On Mon, 2010-11-01 at 06:46 -0500, Olin Lathrop wrote:
> Peter Loron wrote:
> > IE6 is, as others have mentioned, well past its sell-by date. It has
> > numerous security issues, and is by far the least standards compliant
> > browser still in significant use. Stupefying amounts of time are
> > spent working around the broken standards support in
> >
> > Even if you don't care about the new features, updating to a more
> > current version will help protect you from vulnerabilities that can
> > be exploited to attack your computer.
>=20
> Last time I looked at the next version of IE, it had some things I didn't
> like.  Can the various toolbars and stuff be stripped down like IE6 in th=
e
> attached picture?  I never use those silly clickety-click tool bar icons =
and
> don't want them to waste pixels.  If I remember right, IE7 always had
> another bar there you couldn't get rid of.
>=20
> Is there a simple reliable key sequence to put the cursor where you can t=
ype
> another URL?  In IE6 CTRL-TAB does this, but it didn't always in IE7 if I
> remember right.
>=20
> It's these kind of usability issues that keep me from upgrading.


I don't actually have a machine with Windows on it at the moment, but as
I recall there is a great deal of flexibility in how you can configure
the UI in IE8. I don't know about the CTRL-TAB shortcut.

If you are interested in investing some time in researching other
browser options, I suggest setting up a VM with VMware or VirtualBox
(free) and then trying the various options without altering your
"production" setup.

I really like Chrome now as a general purpose browser. I very rarely run
into a site that doesn't work properly there.


> > Please update your browser.
>=20
> This is not your call nor your business.

Unfortunately it _is_ public business.

Believe me, I don't like random people (or politicians) dictating things
to me any better than you. However, computer security is an issue that
has slid over the precipice into a public issue. End-users are either
ignorant or reluctant to update when necessary, leaving their machines
vulnerable to exploitation by any of the various criminal groups running
botnets and the like. It is a situation where, literally, if you are not
part of the solution you are part of the problem.

Mr. Lathrop, I deeply appreciate the knowledge and advice you bring to
the list, and I am not writing this to be antagonistic. However it
really is a very serious issue. Many people not in the software business
are simply unaware of the magnitude of the problem.

--=20
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