Still Using Internet Explorer? 7 Reasons to Break the IE Habit
Time to Read: 2m 29s
Internet Explorer is dead. Dead as a doornail. [caption id="attachment_3583" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Doornails.[/caption] Yet some people continue to use it. If you use IE, you should switch to Firefox or Google Chrome immediately, and here's why: 1. The Department of Homeland Security has asked people to stop using it. Why? Because there was a bug that compromised its security and no one could find a fix for it. (And really, isn't "Homeland Security says don't do it" enough of a reason?) 2. Its way of interpreting code is different. Most browsers -- Firefox, Chrome, Safari -- interpret code the same way. That means a site will look the same across each of those browsers. IE, on the other hand, is the rogue holdout. It interprets code in a different way, which is why sites often look different when viewed in IE. And since developers work to design sites that work well in these other browsers, your site is going to look wrong when you open it in IE. Download Chrome or Firefox to see your site the way it was meant to be seen. 3. IE is vulnerable to viruses. IE is old and hackers know its every nook and cranny. That means if you use it you are more likely to get hit with malware, spyware or Trojan horses. Newer browsers offer better security. 4. It's not compatible with Mac. If you use a mac computer you probably already know this, but in case you don't: Microsoft stopped making IE versions for Mac a long time ago, which means you can't use IE on iPads, iPhones or iMacs. 5. Internet Explorer lacks automatic updates. Whenever Firefox or Chrome need to be updated, a little window will pop up when you open the browser. The update will download and your browser will continue to run the way it's supposed to. IE doesn't do this. Do you really want to hunt for browser updates? 6. Internet Explorer lacks updates, period. There haven't been very many updates to IE lately. You know why you have to go on Ebay to buy clamshell headlights? It's because they quit putting clamshell headlights on the Buick Riviera after 1969, and nobody makes them any more. Updates are sorta like clamshell headlighits -- they don't make IE updates because it's like a '65 Riviera: out of date and out of style. (Ok, I take that back: a '65 Buick Riviera is cool. IE is not. Bad example.) 7. It doesn't let you take your work home. Chrome and Firefox can synchronize across multiple computers. That means you can access your bookmarks no matter where you are -- at home, at work, wherever. IE doesn't give you this option. It can be hard to switch browsers -- using a new browser means learning new features. But the learning curve for Chrome or Firefox is short, and once you get used to the change, you'll marvel at how much better everything functions. Photo credit: FeistyTortilla / Foter / CC BY
Doornails.[/caption] Yet some people continue to use it. If you use IE, you should switch to Firefox or Google Chrome immediately, and here's why: 1. The Department of Homeland Security has asked people to stop using it. Why? Because there was a bug that compromised its security and no one could find a fix for it. (And really, isn't "Homeland Security says don't do it" enough of a reason?) 2. Its way of interpreting code is different. Most browsers -- Firefox, Chrome, Safari -- interpret code the same way. That means a site will look the same across each of those browsers. IE, on the other hand, is the rogue holdout. It interprets code in a different way, which is why sites often look different when viewed in IE. And since developers work to design sites that work well in these other browsers, your site is going to look wrong when you open it in IE. Download Chrome or Firefox to see your site the way it was meant to be seen. 3. IE is vulnerable to viruses. IE is old and hackers know its every nook and cranny. That means if you use it you are more likely to get hit with malware, spyware or Trojan horses. Newer browsers offer better security. 4. It's not compatible with Mac. If you use a mac computer you probably already know this, but in case you don't: Microsoft stopped making IE versions for Mac a long time ago, which means you can't use IE on iPads, iPhones or iMacs. 5. Internet Explorer lacks automatic updates. Whenever Firefox or Chrome need to be updated, a little window will pop up when you open the browser. The update will download and your browser will continue to run the way it's supposed to. IE doesn't do this. Do you really want to hunt for browser updates? 6. Internet Explorer lacks updates, period. There haven't been very many updates to IE lately. You know why you have to go on Ebay to buy clamshell headlights? It's because they quit putting clamshell headlights on the Buick Riviera after 1969, and nobody makes them any more. Updates are sorta like clamshell headlighits -- they don't make IE updates because it's like a '65 Riviera: out of date and out of style. (Ok, I take that back: a '65 Buick Riviera is cool. IE is not. Bad example.) 7. It doesn't let you take your work home. Chrome and Firefox can synchronize across multiple computers. That means you can access your bookmarks no matter where you are -- at home, at work, wherever. IE doesn't give you this option. It can be hard to switch browsers -- using a new browser means learning new features. But the learning curve for Chrome or Firefox is short, and once you get used to the change, you'll marvel at how much better everything functions. Photo credit: FeistyTortilla / Foter / CC BY