[Cattius]

Okay, I decided I would post this because it made me so angry when I saw it

Spoiler: Click to Toggle the Spoiler.

[Close]

Internet Explorer 8 is by far the best browser Microsoft's ever released, but most of our readers are happily using a better alternative like Firefox or Chrome. Microsoft's not happy about this, so they've created an absurd piece of propaganda to win you back.

This browser comparison chart pits IE8 against Firefox and Chrome and puts IE8 on top time after time, but in very dubious categories. Each row comes with its own ridiculous set of comments justifying the seemingly meaningless checkmarks, like this note on 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.

Interesting, since none of the Firefox extensions I install add any IE8 functionality. We've given Microsoft props for significantly improving Internet Explorer in the latest release, but this chart feels like dirty pool to us. Let's hear what you think of this insane (to us, at least) chart in the comments.

Article

So, discuss. Do you think Microsoft were right to make this comparison chart?

My personal opinion is that, as Lifehacker says, this comparison chart of Microsoft's is absurd. It's so biased it's sickening, and most of it is either blatant lies or a twisted version of the truth.

This post has been edited by Cattius: Jun 19 2009, 01:19 PM

[Caboose]

Security: Firefox
Privacy: Chrome
Ease of Use: Chrome
Web Standards: Probably Right
Developer Tools: I'd say Chrome
Reliability: I've never had Chrome crash on me, and when Firefox does it saves all of my Tabs. IE8 crashes a lot and takes forever to reboot, when i usually find me staring at my homepage.
Customization: If the features are already there (which they aren't) then it isn't an option, so it isn't customization numbnuts.

[Emo_Nemo]

Security: People are going to hate me for this one but actually from a security standpoint IE in sandboxed mode is the most secure browser along with its other protection mechanisms.

Privacy: Google has had bouts of issues with privacy and calls home way to damn much. IE possibly wins this but im not completely sure.

Ease of use: This is a toss up on opinion to be honest with you.

Web standards: IE does have the best CSS 2.1 compliance this has been proven but other standards not so much.

Developer tools: This is definitely a tie between Chrome and IE. FF can't even hold a light to the ease of use both of these browsers provide in testing and organizing code.

Reliability: They do have FF and Chrome on this. The first browser to add these features and the first to have both.

Add ons: IE8 out of the box does have more features then FF.


Flame me if you want but I judged these while looking at the competition and not on blind hate.

[opac]

Yea it's pretty biased.
Security: Firefox
Privacy: Firefox
Ease of use: Chrome
Standards: All a tie
Developer Tools: Chrome
Realibility: It depends

[Nrox]

A more truthful chart:

Security - False, it's Firefox. IE8 pretty much misses half the phishing sites thrown at it.
Privacy - Tie
Ease of use - Dubious, not commenting
Web standards - IE8 crashes on Acid3 when it gets to 13/100, so Chrome & Firefox
Developer tools: Tie since Firefox has great addons like Firebug
Reliability: Firefox and Chrome. Microsoft should be ashamed of calling IE8 "reliable." Probably more reliable than Windows ME but not much else.
Customizability: Firefox, hands down.
Compatibility: Dubious. The only reason why IE is more compatible is because of frustrated developers having to purposely write malformed HTML in order for IE to properly display it. Or maybe it's because of developers who don't care about cross-browser compatibility.
Manageability: Dubious
Performance: Chrome, but just barely

This post has been edited by nrox653: Jun 19 2009, 11:17 PM

[Cattius]

Security: People are going to hate me for this one but actually from a security standpoint IE in sandboxed mode is the most secure browser along with its other protection mechanisms.

Google Chrome and Firefox both use 'sandboxing' security models, particularly Chrome. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium_(software)#Security and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox#Security

Privacy: Google has had bouts of issues with privacy and calls home way to damn much. IE possibly wins this but im not completely sure.

I wouldn't say Firefox is any worse than IE with privacy. And Google only 'calls home' about your Google habits so it can give you good search suggestions and so forth.

Ease of use: This is a toss up on opinion to be honest with you.

Agreed.

Web standards: IE does have the best CSS 2.1 compliance this has been proven but other standards not so much.

Developer tools: This is definitely a tie between Chrome and IE. FF can't even hold a light to the ease of use both of these browsers provide in testing and organizing code.

Reliability: They do have FF and Chrome on this. The first browser to add these features and the first to have both.

Google Chrome has both tab isolation and crash recovery features...

Add ons: IE8 out of the box does have more features then FF.

Flame me if you want but I judged these while looking at the competition and not on blind hate.

Anyway, now that the discussion's started I'll add my own version of the chart

Spoiler: Click to Toggle the Spoiler.

Security: All the browsers have sharpened up security, but personally I would say Google Chrome wins, and Firefox and IE8 tie. However, IE is obviously faced with more malware as it has a larger market share, so malware authors write for it.

Privacy: IE8 and Firefox tie, Chrome is a bit behind because of all the fuss people have made about its privacy. Personally what Chrome does (sends info about my Google usage) doesn't bother me.

Ease of Use: All of them are easy to use. Personal preferences I suppose.

Web Standards: Firefox and Chrome tie. IE8 still behind, although Microsoft have done quite a bit of work on web standards in IE.

