Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (“IE”) suffers unique challenges, prompting some users to select an alternate browser.
PATCHES
Microsoft’s response time to bugs isn’t on-par with competitors such as Google’s Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox, according to some. Microsoft issues bug-fixing patches to the public monthly (it’s called “Patch Tuesday”), which leaves users in-the-dark about current, unresolved bugs until the next month. Other browsers don’t wait for a scheduled notification.
And just last month, Microsoft withdrew two of its monthly patches for causing more damage than they remedied (which is down from eight in September).
SECURITY & VULNERABILITIES
Last April, the Department of Homeland Security warned IE users to switch internet browsers until a grave security failure was resolved. The flaw allowed hackers to bypass protections in the Windows operating system and thus access users’ personal information. Few bugs have prompted the government to publically endorse one web browser over another.
According to one IE11 reviewer: “IE has a checkered history when it comes to security, to put it mildly, but it’s made great strides in protections from malware in recent years.”
IT DOESN’T PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS
Consider IE’s lack of compatibility with these programs and features.
JavaScript. “I spent a whole afternoon working for a client to fix a nonsensical hole in the way IE 11 interprets JavaScript. This is the latest version of Internet Explorer, and it still can’t speak JavaScript the way other browsers can,” says one reviewer.
Layouts. The reviewer continues: “I had to….troubleshoot an e-commerce site that (only) IE users couldn’t access, because there’s something IE 11 doesn’t understand about very simple grid layouts.”
Flash. Many IE users find Adobe’s Flash does not work for them. That’s because IE requires the very latest version of Flash in order to perform. IE users must then manually download the version, whereas alternative browsers like Chrome and Firefox proactively and automatically update themselves with the newest version of Flash.
ActiveX. To facilitate functionality between software applications, Internet Explorer uses ActiveX. With it, the security burden falls on the individual user: first to recognize the digital signatures from the program’s author, and then to trust and approve the program. For this reason, nefarious internet characters are known to exploit ActiveX and target uninformed users.
ClearanceJobs. Yes, that’s right. Later this year, ClearanceJobs.com will be updated and the new version will not be supported by IE7.
