IE 7: so much for Firefox

CNET.com ^ | February 15, 2005 | Molly Wood

[decimon]

The party's over.

In the past year, the little browser that could, Firefox, became the people's hero, an underdog warrior that took a huge swipe at its enemy, Internet Explorer. IE dipped below 90 percent market share for the first time in years, while Firefox lured users like the Pied Piper, blowing past its own fundraising goals and reigniting the browser wars.

Meanwhile, the bad news continued to mount for Microsoft. An IE exploit put even Windows XP SP2 users at risk from phishing schemes, even as Microsoft touted SP2 as the most secure version of Windows yet. Worse, major security companies and the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team began to recommend that computer users dump IE for something more secure (read: Firefox).

By early this year, Netscape was emboldened to reenter the fray, announcing in January that it would release a new version of the Netscape browser, designed specifically to resist phishing schemes--something even Firefox lacks. Then, Opera said it would offer free licenses to universities, in order to make sure it would still be relevant in the new world browser order. And through it all, what was the response from Microsoft? Silence.

TalkBack Are you afraid of a standalone Internet Explorer, or will you keep betting on the Firefox pony?

For a moment there, it looked like the tyrant IE could actually be overthrown. Those were heady days, weren't they? Well, they're over now. Papa Bill just dropped the hammer. Bill Gates announced this week, at the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco (of all places), that Microsoft will ship Internet Explorer 7, without waiting for the next version of Windows. Gates says the standalone browser is designed to address the perception that IE itself is a massive security risk. What he didn't say, but you know he was thinking it, is that IE 7 will easily put a stop to this upstart browser rebellion.

Don't believe me? You should. Firefox is great, I use it. But it's a chore sometimes, what with most sites using that pesky nonstandard IE code. Not everything renders properly, and some sites just plain don't work--I have to load up IE to use them. Plus, let's be honest--Firefox has its flaws. Why is there no way to check for updates from within the browser, for one thing? Why does it take so doggone long to launch? Why, why must it crash every single time I open a PDF? I mean, every single time. Opera, fine, whatever, I'm not paying for a browser, and for some reason, although I've tried it several times, it's just never captured me. It's too clunky, and I was raised on IE. I don't want to learn something completely new. IE, on the other hand, is like the sweeping tide--it's just easier not to fight it.

If a standalone IE 7 is even 50 percent more secure than current versions, the Firefox rebellion is finished. If IE 7 has tabs, Firefox will be destroyed as surely as the Hungarian uprising of 1956 was crushed by Russia. I use the analogy deliberately, too--no one expected Microsoft to issue a standalone version of IE, but those months of silence (and, no doubt, frantic development) look awfully ominous now. This is a company that's absorbed Justice Department lawsuits, threats of daily fines from the European Union, and lawsuits from nearly every state in the union, and that has steadfastly refused to break up its republic of Windows-IE-Windows Media. But this Firefox thing must have it fearing the domino effect, big time.

It was bad when Microsoft seemed to ignore Firefox, treating it like a harmless upstart not worthy of comment or attack. But now that the sleeping giant has awakened, I think the buzzing gnat of the browser wars is about to be squashed flat. What do you think?

[JoJo Gunn]

Still, this piece of FUD smacks of extreme laziness, nothing more. Perhaps their editor is just as lazy?

[Ichneumon]

A decade ago there was no Internet.

Exsqueeze me?

[Terpfen]

Oh, it IS FUD and laziness. Molly Wood is a notorious Microsoft supporter, much more than KwasiOwusu and Bush2000.

That said, CNet doesn't usually write much in the way of pro-Microsoft articles, so they probably figured in the wake of IE7, Microsoft deserved some blatant backing. Or something.

There really isn't a very good tech news site out there. At least, none that I can find. A lot of them are still very unprofessional--I cite Wired again, because Wired is the worst damned website on the Internet, edging out Something Awful.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Exsqueeze me?

Okay, Anal Boy, a decade ago there were very few people other than those associated with Univerisities on the Internet.

