IE faces serious competition

[Ioman]

Netscapes Marc Andreessen says that Internet Explorer faces some serious compeition from smaller browsers. Of course this is nothing new to us. I am surprised by how many people are using FireFox. I am still using IE, but occasionally I use Netscape 7 when browsing.

I predict that Microsoft will release a new IE with tabbed browsing and other features to compete - and free of course.

Here is the story from Cnet News: http://news.com.com/Andreessen+IE+fa...l?tag=nefd.top

[ECA]

Excuse ME:

BUT iwndows will have to CLOSE THE BACKDOORS, before everyone is half way happy.

[spankers]

I'd bet Firefox will gain market share. The benefits of Firefox go WAY beyond the tabbed browsing features. The extension framework for Firefox has generated a large amount of community support. Pop-up blocker, adblock, page translation, image zoom, mini-applications (calendar, photo browsers, etc.), ad infinitum...

https://update.mozilla.org/extension...p?category=All

The thing that has driven/will drive people to Firefox or other alternative browsers though, is what ECA mentioned. Insecurity in IE. IE insecurities have burned enough people to the point where IE has a very bad reputation and a bad reputation, as all know, is hard to overcome.

The concern I have with Firefox is the very extensibility that makes it so neat. I've a feeling that extensions will be an Achilles Heel in it's future. Some nefarious character will write or modify extensions to do very bad things.

Time will tell. As it stands I enjoy using Firefox as my primary browser.

Tschüss!
Ed

[znaps]

I just started using Firefox on XP at work. It's really slick - pretty much perfect. I've been using Mozilla at home for a long time now for its email client, and before that I used Opera...haven't used IE for a couple of years now.

[ECA]

NOW,
The funny thing about this is THE MORE ppl LEARN about windows, the LESS they want to use it..Dont CARE how perfect and stable IT SEEMS. Once the flaws are seen and esperienced(and they KNOW what caused it) PPL look for alternatives..
And Firefox is QUICK and fiast and has TIME to create a GREAT browser, while IE sits and suffers.

[Ioman]

But don't you guys think that as FireFox gains in popularity, the number of security hacks will increase? It could be that the only reason why IE has so many insecurities is becaused its hacked so much.

I have never been a fan of Opera, but I do like Netscape 7.1 since it appears to be the most compatible with sites other than IE.

[znaps]

Security attacks will definitely increase on Firefox, but I still think IE is insecure due to design - security in IE was an afterthought for Microsoft, but an important design constraint for Firefox.

[spankers]

Like I said, time will tell which browser is more/less secure. I believe the alternate browsers will enjoy a security advantage over time for both of the reasons above. Browsers like Forefox/Mozilla will enjoy a security advantage just because they don't have the installed base that IE has. When one of the alternates (probably Firefox) achieves enough of an installed base, perhaps it will have its share of compromises.

One of the things that makes it oh so easy for Windows/IE to be compromised is that most home/non-corporate Windows boxes run with admin privileges out of the box. Hell... even in corporate environments I've seen most user accounts have more privileges than necessary. How many worms/viruses/trojans could have been avoided if Windows forced the creation of a normal user account without admin priviledges? Despite Microsoft's blather about security initiatives and "Trusted Computing", they only take half measures when it comes to Windows security. Of course, if they did lock down Windows, half of the known world would be screaming because their computer would no longer be as easy to use. Catch-22.

One of the benefits of Linux/BSD/UNIX is the strict enforcement of file permissions. An ordinary user cannot change system files and should only have write permissions to his/her home directory. Of course, you occasionally run into some nutcase that likes to run as root. Bad, Bad, Bad....

[znaps]

It helps that on many Linux distributions pretty much all the software you need can be pre-installed, so users won't need to modify dirs outside of their home dir.

Of course on Win boxes commercial software reigns supreme so your everyday Joe has to be able to install it himself, so he needs admin privileges.

[ECA]

Another Thought:
The service windows supplies for "TRUSTED" sites SUCKS... Shouldnt even have been STARTED. It costs $200 for a licence, can be PLACED on any site, and MS DONT FOLLOW up on it.
Pay the $200 and setup a site to BANG IE to death. Trojans, virus, Adult site, anything I WANT.
This is like walking in for a drivers licence and they HAND it to you, with out TESTING.
This is like SPEEDING down the freeway, and NOT getting a ticket.
IMO, that LICENCE was there for SECURITY.
When IE sees that Licence, or EVEN WHEN WE DO, we THINK, its a trusted site. That MS KNOWS about the SITE and MAY have some control on it.