Interesting article giving a roundup of IE alternatives: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1754509,00.asp Knoc
I can attest that Firefox is loads better than IE. I've been using it ever since it came out, tabbed browsing is so much better for system performance.
Firefox loads web pages faster then I.E. However, there are some sites that's hosted in IIS servers couldn'e format or load properly in Firefox
I been using Opera for like 5 years... It's been great... Works pretty much the same as Firefox... therefore no reason for me to use Firefox since i'm already use to Opera... BTW, Opera 9.0 Beta is awsome... PS: that article much be pretty damn old since it talks abt Opera 7.2 -shock
I personally continue to use Internet Explorer, not because of its features but because of its simplicity and speed. Unfortunately this is comming to an end with the release of IE 7.0, but I will hold off as long as I can. I am far from a computer illiterate person however I choose to use IE because I have yet to find a browser that outperforms it in sheer speed. Firefox loads painfully slow (no I do not have a slow computer) as does Opera. IE has an advantage over all of them because it is integrated with the OS, no other browser can flaunt that feature. Also, another benefit to speed is that it doesn't have many other features besides browsing, all I need is a browser that is W3C compliant (ok well only partially W3C compliant) and can handle most of the newer scripting languages out there which IE does a decent enough job of doing. Since it doesn't have fancy features it doesn't have feature bloat. For those who love tabbed browsing, sorry I'm old school, alt tabbing all the way, ctrl tabbing hurts my hand as well because its my fingers don't grow out of my hand in that direction unfortunately. In regards to security, yes, I agree, it blows. But if you know what you're doing there won't be too many problems. I regularly monitor my computer for possible rootkits (DRM or otherwise), viruses, etc. Yes there is the possibility of something getting by, but it goes the same with any other browser. All in all, I view the lack of security as a minor loss in comparison to the speed and integration that IE provides. While it isn't a very good product overall, it still does the job that I need it to. The extra fluff, is, well, just that.
the article is old, but meant to give a general roundup. As for speed, ì agree that ie is fast, but this was only the case on a fresh system with a fresh install of the os. I've installed fox on many p2 systems with fox performing better than ie. If u know wat ur doing, then ie is n o worries for u. I disagree on ie being faster than fox. I feel it depends on the system.
Thats like me, Ive always used IE and something like firefox seems overengineered. The only thing I like about FF is tabbed browsing which IE7 will bring. IE just gets a lot of bad press because its microsoft, but Ive never had any real problems using it
For me I reinstall windows about once a year and keep my main machine free of any excess programs, thats what my desktop is for D= and so yes, for me its faster. And I agree, it does have vulnerabilities, but they're exploited more simply because most people who don't know what they're doing use IE, and thats why other browsers aren't hit as often, they all still have their own vulnerabilities. Personally I keep automatic updates on my computer disabled as well. Many people will say its stupid but in all honest, if it works, don't screw with it!
auot updates are not needed....only updates that may be needed from ms is sp2..n thas just cause they making it a pre req for other apps and support..i personally have one legal bought version of xp that i keep updated and fully patched...but thas just for uses...my man machine has not seen any bought piece of software..