[jdm]

"If IE7 is good, i will use it. But right now i use firefox for the speed. IE just slows down the internet for me."

Anyone have an idea why half the web sites I go to with Mozilla won't open half the time? My guess is that they require Active X and Mozilla blocks Active X. I really (no sarcasm) want to like Mozilla, but more often than not I'm "stuck" with IE because at least with IE I get more than a blank screen when going to various web sites. Sometimes when I reboot and launch Mozilla a second time, type the same web address, the site pops up as it should. But why Mozilla doesn't work all the time, like IE, is curious.

[Still Thinking]

Internet Destroyer blows. Firefox is OK but not great. I do like the "View Selection Source" option, and use it for copying articles with embedded links but without surrounding ads for posting on FR. Opera (through about v7.23) is the way to go, though they seem to have lost their way in v7.5 and up. Hope they find it again or I'm sticking with 7.23 forever.

[JoJo Gunn]

Huh? You don't like Cliff Yablonski?

Sometimes I look around Virtual Dr., and as you'll see there's a few tech headlines on top of the page. I have tech headlines set up on my Yahoo and MSN pages, which many times links to Cnet and ZDnet, owned by the same group. I'm becoming more and more jaded, so assume everyone has an angle and/or bases their stuff from press kits.

Years ago there was a decent magazine called "Sci-Fi Universe", which was bought out by some bunch and its editor wanted to turn it into something juvenile like Starlog, aimed towards the Barbara Adams' of the world who wears their Trekkie uniforms to jury duty, and he claimed in the Letters to the Editor section that he'd never seen a "mythical" press kit. Never mind that an article in the same issue mentioned a press kit (for the "Lost in Space" movie). I stopped reading them and I assume they tanked later.

I dunno, I guess my point is that they do get press kits, and they do grovel for them, and they do talk down to the customer. That's the nature of the business, and why I generally keep my money in my pocket.

There are untold millions of 9x users left out here, myself included. Firefox doesn't have any real worries. If they'll keep going and not sidetrack into useless fluff, they'll keep making inroads.

MS is proven to be a company that does not value the intelligence or honesty of its customers.

[Next_Time_NJ]

NS in the begining cost money.. thats why they didnt send out CD's

[Next_Time_NJ]

I agree with your last statement but thats all they know. It would take a good 15 years to undo what MS did. People only understand Windows. To undo what they did you would have to undo the entire software world. You would have to undo every computer course (they call it computer course, but it should be called a windows course). 80%+ of computer users would have to relearn there style of computer OS.

I think its impossible if you ask me. Computers are now an appliance.. just like a toaster.. People dont care how or why the toaster toasts.. as long as it does it. Same thing with the computer.. if they can get on the net they are happy.. in a way that they know how... Microsoft.

[pending]

Good shots Heisenberg.

CNet at one point was a reliable site. Sheesh. It really could not be much easier...Between Firefox and the brilliant, simple Media Player classic, everything works(one gadget for WMA WMV Real, quicktime)

****
Did big gun Gartner announcing yesterday that "there are no problems with firefox right now, IT folks should look closely at it" prompt this notice? Methinks yes.
***
This is a victory in my view, what we have needed was the browser as an app.
MS has conceded defeat here. Giving the people what they want. A good thing. Too bad they didnt do this during Clintons war against them.
nevermind.

***
Avant users, you know you are actually using IE, right?
***
I am very happy with Firefox. Love those extensions.
Love Flash blocker, nuke anything, ad blocker on top of the pop up blocking. Almost infinite text zoom for my middle aged eyes, everything controllable, a blessing. The web is a pleasant journey again.

I will not quickly abandon it, but in the end will look at IE7. If I like it better I'll use it, you know?
Doubt it though. I love elegant, small solutions, you know?

