Are you still using IE?

[HeXen]

Chrome on ubuntu is noticeably faster than on w7 for some reason.

 

[ForumMaster]

been using opera since version 7. only use ie for sites that don't work well in opera. (still waiting for ie frame extension for opera).

 

[IronWing]

Charlotte

 

[Leros]

Just got a nag screen for IE9 from MS during the latest updates.

No thanks. I'll stick with FF.

You know, the IE team has mentioned that they would like to get rid of all the nag screens, but they can't for legal reasons. Basically, the EU requires it.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

I use IE8 (XP) and IE9 (Win7) as my main browsers, with Opera 11 on both platforms as a backup / secondary browser.

 

[crownjules]

Chrome at home. FF at work.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Don't see what's wrong with IE 9. It's a fine browser.

I use Firefox as my primary browser, though. I use IE 9 and Opera as secondaries.

 

[skipsneeky2]

Been running chrome for a coons age now,i know someone using that Aol browser/toolbar like its still 2001 LOL!

 

[IronWing]

Been running chrome for a coons age now,i know someone using that Aol browser/toolbar like its still 2001 LOL!

Thanks for the post, I just learned something...

What's the origin of "my excellent compatriot's age"?

May 25, 2004
Dear Straight Dope:
Where does the expression "my excellent compatriot's age" originate? Is it a racial reference or does it actually pertain to raccoons?
— LDziurda
It actually refers to raccoons. The expression "in a my excellent compatriot's age" dates to the early 1800s, and to the folk belief that raccoons are long-lived. My pal Colibri of the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board says, "References differ, but a wild individual raccoon might live up to 5 to 7 years (average survival being much lower, though, probably 2-3 years), and in captivity they can live up to 14-17 years. So their lifespan is comparable to that of a dog."
In the early 1800s, it's doubtful if anyone knew how long raccoons actually lived, and two to three years in the wild is not really very long. But raccoon fur is hardy and reasonably durable, which might have given rise to the belief of longevity.
Many slang terms use the term "my excellent compatriot" to mean raccoon. Their black eye-mask and nocturnal habits suggest anthropomorphic parallels, so we get the term "my excellent compatriot" meaning to steal or pilfer, for instance. The word also was used in the 1830s to mean a rustic, a country-bumpkin. In 1840, the my excellent compatriot was the figurehead of the Whig Party. (Where are the Whigs now when we need them?)
Unfortunately, many of those negative stereotypes were applied to black people, hence the derogatory term "my excellent compatriot," first used in the 1850s but more commonly heard after 1890. Some etymologists speculate that the term was used because of the raccoon's dark coloring rather than its real or imagined behavior. Whatever the case, the usage is highly offensive today - heck, it was highly offensive back then. For that reason, "in a my excellent compatriot's age" makes many people uncomfortable, notwithstanding its innocent origin. You might try "in a dog's age" or "in donkey's years" (British), which have the same meaning. Or "in a month of Sundays," which avoids animals altogether. Better yet, do us all a favor and come up with an original expression. We haven't had a novel way of saying "for a long time" in a my excellent compatriot's age.
— Dex

 

[skipsneeky2]

Thanks for the post, I just learned something...

Me too! Honestly interesting how much history a little saying has.

 

[Broheim]

Do you really care that much? All browsers display Facebook the same exact way, that's all anybody cares about. With that said, IE these days is no worse than the others unless you insist on being some kind of self-confessed "power user" and think add-ons and extensions make you some kind of internet superhero. To everyone else, all the browsers are the same, which is perfectly fine.

tell that to a front end developer, I dare you!

 

[Stuxnet]

Firefox is still big and bulky... surprised more haven't moved to Chrome. Chrome's memory footprint is a fraction of Firefox's. It fires off a separate process for each tab, but doesn't seem to have a negative impact. If I open two AT tabs in Firefox, it uses more than 130MB of RAM. wtf

Can't really speak to IE9, since I only really use it to test our software since it's what most of our customers use. Can't speak to Opera since I'm so satisfied with Chrome and haven't really given it a fair shake.

 

[lxskllr]

Not unreasonable I don't think

 

[AnonymouseUser]

I've used many different browsers, but always go back to Opera. :wub:

 

[MarkXIX]

Chrome Canary build here.

I use IE only because it works best with the government websites that I have to access with my issued smart card. I can never seem to get the Firefox DoD add-in working right.

 

[Deeko]

I have IE9 and Chrome installed at home, primarily use IE. I've never liked Firefox. I think a lot of people were based to IE from IE6, but it really has improved leaps and bounds with the latest versions. That's what competition will do to you I guess.

 

[gophins72]

i have installed IE9 and chrome, primarily use firefox with noscript. i am reading that IE9 is better but not sure why?

