Firefox 3.5 now the world's most popular browser.

[MaxIBoy]

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/12/20/2048235/Firefox-35-Now-the-Most-Popular-Browser-Worldwide
See the graph here (also attached a snapshot of default view.)
http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser_version-ww-weekly-200827-200951


The margin of error is enough to make this reasonably questionable, but looking at the trends, this margin will soon be unquestionable.

[mamamia88]

i am sorry but how can it be more popular than ie which is on 90 percent of computers and can't be uninstalled?

[Hwæt]

Interesting, now the theory of Open Source vs. Closed Source security can really be put to the test, since hackers normally go for the most popular software to exploit holes in.

[MaxIBoy]

i am sorry but how can it be more popular than ie which is on 90 percent of computers and can't be uninstalled?If you don't actually use it, it doesn't count.

These statistics are based on user agent strings for browsers visiting participating websites. User-agent strings are the browser's way of identifying itself to websites. Participating websites submit data to the W3C so they can compile these statistics. Not the most accurate reading but these numbers are still significant.

[Dreamlocked]

i am sorry but how can it be more popular than ie which is on 90 percent of computers and can't be uninstalled?

The graph counts IE6, IE7 and IE8 as different entities.
Same goes for Firefox 3.0 and 3.5.

IE6+IE7+IE8 > FF3.0+FF3.5

[AllRadioisDead]

Heh, chrome is still an "other".

[doorknob60]

The thing that worries me is the shocking amount of IE6 users...can they really be that dumb to not upgrade? Horrible browser, doesn't even have tabs, jeez.

[mamamia88]

The thing that worries me is the shocking amount of IE6 users...can they really be that dumb to not upgrade? Horrible browser, doesn't even have tabs, jeez.

the people who use ie usually don't know any better no offense to anyone using ie

[Hwæt]

The thing that worries me is the shocking amount of IE6 users...can they really be that dumb to not upgrade? Horrible browser, doesn't even have tabs, jeez.

You're bashing IE and the lack of tabs is the only thing that catches your attention?

[RiceMonster]

The thing that worries me is the shocking amount of IE6 users...can they really be that dumb to not upgrade? Horrible browser, doesn't even have tabs, jeez.

A lot of companies have not upgraded from ie 6, so that's probably a big contributing factor.

[bfc]

If you click to see the bar graph, the data presented is completely different, with IE7 and IE6 having the largest market share.

I wonder why the line graph and bar graph are different. From what I can tell they both display the data for the same time period.

[autonomy]

So 40% use IE 7 or 8, and many don't use 8 b/c MS shot themselves in the foot w/ its selective functionality. 20% use FF 3.5, so there's still a lot of catching up to do.

[squilookle]

The thing that worries me is the shocking amount of IE6 users...can they really be that dumb to not upgrade? Horrible browser, doesn't even have tabs, jeez.

Actually mate, a lot of people are aware of how horrible the browser is but cannot upgrade. My work pc runs ie6, as does everyone elses computer in the office.

My computer at home runs the latest version of firefox. :)



It's not particularly product ive to go round calling people dumb just because they use software you don't like, anyway.

[madnessjack]

This article is very deceptive. Even by it's own stats, IE is still more popular than Firefox.

It's merely a glitch while IE7 users switch over to IE8.

[cascade9]

i am sorry but how can it be more popular than ie which is on 90 percent of computers and can't be uninstalled?

Because you dont have to use IE.

BTW, IE is removable. Add/remove programs will remove the ability to use it, and some core code, nLite will rip 90%+ of IE code from windows (it leaves mosaic which is why I dont say 99.9%)

[benj1]

If you click to see the bar graph, the data presented is completely different, with IE7 and IE6 having the largest market share.

I wonder why the line graph and bar graph are different. From what I can tell they both display the data for the same time period.

the bar graph shows totals for the time period, so as firefox 3.5 has only just overtaken IE the total for the year will show it as being behind.
the bargraph for week 51 (http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser_version-ww-weekly-200951-200951-bar) shows firefox 3.5 is indeed ahead

[adeypoop]

The graph counts IE6, IE7 and IE8 as different entities.
Same goes for Firefox 3.0 and 3.5

They are different entities

[HappinessNow]

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/09/12/20/2048235/Firefox-35-Now-the-Most-Popular-Browser-Worldwide
See the graph here (also attached a snapshot of default view.)
http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser_version-ww-weekly-200827-200951


The margin of error is enough to make this reasonably questionable, but looking at the trends, this margin will soon be unquestionable.
Epic Fail.

