pengipete
Rising Star
Looking at IE9, I'd say they've maybe "borrowed" something from Firefox.
The reason that FF always seemed so much faster that IE was that IE always loaded graphics first - which meant that you had to wait to see the text or scroll the page - whereas FF loads the text first gicing you pretty-well immediate access to the site and letting you start browsing whilst the images load in the background.
IE9 is certainly much,much faster than any previous version of IE but bear in mind that FF4 is due out anytime now and having tested the betas, it too is much faster - we'll have to wait for a proper head-to-head.
Even though I approve of the refinements in IE9, I'll be sticking with Firefox. I use a number of add-ons with Firefox - in particular, AdBlock Plus and TabMix+ - that don't have a decent, free equivalent in Internet Explorer. Firefox is designed to allow the easy creation and installation of add-ons using Java - IE add-ons have to be written in C++ and jumo through all sorts of hoops before they even start to work - typical Microsoft mentality unfortunately. As a result, it's rare to find good quality freeware, shareware or open-source add-ons for IE.
I suppose there also an element of familiarity involved - I've been using Firefox for so long that Internet Explorer feels somewhat alien and I even find the way it handles something as simple as tabs difficult to follow as an occasional user. It may make a difference that FF4 involves a complee redesign of the GUI but - being realistic - I'd rather learn to use FF4 than try to learn both FF4 and IE9. I have given IE9 a fair crack but there are too many interruptions for my taste - after the 99th pop up asking me if I want to change this or set that or asking if want to disable some add-on that I didn't even ask for in the first place, I gave up.
I remember reading that Microsoft chaged some of their rules when Windows 7 was being developed - including one which means that apps should no longer use the word "sorry" when something goes wrong. I can't help thinking that they've gone overboard and started explaining everything in detail when all we really want is a good product that works invisibly in the background. IE9's like an ex-smoker - forever shoving it's new-found righteousness in your face.
I keep getting this horrible feeling that it's about to pop-up yet another window saying "I can't let you do that, Dave"
The reason that FF always seemed so much faster that IE was that IE always loaded graphics first - which meant that you had to wait to see the text or scroll the page - whereas FF loads the text first gicing you pretty-well immediate access to the site and letting you start browsing whilst the images load in the background.
IE9 is certainly much,much faster than any previous version of IE but bear in mind that FF4 is due out anytime now and having tested the betas, it too is much faster - we'll have to wait for a proper head-to-head.
Even though I approve of the refinements in IE9, I'll be sticking with Firefox. I use a number of add-ons with Firefox - in particular, AdBlock Plus and TabMix+ - that don't have a decent, free equivalent in Internet Explorer. Firefox is designed to allow the easy creation and installation of add-ons using Java - IE add-ons have to be written in C++ and jumo through all sorts of hoops before they even start to work - typical Microsoft mentality unfortunately. As a result, it's rare to find good quality freeware, shareware or open-source add-ons for IE.
I suppose there also an element of familiarity involved - I've been using Firefox for so long that Internet Explorer feels somewhat alien and I even find the way it handles something as simple as tabs difficult to follow as an occasional user. It may make a difference that FF4 involves a complee redesign of the GUI but - being realistic - I'd rather learn to use FF4 than try to learn both FF4 and IE9. I have given IE9 a fair crack but there are too many interruptions for my taste - after the 99th pop up asking me if I want to change this or set that or asking if want to disable some add-on that I didn't even ask for in the first place, I gave up.
I remember reading that Microsoft chaged some of their rules when Windows 7 was being developed - including one which means that apps should no longer use the word "sorry" when something goes wrong. I can't help thinking that they've gone overboard and started explaining everything in detail when all we really want is a good product that works invisibly in the background. IE9's like an ex-smoker - forever shoving it's new-found righteousness in your face.
I keep getting this horrible feeling that it's about to pop-up yet another window saying "I can't let you do that, Dave"
