Internet explorer 8 and Flash…

I use Firefox. Let me say that again. I USE FIREFOX!

However, there are people who still use IE, either because they don’t know of any other browsers* or because they like it. It’s not my job to convence them otherwise. So, when somebody asks me to help them update their laptop, I will not change any of their programs, including browsers.

So, to set True Story Mode on, I was given an ACER laptop and I was told to check it a bit, see if there’s anything wrong with it, you know, the usual process. One of the things I generally tend to do, is updating the machines people give me for two reasons: a) There are some critical updates that will make a windows box a bit safer and more stable and b) because someone who has paid for an OS should enjoy all the services provided by the developer (sic). When it asked me to install IE8, I did what I had to do: I asked the owner…

Yes, of cource I want that! A collegue installed it and said it is fantastic! 

Whatever… I’ve had problems of my own with IE8, but it was on a Vista Buisness machine, this laptop was with XP, so I did what I was told. Well, some time later, the laptop was updated, the owner had the brand new browser that was supposed to be fantastic and I was done.

Well… almost done… One of the firtst things the owner did when I gave the laptop back, was visiting mySpace, to check out some hot new band or something. In order to view the mySpace music player, you have to upgrade your flash player. No problem, it’s been done many times, piece of cake, right?

Wrong! The standard procedure, to install flash player 10 from within IE, will not work. At least it did not work in my case, to the point that IE froze and I could only kill the process through Task Manager. A little bit of Google search shows that many more have the same problem. To tell you the truth, I did not bother to look for a tried solution, to see what others did, I did what seemed to me more logical:

I downloaded the stand alone installer from Adobe’s site. I closed IE, run the installer and presto. Flash player was updated to version 10.

Not sure what the problem is. I really don’t care, I just wanted to get my job done and frankly why should anyone care? The average user will only follow instructions provided by the developers (in this case Adobe) and when he sees his browser freezing, will not know what to do.

So, let me say this once more: I USE FIREFOX!

PS: This is not a FF vs IE post. I know that FF has problems too, I know there are other browsers as well, I know that IE will be patched sometime soon. I just don’t like being called again because someone cannot update their flash player…

Why I will not use Google Chrome (yet)…

I like Google… I mean come on, few don’t like Google… I will not feel guilty because I like Google, I tell you! I will also not feel guilty writing about Chrome, everybody does these days…

I was more than happy when I read about the release of Google Chrome, and did just what the marketing experts expected me to do, downloaded and installed. Being a Firefox junkie, I had some thoughts about whether Chrome could actually replace Firefox, even though I have not heavily customized it. Since Chrome is something between Firefox and Safari (closer to Firefox) and since I have used both in the past, I had no problem adjusting, all my bookmarks, even my browsing history (hmmm) was there.

I was almost ready to throw Firefox away and use Chrome all the way, but I decided to leave it alone for a couple of days, to get a better feel of browsing with Chrome, you know, visit all my regular sites, do the stuff I usually do and in the mean time, read some opinions about it, see what other users think.

The complaint I heard most often, was the lack of add-ons. At fisrt I thought that this did not concern me at all, I use only No Script and Gmail Notifier, no themes, no Greasemonkey scripts, no fancy add-ons, I could surely manage. Except that I couldn’t…

I don’t mind that I can’t have the notifier within my browser, I could always install the program Google offers, but the script thingy, well, I just couldn’t live without.

Then I happened to read about the dark spot in Chrome’s Terms of service. Now, I am not one of those Big-Brother-is-watching-you fans, but you have to admit, when someone says that whenever you use one of their products, they have access to any information you exchange, it is something to trouble you, even a little. People have always suspected one company or another, sometimes rightfully, sometimes not, and this could be another such case, but it was right there, in their EULA, until they changed it.

The fact that the source code is right there for everybody to see, will clarify things in a little while, in the mean time, all those who want to use Chrome but are worried about Google finding out you’ve been surfing for porn, there’s always Chrome Anonymizer.

I think I will stick with the fox for a little longer… Now if you excuse me, I’m off to surf for porn…