[A_T]

IE is used by far more people. It's not even close.

[SecretCode]

Click 'Browser' instead of 'Browser version' at the bottom left.

Much more meaningful. Slow decline of IE, very slow rise of Firefox. Note the rise of Chrome.

[Grenage]

Still, in a world of Windows, 32% is impressive.

[AlexDudko]

There are some sites, which work only with IE, for example, http://www.consultant.ru/.
My work depends much on the latter, so I have to use IE to find laws. Though in any other case I use Firefox.
I mean, we don't always use the browser we like and want to use, but sometimes have to use the browser, which is supported by the site.
Be all sites browser independent, statistics would be much different.

[samh785]

i am sorry but how can it be more popular than ie which is on 90 percent of computers and can't be uninstalled?
You know, it is possible to have firefox and IE installed on the same computer. Amazingly enough, you could actually just not use IE on that same computer and exclusively use firefox. :popcorn:

[Psumi]

There are some sites, which work only with IE, for example, http://www.consultant.ru/.
My work depends much on the latter, so I have to use IE to find laws. Though in any other case I use Firefox.
I mean, we don't always use the browser we like and want to use, but sometimes have to use the browser, which is supported by the site.
Be all sites browser independent, statistics would be much different.

Similarly, the ABC Full Episode site doesn't work with Linux.

[forrestcupp]

The graph counts IE6, IE7 and IE8 as different entities.
Same goes for Firefox 3.0 and 3.5.

IE6+IE7+IE8 > FF3.0+FF3.5+1 That was my immediate thought.


They are different entities
Right, but Dreamlocked is pointing out the truth. When you add up all the IE's and all the Firefoxes, IE has way more users than Firefox.

I'm a Firefox user, but it's important to not be misleading.

[benj1]

Click 'Browser' instead of 'Browser version' at the bottom left.

Much more meaningful. Slow decline of IE, very slow rise of Firefox. Note the rise of Chrome.

but we are twisting the statistics to show what we want to be true.

anyway the biggest surprise is the amount of people using ie 6, when did it come out, 2000? i know i had it on my win 98 box, and i thought it was rubbish then.

[Maheriano]

This graph only relates to Europe where Internet Explorer doesn't come preinstalled on the computer. I've seen this graph before.

[Psumi]

This graph only relates to Europe where Internet Explorer doesn't come preinstalled on the computer. I've seen this graph before.

Microsoft trashed Europe Edition by the way.

[forrestcupp]

anyway the biggest surprise is the amount of people using ie 6, when did it come out, 2000? i know i had it on my win 98 box, and i thought it was rubbish then.

Yeah. Back then, I used Maxthon because it was based on IE, but they added tabs and other features.

[The Real Dave]

You're bashing IE and the lack of tabs is the only thing that catches your attention?

+ a trillion lol :) :) I love Firefox, though, I'm liking Chrome too :) Well, Chromium ;)

[phrostbyte]

Grats Firefox 3.5 :) I wonder how long it will be able to maintain the lead against IE8 though.

[jayze]

I think Windows are shooting themselves in their own feet...because they will not let you get updates direct unless you use IE...and its fairly obvious that mozilla is superior to IE...which would lead any average user to ask...well okay how can I keep mozilla and have an updated system too..answer anyone???:popcorn:...

[blur xc]

Actually mate, a lot of people are aware of how horrible the browser is but cannot upgrade. My work pc runs ie6, as does everyone elses computer in the office.

My computer at home runs the latest version of firefox. :)



It's not particularly product ive to go round calling people dumb just because they use software you don't like, anyway.


Why wouldn't your IT dept. upgrade your IE? From all that I've heard, IE6 is about the most insecure browser there is- and IE8 is a huge leap forward. Wouldn't it be in your company's best interest to be on IE8?

For all windows computers I set up, fist thing I do is install all the updates, including IE8. then, after that's all done (takes a few hours), I install FF and make it the default browser. There are a lot of Windows apps that require IE to be installed in order to have some functionality, and there's no reason to leave that back door of an older IE open, even though you use FF for all your normal web browsing.

BM

[phrostbyte]

Why wouldn't your IT dept. upgrade your IE? From all that I've heard, IE6 is about the most insecure browser there is- and IE8 is a huge leap forward. Wouldn't it be in your company's best interest to be on IE8?

For all windows computers I set up, fist thing I do is install all the updates, including IE8. then, after that's all done (takes a few hours), I install FF and make it the default browser. There are a lot of Windows apps that require IE to be installed in order to have some functionality, and there's no reason to leave that back door of an older IE open, even though you use FF for all your normal web browsing.

