I know I'm probably living in the dark ages but is it okay (safe) to download and install IE 7? I just got a new Dell (with XP) and it came with IE 6 on it. My previous Dell also had IE 6 on it and I just never bothered to upgrade that... -Guru
Yes it is ok. But. You might get more from googling firefox and downloading firefox3. It really is a better browser. If you do that, be sure to explore the add ons (tools menu) and get addblock plus and a good dictionary in your language at a minimum.
Don't forget to add..."in your oppinion". Personally, my opinnion is that IE > FF. My reasoning is that it "just works" plain and simple. You never find a site that doesn't work in IE (which wasn't designed to not work in IE). and Yes, IE7 is fine, I still prefer IE6 at this point because I prefer multiple windows to tabbed browsing and don't really care for the new toolbar scheme. but that is entirely personal preference.
You'll likely want to keep IE on your rig, as some sites still don't render well with FF. Install IE7.. security issues, if for no other reason.
I do see your point about saying IE is guaranteed to work on all sites but that is saying that FireFox's support isnt widly adopted....I'd say its at a penetration of about 99% which is pretty damn good..I've been using FF for about 2 years now and have never found 1 site that hadnt been compatible with it. But yes, IE would be that extra 1%...I think the bigger issue is SECURITY...IE is know to be a security nuightmare and i dont use it because i care about safety and my credentials. Just the other day a new indepedent study ranked FireFox 3 the most secure browser and IE came in last place!
Ashley, if you are gonna quote/reference "studies", you should really link whatever you are referencing. I am not disputing your claims, I am just pointing out common courtesy. As for my personal experience, I have used IE as a primary browser for the past 10 years (average 8-10hrs per day computer use online) and have never once been "victim" of any sort of browser based attack while surfing even the kind of websites where these attacks come from (porn, hacking/cracking, clicking links from spam, etc). Up until XP SP2, I never even did windows updates. The above doesn't serve as proof that your claims are invalid, they simply serve as proof that your claims are irrelevant. For the few people that are actually affected, education ("Here's why you got attacked") is a far better combatant than promoting ignorance ("Just install FF and it wont be a problem"). Computers and the Internet are not a fad. Everyone will need howto use them eventually, we need to start teaching people howto use them properly and safely.
You'll need to keep IE7 on your machine. FF3 does not render some sites correctly. FF3 has an add-on, "IE Tab", which lets you change the rendering to IE with a click.
1) In my experience sites that have problems rendering correctly in FF aren't worth your visit anyway; they have lousy webdesign and a lousy business model as well. Doing business there will often spell trouble. 2) IE 8 will adhere to the same webstandards that FF already does for years. This means that many many website that were designed for IE won't work in IE anymore. A lot of very costly rewrites will be needed, the price of not listening to warning about not complying to open standards. Maybe they will learn a lesson or 2. 3) I agree that FF now has become so good that it will even render most IE stuff reasonably well too, and with the help of IE Tab the last 1% is included as well 4) FF works on all platforms, Win, Mac, Linux and most other Unixes. This is a huge advantage when mixed platforms are in use, both in training, compliance and maintenance. In my home office I have several systems, some XP, some Linux. I use FF on all of them and they share their bookmarks through the Foxmarks server. 5) It is well known (and doensnt need explicit linking) that FF is the better browser, both in terms of speed, memory usage and security. You can google it yourself. It also "just works" out of the box. And most important, it is a separate piece of software, not a enormous bloat intertwined with your OS in ways too complex for mere mortals to comprehend.
my personal feeling is that the fact that it is a separate piece of software is not a "benefit". Why download more software when what you get in windows always works and requires no extra effort to install?
Always works? My old rig was a good 20% slower (browsing) with IE (as default browser, back in 04-05) and crashed/froze frequently until i switched to firefox, using it since. As you say, its preference, which is always based on experience-with a new rig, firefox 3 was mandatory for me, and guess what-so far, the only sites that recommend IE to load and function properly, are some large corps thoroughly in bed with microsoft monopolies to begin with. I haven't given IE8 much of a chance, as you say, preference and opinion.