IE-7

Microsoft, How Do I Hate Thee? Let Me Count The Ways.

Like all of you who keep current with Microsoft updates (a must for security reasons), I had  to install Microsoft's new browser, IE7 last Wednesday. I didn't want to; I use Firefox, but what the hell. As soon as it was installed, and quite coincidentally, a confluence of events conspired to make me uninstall it almost immediately. A quick check of C&S, and then the mirror site, Seeds,  revealed that no graphics were being loaded. Not only that, but I was unable to log into my landlord (PowerWeb). I did what most people would, and blamed Microsoft. After I uninstalled IE7, and the conditions described above still persisted, I realized that IE7 was not at fault. Alerted, however, that I had uninstalled their new Internet Explorer program, Microsoft began displaying their security warning pop-up. I turned it off. It kept coming back, so this morning I surrendered and reinstalled IE7. Microsoft, How Do I Hate Thee? Let Me Count The Ways. I find the constant harping about everything Microsoft does to be boorish, but sheesh. I expected there to be a dramatic difference in screen display, with IE winning the battle over Firefox. Not so, as these side-by-sides will attest. Granted, I have not begun to investigate all the nuances of IE7, but there are some basic things that ought be intuitive. I was annoyed almost right off the bat. Annoyance #1 Like Firefox, IE7 comes with a search box in the upper right.  Unlike Firefox, I can find no way to remove it. I use the Growe tool bar that offers a dozen search options in one space, making the built in box a redundant space waster. More importantly, Microsoft fails to give me control over how the toolbar displays. If I wanted a nanny, I'd be a Democrat. Annoyance #2 In Firefox I can drag URL s into the tool bar where they become clickable short cuts. IE used to behave that way, but no more.  Links are buried 3 layers deep (Favorites|Links|Shortcut) - Annoying Annoyance # 3 When I attempted to view a film from the Schlong library, I was directed to install the newest Flash Player. Okay, I did. Did the movie play? No, it did not (and, yes, I rebooted). Obviously I have Flash installed, and if Java Script is turned off, it was turned off by default.. There is no readily apparent way to turn it on. I call this a fatal error - if there is an alternative browser you're already using .. and there is. Annoyance #4 When I tested the Beta version back in February, the deal breaker was that Microsoft was charging for the extensions that appealed to me. Nothing has changed. I have nothing against developers making money, and I have no idea how, or why, the billion Firefox add-in developers are motivated, but they are, and they do. Bottom-line, Firefox is way ahead in this area, and IE will not catch up by charging $49.95 for an Extension (Ontello) that appears to be a duplicate of del.icio.us, and many others like it - all free. LAST CHANCE Here's where I thought IE would prevail. Since I have a lot of extensions installed in Firefox, and none in IE, I expected memory usage to easily fall in Microsoft's favor.  Wrong, silicon breath. If there's a reason why I should continue using IE 7 over Firefox, it's not at all apparent.