Internet Browsers

This week, Microsoft is ending support for all versions of its Internet Explorer Browser except the most recent version (11).  Until now, Microsoft had been providing security updates and other support for IE 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Last year, I posted an article discussing different Internet browsers generally.  Everyone should have Google Chrome, which updates itself regularly.  Many of you may also choose to use third party browsers such as Mozilla Firefox.  These are good browsers, usually superior to Internet Explorer.  They often will load pages faster than IE.  I recommend using Chrome for all Internet since you already using it for email and other Google Apps.

Why use IE at all?

The main reason we continue to use IE is that Elite Webview is designed to run only on Internet Explorer.  This was not always the case.  When we first purchased Webview, it ran on a variety of browsers.  Several years later, however, Elite became a Microsoft partner and restricted Webview so that it would only run on Internet Explorer.  If not for this limitation, I would have recommending dumping Internet Explorer years ago. As it is, I recommend using Internet Explorer for Webview.  It will work with the rest of the Internet as well, but may be slower than you would like.

Another great annoyance of Webview is that it does not always work with newer version of Internet Explorer.  It was designed to work with IE 6.  There are sometimes problems running later version of IE.  To get around such problems, we typically set up "Compatibility View" on your copy of IE, so that it will behave on that site like the older version of IE.  For many users, we stopped updating Internet Explorer on the computer to prevent future incompatibility issues.

So what does the end of support mean for older version of Internet Explorer?  

If you are using an older version of Internet Explorer to surf the Internet, you are at greater risk of attack.  Most security updates are designed to protect people from infected web sites that attempt to download and install malware on your computer.  If you do not have these protections, your computer can be at greater risk to attack.

How can I protect myself?

If you are on Windows 7 or higher, you can update Internet Explorer to version 11 which remains supported by Microsoft.  Keep in mind that doing so may mean we will need to reset the compatibility view settings in IE so that it continues to work with Webview.

The other option is simply to use your current IE only for Webview and other internal sites.  Since we control internal sites, we can keep them free from malware infections.  It is only when you go to sites outside the firm that you put yourself at risk.  For most internet browsing, I recommend using Google Chrome, which remains up to date and protected.

The Future of Internet Explorer

Microsoft seems to be phasing out IE altogether.  Windows 10 came with a new Microsoft browser called Edge.  However, Edge only works with Windows 10.  Those of us using older versions of Windows will have to wait.  Edge is not terribly useful anyway since, despite being a Microsoft product, is still not supported by Webview.

Because so many enterprises have applications like Webview that continue to require Internet Explorer, Microsoft continues to support IE 11 on Windows 10 as well as older versions of Windows, including 7 and 8 (there is no 9).  Should the firm move to Windows 10, we still have the option to use IE for Webview.

At some point in the next few years, I suspect Microsoft will end support for IE altogether.  Presumably by that time Elite will come up with an alternative browser option for Webview.

Internet Browsers

Internet Browsers

More and more of our work is being done on cloud based apps that are access via an Internet browsers.  Unlike software being loaded on your computer, cloud based apps run at some remote location.  The term "cloud" simply means you use the Internet to access your data or applications.

Typically, you need to use a browser to connect to the site.  A browser is simply a program on your computer that allows you to access other web sites through your internet connection.

Your Internet browser must be distinguished from your Windows browser.  When you click on "My Computer" in Windows XP, or simply "Computer" in Windows 7, you are in your Windows browser, where can view the various folders and files stored on your computer, or on the network server.  This is a different program from the Internet browser that is used to access web sites.  Microsoft blends the two so that you can often get to a web site simply by typing the address in the address bar Windows Explorer, although you will notice it must launch your default Internet browser to get you there.  In most instances, you can use an Internet Browser to access a local file on your computer or on the network.  For example, we do this with our Research Home Page, which is simply a series of files stored on a server in the main office.

Internet without Browsers

To make things even more confusing, many programs can also access the Internet without using a browser at all.  For example you may have a formula in a MS Excel spreadsheet that draws information from a web site without ever opening a browser.  If you have an offline email program such as MS Outlook, it gets your mail from the Internet without using a browser.  At home, you may have computer games that you play with other people over the Internet, without using a browser.  Access without a browser is actually the norm on phones and tablets.  Most of your apps there are using the Internet for any number of things without ever accessing your phone's browser.

