Ricky Anderson: The Great Browser Debate

The Great Browser Debate

Throughout the history of the Internet, folks have debated the virtues of their favorite browsers.

Internet Explorer, Netscape, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Chrome, etc. Everybody's got a favorite and thinks you should use it, too.

I've heard all the arguments before, save one: MSN Explorer.

Today my boss, a lady who is roughly my age, had an issue loading her email on her personal computer and asked for my help. I waltzed over and stumbled a bit as I saw it: MSN Explorer. There it was, in all its colorful ugliness.

"There's your problem. You need a browser."
"What? This IS a browser."
"Nobody uses that. Try IE."
"I don't like IE."
"Usually that sentence comes from rational people. Why do you insist on using MSN Explorer?"
"It has all these colorful buttons."
"Do you have 12 cats, 16 grandchildren and an AOL account?"
"No, of course not."
"Then get rid of this garbage."
"What should I use?"
"Anything. Literally any other browser in the entire world."

I tried to be open-minded, so I ran a Google search for reasons to use MSN Explorer. The first non-Microsoft link to come up was a page detailing how to remove it. This should tell us something.

So, what browser do you use? If you use MSN Explorer and enjoy it, please defend it here. I'm genuinely curious whether it has any value beyond pretty buttons and no options.

.

Comments (22)

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Some Guy · 715 weeks ago

Be careful what you say - "any other browser in the entire world." What if she switched to the AOL browser? I remember the days when websites would provide separate instructions for their users/customers who had AOL.

Can't you install some themes (on Firefox at least) that will provide colorful buttons?

3 replies · active 714 weeks ago

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Ricky Anderson 96p · 714 weeks ago

Do they still make a browser?

And I just installed Chrome as her backup browser for future instances when she needed to do something and not just look at cats.

I told her the options (listed above), and Chrome is what she chose. I guess it sounded shinier.

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Some Guy · 714 weeks ago

Did you also mention NCSA Mosaic? A mosaic is not as shiny as chrome, but it is more interesting.

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Ricky Anderson 96p · 714 weeks ago

Didn't know about that one!

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meetthebuttrams 57p · 715 weeks ago

Dang. When I first read this in my (Safari) Google reader, I thought it said, "The Great Bowser Debate." I got excited because, I mean, there was something to debate about Bowser?

1 reply · active 715 weeks ago

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Ricky Anderson 96p · 714 weeks ago

That's your guest post for next week, right?

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Daniel · 714 weeks ago

I use Safari on my mac and firefox on my linux box. I feel reasonably comfortable announcing this. Sometimes my computer-saavy friends like to point and laugh at me as I am usually behind the curve on the latest thing du jour. For instance, I regularly program in FORTRAN. You may begin laughing now.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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Ricky Anderson 96p · 714 weeks ago

There will be no laughing. I can't program in any language.

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Sgt. Wolverine · 714 weeks ago

You should have given her Netscape. She might have really enjoyed those little meteors flying past that big N.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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Ricky Anderson 96p · 714 weeks ago

She probably would have said "Cute!"

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cindyholman 58p · 714 weeks ago

I've used them all and had trouble at one time or another with every one of them. I now use Chrome - I have a Mac and tried Safari and Firefox - both had issues. I love Chrome because of the extensions for google+ - and I'm a fan of that!

1 reply · active 714 weeks ago

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Ricky Anderson 96p · 714 weeks ago

They do all have their snafus every now and then.

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katdish · 714 weeks ago

What's a browser? I just turn on my computer and surf the net. Oh, wait...I use Safari. Which came with this silver computer with an apple on it. Which I don't deserve because I know jack squat about browsers and interwebs and whatnot. But my husband wanted to buy me a new computer so I let him. I'm nice like that.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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Ricky Anderson 96p · 714 weeks ago

Very big of you!

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rkness16 43p · 714 weeks ago

I like Chrome for the browser sync across my workstations. Other than that, I'd user Firefox next, then IE, then Safari. I think I'd rather use the crappy browser on my Blackberry than be seen using the MSN browser. That's just embarrassing.

1 reply · active 714 weeks ago

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Ricky Anderson 96p · 714 weeks ago

Ditto! My thoughts exactly.

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brynnloves 26p · 714 weeks ago

Firefox all the way and if you don't switch to my brower we can't be blog friends.

Also, the mere mention of MSN Explorer made me laugh out loud. Thanks for the giggle.

3 replies · active 714 weeks ago

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Ricky Anderson 96p · 714 weeks ago

Yeah, that did seem to be about the only joke in this gripey post.

I'm turning into an old man.

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brynnloves 26p · 714 weeks ago

Haha not even close.
You still know what browsers are good!

My granddad once blamed my little brother for "breaking their computer" when their obscure browser crashed. I don't even remember what it was called, but they claimed "it was the best and there is no way that it had anything to do with the browser".

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Ricky Anderson 96p · 714 weeks ago

Old people and computers - a match made in Best Buy.

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Sunshine · 714 weeks ago

LOVE chrome.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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Ricky Anderson 96p · 714 weeks ago

Finally!

Something we can agree on.

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