Is Internet Explorer's Reign Coming to an End?
Is Internet Explorer's Reign Coming to an End?
Posted 05/06/2010 at 5:01am
| by Paul Lilly
38
Comments
Print
Dating back to even before Netscape Navigator bit the dust, Microsoft's Internet Explorer has been the top dog in browsers, at least in terms of overall market share. But as competitors begin to close the gap, is it too early to begin talking about IE's demise?
EWeek certainly doesn't think so, which posted 10 compelling reasons why Internet Explorer's dominance is coming to an end. Chief among them is the European Union, which has been a costly thorn in Microsoft's side (and wallet), most recently forcing the Redmond software maker to include a browser ballot in Windows.
According to eWeek, however, should IE fall from its throne, Microsoft can't just the point the finger elsewhere. Ranking No. 2 on eWeek's list is Microsoft's complacency, something that was most evident in between the time IE 6 and IE 7. Microsoft has since picked up the pace, but even so, it seems as though Microsoft is usually playing catch-up with other browser makers rather than blazing a trail of its own.
A lack of features, both in quantity and in implementation, Chrome's rise in popularity, and increasingly tech savvy users are among some of the other reasons eWeek sees IE falling faster than the Dallas Mavericks come playoff time.
What browser are you rocking?
More like this
38
Comments
Comments are closed on this article
SuperiorBeing
May 12, 2010 at 5:21am
I use Pale Moon, which is just Firefox compiled for Windows machines using faster processors.
http://www.palemoon.org/
Athlonite
May 08, 2010 at 8:10pm
The only browser i use has this big red O in its name (Opera 10.52) it's fast its stable and it blocks ads aswell all without extra addins
Play till it breaks then learn how to fix it!
Glycerin
May 06, 2010 at 9:42pm
I'm running Firefox with the Adblock Plus add-on and am LOVING the lack of ads!!!!
The last time I have used IE was when it was to download Firefox when I did a Windows re-install.
Baer
May 06, 2010 at 5:34pm
I do not like Chrome for a number of reasons. I love the Firefox add ins and I love the overall compatability of IE8. Who knows, next year my answer might be different.
scott tech
May 06, 2010 at 2:06pm
I am a huge fan of Firefox, I use Safari pretty frequently as well and only use I.E. when I need something to complain about.
Never stop striving
Nickompoop
May 06, 2010 at 1:54pm
Maybe the general population is finally realizing that IE sucks the big hairy one.
GenericBob
May 06, 2010 at 11:59am
I love Firefox and the idea behind Firefox, but the JavaScript rendering is painfully sloooooow. And it's a serious resource hog. I still have Firefox on my system and use it from time to time, but I have since switched my default browser to SRWare Iron, which has all the goodness of Google Chrome without the Google. I use IE only rarely, usually to double-check that Web page designs look all right. The IE9 preview, though, actually looks promising with fast JavaScript, some HTML5 and CSS3 support, etc. So it might actually be a decent browser if the IE team keeps up the good work.
133794m3r
May 06, 2010 at 10:25pm
If it's google chrome minus google it'd come with a googlesharing type item built in to protect people's privacy. PLUS it still lets google analytics track you. As such, i cannot say that it's "google chrome minus the google". If it truly was that, then they'd not be using such google friendly data. Look at their site why don't you, they're using Google Analytics, and Google Ads.
If you ask me this is just a ploy where they "make you think that google's still not trying to track you and keep tabs on you" but it really is." The use of google ads+GA on their site doesn't speak that well for a company supposedly concerned with privacy yet is giving the almighty google more data from their site's visitors(if they don't use noscript/googlesharing either or would do in this case). It'd be like some company out there using the ie10 source code(if microsoft would ever let that), they would then on their site talk about how bad it is that the product phone homed to microsoft yet on their site they're using microsoft ads, and are using microsoft analytic software.
Doesn't speak well for that company. Needless to say i completely wiped the thing from my HDD after firing it up and making sure to not import anything.
whr4usa
May 06, 2010 at 1:04pm
Amen
IE9 = HTML5 + DirectX11
thank you for making me aware of SRWare Iron GenericBob I now nolonger approve of Chrome lol.
kevintanner800
May 06, 2010 at 11:09am
i use IE8 cause its what comes with windows 7. owning a computer repair store makes it so i have to reinstall windows 7 alot. (due to hardware changes) plus youd have to be a moron thats been stuck in a cave in space for decades if your not running 7 yet.
