I am always amazed when this question is asked and alternative browser users jump in to defend their choice. I would ask why they feel that is necessary but that is for another thread. This thread is not about why someone likes FireFox (or what ever their alternative is). This thread is about why some folks think IE8 is bad.
Answer: IE6 and bad press.
Sadly, there are many MS bashers, biased media/review sites, and alternative browser fanatics who think because IE6 had so many vulnerabilities, IE8 must still be bad. That's shear ignorance on their part. Ironic is that IE6 was perfectly safe,
IF (that's a big "if" in case it was not obvious), the
user simply practiced safe computing by keeping Windows patched and updated, their AV current and running, used a firewall, and they avoided risky practices like opening attachments and downloads without scanning, visiting sites bad guys wallow in (illegal porn, gambling, P2P for illegal filesharing) - things ALL users must do, regardless their browser of choice. Vulnerabilities are only vulnerable if they are exposed!
I have yet to find any alternative browser user who STOPPED getting infected simply by, and
ONLY by switching from IE to something else. In every case, they also got their systems upgraded, patched, scanned, and blocked - as they should have been all along.
For the record, NO BROWSER IS PERFECT. But by far IE8 is the best IE ever (in terms of security, speed, performance, and reliability) and everyone should upgrade to it, even if they use another browser by default.
Of significant importance and something everyone must accept and remember is the security enhancements IE8 offers is significant. But so is the attention and focus the alternatives get as they become more popular.
For those who have been in this business for some time, it is no surprise when PCMag demonstrates a bias against everything Microsoft. So when the following report came out, many of us were taken aback. Yes, the study was funded by Microsoft, but that's the fodder that would typically send PCMag into a frenzy claiming the review was rigged. But in this case they stood by the review.
Test Shows IE8 Tops Blocking Malware Sites. Note the following,
Internet Explorer 8 wiped the floor with the other products in the malware tests, blocking 81% of live threats. Firefox 3.0.11 was closest at 27%, with Safari 4 at 21%, Chrome 2 at 7% and Opera 10 beta at 1%. NSS Labs says that they confirmed that this protection is identical in Firefox 3 and 3.5, as well as Opera 9 and 10.
An even bigger discrepancy was observed in the NSS Phishing tests. IE8 was also at the top of the charts in this test, blocking 83% of phishing URLs
As Firefox and the alternative browsers get more popular, security experts and badguys start focusing on them - with revealing results.
Firefox Tops Vulnerabilities List,
Firefox accounted for 44 percent of all browser vulnerabilities reported in the first half of 2009. In contrast, Apple's Safari had 35 percent of all reported browser vulnerability, Microsoft's Internet Explorer was third at 15 percent and Opera had just six percent share.
I offer the above, not to fuel an argument over which browser is better, but to put to bed any doubts and pre-conceived prejudices about IE8 (not IE7, or IE6, but IE8) not being able to defend its ground.
So bottom line, Mitch, IE8 is not a bad browser. In fact, it is a great browser, the best IE to date. Since Windows uses IE for some functions, everyone should upgrade to IE8 immediately, if not sooner. That said, there are some very effective alternatives that are worth considering that may have the "look and feel" that suits your needs better.
XP was a refined version of 2000 with a better (debatable) GUI