BM

Because some companies in the late 90s bet on Microsoft technology and made LoB apps that do not adhere to open standards. Thus they are stuck using IE6 or spelling millions of dollars to rewrite the app to W3C standards.

[t0p]

+1 That was my immediate thought.


Right, but Dreamlocked is pointing out the truth. When you add up all the IE's and all the Firefoxes, IE has way more users than Firefox.

I'm a Firefox user, but it's important to not be misleading.

The title of this thread is "Firefox 3.5 now the world's most popular browser". Note that's "Firefox 3.5" not "Firefox, all of 'em, including any jokers still using Firefox 2 or something equally fail". Firefox 3 and Firefox 3.5 have been separated, so why should IE 6, 7 + 8 still be lumped together as "IE lumpen".

I'm a Firefox 3.5 user, but it's important not to be misleading.

[jayze]

According to secunia.psi ie 6 and 7 insecure and even ie 8 ("insecure/no solution")...whereas as long as you keep firefox updated and the add ons etc updated too it reads as "secure"...

[cascade9]

Why wouldn't your IT dept. upgrade your IE? From all that I've heard, IE6 is about the most insecure browser there is- and IE8 is a huge leap forward. Wouldn't it be in your company's best interest to be on IE8?

For all windows computers I set up, fist thing I do is install all the updates, including IE8. then, after that's all done (takes a few hours), I install FF and make it the default browser. There are a lot of Windows apps that require IE to be installed in order to have some functionality, and there's no reason to leave that back door of an older IE open, even though you use FF for all your normal web browsing.

BM

Windows 2000 is limited to IE6, and there is a lot of win2K boxes still around.

For myself, I always remove IE (at least with add/remove programs and normally with nLite or vLite, havent tried it with windows 7) There is no application made by microsoft that I use where I haven't found a better version made by someone else.

[MaxIBoy]

The title of this thread is "Firefox 3.5 now the world's most popular browser". Note that's "Firefox 3.5" not "Firefox, all of 'em, including any jokers still using Firefox 2 or something equally fail". Firefox 3 and Firefox 3.5 have been separated, so why should IE 6, 7 + 8 still be lumped together as "IE lumpen".

I'm a Firefox 3.5 user, but it's important not to be misleading.
OP approves of this message. ^

[benj1]

Yeah. Back then, I used Maxthon because it was based on IE, but they added tabs and other features.

i think i was on netscape, remember that ?

[cascade9]

i think i was on netscape, remember that ?

I think I do...somehow, I have this crazy idea that it spawned mozilla then did a star office/open office style switch (aka, I make you open source, then I make my next version of me to be based on your source LOL).

[aysiu]

BTW, IE is removable. Add/remove programs will remove the ability to use it, and some core code, nLite will rip 90%+ of IE code from windows (it leaves mosaic which is why I dont say 99.9%) Is that new to Vista or Windows 7? I haven't used either extensively.

In Windows XP, you cannot remove IE. If you "remove" it from Add/Remove, it can still be launched if you put
iexplore in the Run dialogue. It is also required to install Windows updates.

[blur xc]

Windows 2000 is limited to IE6, and there is a lot of win2K boxes still around.

For myself, I always remove IE (at least with add/remove programs and normally with nLite or vLite, havent tried it with windows 7) There is no application made by microsoft that I use where I haven't found a better version made by someone else.

According my my IT guy, you can't ever really remove IE. But, I might be wrong, understanding him incorrectly...

I use soldiworks for my day job, a NON ms product, and it requires IE to be installed for some of its functionality. There is NO open source alternative, and even if there were, most of the engineering world runs SW and that makes it a necessity in my industry.

BM

[alphaniner]

In Windows XP, you cannot remove IE. If you "remove" it from Add/Remove...

Yeah, all that does is remove shortcuts, but it tells you as much. Same for Media Player and a few other things that show up there.

[NoaHall]

Yes, there is now a way of removing it(in windows 7, and probably Vista SP3) - thanks to European Union, I might add.

[jwbrase]

You're bashing IE and the lack of tabs is the only thing that catches your attention?

Especially given that I just find tabs annoying if they aren't accompanied by mouse gestures...

[forrestcupp]

I think Windows are shooting themselves in their own feet...because they will not let you get updates direct unless you use IE...and its fairly obvious that mozilla is superior to IE...which would lead any average user to ask...well okay how can I keep mozilla and have an updated system too..answer anyone???:popcorn:...You only have to use IE for updates. That doesn't mean you have to use it for your web surfing, too.


