So now IE7 Beta 2 is finally out. And it really seems a whole lot like the IE7 beta “preview” that was out back in January. The differences are pretty minor. It looks like a pretty decent web browser, but it’s definitely not going to get me to stop using Firefox . No siree…!
I know it takes a long time to re-jigger your whole web browser, but by “late 2006″ it’ll be five years since IE6 was released. That’s kind of ridiculous, when you look at it that way. I know the company had to spend a bunch of man-hours fixing stuff for Service Pack 2, but five years?
Firefox is gaining marketshare steadily, converting more users with every passing month. Some switch because they fear the security problems in IE. I don’t really buy into that as an excuse. Internet Explorer does indeed support ActiveX , which is a means of running native code through your web browser. And like any native code, it presents a security risk. You shouldn’t run an ActiveX control any more than you would run an .exe you download from that website, because essentially that’s what it is. That’s also why you can do some really great stuff with ActiveX. But Firefox isn’t my browser of choice because it’s more secure. New versions of Firefox drop all the time with bunches of security fixes both big and small.
To be honest, the browser itself isn’t the weak point in online security. The weak point is viruses, Trojans, and other locally-run programs. ActiveX apps can install these things, but as long as you don’t click on that little bar on the top of IE that says “hey do you wanna run the ActiveX control on this page?” when you’re not sure it’s safe, you’re okay there. The real security risks come from downloaded warez, P2P apps, email attachments, and tons of other things your web browser can’t really protect you from. That’s not to say that browser security isn’t important. Crucial, even. It’s just that I don’t believe running Firefox is making my computer more secure than running IE.
But Firefox does so many other things right. Its interface is simple and attractive, but customizable if need be. Performance is good enough. The real kicker for me is the extensions. I don’t run many. But the number of options are many, and make it easy to customize the fox, whatever way you want to.
So I’m staying with Firefox. Who knows, maybe in the six months between now and release, IE 7 will do the things I want, or at least I will be able to easily make it do so. But where will Firefox be by then?
