Boycott

I try my best to get people I know to use Firefox¹ to browse the web. Usually, this entails a quick, non-technical explanation like "most spyware is written to work with I.E." (as opposed to explaining what Active-X is or that I.E. is part of the operating system). I then point out features like tabbed browsing and live bookmarks. I tell them to give it a try and that I.E. and Firefox can exist on the same PC and that they can use one or the other and this comes is handy for those pesky I.E.-only sites. However, I have a feeling Microsoft has a plan to make Firefox unstable in Vista, a 'feature' that is not in the testing release. Maybe I'm a conspiracy theorist but given Microsoft's record of not playing nice with other software (like Netscape) I would not put that past them.

I saw a more technical critique of I.E. posted on Windowsitpro.com by Paul Thurrott in which he states: "Boycott IE. It's a cancer on the Web that must be stopped. IE isn't secure and isn't standards-compliant, which makes it unworkable both for end users and Web content creators."

Many end-users can probably be convinced that "I.E. is a cancer on the Web" but the average user isn't concerned with CSS but they do want the Web to work; they want standards but they don't necessary care if they are open or proprietary. It's up to the developers now to not give in and develop I.E.-only websites and, instead, develop with established standards. It is also up to those of us who use Firefox, Flock, Opera, or Seamonkey to spread the word and tell people "don't click on that blue e."

I.E. was one cancer that everyone should have ignored when it first appeared.


1 - My In-laws still use Netscape. I got them on it in '99 and it works for them. I've been educating people about the perils of using I.E. for quite some time.