| Author | Message | ||
     Dave Moderator Username: Dave Post Number: 5331 Registered: 4-1998  |
Just checked the site stats and was amazed 85% of our dear readers are using the security hazard known as Microsoft Internet Explorer. Brave people. | ||
| optimyst Citizen Username: Optimyst Post Number: 107 Registered: 6-2001 |
I was just telling hubby today that I don't like it, and need to do something about my IE, which is screwed up .. any suggestions ? I got it by accident a couple of years ago when I thought I was upgrading my IE. Ugh ! | ||
| Bobkat Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 7666 Registered: 5-2001 |
Mozilla works great for us. | ||
| Innisowen Citizen Username: Innisowen Post Number: 451 Registered: 3-2004 |
Mozilla is great, but seems to get a lot of pop-ups. The Avant Browser is even better, and very frequently has new releases. | ||
| Albatross Citizen Username: Albatross Post Number: 513 Registered: 9-2004  |
Innisowen: go to Edit / Preferences, go to Security and then to Pop-Ups to have Mozilla block them. I love Mozilla. I've heard that Opera is great, too. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 5593 Registered: 1-2003  |
Dave, I'm sure you know very well that using IE is following the path of least resistance. Lots of people don't know what a browser is or don't realize that they have a choice. Lots of people don't know how or don't want to bother to install and learn a new program, even if it's not that different to use. This is why M$ has a big advantage. They should have lost much bigger in that Netscape v Microsoft suit. | ||
| Arnomation Citizen Username: Arnomation Post Number: 173 Registered: 7-2003  |
What's so bad about Explorer? I use Safari most of the time but there are a lot of websites that don't load in Safari because of some sort of Java conflict so the only way I can see them is through Explorer or Firefox | ||
| yabbadabbadoo Citizen Username: Yabbadabbadoo Post Number: 197 Registered: 11-2003  |
Netscape/Mozilla!! I hate IE and everything it stands for!! FF | ||
| Dave Moderator Username: Dave Post Number: 5332 Registered: 4-1998 |
MS Explorer lets Why so many people continue to use Microsoft IE after blatant warnings by even mainstream media is an absolute mystery to me. Perhaps self-preservation is an outmoded concept or perhaps many have been duped into believing the Dept. of Homeland Security will prevent identity theft? | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 5596 Registered: 1-2003 |
There are so many warnings about so many thingst these days. It's hard for Joe Average to sift through themall, understand their severity, understand how it affects him, and take action. It's true that we should try hard to avoid IE, but it's really not hard to understand why most people still use it. Also, lots of websites test with IE only, making their pages working improperly (or not at all) with other browsers. This makes users dislike the browser, not the sites, when the sites "don't work". There's huge inertia to overcome. It's actually a rational business decision to test only for IE when it has such a large market share. It's not something I'm happy about, but I understand it. | ||
| J. Crohn Citizen Username: Jcrohn Post Number: 2089 Registered: 3-2003 |
Dave, I refuse to even have IE on my computer. Netscape suffices evrywhere except...the South Orange website, where I am unable to download documents. For instance, as a member of the SO CBAC, I cannot download a copy of the Capital Budget I am supposed to be reviewing, because SouthOrange.org is set up using a Microsoft product. Ain't nothin' the SO webmaster can do about it, either, except advise me to use IE. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 5598 Registered: 1-2003 |
J, try upgrading to the latest Firefox. Or try Opera. (Firefox is the latest browser to come out of the Mozilla project, which also wrote the browser known as Netscape.) | ||
| mwoodwalk Citizen Username: Mwoodwalk Post Number: 314 Registered: 9-2001 |
Another vote for Firefox. It is the best. Fast, no pop-ups and tabbed browsing . . . I didn't know what I was missing. Get it at www.mozilla.org | ||
| Joe Citizen Username: Gonets Post Number: 707 Registered: 2-2004 |
ok. So, the most secure browsers are? | ||
| Joan Supporter Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 4989 Registered: 5-2001 |
Dave: I wish most of us were as computer literate as you and a few regular posters who help keep the rest of sane by posting helpful instructions in the technical support area when us mortals find ourselves ready to tear out the keys from our keyboards. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the majority of posters to MOL wouldn't even know how to install a different browser on their PC. Answers to the following questions might help: 1. Can I have two browsers on my PC at the same time? If so, how do I tell my computer which browser to use? 2. My ISP presently loads in IE. Will it continue to load if I delete IE from my computer? If not, will using IE just to log on to the internet create the same degree of exposure to identity thefts that using it after sign-on would? 3. My computer came with IE. Will I still be able to run the other programs that came with it (especially Microsoft products) that have some on-line functions (such as downloading graphics files for powerpoint, sending e-mails through outlook, or running error reports)? If not (how) can I get around this problem without chucking my Office too? 4. How do I know that the same dangers don't exist with other programs? Could it bee that the IE dangers are just better known and therefore more publicized? The inability to visit some websites if you aren't running IE is also a problem which may need to be addressed before more of us are willing to go completely IE-free. | ||
| Carrie Avery Citizen Username: Carrie33 Post Number: 132 Registered: 1-2005  |
Thank you Joan, I had the same questions. Would be a great help if some were answered. Thanks, Dave. | ||
| Debby Citizen Username: Debby Post Number: 1686 Registered: 5-2001 |
Joan is the best interpreter I know. She translated what I didn't even know how to ask.  | ||
| Dave Moderator Username: Dave Post Number: 5336 Registered: 4-1998 |
I use a Mac, so I'll be very general and hope someone can jump in with other details:
Yes. You can start whichever you want to use by clicking on it like any other software.
You don't have to delete IE. Just don't use it. Connect to your ISP, minimize it, and open the safe browser.
Macs have a way to change the system's default browser, so PCs may be able to do this, too. And as mentioned above, you can have more than 1 browser. It's not either/or.
Firefox is open-source software, which means problems are far fewer because thousands of eyes have been watching development, minimizing mistakes and shoddiness MS is prone to.
Again, keep IE for those non-standards-compliant web sites. | ||
| Nohero Citizen Username: Nohero Post Number: 4350 Registered: 10-1999  |
When I'm in the office, our browser is IE until I can get our tech gurus to change it. When I'm at home, I don't feel that confident running new things on this machine (as the guy in the Domino's Pizza commercial says, "I fear change"). However, if I ever follow-through on my New Year's resolution to get a high-speed connection at home, I'll follow your advice. | ||
| Strawman Supporter Username: Strawberry Post Number: 4563 Registered: 10-2001 |
I have a high speed connection.  |
