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Internet Explorer

I do not want people to use Internet Explorer Also, I don't want to waste my time and effort to create work-arounds for this buggy browser, therefore I've placed a nag banner at the top of every page. If you want to stop the nag banner appearing, just switch to a different browser.

How do I use a different Browser?

The easiest way is to download and install Firefox or Opera.

Why should I use a different browser?

I'm a web expert, and I can honestly say that Internet Explorer is one of the worst browsers. It is very buggy, insecure and lacks many features of Firefox and Opera. If you think my advice isn't good enough, than read what the New York Times has to say.

Why do I want you to use a different browser?

Internet Explorer does not obey web standards. If a web page is expertly crafted, and is 100% correct, it may look wrong when viewed using Internet Explorer, because it doesn't stick to the standards. This means that if I create a web site, I must check it with internet explorer, and then make lots of bodges to get around the flaws with Internet Explorer. If Internet Explorer wasn't very popular, then I wouldn't bother. I don't want to do twice as much work, just because you have a shit browser.

I'd like to switch browsers, but I can't / don't know how.

Contact me, and I'll try to help

Can I use both Internet Explorer and Firefox?

Yes, when you install Firefox (or Opera), it does not remove Internet Explorer. So you can try Firefox safe in the knowledge that you can go back to using (the inferior) Internet Explorer if you don't like Firefox.

What if I want to continue soley using Internet Explorer?

That's fine, just don't expect this web site to work for you. You should go away now.

Why am I being blocked just because I use Internet Explorer?

I want to convert as many people as possible away from Internet Explorer, to one of the better browsers, such as Firefox or Opera. I've tried evangelising, telling people how good Firefox is, but people still stick with IE, so now I'm hoping that by blocking access to my site, some people will upgrade to Firefox - every little helps.

What about Internet Explorer Version 7?

The lastest version of internet explorer does finally deliver some of the features that Opera and Firefox users have had for years, but Internet Explorer is still woefully behind the times. This is especially true when it comes to web standards. Microsoft has put all of its efforts into making Internet Explorer look as up-to-date as Opera and Firefox, but they failed to make their browser comply to web standards. As this is my biggest issue with Internet Explorer, the latest version is no better than the old. See below for why abiding by web standards is important.

What about Internet Explorer Version 8?

This doesn't exist yet, but apparently it does a good job of meeting web standards. So hopefully in a decade or so, nobody will be using the shitty versions of Internet Explorer. Alas the pesimist in me predicts that Microsoft will have screwed something else up by then - perhaps using Silverlight.

I should be free to use whatever software I like, it doesn't affect anbody else!

Yes, you are free to choose, but your choice does affect other people. It affects web developers as well as web surfers...

Microsoft have a large share of the browser market (currently about 80%), so Microsoft doesn't really care if they abide by the web standards. Imagine that a web developer creates a bug-free web site, and then they find that it doesn't work in Internet Explorer. There is nothing wrong with the web site, the error lies within Internet Explorer, but because 80% of the visitors use Internet Explorer, the web developer has no choice but to bodge his/her web site to make it work - special code just for Internet Explorer. That's damn annoying, it makes code much more expensive, and harder to maintain. What's worse, Internet Explorer only works on the Windows operating system, so if the web developer uses an Apple Mac, or GNU/Linux, they can't test their web site using Internet Explorer.

Now imagine that the web developer uses Internet Explorer to develop the web application. Often they don't test their code with any other browser. They believe that if it works with Internet Explorer, then that's good enough. But wait, if you have incorrect code running on an incorrect browser, it sometimes looks ok. However when you use the same code on a good browser, the errors show up. We all know that two wrongs don't make a right, but there are still a few web developers that think otherwise! There are still a few lazy developers that only care about the 80% of users who use the non-standards compliant Internet Explorer. I'm weird, and I don't care about the 80% - my web site is designed to work with good, browsers, not the popular one!

Imagine that Microsft made 80% of the world's cars, all with tank-like catapillar tracks instead of wheels. The tracks would cut up the roads quickly, making lots of pot holes. Microsoft don't care about the pot holes because they aren't the ones who pay for the road repairs. Their customers are oblivious to the holes, because their cars have tracks, not wheels. Wouldn't the world be a better place if everybody (including Microsoft) used wheels? To complete the analogy, Microsoft's cars are flimsy and insecure, have no locks on the doors, no alarm system, no air conditioning, and only one seat. Why have so many people got these cars? Because Microsoft dump the cars on your driveway without your permission, with no means of removing them, and people are too lazy to pickup (or don't know about) the better cars available for free.

The web will be a better place when Internet Explorer conforms to the web standards, and this will only happen if Internet Explorer isn't the dominant browser.

Thanks for listening
Nick.