As a tech-savvy PR blogger I’ve tried to like Firefox, I really have, but apart from its tabbed browsing I didn’t like it. Internet Explorer 7 on the other hand rocks. It is fantastic and does nearly everything I want from a browser.
There has been some discussion on Neville Hobson’s site about the relative merits of the two. The most interesting comment for me was Stuart Mudie’s: “Bloggers and other web-savvy folks may well have abandoned Internet Explorer a long time ago, but the day my Dad switches over to Firefox instead of using the default browser that ships with his operating system is the day I’ll accept that what Microsoft does about securing their browser doesn’t matter. “
The stats for the various blogs I manage tell an interesting story about the type of person that doesn’t use Explorer.
A PR Guru’s Musings – techy/blogger audience: 66% IE6, 14% Firefox 1.5, 6% IE7
Stuart’s Soapbox – local community/political audience: 94% IE6, 3% Firefox 1.5
Let’s Talk Business – techy/small business audience: 74% IE6, 12% Firefox 1.5
My conclusion is that ‘normal’ people who use the internet for leisure and business are sticking with Microsoft and will continue to do so.
I read my ‘must read’ RSS feeds in IE7, restricting the number so I can see the whole list without scrolling. Everything else goes into FeedDemon where I can use the news bins, watches and blog this features.
Now that Onfolio is part of the Windows Live Toolbar I might have a look at switching to this. I used to use Onfolio as my main newsreader but stopped because the ‘watches’ feature didn’t alert you properly to new items. It is fantastic for doing research and storing web-based news clips for my clients.
Thanks for these figures that back up my point.
As someone who is relatively new to the world of web technology I knew the cache Firefox had, but couldn't find satisfactory answers to my questions as to why F/fox over IE?
Thanks for clearing that up!
My place tech innovation/professional accountants
60% IE
30% Mozilla dervs/FF
10% Safari/MacOS related
I find IE7 confusing from an (I don't care what I've got oh it's) IE6 user – big adoption curve. I accept there's a heck of a lot of IE business users.
Stand aside for one moment – how do the arguments stack up against the current trend for OSS/so-called Web 2.0/Ruby on Rails etc etc etc mood? Is it a fad that Pr is supporting but not really meaning it? (That's a bigot's view of course but there are plenty of those in IT departments.)
Then there is the commercial view. Wall Street didn't like MSFT improved earnings. They didn't like the miss or the unexplained (marketing? R&D?) spend for 2007 – most of all they don't like the uncertainty of the next 13 weeks. Given the dev work on IE and it's relative value in the face of competition. Is it worth continuing a fight that's always going to cost large wads of cash?
Yeah, as my company's Webmaster, I know all about the percentage of people still on IE. I, too, was a faithful follower until I was introduced to Firefox about six months ago. I was immediately hooked. I love Firefox and can realistically never see going back to IE.