Comments on: Usage of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer only high because it’s forced upon workers

By: trondude

trondude — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 14:00:56 +0000

Not a super max jail, but a manufacturing company with ITAR and government restrictions. Windoze by nature is fragile and vulnerable so these restrictions are necessary. Now if we all used Macs, which I wish we did, I wouldn’t have to worry about this so much, but unfortunately we don’t and can’t in our current environment.

By: chase

chase — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 02:19:57 +0000

Nothing is wrong with Internet Explorer… get over it

By: IT22

IT22 — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 16:50:43 +0000

Cornell demands old PC apps to run the University. Requires us to run old insecure browsers because the old IE or sometimes the old Firefox will be the only ones that work with old PC programs. Sometimes they tell us it won’t run on Safari, but it does. Lost track of how many times insturctions say you must have IE on a Mac to run the app. So stupid because IE hasn’t been written for Mac in years. Then you test it on Safari and it runs. Bunch of PC blinded idiots. But hey, Bill Gates bought them a new building on campus, that’s what counts most. They don’t care who’s unproductive on old PC crap.

By: russ

russ — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 13:54:29 +0000

It seems the systems you administer are extremely fragile and require extensive lockdown of potentially dangerous features. Your job then is to limit the capability of the platform so that it won’t much outperform a DOS machine from the early 1990′s.

Do you work at a super max jail?

By: Artist

Artist — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 22:27:24 +0000

All realtors use the MLXChange for listings and it only runs on IE

By: lol what?

lol what? — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 19:43:36 +0000

Really? You can do some amazing things with Windows? OS X is freaking UNIX, kid. Microsoft’s joke OS doesn’t come anywhere close to being as powerful as that.

*NIX sysops don’t laugh at Windows IT goons without reason.

IE is a horrific browser and Windows 8 is a slow motion trainwreck. If anyone wants proof of this then I invite them to please go download those wastes of disk space.

You’re right about Microsoft being a changed company, though. Back in the 90′s and early to mid 2000′s they were thriving. Now they’re a company with no focus and no viable plans for the future plowing full steam ahead into an iceberg.

By: kingmel

kingmel — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 18:45:25 +0000

You nailed the main reason that IE still dominates at work. Microsoft deliberately introduces obstructions to switching. SharePoint, for example, limits functionality if you are not using IE. Mac users are used to this treatment from M$. But times are changing in terms of website programming. The next big step is to move companies off of MS Exchange. That will truly mark the beginning of the end for M$.

By: kingmel

kingmel — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 18:39:31 +0000

IT techs like to support what they understand. If they cut their teeth on Windows machines, then that is their comfort zone. I have mostly used Apple computers since 1979 and Macs since 1989, although I also used DOS and Windows over the years when forced to do so. I held on to my work Macs through the dark ages of the mid-1990s when most people were convinced that Apple was doomed. I was always a Mac person at heart. But it takes some courage (or a boatload of frustration with Windows) for someone to take the risk of switching to the Mac after years of familiarity with Windows PCs.

Switchers, I salute you!

By: Tessellator

Tessellator — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 14:28:21 +0000

but partially true…. The “windows wizards” are desperately trying to “get” apple’s products, but seem to need to overcomplicate them (to justify this existence?) For instance, I just read an article on “10 tips to improve Mountain Lion” (or something like that I think I linked it from MDN) The amazing thing about it was the author was suggesting using a command line to enter environment variables to modify settings, that there are checkboxes for in system prefs (an app that groups many of the “system configurations” in a single window with a simple GUI.
The author was so eager to complicate OS X that he didn’t even consider that a there is a simple group of dialogs to handle the settings that he doesn’t realize is that is the reason people like it: Because people like him, for the most part just are required anymore.

By: trondude

trondude — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 14:04:44 +0000

It’s all about protecting the network and being responsive to their needs. Although they will tell you otherwise, there is no legitimate business need for Facebook, YouTube and twitter. By keeping their machines locked down, they do not have to worry about inadvertently installing malware, viruses, etc. So guess what, no down time when having to repair their machines. Remember, this is Windoze after all. Get over your entitlement view of the business world. They have home PC’s if they want to screw around. Work is work, not the other way. And most of them understand.

By: LanderLunar

LanderLunar — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 14:01:58 +0000

I developed a website for a client last year (2011).
One of the person testing the website for the client was adamant that I needed support IE 6 because at her work (a bank) the only “approved” windows by their I.T. Dept was Windows 2000.

By: russ

russ — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 12:10:28 +0000

It’s not ludicrous to think that at all. Your emperor really has no clothes and it’s blindingly obvious to anyone other than paid trolls such as yourself.

By: MacHeadB

MacHeadB — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 09:01:25 +0000

Your so Bad GeekJen but that is very Apple of you to do so!

By: Cold

Cold — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 06:30:13 +0000

Trondude, I think you can go with ‘hate’ on this one.

Remember, you providing a ‘service’ to the users, not enslaving then.

You do not know how to do their job, nor should you have the power to dictate restrictions to them – the tail does not wag the dog.

Merlin Mann once, said “you don’t let the guy holding the brush, tell you how many elephants you have in your parade”.

Your time will come to an end – remember that.

