There's been a recent outcry, or wailing about Internet Explorer... You know, the browser that you're probably using... and the one that I've always said sucks? I've had many a chuckle about the bugs that have recently come forth from it and I can't help but to wonder why people use it. Then I realize people hate change, and people hate to learn something new. It's in peoples mindset to click the big lowercase 'e' and go surfing!

I often end up installing Mozilla (for the sake of email and web) on client systems and say "here, use this" Sometimes it's easy for them to just click and go. But for people who have used the internet for a long time, it's hard to switch from the e(vil).

Just for informational purposes I'll explain to you this 'recent' bug.

This bug allows a bad person to put on someones website a virus-type program and disguise it as an image file that your browser will download. The browser will fetch the image, try to display it and say "Shit, this isn't a real image." By then, poor error handling on Microsofts part has allowed this mal-program to run on your system and do whatever it needed to do. You didn't have to click a thing.

This little bug will also exploit Microsofts very own web server (IIS 5.0). Infected systems will look for sites using Microsoft servers and infect them, if they can and cause visitors to that site to experience the same infection. Again, no user intervention is required.

This is only one of a few bugs that can have this affect. There have been in the past, and most likely many more in the future, instances where a rogue site can get around "Security" settings set forth in Internet Exploiter. Never before has that name really been completely accurate.

 

What alternatives are there?

There's a few actually. There's Netscape, which is poorly maintained and corporatized by AOL. There's Mozilla Suite -- which is full blown and contains email, web browser, chat and an html editor. There's Mozilla FireFox (just the browser) which is extremely fast and highly configurable via a clean, and so far, secure plugin/extension system. There's Opera - it's adware - but still fairly clean and fast. There are many others too, but not usually Windows based. For linux I have Konqueror, Epiphany and lynx ;)

 

"This Site doesn't work!"

That's the common thing I hear with people who use alternative browsers. Why though? If a site uses ActiveX (this is the develpment tool and interface which allows for windows programs to run inside Internet Explorer. Corporates often swear by even though it's the root of most of IE's problems) -- it can only be viewed with Internet Explorer. It's impossible to fix that -- with alternative browsers comes a need for alternative development. Mozilla, Sun, and a few other companies are currently working on an Open, secure standard to have the same -- but secure -- functionality of ActiveX. Time will fix that.

If a site uses Java, JavaScript or Flash -- it'll work no problem

What about display? If a site doesn't display properly - visually - it's usually because the developer of the site is lazy. You can always complain to them about their site in a kind, tactful way.

If a site uses standards it'll work no problem -- infact, usually better than in IE. This site is a fine example of just that.

 

The Choice is Yours

In a world where things are free to view by whomever has an internet connection -- it should be free to view with whatever, safe, browser they choose. You can of course continue to use IE -- it's your choice. You have now been warned though.