The title of this thread is "Firefox 3.5 now the world's most popular browser". Note that's "Firefox 3.5" not "Firefox, all of 'em, including any jokers still using Firefox 2 or something equally fail". Firefox 3 and Firefox 3.5 have been separated, so why should IE 6, 7 + 8 still be lumped together as "IE lumpen".

I'm a Firefox 3.5 user, but it's important not to be misleading.
Good point.

[alakazam]

According my my IT guy, you can't ever really remove IE. But, I might be wrong, understanding him incorrectly...

I use soldiworks for my day job, a NON ms product, and it requires IE to be installed for some of its functionality. There is NO open source alternative, and even if there were, most of the engineering world runs SW and that makes it a necessity in my industry.

BM


IE the necessary evil. :popcorn:

[thedogisdead]

Why wouldn't your IT dept. upgrade your IE? From all that I've heard, IE6 is about the most insecure browser there is- and IE8 is a huge leap forward. Wouldn't it be in your company's best interest to be on IE8?

For all windows computers I set up, fist thing I do is install all the updates, including IE8. then, after that's all done (takes a few hours), I install FF and make it the default browser. There are a lot of Windows apps that require IE to be installed in order to have some functionality, and there's no reason to leave that back door of an older IE open, even though you use FF for all your normal web browsing.

BM

You'd think this would be the case, but I'm working on a rather large intranet project from the 'web' (read content and design perspective) and we've had to tell the consultants to design to IE6 because IT weren't prepared to upgrade to IE8 or even 7.

They told us it was because a large number of applications only work with IE6. Beats the hell out of me why they want to carry on using antiquated applications and browsers. Never mind the security implications now, they're going to look woefully inadequate when the impact of browsers like Chrome kick in soon.

Not to mention the fact that we had to plump for less than impressive features on our new site because IE6 is a relic!

... so it's nice to come home to Ubuntu and Chrome and forget all that crap for a couple of hours :-).

[chessnerd]

While technically true I don't like statistics like this. It is misleading to say that Firefox is the most popular browser just because one version of Firefox is more popular. This statistic will likely change back as people shift from IE 6/7 to IE 8 and as people move to Windows 7 (where IE 8 is the default version).


The thing that worries me is the shocking amount of IE6 users...can they really be that dumb to not upgrade? Horrible browser, doesn't even have tabs, jeez.

Well, apart from people who just don't know enough about browsers to upgrade or switch there are three reasons why a person would use IE 6:

1. A lot of companies have it as their only web browser available to employees. Why? Maybe it would take too long to upgrade all of their computers to IE 7 or 8? I don't know, but as companies shift from XP to 7 this will change.

2. It is light on system resources, especially compared to IE 7 and 8, but even when compared with Firefox, Opera, and Chrome. The lack of features (like tabs) helps it stay light (that and a frightening level of integration with the core of Windows).

3. It is the highest level of IE available to Windows 2000, so those 1% of people--myself included--who use Windows 2000 are stuck in IE 6 land. I know that 1% of computer users may not seem like much, but there aren't many more Linux users than Windows 2000 users.

Personally, I almost always use Opera when I am in Windows 2000, but for things like Windows Update and some stubborn web pages my only option is IE 6.

[MaxIBoy]

There's a good (ish) reason why IE can't be uninstalled. It is because of the Trident layout engine, which does a similar job to Gecko in Firefox. Microsoft always makes sure that at least one or two Windows built-in utilities depends on Trident, so they can claim that Windows will break if Trident is removed. It is actually a good design decision to share such a component among many programs. I know Winamp uses Trident, as well as the Steam client, plus a lot of different web browsers. There also are many programs which use Gecko for rendering (Songbird, Thunderbird, PICASA, and more.)

However, a better way to do this would be to define and document some API for rendering engines, such that you could uninstall Trident and use a drop-in replacement. If there was a standard way to do this, it would be a huge win, both in design cleanness and security.

[Polygon]

There's a good (ish) reason why IE can't be uninstalled. It is because of the Trident layout engine, which does a similar job to Gecko in Firefox. Microsoft always makes sure that at least one or two Windows built-in utilities depends on Trident, so they can claim that Windows will break if Trident is removed. It is actually a good design decision to share such a component among many programs. I know Winamp uses Trident, as well as the Steam client, plus a lot of different web browsers. There also are many programs which use Gecko for rendering (Songbird, Thunderbird, PICASA, and more.)

