Thinking of ditching IE? Think again
Jonathan Yarden
Published: 18 Oct 2005 18:50 BST
...popularity. Malware authors typically focus on frequently used software, and IE is no exception. And as the popularity of other Web browsers grows, they begin to attract more attention from hackers.
In fact, Firefox — arguably the most common IE alternative — has seen its fair share of exploitable security problems in recent months. And that means users are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
While it's possible to improve security in IE, it's quite difficult for most people. Although Microsoft has made improvements that allow people to specifically manage add-ons in IE6, the majority of users are still unaware of how to use any of these features.
However, using an alternative Web browser that doesn't support ActiveX prevents users from accessing those Web sites that require it. This is perhaps the largest issue when it comes to not using IE. Despite the overwhelming evidence that using proprietary technologies on Web sites is a horrible idea, Web sites that require IE are actually quite common. And even after years of criticism, Microsoft still remains resistant to fully implementing W3C standards.
There are also differences in how different Web browsers process XML and CSS. While larger Web sites compensate for many of these issues, others do not. And even some Web sites that don't use proprietary Microsoft features simply won't work using alternative Web browsers due to subtle differences in how all Web browsers process HTML, JavaScript, or Java. Despite claims to the contrary, Java is anything but portable.
Regardless of the reasoning, companies need to realise that it's not always feasible to simply abandon IE. If your organisation has decided to stop using IE based on the premise that another browser's security is better, it's making a questionable assumption that might prove to be more trouble than it's worth.
Jonathan Yarden is the senior Unix system administrator, network security manager, and senior software architect for a US regional ISP.
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13 comments
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And what happens if you are not running Windows in... Anonymous -
Yarden might have been well intentioned in writing... Anonymous
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Sure, don't ditch IE. But that shouldn't mean ditc... Arthur B.
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Quoting from your column:
"In addition, a consider... Mark Van den Borre
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This article is a baseless advertisement for IE. T... Anonymous
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Of course you keep IE around: generally you have t... Fred Negus
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""In addition, a considerable number of Web s... Eduardo Webb -
I use other browsers because of all the functional... Anonymous
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I stopped using IE after a month of closing unwant... Peter Simpson
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It is a very weak argument to reconsider to switch... Percy Rotteveel
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Obviously on the side of IE. The pain of migratin... Simon Buckner
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Stick with Firefox it will never let you down!
IE... Ryan Jones
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Microsoft wide web rather than World wide web I su... Anonymous