By: Cold

Cold — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 06:25:33 +0000

Cheques in the post M.

“I love macs and my phone and iPad” gee, thanks – I bet some of your best friends are Mac users, right?

Anybody who advocates Microsoft and everything they have done, and ignores the standards-based web, is completely missing the point.

By: trondude

trondude — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 04:58:45 +0000

People at work either hate me or love me because I lock their shit up with active directory and group policy, not to mention a hardware web filter. No installs, facebook, YouTube, etc. just business websites and limited user accounts. But the network stays stable and secure, and that’s the way I like it.

By: M

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 04:47:20 +0000

Consider this: It’s ludicrous to think that Microsoft has stood still for the past ten years. True, they had problems, but they’ve also done some amazing and advanced stuff that we just don’t find anywhere else out of the box, that’s thoroughly documented, and easily manageable. If you find someone who *really* knows Windows and not some kid fresh out of high-school, you can do amazing things out of the box and manage thousands of computers per single admin. For example, Windows includes Kerberos and Active Directory support, message queueing, an async intelligent data transfer service, bad-ass caching and acceleration services, fantastic typography and display support, automation galore, etc.

Ten years ago I was a Microsoft basher too, but now I actually enjoy using Windows 7 and IE 9 and Windows 8 w/ IE 10. Microsoft is a changed company and their products have become quite good. For a long time I wouldn’t touch IE because of ActiveX and IE’s history in general, but if you take an objective look, it’s really a pretty kick-butt browser, and the scrolling and font rendering are miles ahead of anything else. I love Macs and my iPhone and iPad, but there’s no denying that Microsoft is a fresh, new company with a lot of great tech and browsing with IE9 or 10 is a great experience if you look at it with fresh eyes.

By: Cpt. Obvious

Cpt. Obvious — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 03:38:28 +0000

Users of Internet Explorer are high? Way to state the obvious.

By: KenC

KenC — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 02:57:16 +0000

So, Safari is #1 in the “evening” segment at 31.8%. That’s pretty awesome.

By: Derek Currie

Derek Currie — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 02:48:39 +0000

ERROR. Please read ‘It remains common for THERE to be 100x’…

By: Derek Currie

Derek Currie — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 02:47:40 +0000

Yeah, but soooo true.

It remains common for their to be 100x fewer required Mac support personnel versus Windows box personnel on a per computer basis. Windows 7 has improved support requirements. But they remain still remarkably high compared to Macs.

By: Derek Currie

Derek Currie — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 02:41:44 +0000

Setting aside the massive IT doofus problem:

A lot of business sites have been created using Microsoft website building tools, despite the fact that they SUCK and are NOT STANDARDS COMPLIANT. Best examples of Microsoft crap web code: Active X and ‘JScript’.

As a result, only Internet Explorer can be used to resolve these screwed up websites. YES, Microsoft intended it to be this way, long ago.

If you complain to the TechTard Microsoft cultist web designers, they look at you like you’re from another planet. And you are. You’re from the superior planet where the Internet has actual STANDARDS that are NOT dictated by any one company. These TechTard dumdums just don’t get it.

By: Jubei

Jubei — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 00:48:31 +0000

So obvious yet the mainstream media never talks about this FACT!

By: Keith

Keith — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 23:34:26 +0000

same here…
I hate Internet exploder. Crashes on me all day long. Alas, I have no choice.

By: DogGonetoo

DogGonetoo — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 23:30:22 +0000

IE is also required by some servers. I have sites I login to that only allow IE.

Also ActiveX use requires IE. I used FF and safari on my work pc but now need to use IE to connect to various database systems that do not function fully with ActiveX capability.

Bummer.

By: aka Christian

aka Christian — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 23:29:01 +0000

Just completed an internship at a medical device company. Had to use I.E. there, and wow, was I appalled. Not only did it render pages slowly, it was ugly and crashed several times after very light usage. I had read how lousy it is, but experiencing it for myself made me appreciate Safari (home) and Firefox (work) that much more.

By: Jeff II

Jeff II — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 23:02:13 +0000

GeekJen, you are an awesome anarchist!

By: Dave H

Dave H — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 22:59:13 +0000

Urban myth.

By: GeekJen

GeekJen — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 21:45:29 +0000

Well, at home . OSX + Safari.

At work I am forced to use Windows (YAAACH!). AND…we are supposed to use IE. (not even the newest ones, as the admins are so damn lazy they couldn’t be bothered to update it on the (citrix) server). However, as I happen to know the admin password (shhh!) for the entire network, I installed Safari on my work box. Hehehehe. Have far less problems than my colleagues.

By: wandering Joe

wandering Joe — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 21:41:27 +0000

Maybe it’s late, and I’m not seeing straight but it seems the math is a bit off. If Safari dominates with 31.42%, how can IE have “just over a third”? None of the Safari numbers add up to 31.42 either. You get 31.80% for evening and 29.53% for overnight.

By: Tflint

Tflint — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 21:05:31 +0000

Computers for companies are purchased by office managers who ask the chief tech what to buy. I asked one tech why they always recommend Microsoft OS computers ” Because they break!” he replied. “If they buy Macs, I’m out of a job!”