[SlowBoat407]

As long as IE is still the standard to which major institutions (banks, credit cards, etc) design their websites for interactivity, we're all stuck. I could not use Firefox or Safari to do online bill payments until just recently. Before then, I had to keep a copy of IE on my computer solely for that purpose.

[MikefromOhio]

You have to keep a copy of IE on a Windows Machine anyway. It's inseperable from the OS....

[HangThemHigh]

My bank's (Suntrust) bill pay website can be fooled into accepting Firefox (which works just fine) by using "User Agent Switcher". http://chrispederick.com/work/useragentswitcher
This little program simply hides the fact you are using Firefox by telling the offending website that you're using IE (or Netscape or Opera). It doesn't work everywhere, many sites actually require IE

[antiRepublicrat]

I could not use Firefox or Safari to do online bill payments until just recently.

That's a requirement for me for doing any business online with anyone. I recently sent Sears a note that I wouldn't be shopping for expensive exercise equipment there because they're IE-only.

[zeugma]

I could not use Firefox or Safari to do online bill payments until just recently. Before then, I had to keep a copy of IE on my computer solely for that purpose.

That's why you need to complain loudly, every time you run up against some silly MSIE-only crap. I do it politely, but let them know that alternative browsers are steadily increasing in marketshare.

I'm a big FF user, but I don't want FF or anything else to have an overwhelming dominant position in the market, because that just leads to stagnation. The history of MSIE is a textbook case of the dangers of monopoly power in a marketplace.