Why IE?
Published by punkass marc December 7th, 2007 in Punkass!, TechnologyI finally installed Google Analytics on PAB this weekend. We used to be on a dedicated server that gave me a fair number of standard reports on views, etc., but Google Analytics has much more usable data. For example, it’s cool to know that we’ve got peeps in places like Bahrain and Kuwait and Morocco checking us out. Assuming our international audience isn’t primarily made up of comment spammers, we’re delighted to have you!
At the moment, the question I have for our readership is this: why Internet Explorer? 37.77% of PAB readers view us on IE. Firefox is just over 51%, and I don’t personally know anybody on a PC who still uses IE as their browser of choice. Firefox is free, more adherent to web standards, and, well, not Microsoft.
So, IE users of PAB, help this IT geek understand why you use IE. Is it better for you somehow? Is it a pain to download Firefox? Do tell.
Bonus question: for the 3 viewers on a Playstation Portable (PSP), how’s that working out for you?
Marc, it’s most likely because they’re required to use IE at work - as everyone here (except the IT dept) is required to: I get a pass on this because I’m ‘evaluating’ how well Firefox will work with our other apps (ans: not so well actually).
While I am an avid Firefox user myself (since it was betaware), since I do web development I have to test using both. So I have to use Bill Gate’s satanic browser frequently whether I really want to or not. (There is also a small-but-adamant set of web sites that only support IE properly too, dammit!)
I think for many users it’s just easier to go along with Microsoft’s evil plans for world domination than to fight. IE works, it’s there, easy to get to, comes up by default on most Windows installations, etc.
The fact they release major security patches for it virtually on a monthly basis is no concern for many people (although it is a HUGE concern for me…)…
Force of habit. All my bookmarks are on IE. If I were to start using Firefox, I’d have to actually type in the websites I want to go to before I save them. So in other words I am very, very lazy. Maybe this will inspire me to switch over, because I’ve at least downloaded Firefox to my work computer.
I’ll second what firefalluk said: I have an older model PC at work which, in *theory*, could support Firefox, but it’s just easier to use IE. However, at home, it’s Safari all the way for me.
Yeah, depending on which work computer I’m using, Firefox isn’t available. It’s so inconsiderate of them not to make Firefox available for my all-important and completely sanctioned blog-viewing at work.
Gracias gents. I still do web development for clients on the side so this is meaningful to me.
Who else has IE insights for me?
Firefox has gotten crashier for me in the last six months or so. I’ve been tempted to go back to Safari; if I were on a PC, perhaps I’d be tempted to return to IE?
I.E. 7 is not horrible. At least it added tabs, like Firefox, and its support of CSS seems to be better than it used to be. I don’t have any idea the penetration of v7 vs. v6 out in the real world. Never tried Safari since they released a Windows version…
Thanks, LadyGrey. I’m on PC and Mac and haven’t had much Firefox crashing, but I suppose I see so much crashing in other apps (Adobe After Effects, etc.) that my tolerance may be too high. I have been curious about the new Safari on PC. May have to check that out…
I had no complaints about Firefox until the last update, which wiped out my bookmarks. Apparently, this is not unheard of. While I still love Firefox far more than I’ll ever love IE, Firefox enthusiasts tend to discuss only ways in which Firefox is better and we do forget that it has some problems too.
You realize you have the highest ratio of Firefox to IE that I’ve ever seen or heard of, right?
We’re 2:1 IE:Firefox and that’s on the far edge of believable for a relatively mainstream website. Most places Firefox is 10-20% at best.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t get it either, but the fact that PAB is over half Firefox is a really striking fact.
Firefox will rule the future. However, while on campus, running youtube in Firefox is deadly. How else will I get my bootlegged music on whim?! This post has inspired me though and I’ll run my low-maintenance pages in Firefox and youtube in IE. of course, I never counted because I read everything on google.com/reader.
Amy - you can import your bookmarks from IE to Firefox easily.
Hey Mike!
I found it surprising too. But then I thought about my cool progressive type audience when compared to the general public and realized most folks here would probably be savvy enough to use the browser they wanted and fear not the downloading of new software. If true, that means that I have to assume at least some of the 37.77% of IE users are actively eschewing other browsers for IE. Maybe it’s work restrictions like firefalluk says, or maybe it’s something else entirely. I’m not lovey-dovey with Firefox or anything, just curious if anyone’s got a strong pro-IE take.
To be perfectly honest, I do prefer IE, if for no other reason than it seems to stream a lot faster for me. I can’t really watch youtube vids on firefox.
Speaking of evil microsoft, for anyone tempted to “upgrade” to vista: DONT. My month old laptop has crashed three times, and I haven’t seen any features yet that really make it better than xp.
My school district has banned Firefox. Firefox does not work on our school computers.
My school district has also banned half the Internet. So I figure that viewing PAB at school, even if on IE, is somewhat of a rebellion.
woot! stick it to the man, j.
When I’m at work it’s IE but here at home on my Apple, Firefox or Safari all the way. I did download Firefox at work, but it’s way slower on their network for some reason.
Firefox doesn’t display any of our proprietary web-apps at the office. Even when I had admin rights on my machine, I rarely used Firefox because I had to keep switching back and forth to IE to make the web-apps work…
Sad but true.
I also agree with MikeEss… IE v7 is less lame than it could be.
OK, I’m going to assume that all website stats are that bizarre, and it’s just that today’s the first time I’ve ever seen such detail.
Working in tech, I use both.
For my stuff, I tend to use FireFox because it loads a bit faster. For a lot of sites (especially outside the US), you need to use IE because they’ll choke on Firefox. Honestly, I don’t care–FF or IE, Toyota or Honda–what ever gets me where I need to go, and both so it. I don’t have a religious agenda to push me one way or the other. Hhaving worked for MSFT, I recognize the a lot of the problems in MS software are because of one asshole in middle management who forces in some feature everyone regrets later. Also, their software is still the best-tested software in the world–period.
Widgets and whatnot are easier to find for FireFox (Foxmarks to synch bookmarks across machines, FireBug, etc), so it has that advantage. Maybe there are some for IE, but nobody pays them any heed.
I actually get annoyed because I a lot of devs will test code on FF only and it breaks on IE which is used pretty much exclusively in the area where I work. Then, I have to file defects and waggle my finger in a tiresome manner.