Internet Explorer vs FireFox

Ok, friends, family, put that browser away, you're gonna hurt yourself with it.

Well, not physically of course, but the power of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) has ballooned to the point where it can now be more of a hindrance than a help to your computer. For years Microsoft has worked very hard to make their internet browser not just the one you get with every new computer, but the one you stick with. They have programmed into it features and functions that truly bring the web alive. You may have heard of "Active X". Never mind how it does what it does, suffice it to say that web pages are more interactive and more dynamic because of this programming feature built into IE. Unfortunately, it is just this feature that can allow malicious people to access your computer and do just about anything they want, just by having you visit their web site.There is no upgrading that you or Microsoft can do to fix this problem either. Your only choice is to stop using IE and turn to an alternative browser.

Enter FireFox. Don't worry, it's free.

FireFox is your alternative to IE. It does the same thing as IE it even looks a lot like IE and I'm sure you will find that you are in very familiar territory once you install it and start using it. There are some minor differences (the way it downloads files to your computer immediately comes to mind) but it is nothing that won't become clear once you start poking around the program and its parent web site Mozilla.org . The biggest difference, and one that you will probably never notice is that it is a far more safe and secure browser as it does not use the same Active X programming that IE does.

Will you find web sites that will not run properly using FireFox? Occasionally, yes. If you do, and you know it is a trusted site, since you can't delete IE, you can still fire it up, and access the desired pages using it. I have been using FireFox exclusively now for months, with no problems, and the only site I could not get the most out of was the Microsoft Update site so I really don't expect you to have any trouble. If you don't want to take my word for it take that of the US government. They have recently released papers that suggest Americans stop using IE because of its inherent flaws as a measure of national security. This is one case where they really have got it right.

Unfortunately, Fire Walls and Anti Virus software are just not enough these days to protect yourself from predators. Download FireFox and practice safer surfing.

Since FireFox is also a pretty neat program, I will be following this post with others that deal with its intricacies in the days to come.

Lianne