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A plea from a geek

DECEMBER 12, 2007 - Posted by Ben

A plea from a geek

Here's the deal: most consumers buy Windows PCs, because that's what they know, and they're the most widely-available. The end result of that is that most people use Internet Exploder Explorer for their Internet browsing needs. It comes on their computer, it seems to work, why not use it? For most people, it's not a conscious decision. It just happens.

So, given the audience of this blog, I feel it is my duty as a card-carrying member of the International Society of Supergeeks* to inform those of you that use IE that you do have a choice. You have several choices, really.

First off, the best alternative, in my opinion, is Firefox. Out of the box, Firefox is a great, speedy browser, that stays out of your way. It lets you browse the Internet in peace. Firefox also conforms to what are known as Web Standards, which essentially means life is easier for people that design and develop websites (myself included). When you first set Firefox up, it'll ask you if you want it to import passwords, bookmarks, etc...from IE. So that takes care of the biggest barrier for most people. You don't have to re-type all your passwords, or re-bookmark all your "Favorites". This is my official recommended solution :) Go here to learn more and download Firefox.

The next best solution, in my opinion, is Opera. It's another speedy, lightweight browser that will let you browse the Internet in peace. It too can import your data from IE. I don't use it all that often because it doesn't offer as many web development tools as Firefox. But for the average user, it's fantastic. Find out more and download it here.

Next up, is Safari for Windows. Apple's Safari browser is the quickest there is. On Mac OS X, it's the default browser. However, Apple recently released it for Windows, although it's still in the "beta" stage, meaning that it's in the final stages of testing before being dubbed a release (it's completely usable though). Check it out here.

Finally, Netscape's browser is making a comeback of sorts. Back in the early browser wars of the mid '90s, Netscape was king for a while, before Microsoft started releasing IE with Windows. Netscape is back now, though, and while it's essentially just Firefox with a different look, it might be nostalgic for some :) Go here to learn more and download Netscape.

Now, back to Internet Explorer. If you absolutely have to use it, or you just really like it for whatever reason, upgrade to IE7 if you haven't. IE6 is not considered a "modern" browser, and it doesn't have tabbed browsing - which I don't understand how anyone could live without it. IE6 is the most decrepit browser out there, which forces web developers to bend over backwards to get their code to display reasonably well. This is where I could go on a long rant, but I'll abstain from that. Just know that IE6 is the worst as far as web developers are concerned.

If you use Internet Explorer 7, and are happy with it, good for you. It's a step in the right direction :) It's leaps and bounds ahead of IE6, but still not quite up to snuff. Carry on if you must. Just know that making the switch to another browser is not difficult at all, and takes mere minutes.

So, the point here is that you do have a choice. I'm just doing my geekly duty and letting you know. If you want to save your favorite web developer a few gray hairs, make the switch today!

That is all.

*I just made that up.

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