Internet Explorer 8, by far, has proven to me a much easier interface, much easier navigation, quicker, more secure, and more genuine. It is the only browser for me that works entirely with almost every site out there -- the only sites I have issues with are Mibbit (which I rarely use) and Facebook. Firefox has given me issues with MySpace, etc. and IE is the ONLY browser that will work for me with WYSIWYG. Also please tell me where everyone is getting that Firefox is so sleek fast n' sexy... FF2 was slower than IE6 and FF3 is hardly faster than IE7... much less IE8.
FF3.1 beta is the fastest browser currently available; I've tested it personally against IE7, IE8, Opera 9, Opera 10 alpha build, Safari 3, Safari 4 beta, Google Chrome, and Google Chrome beta. The only one that comes close is the Google Chrome beta build, which is about even with FF3.1 in terms of speed.
As for security, IE is inherently easier to exploit for the simple reason that it allows ActiveX to run in the browser, a redundant technology that's very easy to abuse (redundant because anything it can do can be accomplished through other, more secure means).
If you prefer IE's interface, just use the
Vista-aero skin and enable "Always show tabs menu" in the tabs section of the options; it'll look identical to IE.
If you run across a page that won't work in Firefox but does in IE, just use
IE tab to view it. Know, however, that it isn't because Firefox is poorly designed that it can't display these pages, it's because the pages are poorly designed and don't conform to the W3 specifications. Many pages are designed to run on IE's flawed rendering engine (which, I concede, is significantly less flawed in IE8 than previous versions) instead of designed according to proper specifications, and thus will behave erratically on any browser except IE.
As for more "genuine," I have no clue what that's supposed to mean. If you mean it uses Windows "Genuine" technology, that's just marketing jargon that doesn't mean anything, other than Microsoft is associated with the program.
Everyone tells me not to, but I use IE. Purely because I've always used it, and never actually had any problems with it. o_o;
And because it was already there on the desktop when I bought my laptop, and I can't be bothered to download another browser.
This is an example of Microsoft abusing their power as an operating system vendor to reduce competition. This practice is being investigated in the EU, and if Microsoft is found guilty (which they have been multiple times for related charges), they could face huge fines and be forced to, for example, allow users to download a different browser upon Windows installation.