However, a better way to do this would be to define and document some API for rendering engines, such that you could uninstall Trident and use a drop-in replacement. If there was a standard way to do this, it would be a huge win, both in design cleanness and security.

the easy way for MS to do that is just to seperate IE and the rendering engine that IE uses. That way, people can uninstall internet explorer and programs can still use the IE embedded things (much how you can install just the gecko or webkit engines in linux) . But of course it will take a lot for microsoft to do this.

[MaxIBoy]

Trident is itself the source of most of IE's flaws. Removing IE and keeping Trident is kind of backwards in my opinion.

[amitabhishek]

BTW I stumbled upon this one:

http://www.nytimes.com/external/idg/2009/12/21/21idg-firefox-35-edges-ahead-in-browser-race-93851.html

[doorknob60]

You're bashing IE and the lack of tabs is the only thing that catches your attention?

Certainly not the only thing I don't like about IE lol, it's just the most annoying thing when it comes to usability. People that use IE6 don't care about security or standard compliance (obviously), but I'd assume they'd at least like to have tabs :P

[Methuselah]

BTW I stumbled upon this one:

http://www.nytimes.com/external/idg/2009/12/21/21idg-firefox-35-edges-ahead-in-browser-race-93851.html



"Firefox 3.5 is now the most popular browser worldwide," said Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter, the company that compiled the statistics. Cullen quickly added that all the versions of Firefox being used don't equal in number all the versions of IE in use, but said the statistic is telling nonetheless, given that Firefox's market share continues to increase while IE's continues to erode.



Cullen said that Firefox's popularity is especially remarkable given the fact that users must install the browser onto their computers, while IE comes already installed on new computers running Microsoft Windows. "The market has spoken," he said.




Moreover, the adoption rate of the current version of Firefox, version 3.5, seems to have edged ahead of the adoption rate of the current version of IE 8. The week of Nov 9, both browsers had nearly identical market share of just over 19.5 percent. Since then, the Firefox 3.5 usage rate has grown by 12 percent while Internet Explorer 8 usage rate has grown by only 3 percent.


Interesting.
AFAIK, this is the first it has occured for a global statistic and is thus significant.
It remains to be seen whether IE8 will catch up in the future but FireFox is difinitely making strides.
A stretching of FireFox's lead seems more likely if the superior adoption rate keps up.

[cascade9]

Is that new to Vista or Windows 7? I haven't used either extensively.

In Windows XP, you cannot remove IE. If you "remove" it from Add/Remove, it can still be launched if you put
iexplore in the Run dialogue. It is also required to install Windows updates.

To be honest, I'm not sure when they added IE to the 'add/remove' options in winXP. I guess it must have been post SP2 (and possibly even SP3) but that is a pure guess. All I really know is that I found out that it was possible to do it after I had already started to nLite WinXP.

Which I did not only to remove what I consider useless junk from windows (IE, WMP, MSN, blah blah) but also to remove totally outdated drivers (like the Ali driver, I haven't even seen an Ali chipset since the super socket 7 days) and to integrate stuff like my current motherboard chipset drivers, nVidia drivers, etc. That is how I found it nLite, I wanted to integrate my nForce 2 SATA drivers so I didnt need a floppy drive that would be otherwise totally useless.

As to how effective it is, it seemed to work pretty well. Apart from the typical "non system files found, do you windows to replace them" message.

I will admit never actually trying to launch IE from terminal/run, but I've still got a hdd in this system with nLited XP on it, so I'll give it a shot when I next hook it up. (its an IDE drive, and I've removed the IDE cable for airflow reasons, and to use on a different machine). I'll post back here with what happens.

I can say that I've had no issues with windows updates with my nLited XP. Apart from having to trawl the list to make sure that the sneaky thing hasnt decided to download and install IE7/IE8.


According my my IT guy, you can't ever really remove IE. But, I might be wrong, understanding him incorrectly...

I use soldiworks for my day job, a NON ms product, and it requires IE to be installed for some of its functionality. There is NO open source alternative, and even if there were, most of the engineering world runs SW and that makes it a necessity in my industry.

BM

Its...debatable, to be honest. Opinions vary.


