The power of an old habit is a powerful habit. Fear of the unknown is a stong fear. Combined they may make people give up on the alternatives after just a few minutes of testing, because it wasn’t just like what they’re used to. I’ve met those people. It is obvious that this combination is stronger than the advantages one gets by switching to newer browsers. IE being the most widely used browser, people tend to tweak their sites so that it can be used problem free anyway, or even design sites for IE – this means that many don’t see any need for any switch, seeing that IE does what they expect. And – it can be understood.
With alternatives offering more features, better support for the standards used for making web sites, and still see such a massive majority being happy with IE – is there anything IE do that these others don’t? Oh yes.
With the tight integration with the operating system, IE does offer some possibilities not available to other browsers. Though – not necessarily used in a positive way…
- many have experienced that their start page has changed – and not always possible to change back
- many have been very annoyed at the pesky pop up windows that seems to appear everywhere, many with rather nasty content…
- many have wondered why their computer has started working slower and slower, or why their connection is so slow
- and more…
IE can’t be blamed for all of this – many download programs that makes their share of havoc – but many do take advantages of the way IE work to install spyware, adware, malware, change start pages, add toolbars and whatever, some by deceiving the user, some completely hidden, with out the user being aware of it.
Using common sense and being on the alert will help avoid quite a bit of this, but not everything. IE has by design features that are a security concern, unlike the alternative browsers. Still, many prefer to download AdAware, Spybot Search and Destroy and tools like that (which is a sensible move) to rid the PC from the different pests that have taken hold. But then they continue to use IE, making such cleaning session a necessary routine every now and then. That makes me stumped; by switching browser it would be highly probable that such a routine would be for the most part unnecessary, as other browsers are (again by design) more secure.
No browser is error free – there has been and will be discovered security holes in all of them. However, the ones reported about IE are not only many more, to me it looks like they’re more serious threats, too. It’s gotten so bad that more and more security experts, official departments and even governments, are warning against the use of IE and recommending switching to alternatives.
Many have followed that advice, but still many don’t. Even if they have been told about the threats many times. Now, that’s the people I don’t understand at all. OK, some live happily thinking “it doesn’t happen me” – but some continue in the same track, with the same old IE, even if “bad stuff” has happened to them again and again.
I just have to ask: Why? Why on earth do you want to continue use IE, when you have experienced that it brings you trouble, and you should know the solution is right in front of you? Please answer me, anyone.
Because I’m dumbfounded.
