Send Grunters And Shriekers Home - SGASH

Why You Should Consider Switching to Another Browser (For IE Users)

2010-06-22T04:02:00.000-07:00

With ever increasing demand for data intensive Internet enabled applications, for example the movies and other media related downloads, the need for better Internet services has shot through the roof. With this genuine need aside, another aspect of computing which has been putting pressure on already burdened network infrastructure is the widespread use of non conformant browsers to access data on the Internet. The least we as individuals can do to improve the situation is to switch to more compliant browsers in the process providing companies reluctant to release conformant versions of their product some food for thought. Following is a non exhaustive list of reasons for evaluating your move in terms of improving the burden on network infrastructure.

When it comes to Internet Explorer 8, from now on IE 8, in terms of speed, it is the worst performing browser of all main stream browsers. The chart which you would be provided with upon clicking the link shows comparative response times of various mainstream browsers. It is one area where companies are trying to get the lowest score possible, yet IE 8 has the highest; at least one place where a high score is not a good one.
When it comes to standard compliance, IE 8 is again the worst performing browser. Even though the data which you would be provided with upon clicking the link is not comparative, but I can tell you that of all the main stream browsers, this is the lowest result.
This refusal, whether stubborn or not, to adopt standards has resulted in a situation where website or web interface developers have to write at least a couple of versions of every script: one which would work with every other main stream browser and the other which would work with Internet Explorer. This not only increases the size of the whole code but also results in slower response times on user side and increased network traffic in general, none of which is a positive.
If you would just like to read about their upcoming release, which is, even in its third iteration, still one of the worst performing out there, click here.
With the hope that all this information would allow you to make an informed decision and would allow you to choose a better performing and more standard compliant browser than the one which you are currently using.

This information aside, I will try to provide you with more reasons to make it easier for you to reach a decision. As a website developer who has been using all the five main stream browsers for quite sometime now, my suggestion would be to choose between the latest version of Opera or Safari.

How to Enable Cookies in Various Mainstream Browsers

2010-06-06T04:15:00.001-07:00

By following the steps listed under each browser's name and make, you should be able to enable cookies in that particular browser. (The information is currently available for browsers running on Microsoft Windows only)

While trying to enable cookies in your browser, you should keep in mind the following points as they would not be repeated every time and yet are applicable most of the time.

With the exception of Microsoft Internet Explorer, you would need to have the browser application running in order to make changes to its settings.
Before using the keyboard key combinations mentioned in the instructions, do make sure that browser has the focus, otherwise your keystrokes are not going to produce a result which can itself be a bit frustrating.
With the exception of Google Chrome, all the latest browsers have menu bar as an optional feature. If it is not visible, then it can be brought into view by pressing 'Alt' on the keyboard once in most cases, or by pressing 'Alt' once and then 'W' in latest versions of Opera.

Internet Explorer 7 & 8

Safari 4.0

Firefox 3.x

Opera 10.00

Opera 10.XX

Google Chrome

Why You Should Consider Switching To Another Browser

2010-06-04T11:20:00.001-07:00

The inability to view the content on my other blog aside, which may not prove to be that big a loss, you should consider following points in order to make an informed decision regarding your continued use of the Internet Explorer.

In terms of speed, Internet Explorer 8, from now on IE 8, is the worst performing browser of all the main stream browsers. The chart which you would be provided with upon clicking the link shows comparative response times of various mainstream browsers. It is one area where companies are trying to get the lowest score possible, yet IE 8 has the highest; at least one place where a high score is not a good one and IE 8 has it.
In terms of standard compliance, IE 8 is again the worst performing browser. Even though the data which you would be provided with upon clicking the link is not comparative, but I can tell you that of all the main stream browsers, this is the lowest result.
This refusal, whether stubborn or not, to adopt standards has resulted in a situation where website or web interface developers have to write at least a couple of versions of every script: one which would work with every other main stream browser and the other which would work with Internet Explorer. This not only increases the size of the whole code but also results in slower response times on user side and increased network traffic in general, none of which is a positive.
If you would just like to read about their upcoming release, which is, even in its third iteration, still one of the worst performing out there, click here.
With the hope that all this information would allow you to make an informed decision and would allow you to choose a better performing and more standard compliant browser than the one which you are currently using.

This information aside, I will try to provide you with more reasons to make it easier for you to reach a decision.

Standard Compliant and Faster Alternatives to IE

2010-06-04T11:00:00.001-07:00

What in my view is standard compliant code is not working in IE. By clicking on one of the links listed below, you can download a freely available and standard compliant alternative to IE to view the blog:

Even though you would probably be able to find more options, the ones listed above are the mainstream alternatives to Internet Explorer all of which display the blog content without any problems.

Note:If you download, before installing make sure that the size of the downloaded package on the disk compares favorably with the size mentioned on the site. If it does not, instead of proceeding with the installation, try downloading again.