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View Full Version : Mac users... do they ever use Internet Explorer?



kaldor
March 14th, 2009, 04:14 PM
The thought just came to me; In OS X with a good browsera (Safari) installed, with options like Firefox, Camino, Opera, etc for OS X, does anyone download and use Internet Explorer? Why would they if so?

mcla0203
March 14th, 2009, 04:15 PM
Internet explorer isn't supported anymore for OS X. I wouldn't touch it anyway. Safari is the fastest browser as of now and firefox 3 works fine too.

kimikrishna
March 14th, 2009, 04:16 PM
i use safari and firefox.....!

both are equally good...!

ugm6hr
March 14th, 2009, 04:43 PM
Internet explorer isn't supported anymore for OS X. I wouldn't touch it anyway.

Likely a popular sentiment amongst Apple users, which is reflected in MS decision to not bother with IE on OSX.

Very different to MS Office situation on OSX.

Skripka
March 14th, 2009, 04:50 PM
Acitve support and development for IE for mac was cut a few years back.

Yownanymous
March 14th, 2009, 06:36 PM
I'm a usual WINDOWS user, and I still don't use IE. It's the ultimate virus-catching tool!

blueshiftoverwatch
March 14th, 2009, 06:55 PM
Acitve support and development for IE for mac was cut a few years back.
A few years back is a bit of an understatement. It hasn't been updated since June of 2003, which is almost six years. So even modern websites that have IE only features might not work correctly with a version of IE that's that old. Except maybe IE only websites that haven't been updated in almost six years.

You can't even run Internet Explorer for Mac on modern Intel based Macintoshes without emulation (http://www.atpm.com/12.09/classic.shtml) because of architecture changes, namely Apple's abandonment of PowerPC.

mamamia88
March 14th, 2009, 06:59 PM
even in windows i don't use ie

Skripka
March 14th, 2009, 07:07 PM
A few years back is a bit of an understatement. It hasn't been updated since June of 2003, which is almost six years. So even modern websites that have IE only features might not work correctly with a version of IE that's that old. Except maybe IE only websites that haven't been updated in almost six years.

You can't even run Internet Explorer for Mac on modern Intel based Macintoshes without emulation (http://www.atpm.com/12.09/classic.shtml) because of architecture changes, namely Apple's abandonment of PowerPC.

I was playing it safe-the last time I used IE on a mac, was on my UnderPoweredBook, as a matter of fact. ;)

billgoldberg
March 14th, 2009, 10:26 PM
Microsoft discontinued support for the product on December 31, 2005 and removed the application from their Macintosh downloads site on January 31, 2006. Microsoft itself recommends "that Macintosh users migrate to more recent web browsing technologies such as Apple's Safari."
Reference: Mactopia - Discover Office 2008 for Mac from Microsoft

Why in Jebus name would MS recommend a non-IE browser for another OS?

It doesn't make any sense.

Yownanymous
March 14th, 2009, 10:39 PM
Why in Jebus name would MS recommend a non-IE browser for another OS?

It doesn't make any sense.

I'll bet the spokesperson that said that got immediately fired...

Skripka
March 14th, 2009, 10:46 PM
Why in Jebus name would MS recommend a non-IE browser for another OS?

It doesn't make any sense.

What else can you do if you're Microsoft, and you terminate support for an OSX version of IE? Recommend that Mac users no longer browse the internet? Recommend that Mac users useFirefox instead? :D

crunchfighter
March 15th, 2009, 01:30 AM
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that just about everyone on this forum avoids Internet Explorer. If you are anything like me, ditching IE in favor of Firevox or Opera was your first step in the journey to Mac (and then/or) Linux.

lisati
March 15th, 2009, 01:36 AM
I commonly use Windows, and normally avoid IE. One thing that irritates my nasal hair is when some program insists on ignoring Firefox as default browser and firing up IE. I suspect that a programmer somewhere decided that it's easier to blindly run "IEXPLORE" than to consult the registry (or wherever) for the proper program to run.

loell
March 15th, 2009, 01:47 AM
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that just about everyone on this forum avoids Internet Explorer.

wierd though, using google analytics to analyse my ubuntu specific web app, I get 20-50 hits coming from IE out of 400+ hits almost everyday.