Main Types of Browsers

Many years ago, Netscape was the standard and most popular browser.  But Microsoft was able to dominate the browser competition and become the standard by the mid-1990s.  Hopefully all of you are familiar with Microsoft's Internet Explorer.  It comes standard on all Windows computers.  We use it to access Webview for time entry.  Many of you also use it for most of your Internet browsing.

Netscape eventually evolved into an open source browser called Mozilla Firefox, which is still very popular. Apple has always supplied Safari on its computers.  Google has also gotten into the browser game with it's browser, called Chrome.  Chrome recently passed Internet Explorer as the most popular browser in use worldwide.  There are many other browsers as well, but these are the biggest four  in use today.

Why should I care which browser I use?

For many years, it mattered relatively little what browser you used.  Sure, some may have been a little faster or have a few extra features, but by and large, all of them could read the same web sites, that used the shared common language of the Internet, HTML.  More and more, however, that is changing.  While most web sites will still work on almost any browser, many more are being designed to work with specific browsers. Some sites may not work at all with some browsers, or have some functions that will not work properly.

For example, Elite does not allow you to access Webview with any browser other than Internet Explorer.  Similarly, many Gmail and Google Drive functions will not work properly unless you are accessing the site using Google Chrome browser.  Google has also recently discontinued support for Java, which had been used on many web sites, including some court sites.  For more on this, see my earlier post on the subject.  Therefore, you may need to use more than one browser for everything you need to do.

Microsoft has announced that it is retiring Internet Explorer later this year when it released Windows 10.  The new version of Windows uses a native browser currently called Spartan.  That name may change with the actual release.  It remains to be seen how Spartan works with the sites we use that require Internet Explorer.  We will begin testing once the final version is released.

Your Default Browser

You have the ability to set a default browsers on your computer.  Your default browser is the one that will open whenever you click on an Internet link.  Of course, if you already have a browser open and click on a link within the browser, you remain in that browser.  Typically, I like to set my default to Chrome, since we use that for Gmail.  But if you prefer something else, that is fine.  You can still open your non-default browsers from the icon on your computer.  If you want to change your default browser, you can do so in the settings for that browser.  If you have any trouble, the help desk can fix it for you.

Some web sites, not only restrict use to a particular browser, but want to use particular version of that browser.  For example, Webview will only work on Internet Explorer 6 and higher.  Also, when you get above version 8, you often need to set the site to "compatibility view" in order for it to work properly.  Compatibility view is a setting that can be changed from the toolbar within IE, in Tools, Compatibility view settings.

Customizing your Browser

The main thing people like to set is the default home page.  This is the page that opens every time you open your browser.  Typically, I set my Chrome browser to open to Gmail.  I set my Internet Explorer to open to the Research Home Page.  But you can set these to whatever you like.  You can even have your browser have multiple home pages, each one opening in a separate tab.  This is simply a matter of preference.  Just know that opening more home pages can slow down how fast your browsers opens when you start it.  If some other program changes your home page, we can always change it back.  Just call the help desk.

You also have the ability to customize your search engine.  When you type a phrase into the address box or search box at the top of your browser, it can search for your query using your default search engine.  I recommend using Google search, but Microsoft Bing is also pretty good.  Some program updates or malware can sometimes change your default search engine.  Often these change it to inferior search engines such as answers.com or Yahoo search.  Some malware can change the searches to blatantly terrible searches that simply direct you to advertising.  You should always be able to reset your default search engine in the browser settings.  Again, the help desk can assist you with this if you need it.

Some people also like to set up certain tool bars on their browsers.  This is fine if you want it.  But sometimes you get too many tool bars up there, which takes away from the space you have on your screen to view sites.  Some tool bars can also slow down your Internet experience or interfere with some web sites.  Typically, you can delete or disable tool bars in your settings.  Also, if you just need a little more space on your screen once in a while, you can hide everything by pressing the F11 key to go to full screen (and press it again to go back to normal).

Conclusion:

Browsers are critical to many things we do.  By default, we install Chrome and Internet Explorer on all computers.  You are welcome to install others such as Firefox if you wish.  If you choose to install other more oddball browsers, you should check with the IT Department to make sure there are no security or performance issues related to use.  We also allow customizations with the warning that some add-ons can impact your computer performance.  But if you come across things that could be useful to others, feel free to pass along your ideas to me so I can make them available to others.