Most people don't consider how much their web browser affects them. Turn on your Windows PC, there's IE already installed, and presto - IE is now your browser. Microsoft may be one of those companies that everyone loves to hate, but humor me for just a second and consider this. How often do you call a friend or family member because your computer has become a total mess? Do you notice over time that your computer slows to a crawl? Have you ever had your browser hijacked, funneling you into a stream of obscene images and/or advertisements? Do you think it is coincidence that these problems largely only affect those using Microsoft's Internet Explorer? NO! Here is my (very condensed) list of complaints with IE
- Web Standards - they're much like traffic signals. Everyone has agreed that red light = stop and green light = go. In the same way, the world wide web consortium has a set of web standards for everyone to follow. For some reason Microsoft can't seem to get their browser to meet even the most rudimentary web standards. So, following the analogy, sometimes we give Microsoft a green light, and it doesn't understand that this means go. In fact, it may be so confused by the green light that it completely crashes and shuts down entirely!
- Security - its much like building a safe for your valuables. I personally look for the meanest, toughest, rugged, impenetrable safe I can find. Trusting IE for the security of your computer is like trusting your valuables to a cardboard shoe box....in your front lawn...with a sign that says free stuff!
- Updates - if you have ever had an anti-virus program, you know that updates happen all the time. Developers are constantly working to improve their software products, and give you the latest and greatest. IE6 was released August 27, 2001. IE7 was released October 18, 2006. One upgrade in over FIVE YEARS! Clearly, Microsoft has placed IE at the bottom of their priority list.
- Rip Off - while Microsoft was letting its product rot away in the abyss, the Mozilla foundation released an excellent product (Firefox) with many features not found in IE. So when it came time to put out a new browser for Windows Vista, guess what changes they made? Quite simply, they ripped off some of the most innovative features pioneered in Firefox, and ignored most everything else to produce a remarkably unimproved product.
- Plug Ins - by default, you can use IE to browse the web. But what if you want it to do something more? Perhaps check your email or the local weather, maybe integrate with your web-bookmarks, or maybe something different altogether. What are your options? Well...there are none. With IE, you can only use it to browse web pages - nothing more. With Firefox, you can add any of the ever growing list of add-ons provided by the community. These add-ons are like tiny programs that improve andI personally love having a little spot on my browser which shows the current weather conditions...doesn't get any more convenient than that!
- Search - Who of you out there really like to use MSN search? Really? Over Google? Hmm...not too many hands out there. So why does Microsoft force you to use MSN? Are they looking out for your best interests? In quite the opposite way, they are not protecting your interests, they are protecting their own. Firefox includes an integrated Google search function by default, but even more importantly - they don't FORCE you to use any specific search engine. In fact, with Firefox, many of the major search engines are available from the default installation as well as any others through a quick download.
- Cost - Did you know it is COSTING you to use IE? Well perhaps not directly, but indirectly it may be costing you quite a bit! Ask any web developer if they find it very easy to develop for Internet Explorer. If you hear anything other than a resounding NO, then you are a) speaking with a Microsoft representative b) speaking with a developer who has actually never developed a website before. Consider that a typical web designer may earn $50/hr. Each website takes the designer 20 hours, and 5 of those hours are devoted to fixing IE bugs. So the client pays $1000 for design, and $250 goes down the toilet to fix IE errors. Consider that Alexa ranks around 10 million websites (these sites DO receive traffic). Well, thats $2.5 BILLION wasted in time and costs. Thanks Microsoft! This is likely to be a conservative estimate, as many web designers make much more than $50/hr and many websites take much longer than 20 hours to design.
- Performance - besides making yourself open to serious vulnerabilities by using IE, you may notice that your computer seems to have gotten very bogged down from the time when you first purchased it. This is NOT what should happen! Unless you have the habit of constantly installing new programs and then uninstalling them, your computer should always run the same as when you first got it. Think about it...if you are like most people and simply use your computer for typing word documents and browsing the web...nothing has changed - your computer should run just the same as it did when you first got it. Unfortunately your use of IE has probably allowed dozens of little program to sink their teeth into your computer and slowly drain the life out of it. This isn't a fault of your browsing habits, or anything which you have done...except that you have decided to use IE.
- Open Source - although it was originally avoided by large businesses, many are finding that open source is actually the way of the future. In a closed-source realm, only the developers know how their product operates. This means that no one, other than those employed by the development company may contribute to the code. Whats wrong with this? 1) Development plans are determined according to what yields the best profit for the company rather than what is most needed 2) Development is less responsive to latest trends (new trend found, trend analyzed, funds allocated, development begins, testing, release) 3) Innovation is limited to the paid staff. With open source, there is no limitation on innovation. I could go on. By supporting open source, may also consider that you are part of a group of people that believes the community should ultimately control their systems. Not politely beg the originating company to improve their product.
- Its Cool - yes, if you use Firefox , you will become much much cooler than you were before.
If you find this list interesting, confusing, or perhaps you disagree...please post your comments below!
|
