If you don’t feel like reading this whole article I can sum it up in two words: Get Firefox. If you want to read on about how IE sucks, then go ahead.
I decided to use IE just for the hell of it and see how crappy the internet is without Firefox. Since Service Pack 2 should have made it more secure, I decided to see how true that was. Apparently not.
ActiveX controls are the things that popup and ask you to install things, usually adware. Service Pack 2 blocks all of these by default but a little bar pops up on top telling you that it was blocked. Of course, IE is still vulnerable unless you go into Internet Settings and turn off ActiveX controls, but no one does this. So because a bar pops up notifying people when sites try to install bad software, this makes IE okay, right? Wrong…
Here’s what really pissed me off. Sites know that SP2 blocks their spyware, so now they provide detailed instructions on how to install it, bypassing all of SP2s new security features (which are weak anyway). Yes, it’s happening. “In order to continue using our site you must…” Check out the picture for the actual instructions given. Quick note about the picture – it is a real screenshot and a javascript detected Internet Explorer and those instructions popped up over the main content of the website. Dumb people would follow the instructions because they want to access the site. And here’s the kicker. The damn thing says security warning, and the instructions are asking you to install it. People are really dumb and would.
I can’t make this point any stronger: GET FIREFOX!!!! I went to the exact same site and every bad script and popup was blocked.
FirefoxInternet Explorer
You’ve Got to be Kidding Me
December 28, 2004
Computer/ Tech Related, Rants
No Comments
Portfolioso
If you don’t feel like reading this whole article I can sum it up in two words: Get Firefox. If you want to read on about how IE sucks, then go ahead.
I decided to use IE just for the hell of it and see how crappy the internet is without Firefox. Since Service Pack 2 should have made it more secure, I decided to see how true that was. Apparently not.
ActiveX controls are the things that popup and ask you to install things, usually adware. Service Pack 2 blocks all of these by default but a little bar pops up on top telling you that it was blocked. Of course, IE is still vulnerable unless you go into Internet Settings and turn off ActiveX controls, but no one does this. So because a bar pops up notifying people when sites try to install bad software, this makes IE okay, right? Wrong…
Here’s what really pissed me off. Sites know that SP2 blocks their spyware, so now they provide detailed instructions on how to install it, bypassing all of SP2s new security features (which are weak anyway). Yes, it’s happening. “In order to continue using our site you must…” Check out the picture for the actual instructions given. Quick note about the picture – it is a real screenshot and a javascript detected Internet Explorer and those instructions popped up over the main content of the website. Dumb people would follow the instructions because they want to access the site. And here’s the kicker. The damn thing says security warning, and the instructions are asking you to install it. People are really dumb and would.
I can’t make this point any stronger: GET FIREFOX!!!! I went to the exact same site and every bad script and popup was blocked.
FirefoxInternet Explorer