 

[blackangst1]

Don't see what's wrong with IE 9. It's a fine browser.

I use Firefox as my primary browser, though. I use IE 9 and Opera as secondaries.

The problem with ie9 is the tabs arent movable. Many people have the menu's enabled as well as a row of favorites. With those and an address and search bar, there are 4 rows of stuff. ie9 puts the tabs on the very top and its very annoying. They should be at the bottom, closest to the pages. There is actually a big thread on this issue on msdn. For this reason alone Im using ie8.

Here's ie9, and the arrow is where the tabs should be:

Here's ie8 with tabs in the proper place:

 

[Red Squirrel]

Not unreasonable I don't think

Cool I did not know about that feature.

200mb for a browser is kinda steep, though not a HUGE deal. Though I bet if you close it and reopen it, it will be using way less. FF has had a memory leak forever and not sure why they have not fixed it yet.

Mine is using 80MB right now under XP. That will grow over time.

That said Firefox is a fine browser and is quite stable. Chrome is nice because it's more lightweight, but it's so buggy. I tried it for a bit then got tired of the really weird bugs it had like vanishing form elements and such.

edit: I just closed and reopened and now mine is using 59MB.

 

[olds]

Chrome at home.
IE at work. Our IT people say that Chrome sucks. (FF for other than work)
Occasionally I run into a page that will only load properly in IE.

 

[Ichinisan]

Chrome:

- NO WAY to type an address in full-screen mode. You think you can use a keyboard shortcut? You can't.

- Can't right-click a tab and type the letter "C" to close.
I do this with most browsers when I'm using a touchpad and can't middle-click. If hands are on a full-size keyboard, Ctrl+F4 is easier.

- MAJOR issues if you use increased DPI in Windows 7.

--> Tabs cover-up the min/max/close buttons.
--> Windows taskbar covers the bottom in full-screen (even YouTube videos).

- Doesn't support tab groups.

- Harder to configure bookmark keywords.

- No title bar and no way to add one.

- You can't double-click to the right of the tabs to create a new one (and can't work with the existing UI because you can't add a titlebar and raise the min/max/close buttons).

- Difficult to de-select highlighted elements.
Infuriating when half the page was accidentally highlighted.


IE9:

- No proper way to automatically save all open tabs and restore the next time it's launched.
This, alone, is enough reason for me to write-off IE9.

- UI isn't intuitive.
The address bar and back buffer pertain to the current tab, so these elements should be INSIDE the tab.

- AdblockPlus plug-in is not available.

- No sync option.


Firefox:

- Sync is harder to set up than with Chrome.

- Memory use gets out-of-control.

- Still doesn't keep separate processes for each tab.

- Multiple UI problems since 4.x

--> F6 no longer gives focus to the address bar (universal with other browsers).
--> Have to hold the back button to see back buffer (Chrome lets you drag down and see it instantly)
--> Can't double-click the upper-left corner to close it (something I've done since Windows 3.1)
--> As with Firefox 3, I want a title bar and the ability to double-click to the right of the tabs to create a new one. The only way to restore that in Firefox 4 is to enable the Menu bar; which is a useless waste of space on a small screen.

 

[Ichinisan]

The problem with ie9 is the tabs arent movable. Many people have the menu's enabled as well as a row of favorites. With those and an address and search bar, there are 4 rows of stuff. ie9 puts the tabs on the very top and its very annoying. They should be at the bottom, closest to the pages. There is actually a big thread on this issue on msdn. For this reason alone Im using ie8.

Here's ie9, and the arrow is where the tabs should be:

Here's ie8 with tabs in the proper place:

Though IE9 screws up the location of UI elements and where they belong in relation to tabs, you also have it completely wrong.

 

[Ichinisan]

Cool I did not know about that feature.

200mb for a browser is kinda steep, though not a HUGE deal. Though I bet if you close it and reopen it, it will be using way less. FF has had a memory leak forever and not sure why they have not fixed it yet.

Mine is using 80MB right now under XP. That will grow over time.

That said Firefox is a fine browser and is quite stable. Chrome is nice because it's more lightweight, but it's so buggy. I tried it for a bit then got tired of the really weird bugs it had like vanishing form elements and such.

edit: I just closed and reopened and now mine is using 59MB.

Also, I think Firefox's memory analyzer probably doesn't show the allocated memory that Firefox lost track of. If it knew about that memory use, it probably wouldn't be getting out of hand.

 

[blackangst1]

Though IE9 screws up the location of UI elements and where they belong in relation to tabs, you also have it completely wrong.

What exactly do I have wrong?

 

[lxskllr]

Also, I think Firefox's memory analyzer probably doesn't show the allocated memory that Firefox lost track of. If it knew about that memory use, it probably wouldn't be getting out of hand.