Peasantoid
March 15th, 2009, 01:53 AM
Wouldn't touch the thing with a ten-foot flamethrower.

kimikrishna
March 15th, 2009, 04:12 AM
use . I E is nothing but a *****

in win, it loads like a slow tortoise. :(

but firefox works the best.....! and like it

3rdalbum
March 15th, 2009, 05:13 AM
My old iMac actually came with Internet Explorer preinstalled. But I bet IE 5 was more secure than the first version of Safari. I'm not even sure IE 5 isn't more secure than the latest version of Safari :-)

wmcbrine
March 15th, 2009, 05:46 AM
I think IE 5.5 was the last version for Mac; however, it doesn't correspond to IE 5.5 for Windows. I use it sometimes to check stuff I'm developing, because it gives kind of a unique perspective. Otherwise, no.

joshdudeha
March 15th, 2009, 07:32 AM
I do :O
Nah, Joking - I just tried it out


Oh Dear, what a mess.
The pinstripes are so ugly, aha.

Who hired the design team for this version? ;)
Thank god it's been discontinued, it's horrible to browse with.


P.s. it wont even let me upload the screenshot !!

P.P.S. There we go, a nice screenshot of it ;D

3rdalbum
March 15th, 2009, 12:29 PM
I never realised it, but on OS X it does sorta look like an OS X app with the pinstripes.

You could change the colour of the buttons to match your colour of iMac, lol. But if there's one good thing about IE 5.5, it's that it had something fairly similar to Firefox 3's "Awesomebar". If you started typing the title of a web page that was in your favourites, it would autocomplete for you and you could go to the site. Very handy and I'm glad Firefox has it now.

tombom62
March 15th, 2009, 12:57 PM
OMG! That's just sad!

joshdudeha
March 15th, 2009, 10:16 PM
Yeah, but they removed the pinstripes (for good) in Leopard,
I'm using tiger, but I can't stand the brushed metal so I have a leopard theme, aha.
I really hate pinstriped menus

tombom62
March 15th, 2009, 10:21 PM
i think if you have got a mac, use safari/Firefox, and if you have got windows, use safari/firefox, and for linux, firefox.

suitedaces
March 15th, 2009, 10:26 PM
wierd though, using google analytics to analyse my ubuntu specific web app, I get 20-50 hits coming from IE out of 400+ hits almost everyday.

I only have access to IE at uni (complaints have not worked) and regularly browse ubuntu sites on campus.

joshdudeha
March 15th, 2009, 10:32 PM
I use Safari a lot on my mac, it's really quite nice.
Firefox lags on here for some reason, which is a shame - cos i love firefox.
I wish I had an intel mac,
then i could put linux on it, I dont want to fiddle around with it at the moment, its a Power PC G4

Johnsie
March 16th, 2009, 12:47 AM
Anyone who does professional web developement pretty much needs to have Internet Explorer. Even when you write standards compliant stuff you need to double check to make sure that websites render correctly for the target audience.

tombom62
March 16th, 2009, 01:33 AM
Anyone who does professional web developement pretty much needs to have Internet Explorer. Even when you write standards compliant stuff you need to double check to make sure that websites render correctly for the target audience.

and that's what wine is for./

MikeTheC
March 16th, 2009, 01:58 AM
Nope, haven't in so long you just wouldn't believe it... :)

Back in the days of Mac OS 9 and earlier, IE was legitimately the better browser vs. Netscape (especially in its later incarnations). We Mac users were probably all a fairly even mix of Netscape and IE users during and after the transition. Once Firefox and Safari were out for Mac OS X, there pretty much ceased to be a point in using IE on the Mac.

