Switching to Internet Explorer

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Like many of the Geek persuasion, I have a built-in dislike for Microsoft's web browser offering, Internet Explorer.  Maybe this was born of being from the Netscape era, and all the baggage associated with the early browser wars.  Maybe it was born from the fact that IE has spent most of its life as a security hole, and displayed no ambition in improving the browser space in which it has ruled for so long. 

I have been mainly using Firefox over the last couple of years, like everyone else, with Chrome as a backup and Safari on the Mac.  This has been working well for me, although I have been looking at moving away from Firefox.  My main gripe with Firefox is that once I get all the extensions and settings right, I only get a months use before it slows down.  I'm not talking about the browsing, I'm talking about the computer.

Unfortunately I'm the kind of guy that wants his browser and would like to use it to.  And it is not like I'm running a lot of extensions, in fact at the moment I only have four, but after being open for a few hours/days it becomes unusable.

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Privacy and new web technology, can we have both?

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With the drop of Google's browser, there has been discussion on whether this is Google's first step on its road to world domination, or just another large, well coded nail into the coffin of our online privacy.  Excuse me, since when did the release of a web browser mean so much?  Is this a throw back to the browser wars fought by Netscape and Microsoft (IE)?

Google have delivered a nice piece of software, which on beta release, is fast, compatible and has a bunch of neat features that integrate with our online lifestyle very well.  Plus, add in the fact that it is open source, and all those things that we miss from Firefox will probably be just around the corner.  As you can see, I quite like it, and when I can get a version for the Mac, I'll spending a lot more time with it.

I see Chrome as an important step in the online world.  Of all the software Google offers, Chrome is the glue, the gooey, sticky gum that will help everyone bond with the resources and products Google provides, and in turn, help Google to continue pushing the envelope and building better web technology (with less glue).

New and better web technology is something that we all want.  Even those against the whole "cloud computing" concept still crave the convenience and flexibility of using the online world to work and play.  At this time I would say that the whole concept is still in it technological infancy.

In the end, I don't think we can achieve the heights of useful technology we desire, and keep the privacy we want.  At some point we have to tell all the devices and systems we use information about ourselves, so that they can make our lives easier.  And for every step forward toward the Utopian computer and machine driven life, we will need to let someone know, so that the next couple of steps can be possible.

Guess what?  as humans, the more we communicate, the better we create.  The more we talk about our needs, the greater the chances are that solutions can be found.  With this fundamental fact, we are either looking at a Star Trek style future, or a future where we continue to use systems that are never exactly what we want or need.

So, can we have the technology we want and keep our privacy?   Nuh-uh!  We need to give up a measure of privacy and information to drive technology.  If we don't, we stay stagnant.  And thank you very much, but I like my water clear, even if everyone else can see I'm naked.

Jason Remnant

..if it's broken, why fix it?

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Can we get Firefox fix? I'm dying here!

OK, well I'm running the 17" Powerbook G4 from a couple of years ago, and for some time Firefox was the browser of choice.  Then came Firefox 2 and so did the sound of the internal fan, so I switched to Safari.  Firefox 2 seemed to need all my CPU and most of my RAM to open one or two tabs, let alone Windows.  On the whole, I have been happy with Safari and when 3.1 dropped, I thought that I had found a great, featured, quick and Mac friendly browser.  My only problem was that Ustream wouldn't work, I need my daily Jason Calacanis fix, and my banks didn't support Safari either.

Along came Firefox 3 Beta, codename: Minefield, and the world of the Internet came to the Mac.  When I first started to play with Minefield it was quick and cool looking, but lacked extensions and some of the cool things we all love about Firefox, but it's a Beta so it didn't bother me.  I set it to my default browser after I tested most of the sites I worked with, and found that it seemed to have the same Firefox compatibility without the bloat.  I was happy, very happy, and really happy, all at the same time.

Some of the cool things are Smart Bookmarks, and the "Most Visited" drop down menus, which are handy for a quick history, if you are like me and forget to bookmark.  There is a great rundown on these features at dria.org.  It is quick, much quicker than Firefox 2 and comparable to Safari 3.1.  This Beta is turning into a nice browser.

Then came the updates.  Now I know Minefield is the Beta and the nightly builds are a part of the process, but the performance has fallen apart over the last couple of updates.  Over the last couple of updates, the CPU usage has gone through the roof, and I have had to go back to Safari as my main browser.  I have been firing it up every now and again, but since they started to add extensions and plugin support, I haven't been able to use it.  I'm sure that this is not the end of the program and maybe they need to do some work on the PowerPC support, but such a change in performance is not painting a happy picture.

Maybe this is the writing on the wall for those of us that are still on the old hardware.  With optimisation to hardware being the new trend in the development space, maybe we are beginning to see the change our credit cards have been dreading.  The question has to be asked: Why can Safari do it? 

Anyway, at least I don't have to use IE.

Jason