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Periodically, the back office systems are upgraded at KitGuru. It gives us a chance to experience the world in the same way as a regular consumer. When we got to the browser, we had a bit of a shock.
In the early days, Netscape (Nutscrape to its detractors) was the king of the browsers. Microsoft was nowhere and hadn't really considered the kind of impact that the web would have. Early versions of explorer were weak.
When Internet Explorer 3 launched in 1996, with support for advanced technologies like CSS, the world started to change and by version 6 – which was embedded with Windows XP at launch – Microsoft owned almost 95% of the market.
So where did it all go wrong?
We're not going to delve into detail about the launch and rise of FireFox and Chrome or the impact that mobile browsers and the non-Flash Apple contigent is having on the market.
What we are going to say is that we have installed Internet Explorer 9 on a new system, tried to imagine that we are ‘normal people' and tried to set Google as the default search engine. It's an horrific experience.
In comparison, we downloaded and installed FireFox in seconds and, with a couple of clicks during the installation process – we were up and running with Google as the default engine.
Given that independent research shows that 70% of the people who open a browser, expect to search using Google – what perverse sense of humour pervades Microsoft HQ that they would want to completely and utterly bury the number one search engine down the bottom of a huge list of redundent options.
Here's the best that Microsoft can offer on page one.
.
Having been presented with a list that prioritises Tesco, XBox, DirectGov, Amazon, RightMove, CEOP and Expedia – did we wade through several pages of similar dross and go with Google?
Nope.
We simply installed Chrome and FireFox.
Well done Microsoft marketing – never felt a strong urge to go with an alternative product. Thanks.
KitGuru says: Microsoft's trying to preserve market share by making it harder and harder for the majority of people to be able to use the tools they want to use. It's incredibly dumb. Apart from setting Microsoft's competitor as our default browser, we also wrote this article, discussing just how rubbish Internet Explorer 9 is. For good measure, we'll throw in a poll – just in case we're not alone.
Comment below or in the KitGuru forum.
Corporate thinking number 27:
Don’t big up the competition.
Objection:
Nobody will want this cack
Defence:
If market share depended on quality of experience Opera would be the world’s most popular browser, it depends more on awareness. We figure with enough hype and promotion we can get away with it.
Problem:
We’re Microsoft and we’re really really bad at hype, it always just sounds embarrassing and even less desirable than before we opened our mouths. How we squandered the lead we had with Hotmail and Messenger and handed it all to Google and Skype should have taught us something, but apparently not.
Likely success of new browser:
Thanks for playing, here’s your bus fare home
Because it will make you smile, we managed to overcome Internet Explorer 9’s mental attempts to hang on to Bing as the search engine by resorting to an invasive procedure – we invoked REGEDIT 🙂
Might need to go back and try again. I read the article and did the steps to make the change, pretty easy mind you as it is cealry marked. On the page it took me too Google was listed at the top. Figuring this might be a random draw I did this on three other machines and the position of Goggle did not change.
The change took about 6 seconds and was very easy. Maybe you should try again with an average user.
Granted it may be hard to find Google on that list, but it’s not that hard. If you decided to quit immediately then fine, but I have Google as my default search engine in IE9, and I generally find it a quick and decent browser. I still use Opera for most things and Firefox second, but if you want to call a browser rubbish without even using it, that says more about you than about the browser.
bear in mind, it is a woman you are talking to ET.
I’ll make it simple.
FireFox offers the search engine that most people want – first.
Explorer wanted me to sort through pages of dross.
Long term, let’s ask Apple which strategy works best.
Click on – little Cog thingy..
Click on – Internet Options
Make sure that “General” tab is selected.
Type in Home Page address you want.. in the Home Page section text box.
You can even set it up to open multiple addresses in tabs when you start IE. I have Google and Bing set to startup.
Doing the same thing on Chrome and Firefox… well it wasn’t apparent with them what to do.. so i said “stuff it”
… and like KitGurus attitude… if i cant figure it out right away… i don’t want to know.
I must say I am disappointed. To date I have found material here to be great and with useful information. However for an article to judge how good a browser is by one persons views on the easy to change a search engine is just CRAP journalism worthy of the National Inquirer.
Faith no matter what you say I have been able to easily make the switch in a matter of a few seconds, far less time that it takes to download or even browse to get Firefox. I have called family members and asked them to make the switch for me, people with no real computer skills and again they can do it super easy and quick.
At then end of the day as I stated before this piece is just a huge disappointment considering the quality of other pieces.
Its just her opinion, nothing more. I dont agree with it either, but there is no reason to dislike everything else we produce because of one persons view. I have changed the title to reflect Faith’s point. Its actually their best browser IMO…..
Think you’re missing the point 🙂
When speaking with the head of IDC’s PC research team, we touched on the subject of why Apple has been such a success. There’s a huge amount of ‘It does what you think it will do, from the moment you turn it on’.
Maybe the additional engines NOT listing immediately was an issue with the clean install, but having to scroll past pages of options we’ve never seen anyone use as a default search engine – is not going to work in Internet Explorer 9’s favour.
Here’s a likely path for the +80% of the PC using population that are not enthusiasts… Microsoft attempts to force you to use Bing. The option to choose Google does not spring out at you. You’re not happy so go to google.com and, the moment you arrive, they are offering you Chrome.
Microsoft’s approach here has me upset simply because – as the world seems to be embracing open standards left, right and centre – force feeding people a search engine smacks of everything that was wrong with proprietary technology in the past.
Discuss 🙂
i don’t find it so horrible, although i always use FF i have to admit IE9 is pretty good, is just people are over reacting…
To much hate for IE9? You called IE9 rubbish just BECAUSE of its POOR INTERFACE? How narrow-minded can you be.
If were as narrow-minded as you faith, I can easily call KITGURU, a RUBBISH just because of this article.
But I’m not. So I can still call Kitguru a great tech website with a few weaknesses like this article.
@UnbiasedReader: If the supplier was a beginner, with no experience, and made this kind of fundamental mistake, I would be forgiving.
But we’re talking about the biggest software developer in the history of the planet, creating the 9th version of its tool which will link hundreds and hundreds of millions of customers to the web, each and every day.
Sorry, but the bar must be raised accordingly.
Remember, if they get some of these basic issues wrong (as I believe they have), then the ‘cost’ will be millions and millions of people moving to FireFox or, worse, Chrome.
Microsoft may NEVER see those customers again.
Just so you know, on the home page poll right now, the single biggest score is for the part of the KitGuru audience that agree with my view 😉
Well, you raised the raised the bar too high. Your just being a IE9 hater.
Bing might be the default search engine but if you click the arrow beside the search icon you can see the big GOOGLE icon(and etc.) and an option to set it to default.
Btw, about your “How BAD is Internet Explorer 9?”(How biased can you be??) poll, I’ve also voted rubbish. Although I was referring to your article as rubbish.
Just because your opinion has the most votes, is not proof you are right. Look how many people think Obama is the savior of the western world.
Your piece does not offer any kind of constructive or even objective look, you went looking for an excuse and found it. Pure crap journalism.