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Why you need to install IE7 even if you use Firefox or Opera

TravisO

By TravisO
in Windows XP

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CoffeeFiend

CoffeeFiend

Posted
Posted
I think too many folks are quick to bash IE (any version) just because it has M$'s name on it.

Yeah. It wouldn't have to do that it's an insecure POS.

Nor that CSS2 support (things like display:table, CSS opacity, etc) - an 8 1/2 year old standard is seriously lagging behind every other major browser. I wasn't expecting them to implement anything like 100% of the CSS2 specs or to even pass the ACID2 test (which nearly every other browser does nowadays), but they hardly improved CSS at all.

Nor that they willingly didn't improve (chose not to) DOM 2 events support, even though it's the single and only browser I know of that doesn't support that, requiring IE-only code (nasty). Same goes for DOM 2 traversal-range and DOM 2 style support. This is not new stuff either (another W3C recommendation that's a several years old)

Nor about their decision of not supporting win2k anymore, a bit early IMO (couldn't care less about win9x though), artificially forcing us (ppl who make web stuff) to support the IE6 atrocity for a while longer.

Couldn't be because it just plain sucks either. Tons of things like on a failed postback, when you go back, often your post contents is gone (doesn't happen with other browsers). Or the borked zoom feature (the underline under the hyperlinks is off-centered, the space around 'em vanishes, etc - example and screenshots on request). Nor that they've put the menu bar (the file|edit|view... thing) under the address bar by default either (what a stupid move), being the very first windows app I've seen where it's not immediately under the title bar.

It couldn't be because basically every other browser out there is more secure, has more features, is more standards compliant, supports more OS'es (not just windows either), have tons of useful extensions/addons which are not available on IE, that it has rendering issues on pages that work fine on other browsers (again e.g. slashdot.org), or that every person creating web content using standards has been struggling to get IE to display it right (what a PITA), or that it took MS 5 years to release such a POS update to their sucky browser, that they went out of their way to put WGA checks that make installation a pain for those who don't want that spyware on their systems (and removed the integration switch and all), that it took them so bloody long to have half-decent PNG support (a 11 year old format), that the sucky browser's been holding back the web, that installing IE7 breaks some applications, etc.

In short, yeah, ppl just couldn't be "bashing" IE because it's the village id*** of browsers...

They hardly improved anything, besides adding tabs and a backwards UI.

Or perhaps we should rejoice that it just got support for the html4 abbr tag, finally, something every browser out there has been supporting for ages. After all, it's only dating back to '98, so it only took them 7 short years to implement that very basic feature. At that rate, we might have proper xhtml support (proper mime type) in 15 years (nevermind that by then every other browser will support things like XForms, SVG, etc)

Yeah. We're "bashing" IE just because it's teh M$ - not because it DOES suck. (Nevermind I use and love basically all their other products, Windows, IIS, MS SQL, VS, Office, etc) IE is possibly the VERY WORST app MS has EVER made (FAR worse than WinME, but perhaps a tie with Bob)


Thunderbolt 2864

Thunderbolt 2864

Posted
Posted

Who here thinks the layout of IE7 is too complicated? I don't like it how the navigation buttons are all over the place, Back and Forward button at the left hand side of the screen while the rest is at the bottom near right hand side.... WTF? How unconvienient.

CoffeeFiend

CoffeeFiend

Posted
Posted
At the bottom of the window?

http://www.microsoft.com/library/media/103...ew/toolbar1.jpg

The buttons still look like they're at the top...

Nah, not at the bottom of the window, but underneath it, to the right of the screen (the other buttons page, tool, print and such). And to be fair, he's right. It's very annoying to scroll all the way across the screen for that. And if you add buttons (like for fiddler or such), then they seemingly stay hidden, you have to click those 2 tiny arrows besides it for it to appear underneath. I'm not liking the GUI at all.

Thunderbolt 2864

Thunderbolt 2864

Posted
Posted

At the bottom of the window?

http://www.microsoft.com/library/media/103...ew/toolbar1.jpg

The buttons still look like they're at the top...

Nah, not at the bottom of the window, but underneath it, to the right of the screen (the other buttons page, tool, print and such). And to be fair, he's right. It's very annoying to scroll all the way across the screen for that. And if you add buttons (like for fiddler or such), then they seemingly stay hidden, you have to click those 2 tiny arrows besides it for it to appear underneath. I'm not liking the GUI at all.

Yes thats what I mean. Its so complicated and confusing I wonder why Microsoft and the IE team bothered re-arranging it. It looks horrid, and I agree, the GUI sucks big time.

Even Firefox 2.0 looks way better and feels better than IE7. Just got it and it works great.

CoffeeFiend

CoffeeFiend

Posted
Posted

I love FF too (although there's several other great browsers like Opera which I also use), but I've been holding on version 2 (the betas, and haven't installed the final even though it came out a little while ago), mainly because I'm not sure my favorite extensions are working on it yet. Within a week or so hopefully they'll all be available for it. I might backup my current profile and give it a try anyways.

Tasslehoff

Tasslehoff

Posted
Posted (edited)

How do I move the menu bar to the top and the address bars down one. I've tried unlocking the toolbar but unlike Office/Firefox etc I can't seem to move anything. Albeit I've only been playing around for a few minutes with it but yeah, it seems dumbed down and not all that user friendly.

Edited by Tasslehoff
TravisO

TravisO

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
Yeah. It wouldn't have to do that it's an insecure POS...

After reading your full rant, and from my experience, I can't disagree with anything. Just to set the record straight, I didn't create this topic to put IE7 on a throne. I merely stated it's a great security improvement for XP. Honestly, I use Firefox for my surfing and IE.

Edited by travisowens
severach

severach

Posted
Posted

>I think too many folks are quick to bash IE (any version) just because it has M$'s name on it

Not so. I initially forced myself to use FF to be a fanboi and I hated it. After a few months I got used to the quirky things about Firefox and now I like FF and hate IE. IE is like a broke down beater car compared to a new Cadillac. IE7 continues to be a day late and a dollar short.

I had to uninstall IE7 because it made my system blue screen too often and I now need to reinstall Windows to clean it up. That's what you get when you install a browser that updates system components. I also don't like how IE7 needs to download "more" before installing. I'll wait for the full release.

prx984

prx984

Posted
Posted

i prefer the look of IE6 to all browsers. you gotta admit, the visuals of IE6 are quite nice. i actually have firefox setup to look like IE6. im still trying to get one thing though, but that doesnt bother me.

heres what it looks like on my computer

Windows Classic Look

th_ffie1.png

Windows XP Look

th_ffie2.png

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