Zazubovich
May 06, 2010 at 11:06am
so you can download something else-FF, chrome, Opera. IE is really only useful for doing windows updates, otherwise it sits in the corner and pouts because it does goofy things.
gmvolk
May 06, 2010 at 9:42am
I stopped upgrading IE with IE6. But when my laptop died, my new laptop came with win 7 and IE8. IE8 just sucks. I can't customize the toolbars the way I would want too, yeah you can move them but only to pre approved MS locations. It also seems a bit slow on the initial loading of web pages. And why can't I drag a link onto a different tab and have said link actually open in that tab? It insists on opening up in the original tab. Minor annoyances, but enough to make me dislike IE8. I mainly use FF, even though it may be slow at times and a bit of a memory hog. At least I can customize the UI to my preferences. I like Chrome, and would switch to it once it has better add-on support. I did have some problems with some web sites with Chrome, but I have not tried the newer versions yet, last was at least 6 months ago. I have not looked at Opera in several years, but I never did like the UI, and it seemed like options for configuring things were just all over the place.
whr4usa
May 06, 2010 at 12:53pm
I love when people diss Microsoft's platforms because they can't do something, when they actually can do said something, however, said complainer never bothers to explore "Internet Options" . . . even MaxPC is guilty of this in many of its reviews etc.
I'm no fanboy ... I hated IE but IE8 is a decent browser, not the fastest but the more secure statistically & logically assuming you keep it & your OS updated ... Chrome is a good browser but a lot of webpages, gm scripts etc. don't play nicely with it & its security almost entirely depends on the host OS meaning only the latest OS X, Fedora & W7 are good candidates ... IE8 has close yet modular integration with W7's security etc. making it a better choice still, also it has a 64-bit executable in W7 x86-64
IE9 does look promising if only because it will be run by DirectX11 not GDI meaning browser, plugins, extensions etc. hardware accellerated & no legacy XP support
Opera will still be a good secondary browser, Chrome is ohk but I won't be using it except in VMs although I may buy a ChromeOS device to go along with my future Windows 7 Phone & bluray laptop
on a side note my computer business charges extra for security/optimization\installation related work where firefox or safari are the primary browsers due to security & hardware issues
highsidednb
May 06, 2010 at 8:44am
IE and Firefox and Opera. At work and home. Tried chrome. Found it to be a resource hog and rather slow. Maybe I haven't tweaked it properly but was surprised to see how much memory it took up while running. Still finding Opera fastest...
But whatever, having browser preferences these days seems like asking people what make of motorcycle they ride. They're all kinda different but they do the samething-it's just a matter of personal preference.
isamuelson
May 06, 2010 at 8:23am
I mainly use Firefox and Chrome. IE when I want to torture myself.
jacob.sorensen
May 06, 2010 at 8:09am
I use IE and firefox pretty equally, they both have their ups and downs. Concerning the European Union forcing Microsoft to have a browser ballot is totally unfair. Microsoft doesn't force anyone to use IE. Anyone who doesn't use IE immediatly installs their browser of choice upon a OS install and the majority of others really don't concern themselves with the browser wars, they just want to get online and are perfectly fine with using IE.
Since they did this to Microsoft, they should do the same thing to Apple. Isn't Safari built into the Apple OS just like IE is in Windows? Why isn't Apple held to the same standard Microsoft is when it comes to issues like this? If Microsoft stopped selling or supporting Windows in Europe they would be pretty much screwed.
Wake up European Union either enforce your laws on everyone equally or not at all!
Peanut Fox
May 06, 2010 at 9:44am
Apple can get away with it because of what Microsoft sales you and what Apple sales you are not the same thing. Apple sales you the entire computer in a box. If you just buy their OS, you are only allowed to install it on their hardware. Microsoft sales you a software licensed. This really only includes their core OS. Because the browser isn't part of the OS core the EU some how finds it fair to ding Microsoft for anticompetitive practices for installing their own browser with their own product. It doesn't make a lot of sense, because why not also go after them for installing MS paint or media center?
What I don't get is how are web browsers a market? Users don't pay for them now a days. If it's income based off of searches, you can still visit Google's websites on IE.
GenericBob
May 06, 2010 at 11:51am
If a person buys a Mac OS, he or she is still just buying licensed software. The limitation of putting the operating system on Apple-approved hardware is still just a licensing issue, not some sort of legal restriction. The license limits on what hardware a person can install the Mac OS, which is even worse than what Microsoft ever did with Windows and IE bundling. So the point that Apple should also face the ballot screen in the EU is right on target. What's sauce for the goose . . . .
MyWayNYC
May 06, 2010 at 7:35am
I only use IE to download Chrome on new systems! I had an issue awhile ago with FF CPU overruns that sent my (Q4 9550) temps soaring as it slammed all 4 cores, after the Flash updates failed to resolve the issue i switched to Chrome and never look back!.
AKA T'Challa Of Wakanada
someuid
May 06, 2010 at 6:46am
I use Chrome pretty much 100% of the time. But, it isn't a question of which browser I use, it is a question of which browser I won't use, which is IE.
hades_2100
May 06, 2010 at 6:30am
Firefox. I love how I can copy/backup my profile and continue working on another computer. It works for me, I'm used to it, there are no features other browsers have that I wish Firefox had. So why switch?
logicmaster2003
May 06, 2010 at 6:27am
I've using FIREFOX since version 1.5 until about 3.5 when stability / speed became a major issue for me. I've since then been using OPERA until firefox version 3.53 came up and satisfied me; been using it since then but then OPERA 10.5+ are blazingly fast so now I use them 50-50.
