The first thing that may come to your mind are words of disbelief. Yes this is a shock to anyone who knows anything about browsers. Actually 60 percent of companies use Internet Explorer 6 as their default browser.

There’s a huge gap between the number of companies that use Internet Explorer and companies that use other browsers. Between IE 6 and IE 7 they control 78 percent of the market. Firefox is in second with 18.2 percent, Google Chrome has 2 percent, and Safari has 1.4 percent.

So why do so many companies lead towards IE6? One of the reasons is that they go with the browser that was already installed on the computer. Since Microsoft creates Windows, Internet Explorer is always the first browser on the computer therefore a lot of companies just go with IE.

Once a company has decided to use a browser they will usually stick with it and block other browsers. This is because most companies worry about the security on new browsers as well as programs that may come with them.

Many companies don’t upgrade their browsers even though the upgrades include faster browsing, better security, and better tools. So if you’re in a company that’s looking at choosing a browser or you think your company has chosen the wrong browser, what can you do about it?

Each browser has pros and cons for each type of company. The four main browsers your company will look at are Internet Explorer 7 or 8, Firefox 3, Google Chrome, and Safari 4. So what are the differences between them?

Internet Explorer is great for companies that use several Microsoft programs and applications such as SharePoint. It’s also good for letting the company control what web pages can be used. It’s great for a company that wants a lot of security. The main downside is that the browser updates rarely include new features.

Firefox is a great browser in terms of all of the add-ons that you can get for it. There are several cool gadgets that you can have fun with however they are mostly geared towards consumers. Firefox is great for having better innovation than the others but has some lack in LAN control.

The New Google Chrome is questionable when it comes to security since it is so new.  However the browser itself is clean, fast, and offers many features that make it easier to work.

Safari 4 is also newer and therefore has questionable security. Safari allows for Mac and iPhone features that the other browsers don’t offer.

Overall which one should your company go with? Most likely the answer will be IE7/8 or Firefox 3 because of the security and features that they offer.

Source: CNET

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As traffic around shopping malls get worse by the day, more and more people are finding it convenient to just shop at the comfort of their computer desks. And at a time when gas prices are again threatening to jump up to crisis levels, people are now more inclined to let their mouse do the shopping.

As with all things, e-commerce has its own set of pot holes. Hackers are always on the lookout for careless online buyers. Day by day, phishing sites proliferate like hot dog stands at every nook and cranny of cyberspace. It is therefore important to have a secure shopping cart whenever you scour the Internet for bargains.

One of the ways by which you could protect yourself from online thieves is by using the latest version of your browser. Newer browsers are more equipped to handle online transactions. They employ the latest encryption methods that meet industry standards, such as Secure Socket Layers (SSL).

Installing the latest version of your browser is not enough, though. You have to constantly update it. Check its maker’s site for updates or patches. Read the security bulletins carefully as it usually contains tips and suggestions on how to keep your credit card number and other financial details safe from phishers.

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Microsoft’s announcement that it will release the public beta version if Internet Explorer 8 during the third quarter of this year drew mixed reactions from both fans and foes of the most widely-used browser in the world.

Redmond has already released a beta version several months ago for developers. Unfortunately, it drew flack on many of those who tested it. But that’s not surprising though, considering that IE8’s authors precisely released it to the experts so that they could put a few cents on it.

Of course, the public beta version would already be about a mile and a half better than the previous test release. While Microsoft’s purpose of releasing the unpolished product is for people to be bugged by it and for them to report the annoyances that they’ve experienced when using it as a surfboard on the Internet, still many welcome this pass-the-responsibility-of-detecting-the-bugs move or policy of Microsoft. I guess many are of the opinion that it’s better to be bugged now when we’re ready with the repellants.

I just hope that IE8 would be a lot faster and more secure than the current one that we’re using. Sometimes, a quad-core, spyware-free PC still seems to be a laggard due to the sloth-y Web browsers that we’re using. Security is also a main concern. Take note that many of the malware that we inadvertently welcome in our systems come from the Internet. Gone are the days when viruses get introduced to our PC by carelessly exchanging floppy disks or other storage media from friends or officemates. Everything is done online now, and our browsers are our primary gateway to cyberspace.

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