It is unclear what it means to "remove IE" because such a removal depends on being able to determine which files or functions on an installed Windows system are part of IE — that is, to draw a line between IE and the rest of Windows. Microsoft has held that this is not meaningful; that in Windows 98 and newer versions, "Internet Explorer" is not a separate piece of software but simply a brand (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand) name for the Web-browsing and HTML-displaying capacities of the Windows operating system. In this view, the result of removing IE is simply a damaged Windows system; to have a working system without IE one must replace Windows entirely. In contrast, some programmers and security writers have held that it is possible to have a useful and working Windows system with IE excised, that is, without Microsoft's implementation of web browsing and HTML viewing. These people include consultant Fred Vorck, who advocates that consumers should have the choice to remove "integrated" features of Microsoft Windows[/URL] and participates in the HFSLIP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Removal_of_Internet_Explorer#cite_note-vorck1-11) project; Dino Nuhagic, who is the creator of nLite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NLite) — a product that allows users to remove Windows components like Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Media_Player), amongst others; and Shane Brooks, who created 98lite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Removal_of_Internet_Explorer#cite_note-12) and XPLite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XPLite) to remove and manage Windows components after the installation of the operating system. Some people have suggested the use of alternative browsers instead of Internet Explorer, to try reduce the risk of vulnerabilities. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Removal_of_Internet_Explorer#cite_note-13)
Methods have been developed by these programmers and others to remove Internet Explorer from Windows 95 after installing, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Removal_of_Internet_Explorer#cite_note-15) as well as before install time. Removing Internet Explorer from Windows 2000, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Removal_of_Internet_Explorer#cite_note-17) Windows XP and Windows Server 2003[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Removal_of_Internet_Explorer#cite_note-19"] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Removal_of_Internet_Explorer#cite_note-18) is also possible at installation time.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Removal_of_Internet_Explorer


(yes I know, wikipedia doesnt make it true, but its a nice, short readable version of the basics).



Even if it cant remove IE totally, its still worth a play with nLite if your going to install winXP or vLite for vista, no idea if there is even a win7 version as yet. Installs faster, and from my limited time benchmarking it compared to 'normal' XP it did seem faster. Of course, its not for everyone....if you really want to play with your system that much, all the linux distros are far nicer. IMO anyway. ;)



Yeah, all that does is remove shortcuts, but it tells you as much. Same for Media Player and a few other things that show up there.

That (and the info in the post by aysiu) I must admit I suspected, but didnt actually know for sure. The few times I've done 'add/remove IE' has always been on other peoples computers, of a 'bitsa box' (bits are from here, bits from there frankenputer). Only to stop people from launching IE by habit or mistake.

BTW, from when I've been forced to use IE6 for some reason, the main thing thats bugged me is the lack of tabs. Security? IMO thats the problem of the guy who owns/manages the computer I'm using. (obviously I'm not going to go to www.lotsofpinkjpegs.com when I'm using IE 6 though (not that I go to sites like that much anyway.....))

[DarkLilith]

I don't know about it being the most popular browser atm, but most people I know use it. Tbh, I switched as soon as I realized how horrible IE's security was.

Something I just thought of, and I'm not sure if anyone else is/was running Vista in one manner or another, but I had a ridiculous amount of problems running Firefox on it! I would close it, and half the time try to re-open the program to no avail until I restarted! Kind of convenient that it has such a disagreement with Vista, if it's true that IE is losing it's popularity? Little conspiracy theory? lol XD

[blur xc]

Isn't using nlite or vlite on a windows install disk a violation of the MS EULA?

BM

[aysiu]

So if you use nLite to strip out Internet Explorer in XP, how do you get Windows Updates?

[JDorfler]

From my experience, those that run IE run it b/c they don't know what browser they are running at all. It could be IE6 - IE 8 and they wouldn't know the difference. Heck, I've seen people using IE 7 and 8 with ten browser instances open without knowing about what a tab is.

However, everyone I know that knows what a browser really is and how it really works always uses Firefox. I only know one fool who uses Safari, but I think he has a Mac tattoo on his back.

[RabbitWho]

this thread was posted because someone misunderstood a trend graph? IE 7 and 8 are both at 20, that's 40 % together, 6 is at 15, that's 55%, 32% for the 3 firefoxes all together.

That isn't at all different from the chart we've all seen before on this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_web_browsers (when you consider the margin for error)


I would close it, and half the time try to re-open the program to no avail until I restarted!

had the same problem with XP before, but that was when I had a virus.

Sometimes when vista is in a bad mood it says "you can't open this program because it's allready running" When it's not running at all according to the task manager.

[cascade9]

So if you use nLite to strip out Internet Explorer in XP, how do you get Windows Updates?

Automatic Updates. With it set to 'inform me be do not automatically install them' (or however its worded), of course.

AFAIK, it doesnt rely on IE. Or at least it didnt before.