A.P. Lawrence

"Alternative" Browsers

Thu Jul 22 18:09:56 2004 "Alternative" Browsers
Posted by BigDumbDinosaur
Search Keys: browser,Windows,internet explorer, malicious code,Mozilla
Referencing: Web Browsing

More on the so-called browser wars:

http://www.cnn.com/2004 /TECH/internet/07/02/ alternative.browsers.ap/index.html

The above is an article about the growing clamor to abandon Microsoft's Internet Exploder...er...Explorer for a browser that is more resistant to attacks by malicious code in web pages.  As usual, the article starts off okay and then tries to put a positive spin on the situation.  For example:

IE is a frequent target for hacking because of its popularity; WebSideStory Inc. says 95 percent of surfers use it globally.

Actually, IE is a frequent target because it is easily attacked.  Yet the press just can't seem to understand that aspect of IE -- or Windows, for that matter.  Popularity has little bearing on the situation.  If IE wasn't so easy to attack it wouldn't be a target.

"It's not that consumers are so loyal to Microsoft, but more they are apathetic," said Geoff Johnston, an analyst with WebSideStory, which tracks browser usage.  "With it, there really is a cost to switching."

This guy hit the nail on the head about apathy.  However, he missed the boat by not emphasizing the role played by ignorance and danced around the true measure of "cost."  Any cost associated with changing browsers needs to be examined in the context of what will be gained by switching.  What Johnston didn't say was there is also a cost associated with not switching browsers, and that is the cost of data loss and downtime associated with repairing damaged Windows installations.

At least there is some press being published about the problem, but there also seems to be an undercurrent of reluctance to report the entire story.  Perhaps CNN is afraid Bill Gates might get upset and pull his Windows advertising from the TV broadcasts.

Psst - Wanna work for yourself?

Comments
CommentsBlog1005 :

Look at this: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1626067,00.asp and http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1624089,00.asp

Both of the above stories are like the CNN story: each author attempts to put a positive spin on the situation. They are apparently unwilling -- or unable -- to call a spade a spade and say, "Using Internet Explorer is hazardous to the health of your Windows installation."

As for one of the authors' complaints about Mozilla not properly rendering some sites due to the requirement for client-side ActiveX scripting, .ASP support or whatever, I say, "Oh well! If I can't view it in Mozilla I don't need to view it." The bank where my business accounts used to be domiciled found out about that attitude when they insisted I had to use IE to access my account info on line. My reply: "I'll find a bank that doesn't have that requirement and give them my business." It took some searching, but I did and I did.

--BigDumbDinosaur

---July 26, 2004


Funny stuff.

I think people's idea of software is crap for the most part. To them crashing is normal, pop-ups are normal, spyware/adware/viruses are just bumps in the road.

But if their kid can't play shockwave games at disney.com it's the end of the world! Horrible!

To me, getting on a computer and using IE is a nightmare. The internet is a hostile and irritating place, full of crap and people out to get me.

What I don't get is why don't people realise that THIS IS A BROWSER. It's stupid program to take HTML code and parse it to something you can enjoy reading. While it is indeed a challenging thing to create I don't see a reason why it has to be a security concern?! There is something seriously wrong with this picture.

Of course people say: "Well XXX isn't used by anybody, so why should hackers target it?"

Why don't they just get the fact that all software is not created equal, and maybe, just maybe, having a internet browser that is integrated into almost every aspect of the OS in one way or another is not a good idea.

--Drag

Add your comments

Why no "Digg this!" etc.?

Enter your email address for automatic notification of new posts here
(be sure to whitelist 'feedburner.com' if you use spam filtering)

Need eyes on the ground at your customer's site?
Installation and light training Boston and New England
Reliable and experienced, punctual and professional.

/Blog/B1005.html copyright July 2004 BigDumbDinosaur All Rights Reserved

Have you tried Searching this site?

Unix/Linux/Mac OS X support by phone, email or on-site: Support Rates

This is a Unix/Linux resource website. It contains technical articles about Unix, Linux and general computing related subjects, opinion, news, help files, how-to's, tutorials and more. We appreciate comments and article submissions.

Publishing your articles here