Happily, I can report to you today that the situation hasn't changed. We're still far better off for not using IE, just like in Linux.

jeyaganesh
March 16th, 2009, 03:43 AM
I am new Mac user for 2 months. I use only Flock. Even in last 5 years I used Firefox in my PCs (XP, Vista and Ubuntu). Whenever I see people using IE, I suggest them to switch over to Flock nowadays.:D

Giant Speck
March 16th, 2009, 06:03 AM
I remember using Internet Explorer on a Mac when I was in high school. Most of our school's computers were Macs. I really didn't mind Internet Explorer, but I preferred Safari.

I also remember using Netscape. Those were the days! :lol:

simonbanyard
April 28th, 2009, 12:37 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that IE for mac was infact the first browser to offer tabbed browsing! I feel dirty now... FTR; Safari then Firefox. Waiting for Chrome to be released for both.

TheLastDodo
April 28th, 2009, 05:16 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that IE for mac was infact the first browser to offer tabbed browsing! I feel dirty now... FTR; Safari then Firefox. Waiting for Chrome to be released for both. No, Opera was the first broswer to use tabs, over ten years ago I believe. And no, we Mac users generally don't use IE; Firefox seems popular, as are Safari and Camino.

RedMist
April 28th, 2009, 05:47 PM
Apple do however use IE only on all their macs on the production floor.

blueshiftoverwatch
April 29th, 2009, 02:12 AM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that IE for mac was infact the first browser to offer tabbed browsing!
Internet Explorer for Macintosh ceased development at version 5.2.3. Tabbed browsing wasn't added until version 7.

CharmyBee
April 29th, 2009, 02:20 AM
I actually did prefer IE5 on a Mac OS 9 system. It's a bit ironic since the mac IE is superior over the Windows one (It supports transparent PNGs and can resample images, Windows IE iddn't get either until 7)

DenysT
April 29th, 2009, 03:11 AM
I'm a usual WINDOWS user, and I still don't use IE. It's the ultimate virus-catching tool!

What's the virus (really, they're more than likely trojans in IE) catcher in IE is all the add-ons. XML injections take advantage of holes in Java and Flash more than they do holes in IE itself. Matter of fact IE 7 as a whole last year had fewer patches release for security reasons than did Firefox. And Safari on Windows is the biggest joke, well before Chrome anyway.

No one sings me lullabies and no one makes me close my eyes. (I know Echoes from Meddle, too.) Great song. 8-)

simonbanyard
May 2nd, 2009, 11:02 AM
No, Opera was the first broswer to use tabs, over ten years ago I believe. And no, we Mac users generally don't use IE; Firefox seems popular, as are Safari and Camino.
Thanks for that! In the back of my mind I new that it couldn't be true! I forget opera exist sometimes!

Old Marcus
May 2nd, 2009, 11:13 AM
On Linux, I use Firefox for browsing, popping over to opera to check how my websites look, and on Windows I use Firefox as my main browser, but Chrome, IE, Opera, Safari as well for the purposes of web development. As much as I hate it, IE still has the dominant sharem so all sites have to work in it. Although I recently gave up supporting IE 6 since it's a pain in the ****.

stimpack
May 2nd, 2009, 03:38 PM
Matter of fact IE 7 as a whole last year had fewer patches release for security reasons than did Firefox.

Have to be careful there, we know Mozilla are open about flaws and patch fast, we also know Microsoft have kept several exploit holes unpatched and in secret for a long time.

stwschool
May 2nd, 2009, 05:03 PM
wierd though, using google analytics to analyse my ubuntu specific web app, I get 20-50 hits coming from IE out of 400+ hits almost everyday.

Could be disguised user-agents due to some sites not working if they see a non-IE browser and throwing up a "Use IE" nag page.

JetskiDude911
May 2nd, 2009, 05:08 PM
I used OS X exclusivly for 3 years and never once needed IE.