It’s been a long time since Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was the planet’s number one web browser. Some people still use it. Over 20 percent of those people use versions of Internet Explorer (IE) prior to the current version. Those people are facing an ominous security risk.
A recent tech bulletin announced that millions of IE users run the chance of PC infection and other maladies if they don’t upgrade their browsers. Microsoft routinely drops support for older versions of its stuff, which is smart business. For example, they no longer support Multiplan. The problem is that many folks don’t bother upgrading the PC’s web browser. They just keep on using it.
My guess is that these are the same fools who would open an unknown file attachment and infect their PC anyway. Face it: A lot of people using computers really shouldn’t. They’ll fallen for the myth that a computer is easy to use. It’s not. Failing to upgrade, which is basic PC maintenance, can cause you woe.
This type of security risk doesn’t appear to be an issue for other web browsers.
If you use Google Chrome, for example, your browser is automatically updated to the most current version. I just noticed a pending update the other day. Click, relaunch, and voilà, Chrome is now at the current version. Why Microsoft never developed or even thought of this level of software efficiency escapes me. They put their customers at risk.
While researching this issue, I came across the Internet Explorer web page on Wikipedia. It shows an interesting graphic, which I’ve stolen and placed in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Web browser preferences worldwide.
What’s funny about the graphic (Figure 1) is that the results from about 20 years ago would have shown a map that was all blue; Internet Explorer was the dominant web browser. That’s because it came packaged with Windows and no one thought to get any other browser. (And, for a time, Microsoft sabotaged Windows to make using another web browser difficult.)
The only strong penetration for Internet Explorer is in Japan, at least according to the map.
And it’s really weird that Mac’s Safari browser is number one in Greenland. I’m sure that Tim Cook will boast about that at the next big Apple announcement. And the fanboys will applaud and drool at the same time.
Anyway, the moral of the story is to upgrade. It’s a part of computer maintenance and these days it’s a beneficial thing to do. If you can’t figure out how to upgrade Internet Explorer, use something else. I use both Chrome and Firefox. Keeping current with either web browser is not an issue.
