IE8 beats Firefox and Chrome in 7 out of 10 areas

[soumya]

Microsoft has launched a website titled Windows Internet Explorer 8: Get the facts where it gives reasons for installing the browser, compares it to two competing browsers, and busts myths around its offering. At the top, there are selective quotes from different IE8 articles, including one from our own.

Internet Explorer 8 may have been released in March, but Microsoft is still pushing new marketing efforts. Let's have a look at each of the three sections to see what exactly Microsoft is promoting.

In the "Reasons to install" section, Microsoft lists eight distinct points for moving to IE8. Every single one of the points is valid, as long as you can see through the slight exaggeration. IE8 is a huge improvement over IE7, and this section underlines that quite well:

It's faster than ever: Surfing the web is now quicker than ever, thanks to performance enhancements that reduce how long it takes you to do a task. For example? A more intuitive address bar.

It's easier than ever: You don't have to open up a new window to find information like driving directions—now you can get that info easily using one of our Accelerators.

It's safer than ever: No matter what you're doing, you'll stay safer using the SmartScreen filter. You're instantly better protected against malicious software that can compromise your privacy and identity.

Keep up with the stuff that matters to you: Whether it's news, stock quotes, or even auction items, now you can stay on top of sites that update frequently using Web Slices.

See any site easily: View sites with ease, even if they were designed for an older browser, with one click on the Compatibility View button.

Recover from crashes quickly: Came across a site that caused a tab to crash? No worries, your browser session is stable, thanks to new tab isolation and crash recovery features.

Surf with more privacy: InPrivate Browsing gives you the option to prevent browsing history, cookies, usernames and passwords from being retained by the browser.

Make it yours: Customize your browser by choosing from an ever growing collection of handy and easy-to-use Internet Explorer 8 add-ons from the Internet Explorer Add-ons Gallery.


The "Browser comparison" section is a little more controversial. It lists 10 areas that Microsoft believes are important for browsers and then points out how IE8 beats Firefox and Chrome in seven of them. The other three are ties, according to the software giant:

Security: Internet Explorer 8 takes the cake with better phishing and malware protection, as well as protection from emerging threats.

Privacy: InPrivate Browsing and InPrivate Filtering help Internet Explorer 8 claim privacy victory.

Ease of Use: Features like Accelerators, Web Slices and Visual Search Suggestions make Internet Explorer 8 easiest to use.

Web Standards: It's a tie. Internet Explorer 8 passes more of the World Wide Web Consortium's CSS 2.1 test cases than any other browser, but Firefox 3 has more support for some evolving standards.

Developer Tools: Of course Internet Explorer 8 wins this one. There's no need to install tools separately, and it offers better features like JavaScript profiling.

Reliability: Only Internet Explorer 8 has both tab isolation and crash recovery features; Firefox and Chrome have one or the other.

Customizability: Sure, Firefox may win in sheer number of add-ons, but many of the customizations you'd want to download for Firefox are already a part of Internet Explorer 8 - right out of the box.

Compatibility: Internet Explorer 8 is more compatible with more sites on the Internet than any other browser.

Manageability: Neither Firefox nor Chrome provide guidance or enterprise tools. That's just not nice.

Performance: Knowing the top speed of a car doesn't tell you how fast you can drive in rush hour. To actually see the difference in page loads between all three browsers, you need slow-motion video. This one's also a tie.

ars technica

[Aspire]

All i would like to say are 3 words:
IE 8 Sucks.

[Krazzy Warrior]

FireFox! FTW

[damngoodman999]

Firefox damn hot browser

[kalpik]

This page made me laugh SO hard, that the milk i was drinking, came out of my nose! http://www.microsoft.com/windows/int...omparison.aspx

[ravi_9793]

IE8 is really very good. I do all secure logins from my IE8 only.

[Indyan]

Microsoft's new Get the facts has a strange smell to it. It's almost like it smells... old and stale.
Wait, I think I know why!

It's the smell of old and stale lies. It smells like their old "get the facts" campaign against Linux. I'm sure people remember the campaign they used to run where they would lie to people's faces and pay researchers to produce reports that were dishonest and biased towards Microsoft.

They are doing it again, only this time it's lies and half-truths about other browsers.

I saw their browser comparison page earlier, and they have since corrected their claim about standards to specifically mention CSS 2.1. And leaving out all the things IE8 doesn't do, they win themselves an undeserved checkmark.

The security claim is equally flawed, as it is based on a report from NSS Labs which was less than impressive, and apparently heavily manipulated.

I'm sure I could go on.

