What second choice browser do you use

Rik · May 06, 2008, 14:56:06

If you regularly run a second browser, eg one at work and one at home, could you indicate your secondary browser here, and your primary one at:

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=8035.msg174757#msg174757

Thanks.

Malc · May 06, 2008, 15:51:12

Done

Sebby · May 06, 2008, 16:51:15

Done. IE7 if I really have to, though the IE Tab add-on for Firefox renders it pretty unnecessary.

Simon · May 06, 2008, 17:01:25

Firefox, but only because Sea Monkey won't work on my Vista laptop for some reason. Well, I know the reason, it's the Home Button add-on, but I can't live without it, so had to use FF and TBird on lappy instead of the suite.

Glenn · May 06, 2008, 17:12:14

IE7 is the secondary

Niall · May 06, 2008, 22:06:03

I'm forced to use the god awful IE7 at work, because they can turn everything off in it through various security needs. Gits.

I can't even clear the history on it

D-Dan · May 07, 2008, 00:37:21

Looking at the percentages on both the primary and secondary poll, it does generally seem (by quite a large margin) that the more PC savvy amongst us use FF as a primary and IE7 as a secondary. Given the nature of the question (ie - at work and home) I'm also inclined to think that (as in my case) IE7 is forced upon us, rather than being secondary by choice.

That being the case, how much kidology is involved in IE being the most popular browser worldwide, and how ineffective are the anti-trust cases?

Steve

Dopamine · May 07, 2008, 01:33:51

IE is undoubtedly, by a very large margin, the most commonly used browser by choice. As you say, the PC savvy seem more inclined to experiment and then stick with non OS bundled browsers, but they're in a minority.

I just looked at the browser stats for a website I run (which because of the adult nature of its content is unlikely to be accessed by users at their place of work), and they accord with most other large scale surveys: IE takes around 70% of the market.

Stats from my site for the last 30 days (source: Google Analytics):

Browser Unique visitors
1. Internet Explorer 166,420 71.68% (IE7 68% - IE6 31% - other IE 1%)
2. Firefox 47,716 20.55%
3. Safari 8,956 3.86%
4. Opera 5,685 2.45%
5. Netscape 2,028 0.87%
6. Mozilla 828 0.36%
7. Camino 147 0.06%
8. (not set) 93 0.04%
9. Playstation 3 89 0.04%
10. Mozilla Compatible Agent 50 0.02%

Similar figures shown here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers

Niall · May 07, 2008, 16:42:33

Quote from: Dopamine on May 07, 2008, 01:33:51
IE is undoubtedly, by a very large margin, the most commonly used browser by choice.

That's debatable considering most people buy their PCs pre built with IE pre installed and don't know any better. It's hardly choice if you don't know any better is it? I can't think of anyone I know that is experienced with PCs (this is ranging from network admins, to school IT dept workers, and programmers) that use IE by choice.

From everything I've ever read about it, people that don't really know much about PCs use IE, and the ones that do know what they're doing use Firefox. In my experience the other browsers are used/tried by the people that have IE, but don't really like it and have tried FF but don't get on with the fact that they have to do the work to get the add ons/extensions and set things up themselves.

If Firefox or any other browser was pre installed on every PC sold, I bet you that you would see vastly differing statistics there.

Also, what site do you run, if people are viewing it with a PS3? That's odd. I'll check my logs when I've finished my site, and check in a couple of months to see if there's a trend of Spectrums viewing my site

Dopamine · May 07, 2008, 17:22:11

Quote from: Niall on May 07, 2008, 16:42:33
That's debatable considering most people buy their PCs pre built with IE pre installed and don't know any better. It's hardly choice if you don't know any better is it? I can't think of anyone I know that is experienced with PCs (this is ranging from network admins, to school IT dept workers, and programmers) that use IE by choice.

From everything I've ever read about it, people that don't really know much about PCs use IE, and the ones that do know what they're doing use Firefox. In my experience the other browsers are used/tried by the people that have IE, but don't really like it and have tried FF but don't get on with the fact that they have to do the work to get the add ons/extensions and set things up themselves.

If Firefox or any other browser was pre installed on every PC sold, I bet you that you would see vastly differing statistics there.

Also, what site do you run, if people are viewing it with a PS3? That's odd. I'll check my logs when I've finished my site, and check in a couple of months to see if there's a trend of Spectrums viewing my site

Perhaps I should clarify what I mean by "by choice". The majority of users are not that willing to experiment with software so, by choice, choose to leave well alone and use preinstalled browsers. That's the whole reason for the anti-trust cases against Microsoft: to force MS to sell an OS that has no built in media player and whatever else, so that consumers are forced to make a choice. (and thereby mess up many systems with poorly written after-market software, although that's just my opinion

)

No idea what point you're making about PS3s. I just read the stats as provided by Google Analytics, which has always provided me with a highly detailed and very accurate service. There's always a big danger that the PC savvy/interested lose site of the fact that the majority of users want a machine that they can simply switch on and use simply and immediately. Installing a new browser is for many of very little interest, as IE provides all they need. The statistics prove that.

Niall · May 07, 2008, 20:49:12

I was just wondering what you host, if people with PS3s are browsing your site. Experience from adminning gaming sites tells me it's either nekkid women, or a gaming site

D-Dan · May 07, 2008, 22:46:37

If it's nekkid women - can we have a link

Lona · May 07, 2008, 23:01:37

I use firefox with the ie7 addon.

The other day I was trying to print off a pdf file and couldn't do it on Firefox. When I loaded the same pdf file on ie7 it printed no problem.