old issue?

The fact is that you could just as easily come up with 12 reasons not to use any browser. Anyone who goes out of their way to bash IE whilst overlooking the flaws of their own favourite browser doesn't deserve to have their opinion considered. The same goes for anyone who reads computerworld.

[remixedcat]

That was just one of the reasons. LOL.

The main thing is that it lacks features I depend on.

The other big thing is security/privacy

[Guest xiphi]

That was just one of the reasons. LOL.

The main thing is that it lacks features I depend on.

The other big thing is security/privacy

If this isn't a troll post, I don't know what is.

[remixedcat]

it's not a troll post.. you have no idea what a troll post is.

[Prince781]

even opera is better then IE right now.

and don't forget IE was the LAST browser to have tabs.

Ignorance fail. IE was actually one of the first browsers to implement functionality related to tabbed browsing, although they gave it a different name at the time. IE5 for Mac had this feature, called Page Holder, long before any browser did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Explorer_for_Mac#Internet_Explorer_5_for_Mac_distinguishing_features

And even if we're just considering IE7, that still technically leaves Safari as the last browser to implement tabbed browsing.