I made the switch from Internet Explorer (IE) to the Firefox browser in April of 2005. And I never looked back.
That is until I made an even bolder move and started using the Google Chrome browser in December 0f 2008!
What follows is a list of all the reasons that I personally recommend that you use either the Mozilla Firefox broswer or the Google Chrome browser instead of using the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser.
My Personal Experience With The Firefox Browser
After more than 20 years of being loyal an Internet Explorer user, I officially gave up IE back in 2005. And you can too — right now.
Why should you, you ask?
Well, probably for the same reasons that I made the switch so many years ago.
At the time, everyone who was anyone in the Internet world was using Firefox. No one worth their weight online was using IE (and the same is true today). So, yeah, peer pressure kind of got the best of me at first.
But then I realized that I didn’t want to be one of those who just resorts to using whatever comes pre-loaded and becomes content with using a very basic (and unsafe) web browser. No way — I wanted to be a little more in control of my web browsing experience.
I especially liked having the ability to set my own shortcuts and use plugins (or browser extensions) to customize my experience when viewing websites online.
But also… as website designers, Jim and I began to notice that there were huge differences in what people saw whenever they viewed our websites in Internet Explorer vs. in Firefox. As a result, we had to stay on top of things to make sure that our websites looked good in both browsers — IE and Firefox (since those were the 2 most popular Internet browsers at the time). And we saw just how poorly things were being done in Internet Explorer!
See how Firefox is safer than Internet Explorer.
After switching to the Firefox browser, I couldn’t believe that so many people weren’t as eager to make the switch as I was for these reasons:
- Firefox is much more respected as a web browser.
- Firefox is safer than Internet Explorer too.
- Firefox has much greater flexibility than IE.
- Firefox offers so many unique capabilities which enable you to personalize things.
Firefox truly makes Internet surfing a lot more fun and your time spent online much more efficient.
What I’ve learned since this is this: people who tend to only use the Internet on a limited basis are the ones who are most likely to use the Internet Explorer browser. When you don’t really care about a safer or more personalized experience online, then your choice of browser just doesn’t matter much.
My Experience With The Chrome Browser
As I began to spend more and more of my time online (I bought my first computer for personal use in 1990 and started my very first website in 1998), I was one of the first to make the switch from using Firefox to using the Chrome browser instead.
Google’s Chrome browser debuted in September 2008, and I started using it a few months after that.
As it turns out:
- Chrome is even safer than Firefox — it’s updated and patched much more frequently than Firefox is.
- Chrome is even faster and more lightweight than Firefox — so it uses less resources.
- Chrome has even more browser extensions available than Firefox — for the most personal web browsing experience possible!
I’ve been using the Chrome browser religiously on all of my devices (Dell laptop, Chromebook, and Android smartphone) for nearly 10 years now.
See how Google Chrome is safer than Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Are You Hesitant To Switch From Internet Explorer?
If you’re anything like I was at first, then you’ve probably been using Internet Explorer (maybe without even realizing it) simply because it’s the browser that came pre-loaded on your device.
As a result:
- You feel very comfortable using IE.
- It’s easy to get around in IE — because everything makes sense to you after using it for so long.
- There probably isn’t anything that you can’t do in Internet Explorer (that you know of).
- And since you’re not a computer nerd and all of your other non-computer nerd friends happen to be using IE — why shouldn’t you use it too?
It’s hard to change something that you’re comfortable with. But trust me, when I switched to Firefox, i quickly became comfortable with it in no time. And then, when I later switched to Chrome — there was no looking back!
As a primary browser, Firefox doesn’t offer much that Chrome doesn’t. When it comes to these two, it’s really a matter of personal preference. Chrome has a leg up because of its superior mobile integration, but Firefox is tried and true, and still receives regular updates. Source
Firefox vs. Chrome: See what users like best about Chrome and Firefox.
I got my first computer in 1986 and immediately started writing, saving documents, and organizing my entire life on it. Thus began my love affair with gadgets and all things tech. I built my first website in 1998 in old-school HTML code — before websites were "a thing". Blogs weren't invented yet. It was the same year that Google was born. My husband and I created TheFunTimesGuide.com in 2004 — before YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, and Mashable were launched. That was the year Facebook started and 'blog' was the Word of the Year according Merriam-Webster. Ever since then, anytime a new electronic gadget hits the market… I have to have it. (My husband's impulsive nature to try out every new tech gadget invented is even worse than mine!) When I'm not trying out fun new tech gadgets, you'll find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