But if anyone wants to "get the facts" on browsers, they should stay well clear of Microsoft.

Update: Windows Internet Explorer 8: Get the facts STRAIGHT

Source

[phreak0ut]

They didn't compare Opera, because it's TOO good for any browser comparison

[rhitwick]

IE and secure!!!!???? Just open any warez/crack site and u'ld come to know who is more secure...

[Krazzy Warrior]

Where is Opera! Opera ftw! beats IE and FF

[Liverpool_fan]

I can only laugh at MS.
Get the facts MS. IE sucks.

[ThinkFree]

What a joke

[Tech.Masti]

Ha ha ha ha....., they just singing " We are the best" like SRK.

[ssk_the_gr8]

just one word...

Opera.

[Rahim]

Taking Microsoft to Task Over IE8 ‘Myths

[Coool]

Whats new?? Firefox and Chrome both suxx!!!

Opera Opera opera

[geek_rocker]

The Truth.

[hullap]

Originally Posted by a_rahim

Taking Microsoft to Task Over IE8 ‘Myths

[Disc_Junkie]

IE8 . . .IE9 . . . IE10..... even when IE makes a century it cannot surpass Firefox lol ! FireFox is god!

[anandk]

Well, all browsers, incly IE8, FF, etc have their plus minuses.

Security wise, I think IE8 wins, imo. But then, again, its a never ending topic on all forums One should stick to what one finds to be the best browser.

[Krazy_About_Technology]

If IE had just one plugin like firefox, sxipper, the password manager, i would have considered IE 8 well. I do use it sometimes but most of the time, having no good free password manager that can fill out logins for me, is a big turnoff for me. Apart from that, the developer tools in IE are good, but while developing sites there is one plugin that i really miss, one that enabled you to resize the window to some standard screen resolutions. Mine is a Dell Inspiron widescreen laptop and at 1280x800 res some site that i develop look really great, but then looking at these sites on a 4:3 aspect ration monitor with res going down to 1024x768 or even 800x600, tells a different story. A plugin to resize window to standard resolutions really come handy to avoid such situations. But there is no free alternative for IE as far as my knowledge goes.
So for these and other very small looking, but important reasons, I use Firefox for most of the times. I keep IE for mostly doing online banking in the InPrivate mode.

[hullap]

Originally Posted by Krazzy Warrior

FireFox! FTW

Originally Posted by Krazzy Warrior

Where is Opera! Opera ftw! beats IE and FF

aah, the irony

[ManishSinha]

Microsoft has a habit of putting its foot in the mouth. Can't it just publicize it's browsers without showing other browsers suck?

Does anyone know that IE testing team in MS, India just blame each other for the IE7 debacle? Now, don't tell they how "you" know. I am saying because I know.

[axxo]

Originally Posted by anandk

Well, all browsers, incly IE8, FF, etc have their plus minuses.

Security wise, I think IE8 wins, imo. But then, again, its a never ending topic on all forums One should stick to what one finds to be the best browser.

sure, but in case of FF only plus no minuses. fast,stable,secure and most important is the addons. I see no reason to dump FF and move to safari,IE,Chrome or even opera. FF rules for ever no comparison

[Krazzy Warrior]

Originally Posted by n00b0t

aah, the irony

When i replied Firefox thing! i was a firefox user! but after that i started using Opera and found it more better so Opera ftw!

[iPiyush]

LOL!
MS Aus. is giving $8k to people who find 'it' from their browser.
http://www.microsoft.com/australia/i...n/default.aspx

[chesss]

Does anyone know that IE testing team in MS, India just blame each other for the IE7 debacle?

That sounds like inside information , please leak some more

[vamsi_krishna]

Believe it or not. 90% of my friends use IE6 which was bundled with XP. which is obivious that they are n00bs.

As of me i won't change opera untill IE20 releases. Even then, i have to think about it.

[utsav]

Originally Posted by axxo

sure, but in case of FF only plus no minuses. fast,stable,secure and most important is the addons. I see no reason to dump FF and move to safari,IE,Chrome or even opera. FF rules for ever no comparison

Whatever u say i hav never seen opera crashing wid even hundreds of tabs open in multiple windows but firefox hangs every now and then even wid just 3 tabs. It happens wid me on xp,vista and even win 7. And my rig is powerful enuf to handle any browser i think ( C my siggy )

[vamsi_krishna]

Originally Posted by utsav

Whatever hundreds of tabs open in multiple windows

How to manage to open hundreds of tabs.. That too in multiple windows...


are you a webbot...?