Internet Browsers
This morning I had a slight problem on one of my web sites. I was not aware of the problem since it only affected Internet Explorer users.
While looking for a solution to fix the problem I had to open my web site in Internet Explorer. Something I have not done in the past year. While waiting patiently for the page to load I wondered “Why the heck are clever people still using Internet Explorer?”
I mean it takes ages to load a page and then it has all kinds of “security” measures and stubbornness built into it which will prevent its loyal users to open all the web pages they want to see.
I think it might be because most Internet users do not even know that they can use another browser. (a browser is the program you use to open the Internet pages, ie the program you are using to read this post at the moment). When you buy a new PC with Windows installed on it, Internet Explorer will be the browser that has been installed and most people will just keep on using it for the rest of their life.
The little script error in my web page this morning did not have an effect om Opera, FireFox or Google Chrome. It was only Internet Explorer who just could not find its way around a little missing </div> tag.
What this means in lay men terms is that if you were a visitor to my web site this morning and you used Opera, FireFox or Chrome you would not even have known that there were a slight problem. The page would have loaded like normal and you could carry on doing what you normally do.
I stopped using IE when Version 1 of Firefox came out. Since I started using FireFox I just fell in love with it. The pages load so much quicker in FF and there are many more plugins you can use to make your browsing experience a better one.
So why not explorer the unknown today. Take that huge step to Internet freedom and install new browser software. They are all for free. Choose one an go for it. Try it and see which one you like most.
You will have to choose one that suits your needs.
Here is my opinion about them:
- Firefox was the best for years but since version 3.5 it takes a bit long to load when you open it. But all the plugins you can use make up for the little bit of slow speed. Once it is open it does load web pages rather fast.
- Google Chrome is very simplistic. It does not have all the advanced features but I guess if you just want to open and close a web page it is all you need. It is the fastest one of them all for both opening and loading pages. I use this for my general browsing.
- Opera – I do not have much experience in it. The couple of times I used it it also loads quickly and opens the pages rather quick.
All three above is faster than IE. So it does not matter which one you choose, you will be better off.
Here are some of the FireFox features I adore:
- My favorite plugin is “Morning Coffee”. This little plugin allows you to specify the web site you want to open first thing every morning. When you open your browser you just hit the coffee cup and it opens the web sites each in a new tab. You can customize the list for each day of the week. This is like opening your morning news paper and all you favorite article are displayed on the front page. You can get the plugin at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2677 . If you are new to FireFox and you do not know what a plugin is, don’t worry, you will get addicted to it.
- Another great plugin is the Xmarks plugin. This one allows you to store your favorites or bookmarks on an external server. The advantage of doing this is that if you work on more than one computer (ie. home and work) it will retrieve your bookmarks from the server and you will always have the same bookmarks on both computers. Get it at http://www.xmarks.com/
- Another MUST HAVE feature of FireFox is that it automatically does a spell check on the stuff you type as you type it in online forms. So if you are a frequent forum or blog users, it will underline your errors and you can just right click and correct your errors.
- You can setup FireFox to do a search for a word when you start to type on a normal web page. So if you land on a web page full of information and you are looking for example for a “coffee cup” you just start to type the word “coffee” and it will automatically highlight the word for you. In other browsers like Chrome you can do the same but you first have to click ctrl+f in order to do so.
Well as far as I know IE8 is the most compliant browser at this time. I can honestly say that I don’t notice a difference in speed between FF, IE or Chrome.
Unfortunately IE6 just won’t go away, but for everyone bashing it, remember it’s horribly out-dated. Just consider when it was first launched? In internet terms that’s thousands of years ago!
Personally I don’t like FF, but have to concede that it does have some nifty plug-ins (the more you add, the slower EVERYTHING works). My browser of choice… Flock – also mozilla based but love the interactivity it offers (something the other browsers are said to be copying). But generally when at home and performing random search tasks I still revert to IE… It is the standard, even if it’s not.
I have about 15 websites and always have to somehow re-configure them to work with IE. I use Chrome and just love it. You can support the destruction of IE6 at http://www.ie6nomore.com/