Contributed by Staff July 14, 2004 1:51 AM

Not being a full-time Windows user I fail to understand why people insist on using Internet Explorer. I have a good idea why people began using it, but with all the risks that have been discovered with it over the years I don't know what makes it worth it to keep using IE. This combined with the nifty features of other browsers like tabbed browsing and pop-up blocking, what is it that make people use such a lousy piece of software?

At this point I would like to stop the drivel by saying I'm not buying the arguments that "my online banking only supports IE" or that "IE is the only browser that offers the functionality I need." I find it immensely hard to believe that if developers felt a push to support something other than IE they would. Rarely is it the case that the supplier dictates the market. Off course we are talking Microsoft here so perhaps I may be all wet here.

Still, even if the rare case does require IE (at least for the time being), use it. But for all other cases, use something else. Mozilla has even made this transition easier by recognizing the same thing I did. Remember when I said that I suspected why IE gained so much attention in the first place. Besides putting an icon for IE right on the desktop and setting it up as the default HTTP handling application, IE is always running on the system. This means that the lengthy startup time for the browser has been eliminated and a step towards instant gratification has been made.

Like I said, Mozilla recognized this advantage and has remedied it. The Mozilla setup program (installer for the non-Windows users) offers to put an icon on the desktop, can be placed in the System Tray, can be set to handle HTTP files by default, and can be set to leave portions of the program running when the browser is exited (quit) so as to provide quicker launch times. So, for all intents and purposes all the advantages Internet Explorer once had have been mitigated.

Generally, I would bet that when a product causes harm, or makes things more difficult it is either fixed or abandoned for a replacement. Well it's not as if there aren't alternatives, so go figure.


© 2004 Kaomso