I haven't used IE since firefox version 1.5 came out but I won't disrespect IE since we've all used it back then and all I want to say is... Thank you Mircosoft for it :) drop it off the competition since it is clearly obsolete - go find something else that you will excel on.
whr4usa
May 06, 2010 at 1:10pm
funny how to tell microsft to excel at something with Office 2010 coming out lol.
stoneyguy
May 06, 2010 at 6:26am
It has a built in email client, loads pages quickly, and has a minimal footprint on my screen.
DogPatch1149
May 06, 2010 at 6:25am
Mostly Firefox, even though the speed has definitely dropped over the last couple of releases. Why stick with it? Mainly because it's so tricked-out with add-ons, and I still haven't found comparable extensions or widgets in other browsers for things like NoScript or Adblock Plus.
Chrome is quite speedy, the minimalist look is OK, and extension support is getting much better. It seems to run Flash faster than other browsers, but it also seems to crash Flash more often than other browsers.
For overall speed, Opera 10.53 is my choice...it's faster than Chrome on my machine, runs Flash nearly as fast as Chrome without the crashes, and I like the look and feel of it.
IE? You're joking, right? Seriously, it's used for the few sites that require it, and the Chrome Frame plug-in definitely helps in the speed department, but that's it.
My plans? If Opera or Chrome ever provide extensions/widgets that have the same functionality as NoScript and Adblock Plus, then it's bye-bye, Firefox.
sixfivebeastman
May 06, 2010 at 6:23am
I've never liked FF that much - call me crazy, but even after extended use I never really liked the browser. I use Chrome almost exclusively - it's faster than IE and FF, has a huge number of plugins now, and I love the fact that if one page crashes I don't lose my entire browsing session.
I use IE for the (very) small number of work sites that require it. For instance, I work for an IT firm that uses LogMeIn for remote maintenance and support - LMI does work with FF, but it's much more stable in IE. Other than that, it's all Chrome for me!
persondude
May 06, 2010 at 6:23am
I gladly use FF, especially with a few little tweaks presented by MaxPC. I use IE7 *shudder* only because of work, but again I've tweak the settings a little, making it a slightly more tolerable browser.
Mighty BOB!
May 06, 2010 at 5:48am
Firefox for 98% of my browsing, IE8 for 1%, and Chromium for a little bit of work-related WebGL stuff.
Havok
May 06, 2010 at 5:24am
I`m using both Fire Fox, on my all powerful desktop, and Chrome on my Asus 1201n netbook. Fire fox used to be really zippy on my netbook, but then for some reason it just started lagging really bad. I made the switch to Chrome and haven`t had to wait for a page to move ever since. I may change my desktop to Chrome just for simplicities sake.
YES! This post made it through the Spam Filter!
TechJunkie
May 06, 2010 at 5:09am
I rock IE 8 and proudly awaiting for IE 9! I use FF as a back up (for some odd reason). Google just leaves a bad taste in my wifes mouth....she calls it Gurgle....
US_Ranger
May 06, 2010 at 9:14am
I thought I was the only one still using IE but I'm glad I'm not. I don't see a problem with IE 8 and it treats me well. Yeah, it locked up once in awhile but I just use the restore tabs option if it crashes and I'm good to go.
whr4usa
May 06, 2010 at 1:12pm
yeah IE8 only crashes because of Flash, OEM toolbars or the google & apple updaters lol.
tri8gman
May 06, 2010 at 2:42pm
The way IE8 shows me every ad and pop-up while executing all the different scripts of any page I visit.
Who needs NoScript and Adblock when third-party advertising firms keep their systems so malware free?
/sarcasm
I spent 4 hours removing malware from my aunt's computer. She goes to Yahoo and Comcast to play their free flash games. That is all. It took longer because there were a couple "regen" infections.
whr4usa
September 09, 2010 at 1:28pm
again, Internet Options my friend spend 15 minutes tops in Internet Options hardening\customizing\securing & you'll have little to worry about, even if you don't use IE you should customize those options because many of them apply to how the OS itself accesses the web & can affect other browsers' settings as well
adobe, comcast, yahoo etc. would be your malware issue there, not microsoft
Connect with MaximumPC
Featured Content
The gang discusses the GTX 690, Trinity, Ivy Bridge, Amazon, big-box stores, MMOs,...
This month's issue
Feature
Build a PC On Any Budget
Feature
Cloud Services Showdown
How-To
Encrypt Your External Drive
Build It
Upgrade an X58 Rig
Most Commented Articles
Latest Max PC Tweets
- maximumpc: Original RickRoll Video Returns to YouTube After 24-Hour Copyright Hiatus http://t.co/MaH9Sxyy6 hours 11 min ago
- maximumpc: Corsair has decided not to go forward with its $78 million IPO, citing weak equity market conditions http://t.co/A5a4DAzj6 hours 21 min ago
- maximumpc: Want to work at Maximum PC? Our Online Managing Editor, Alex, is moving away, so we need a new one. http://t.co/9Z7JCh0E2 days 4 hours ago
