Why do people hate internet explorer so much?

Answer 1

1. Serious security issues

2. it's embedded in the Operating System (not a standalone product - so when another issue is found, all applications written by MS and others - that rely on IE pose security risks - Outlook, Excel, etc..

3. It cannot be completely uninstalled. Issues with IE are permanently a part of your Operating System for as long as you use it.

All alternative browsers are standalone products that can be completely uninstalled. Examples: Firefox, Opera

4. MS decides what operating system gets to use the browser. Example - features in IE 7 not available for Windows XP users. eventually (and soon), available updates to IE for XP users will cease.

5. It is expected that support for Windows XP users will end 12 months after Vista comes out. IE, already embedded in XP will cease to be supported. This will forced users to upgrade their Operating System ($$$) and their computers ($$).

6. Does not stick to standards.

7. MS accused of attempts to take over the internet by first taking over the market with the browser and then forcing developers to use proprietary IE technology not available on other browsers. ActiveX is an example (sidenote: MS now recommends you do not run ActiveX because of security issues)

Many users feel that this remains a constant threat.

8. MS did not upgrade the browser until competition from Firefox forced them to. Many felt that this was another indication about how little Microsoft cared about their customers

9. Microsoft itself. Many choose not to use IE because it is MS technology. Predatory business practices, sloppy insecure applications, delays in security updates, forced activation of Operating Systems, users feeling like criminals first and customers second and so much more have turned a large section of users against MS itself.

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Answer 2

The statistics say that they don't hate it enough to stop using it...

Seriously, though, IE gets a lot of bad press simply because it is the most widespread browser. Yeah, its CSS implementation is buggy (well, for IE 6.0 and below it is), it's less secure than other options, and it's only now getting tabs; but the main reason people get passionate about hating it is that it's the Big Bad Microsoft Browser With Almost 90% Market Share.

That said, I prefer Firefox - I love being able to turn JavaScript and Flash on and off by clicking a checkbox on my toolbar. And I can no longer live without tabbed browsing.

Answer 3

There's huge debate on whether or not its the best option security wise. Its often criticized for its many security flaws and being a virus magnet.

Another reason is that its often times the only browser you can use with Microsoft technologies (Microsoft has gone through alot of trouble to make sure that their browser only works with some of much of their software, for instance you can't update windows (easily) without it)

However, IE7 is supposed to fix many of the security flaws and short comings of IE6 but its still too early to tell.

Mozilla Firefox is a good browser to use as an alternative if your looking for one

Answer 4

Ya nsg_2006 hit it on the head. As long as you have a strong security suite you should'nt have any problems at all. I have had more problems with firefox than I ever have with IE. I have a 16 year old daughter that has a myspace account and firefox shuts down all the time. Java runtime errors, and firefox has experianced a problem and must be restarted. But on IE she is a happy camper with no problems. "PEACE"

Answer 5

Because other browsers are safer to surf on and alot faster

Answer 6

Because its the worst option available

Answer 7

Because it's garbage.

Answer 8

Seriously! I don't know. I love IE. But don't tell anyone! ;)