---

OT BS Aside warning...
KISS
The future should be an embedded OS.
My chipped Xboxes are
seriously reliable. Run like Hondas,
Put an app on the HDD, run it or just delete it.
It does not care.
Boots in a second and a half,speedily surf with the little LinksBoks browser.
Runs quiet,use XBMC to stream vid, radio, whatever from the web,the HDD or from a PC/network to the big screen HD TV
If You want to.
Add a hDD or two or three.
Oh, it plays Video games too.
200 bux/including the chip, for all this functionality.
(best Bet: SmartXX chip,use "header pin install"...solder at about 8-9 places, easy...)
Peruse Xboxscene for more info. Read a lot, have fun.



The point I am making, is this experience has shown me how simple,reliable and inexpensive a home based computer/media center could be.
I mean is.

Later.

[Terpfen]

The problem with using Yahoo and MSN is that, well, I don't like MSN for a variety of reasons, and Yahoo's RSS feeds are pretty annoying. I'm big on RSS, and if a page doesn't have its act together on that end, I don't use it. CNet's RSS in particular tweaks me--I use Thunderbird as an RSS reader, and it supports loading webpages directly... but CNet blocks that, forcing me to load it in Firefox. It's completely pointless.

I guess I'll give Yahoo another shot. Got a link to their RSS feed for tech news?

On Firefox's bloating, I agree completely. It needs to stay small and simple. I love it when Opera users complain about how Firefox doesn't do half the things Opera does, but is getting all the publicity. These people haven't learned--simplicity sells. It's the big reason for the iPod's success, and it's the big reason for Firefox's success. If you make it simple and reliable, they will come.

As far as Cliff Y goes, I preferred Jeff K back in the days of PlanetQuake. Lowtax was alright back on PQ, but ever since he started Something Awful, I blame him for the meme-ization of the Internet.

[xm177e2]

Why, why must it crash every single time I open a PDF?

It doesn't crash, it just takes a couple minutes to load and won't let you do anything else in FF while it is loading. It doesn't stop you from using other programs while it's loading the PDF software.

[N3WBI3]

Gates says the standalone browser is designed to address the perception that IE itself is a massive security risk.

Notice he said just to fix the perception, not the actuall software....

[decimon]

Notice he said just to fix the perception, not the actuall software....

I guess we'll see when it's released. I'm not partisan either way but just want something that works and doesn't amount to a money sinkhole.

[Malsua]

Why does it take so doggone long to launch?

While she has some of it right and some of it wrong. She's right. Firefox takes longer to launch than IE.

Of course she forgets to note that IE is launching EVERY boot. EVERY SINGLE TIME her computer boots, IE is launched. Clicking the big E simply is opening the web interface. It's already loaded and running.

I'm neutral on all of this stuff as I work with just about every OS, every day for a living. I will say however that of the home users I deal with, and run windows and I've compelled to Firefox don't get spyware any longer. Mostly because ActiveX doesn't work with Firefox.

[Tazman_ODevilsun]

If you use IE... yer an uninformed lib.

'nuff said.

:D

[Raycpa]

IE 7 is even 50 percent more secure than current versions

I have a client who had 30,000 entries in the registry from malware. Cutting it in half would yield 15,000. A great improvement.

[Poser]

I love it. Firefox was better than IE so I switched. If IE7 is better than Firefox, I'll switch again. Competition is working. Then when somebody else builds a better program I'll switch again. The really odd part is it's free.

[decimon]

I have a client who had 30,000 entries in the registry from malware. Cutting it in half would yield 15,000. A great improvement.

I have Spybot with Teatimer. Teatimer is supposed to alert me to any changes to the registry and allow me to nix the change. Seems to work. Teatimer, that is. Spybot works for a time and then won't load. I have to re-download the whole thing to get it back.

[Poser]

"I'm a tab junkie and I hate MS's approach to email. Mozilla just does it for me."

I'm a firm believer in keeping the browser and other functions separate. I've been using Agent for Usenet and Eudora for Email for about 7 years. I use Act! as a PIM when I need one.

Over the years, keeping them separate has been a very good thing. I've never a virus problem and I get better functionality.

I use whatever browser is the best right now. I have used IE, Netscape, Mozilla, Opera and now Firefox. I prefer the browsers without all of the add-on disk/memory clogging add-ons. I've never tried Avant. I think I'll download it tonight.