I hear bad things about internet explorer...

[Ghost GTO]

People say its dumb to use and go as far as to call it "internet exploder"...

why is this?

I noticed my windows explorer doesn't load up as quick as it use to, and I think this is because service pack 2.

What does everyone use besides I.E.???


thx

[G-Daddy]

There are a bunch of other things, but if your IE doesn't load as fast, delete cookies or try clearing Internet Cache - that always helps. Also, see what types of plug-ins you have loading - you may not need them all. Another option is to download a full version of IE, delete it from your PC using Add/Remove Programs from within the Control Panel, and then reinstall it from the download (from MS, of course).

Now, if you want to use a different browser, you can use Netscape, FireFox, Mozilla, Opera, Safari, etc.

You will have to pay close attention to recommended manufacturer's settings on the ones that are not so common (Opera, Safari).

Here is a link to a site that explains browsers like this in more detail, so you can see what you want to use, if you decide to switch:

http://www.netmechanic.com/browser-photo/tutorial.htm

I recommend staying with IE, simply because it is the most well-supported and widely used. Updates are readily available, and compatibility is rarely an issue.

Just my two cents.

If you clean it up a bit (clear URLs from the Address bar, clear cache, clear files, etc.), it'll work better.

You can do this by clicking on the Tools - Internet Options and on the General tab, select the option to Clear History. On the same tab, click on the option to Delete Cookies, then on the Delete Files button. This will clear it up for the most part. If you want to go deeper, select the Settings button on the General tab, then select the option to view files. A new window will open with all the files your browser has accessed - select all of them (Edit - Select All), and then press your <Delete> key on your keyboard to delete their references from the browser.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

[Ghost GTO]

ok thanks a lot G!!

[hozhead]

I avoid Internet Explode like the Plague.

Firefox is great because of the tabbed browsing features and the extensions. There are extensions out to give you pretty much any functionality you can imagine. Ad blocking, image resizing, etc.
Several of the extensions are specifically geared toward protecting against viruses as well. For example, I have an extension installed that disables JavaScript on all sights unless I allow that specific site.

[Rascus]

I used IE, had a shit load of pop-ups, slowing the computer down, etc.

Switched to Netscape 7.1 and 7.2 and haven't had a problem since. They also have tab-browsing. I don't understand the big selling poing on firefox is tab-browsing.

[kevinwilly]

Just so you know- IE sucks compared to Firefox. Use it, it's great- middle click on links, and they open in new tabs. Once you have tabs, you'll never give them up. They rock.

But the NEW IE version will be out soon, and it has tabbed browsing. It'll also be faster. You can download the beta right now, but it's got some bugs.

Also - firefox has a google search window in the upper right- which is nice. They got rid of the search feature i liked, though- you used to be able to just type, and it would search in the page for you.... now you have to hit / to open the search box.... oh well.

[dm_gsxr]

Really one of the biggest problems with IE was the default settings. It was configured to automatically download plugins and execute javascript and activex scripts. That leaves you open to folks who want to install ad software and keyboard watchers.

And that's really was the biggest problem with Windows itself. It's coming from a single user environment so the default settings and the way it's written is not as secure (people can break in for example) as other OS's.

For the most part, it's not that it can't be made more secure. It's just that you need to know how to do it or have to hire someone to do it.

For example. The Windows Messenger (not the IRC chat). It's a tool used by LAN admins to advise folks on a network about network issues. A window pops up from someone on the LAN to let you know of a problem or even to tell you your print job is done (I used to run LAN Manager long long ago). I think XP SP2 finally turned it off by default but it wasn't until after people started getting spammed on their computers that someone thought to do something about it. Which means you, as a standard computer user (relatively clueless; hoping your computer works like a VCR, Microwave, or DVD player) had to hire someone or figure out how to disable it yourself.

So from a design standpoint, because of the approach by Microsoft, the system isn't designed for security first which leaves you open for the next vulnerability that someone didn't think about.

Another default. You were automatically the admin on your home computer when you started it up. It makes it easier to load software and use the computer but it also makes it easier for someone who's trying to break your computer to have you run something which will delete or overwrite important files.

On a Unix box (for example), the default is the person is a "user" and must request to be an Administrator. This limits the destruction to just the files you own; mainly your home directory.

So to sum up, because of the approach by Microsoft (default full access, security as an afterthought), IE and Windows itself isn't the most secure system. On the other hand, because of the default full access, the system is a lot easier to use for the normal clueless user. That's one of the reasons Windows is the leader. Had they designed with security as a primary goal, they might not be where they are today.

Carl

[Thoth]

I stick with IE frankly because it's there already and if you know how to configure it and practice safe surfing there is little to worry about. Most of the extensions available for Firefox provide functionality that is already available in IE but has not been configured. I would like tabbed browsing but am willing to just wait until the final release of IE 7. For now, I will just open links in a new window and that does just fine.

As for keeping it trim and working, as has been said just regularly clean out temporary files and cookies and you'll be fine.

People often cite as an reason to hate MS products the number of security holes, etc. that are available with their products. You can't really fault them too much for this since they are providing a product that will fit virtually EVERY posssible user scenario. Due to this vast generalization of the code (making sure it will work with anyone's hardware, etc.) it is almost impossible to be sure there are no vulnerabilities. Also, they have improved by leaps and bounds lately and with the soon to be released (hopefully) Vista OS it should only get better.

This being said, there are alternatives out there that are just as good, and in some ways better, than IE. But you just can't beat the convenience.

[Daedalus]

Yeah if you know how to use it and protect your computer from spyware/viruses, IE is the way to go. As has been said, its the most widely supported, etc. I've always used IE and have never had any problems with it (and my computer has been on 24/7 connected to a high speed network since I built it three years ago)

But if you really like Firefox or whatever more than IE, by all means use it.

[Hagios]

You've started a thread that's going to get a LOT of opinion, and VERY little fact. Here's the facts:

Firefox uses a LOT more memory than IE. Firefox has what some class as a RAM leak (though it's intentional, and has been documented as a feature in the Moz dev blog).

Firefox's rendering engine is MUCH more efficient, and quicker than IE's. Depending on the case, I've seen from a ~10% speed increase to a >500% speed increase (Heavy use of XSLT <xsl:for-each/> loops).

Firefox is not necessarily more secure than IE, but lacks many very large security holes that IE has.

Firefox, if you keep up to date, has far less open issues than IE, and tends to fix problems much quicker.

Firefox, via use of IETab, lets you pick which sites open using the Firefox engine, and which use the IE engine (only supported under Windows).

Firefox is closer to being fully W3C compliant than IE is. This is something that is addressed often in the IE Dev blog and as of IE7, the two should be much closer in terms of compliance.

Personally, I use Firefox+IETab. Most sites render faster, and many look better, under the Firefox engine. For those that don't (usually those sites use a hack to make things display properly under IE), I set them to automatically use the IE rendering engine, under firefox. This necessitates me killing the firefox process every few days, when the memory used reaches about 500 megs, as at that point it tends to start trying to hog a lot of processor power as well. This also protects me from a large number of spyware, virus, etc, threats.

[mikem317]

www.firefox.com

[ASCI_Blue]

Internet Exploder is a pile of shit. Use Firefox. If...when there's an issue with IE it takes forever to get fixed. Firefox has regular updates are relativly short intervals.