web browsers

[Monster]

I'm using AWeb, on AmigaOS 3.9 on an Amiga emulator on
Windows. Why? Because it makes any web page look better!
And it loads web pages faster than any Windows web
browser (I wonder why, because you know, it's running on
an emulation after all!), you can already type ahead
in forms while the web page is still loading, no problem!
And it has a progress bar that shows exactly how much of
the page is loaded. Surprisingly it works with most web
pages.

Another funny feature is that it doesn't display pop-up
windows -- instead, it says it can't recognize the file
and if I'd like to save it!

Plus, it has functions that aren't available in any other
web browser, has important options a quick menu selection
or key stroke away, and is scriptable from outside the
browser.

*lights cigarette* Being an Amiga user indeed has advantages,
be it on a real Amiga or just an emulator!

 

[bostonchick]

MyIE2 is awesome. IMHO

 

[spidergoolash]

I don't. I see it taking over the majority of techie's browsers, but the common end-user is just going to stick with what MS gives them, which will be IE. They can surf the web, so why install anything new? They're never going to use the extra features of Mozilla, and they're not going to want to install plugins to get similar functionality to what's built into IE.

*i'm* using firefox :D

 

[Diesel]

*i'm* using firefox :D

You're not really the typical user. You've taken steps in the past to search out ways to enhance your online experience. You go out of your way to learn something new.

The typical end user is happy with what they're given, and don't seek out alternatives.
Take my grandfather:
He uses Eudora... why? Because it's free, and that's what he started out using.
He uses IE... why? Because it's free, and that's what he started out using.

He doesn't care that there are alternative browsers. In fact, if you put one in front of him, he'd likely complain because it would be something new for him to learn.

You've progressed well past that point a long time ago. While you might think you fit into the "typical end user" category, your behavior has moved you out of that group, whether you knew it or not.

 

[Guest]

Give the BS up.

I am a web designer, been doing it for two years now, and I'll give you my take: we are looking to suit the largest audience possible. That means looking at IE.

The simple and proven fact is that more than 90% of all users access web pages via Internet Explorer. Who cares about why? The fact is that IE's domination of the internet landscape resembles Barry Bonds' domination of the MLB.

I stick with IE not only because I test with it, but because web designers follow the trend I follow: focus on IE. It does have advantages. Not one "third-party" browser renders better than IE, partly because of how web designers focus.

I would take the rendering of IE over the hacker risk and "extra features" that Mozilla, etc. has.

 

[Diesel]

I would take the rendering of IE over the hacker risk and "extra features" that Mozilla, etc. has.

That's a pretty funny statement, considering that the "hacker risk" is greater with IE than any other browser combined, specifically because of the gaping security holes that are present.
Hackers write hacks that specifically target IE exploits. Most spyware that installs itself on IE doesn't even work on browsers other than IE.

Not one "third-party" browser renders better than IE, partly because of how web designers focus.

Change "better than" in that statement to "as poorly as", and you have it closer to being accurate. Other browsers focus on adhering to standards, while IE gets it close to "approximate". When a web designer follows the poor practice of "designing for IE" is where this gets hairy, as has been discussed in this thread. The problem is because there are so many poor designers out there that focus ONLY on IE, that they design pages that will only properly reflect their original vision in IE, and therefore are not coding to standards.

"Good" web designers design pages that look right in all browsers. Poor web designers only focus on making it look right for the lowest common denominator. The bad thing is that there are too many poor designers out there, which means that there will always be a reliance on IE.

I've managed to get Firefox to the point where I can use it 85% of the time, and pages will look fine, but there's a reason that there's a "View In IE" extension for Firefox, and it's that other 15%.

 

[spidergoolash]

the "hacker risk" is greater with IE than any other browser combined, specifically because of the gaping security holes that are present

i've done some researching myself and this is the main reason why i decided to switch. i haven't had any problems w/firefox yet, but then again, i'm not a power user ... we'll see how it goes.

 

[spidergoolash]

this thing is cool. it's got tabbed browsing and ability to add your own search engines. it's also got some cool skins - that's about all i've been able to figure out at this point, but i'm sure there's more

 

[Diesel]

There are some extensions that really increase the usability of Firefox.
Unfortunately, it also seems to slow it down a little bit, but they definitely make it more functional.