Developer Tools: Tie between Chrome and IE, although there are add-ons for Firefox that can even the odds. And let's face it, most people won't even use the Developer Tools anyway.

Reliability: Chrome and Firefox tie (Chrome has tab isolation and crash recovery, Firefox has crash recovery and is very stable anyway), IE8 is a little behind because it tends to crash more for me.

Add-ons: You can't beat Firefox on this. IE8 is WAY behind on the customization front. Chrome is last as it currently doesn't support add-ons, but hey, there's always bookmarklets.

Compatibility: I've never found a site that wouldn't work in Chrome or Firefox. If one exists it probably only doesn't work because the developer has had to use poor standards in order to make IE work.

Manageability: I'm not dumb, if I have a problem I'll post on Sals or Google it. Microsoft's 'support' is normally rubbish anyway. So all the browsers tie here.

Performance: I'm going to say it's a tie between all three, as the speed comparison charts I've seen tend to contradict one another.

My conclusion: It's a draw between Chrome and Firefox. IE8 comes third. I would have added more browsers to my comparison but these three are the only 'current' browsers that I use regularly, so I can't judge any others.

[Close]

This post has been edited by Cattius: Jun 20 2009, 03:09 AM

[Arianna]

Oh no, Microsoft is advertising its own product. WATCH OUT THE WORLD IS COLLAPSING!

[Cattius]

Oh no, Microsoft is advertising its own product. WATCH OUT THE WORLD IS COLLAPSING!

Advertising, and totally biased propaganda that lies about competitor's products, are two completely different things.

This post has been edited by Cattius: Jun 20 2009, 06:58 AM

[Haleth]

Oh no, Microsoft is advertising its own product. WATCH OUT THE WORLD IS COLLAPSING!

I thought you'd reply with "WHAT, NO OPERA???!?".

[Arianna]

Oh no, Microsoft is advertising its own product. WATCH OUT THE WORLD IS COLLAPSING!

Advertising, and totally biased propaganda that lies about competitor's products, are two completely different things.

One is advertising, and the other is false advertising...which is still advertising. How many adverts tell the truth, actually?

Oh no, Microsoft is advertising its own product. WATCH OUT THE WORLD IS COLLAPSING!

I thought you'd reply with "WHAT, NO OPERA???!?".

Big Opera-shaped bomb to land in Redmond in 4, 3, 2, 1...
(Besides, Opera was excluded from the comparison because it is vastly superior. )

This post has been edited by Arianna: Jun 20 2009, 07:18 AM

[Haleth]

Oh no, Microsoft is advertising its own product. WATCH OUT THE WORLD IS COLLAPSING!

I thought you'd reply with "WHAT, NO OPERA???!?".

Big Opera-shaped bomb to land in Redmond in 4, 3, 2, 1...
(Besides, Opera was excluded from the comparison because it is vastly superior. )

You've got a point, Safari's not on that list either.

[Cattius]

One is advertising, and the other is false advertising...which is still advertising. How many adverts tell the truth, actually?

They are allowed to 'distort' the truth to suit their own purposes, but blatant lies in advertising are illegal.

[Arianna]

One is advertising, and the other is false advertising...which is still advertising. How many adverts tell the truth, actually?

They are allowed to 'distort' the truth to suit their own purposes, but blatant lies in advertising are illegal.

You sincerely expect Microsoft to tell the truth?

[Spirit Shield]

bltent lies. im trying out chrome today. expecting good standerds.

[Cattius]

You sincerely expect Microsoft to tell the truth?

Yes, I expect them not to lie if lying in advertising is against the law, which it is.

im trying out chrome today. expecting good standerds.

It'll live up to your expectations I regularly use Chrome, especially on Windows 7 where the transparency effects work excellently.

[Emo_Nemo]

Oh no, Microsoft is advertising its own product. WATCH OUT THE WORLD IS COLLAPSING!

Advertising, and totally biased propaganda that lies about competitor's products, are two completely different things.

Thank god Apple or Linux don't do this!

Oh wait..

[Cattius]

Thank god Apple or Linux don't do this!

Oh wait..

Just because other companies do it as well doesn't make it right.

And I've seen Apple lying/twisting the truth on their site, but Linux?

This post has been edited by Cattius: Jun 20 2009, 02:13 PM

[Stobbo]

There not exactly lying, there more choosing very specific criteria to let IE8 come out top. You could put any product at the top if you were very specific in the criteria you used.

[Emo_Nemo]

Thank god Apple or Linux don't do this!

Oh wait..

Just because other companies do it as well doesn't make it right.

And I've seen Apple lying/twisting the truth on their site, but Linux?

Linux spreads propaganda as well not on tv but through online media.

[Cattius]

There not exactly lying, there more choosing very specific criteria to let IE8 come out top. You could put any product at the top if you were very specific in the criteria you used.

There are sections that aren't true though. For example:

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

This is wrong as Chrome has both tab isolation and crash recovery, so they should have at least let it tie with IE.

Linux spreads propaganda as well not on tv but through online media.

I haven't ever seen them lie though.

This post has been edited by Cattius: Jun 20 2009, 02:22 PM