//beconfused

All browsers render text a little different from each other.

(Internet Explorer 7, Safari 3 and Opera 9.5 attempts to render Chinese characters with various levels of success in readability.)

I compared Windows Internet Explorer 7, Apple Safari 3 and Opera 9.5.

In my opinion, Apple Safari renders best Chinese characters, followed by Windows Internet Explorer. Opera didn’t look good at all! It’s probably something to do with Microsoft’s ClearType behaving differently. I do most of my web browsing in Apple Safari these days. A pretty good browser but it’s got some memory leak problems and at times use up 1 GB of memory.

It seems that Apple Safari might have some problems with Google Reader. Leaving Google Reader for hours is impossible for me. Yeah, I do open other tabs but they’re just text most of the time.

Something made me quite pissed off this week. I had this friend who is nonsensing (yeah, I know there is no such word) a commander right in front of me.

The commander was having some troubles with viewing a particular web page, he cannot log in. I went in to explain to him that the javascripts are not properly loaded due to the army’s network sending a completely blank javascript to the user’s computer. It happens a couple of time and is probably caused by some security settings that they applied.

My friend came in and played around with the commander’s commander and identify the problem as an Internet Explorer problem. I told him it’s not and he insisted that it really is.

Firefox is more secure than Internet Explorer

Generally true. But if you hold the latest Internet Explorer, it is quite secure too. The commander’s computer does not have the latest version of Internet Explorer and Windows updates.

Firefox automatically corrects Javascript mistakes

He pointed out that Firefox can fix the Javascript errors found in Internet Explorer as it is more intelligent and is able to correct the web developer’s mistake. I then told him the web developer didn’t make any mistake because the commander can access the web page through his home computer. He insisted on installing his Firefox. He then launch Firefox and told the commander that there is no Javascript errors. I told him, Firefox is likely to have hidden the errors as it is not helpful to the end user. He insisted that Firefox fixed the web site.

There are more people using Firefox now

And the commander asked him why install Firefox. He tells the commander that more people are using Firefox so website work better with them. Er… Did his twelve-year-old brother tell him that? As far as I know, Internet Explorer is still the browser more people use.

Firefox comes bundled with Javascripts so you don’t have to download them

He then suggest that the web developer didn’t do a good job and he says Firefox has some Javascripts that comes preinstalled so Firefox don’t have to download additional Javascript. Oh my god, what the fuck is he smoking?!

And so I left the room

“Sorry sir, please excuse me, I need to attend to some work. Maybe it’s better to view this website from your home computer.” I left, quite pissed. Firefox browser didn’t make that web page work too. He doesn’t even listen to my explanation. I load up Firefox browser and go to the same web site in another room. It seems that whatever browsers I am using, I am receiving empty Javascript files. If you want to promote the Firefox browser, please don’t feed false information because I’ll be damn pissed if I hear it. I use the Opera browser and I am happy with what I am using, do not recommend me another browser, thank you. I believe in sticking with whatever browser interface you are comfortable with so long as you own the latest version.

[On a side note, take a look at this strange Microsoft article - The words "Friendster," "Klum," "Nazr," "Obama," and "Racicot" are not recognized when you check the spelling of English-language text in the Office 2003 programs.]

Come on, show some love okay? Even if it’s your rival.

_(IE team congratulates Firefox team for shipping Firefox.)_

So far, no Firefox employee has had a tummy upset and no cockroach found too.

[via Fredericiana]

_(Windows Internet Explorer 7 to be released this month.)_

Great news for web designers and developers, Windows Internet Explorer 7 is going to be released in this month. I’ve been waiting for this since last year.

*IE7 Is Coming This Month… Are you Ready?*

The final release of IE7 is fast approaching â?¦ and I mean really fast â?¦ and will be delivered to customers via Automatic Updates a few weeks after itâ??s available for download.

Source: IE Blog

This is worth getting excited about. Finally, a lot of people would be upgrading after their auto update recommends them so. This way, the web may indeed to moving towards 2.0.

Windows Internet Explorer has tabbed browsing, anti-phishing technology and a nice new logo. The logo itself is worth the upgrade. Oh yeah, they change the interface too.

I found a teaser or commercial put up by the Windows Internet Explorer 7 guys. I forgot which web site I link this from unfortunately. I am unable to take any screenshots of it too.

Anyway, to watch it, go to Sean Alexander’s blog post.

Cute advertisement, but it just doesn’t show you how Windows Internet Explorer 7. I am still wondering if anyone can solve my Windows Internet Explorer 7 dialing up problem.

Microsoft just released the beta version of Windows Internet Explorer 7 (previous known as Microsoft Internet Explorer). It’s Beta 2. I decided to give it a try since my Internet Explorer 6 is giving me so much crash problem. I don’t really bother that it would crash in Windows Internet Explorer 7 (WIE7 I suppose).

(The new Windows Internet Explorer 7. Click to see larger image.)

Indeed, WIE7 crashes lesser. At least it didn’t crash at the moment I read my web mail. In a way, WIE7 seems better. Unfortunately, my WIE7 is plagued with a horrible bug.

(Oh no, the Dial-up connection dialog box just keeps popping up!)

Everytime I surf the internet, the ‘Dial-up Connection’ dialog box just keeps popping up. Sure, it would auto reconnect. But it gets annoying. It just reconnects about 2 times or so each time I load something. And when loading Windows Live Messenger 8, it reconnects up to 10 times.

When it reconnects, the application focus shifts to the ‘Dial-up Connection’ dialog box and it disturbs you when you’re typing in another application.

As far as I checked, very few of them had this problem with Windows Internet Explorer. But it doesn’t stop me from wonder - how the hell do I solve this problem?! I did not see any possible solutions for it at the moment.

If you want to give a try to Windows Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview, you can download it here. It is free to try. You just need to be using a valid copy of Microsoft Windows XP. I am not sure about language-wise. I think you may need the English copy of Windows XP to test out this beta version.

If you do have the same problem and has some leads as to how to solve it, do comment. I love to solve that problem too. Asides this pesky bug, Windows Internet Explorer 7 is a fine browser and is up to standard to fight with Mozilla Firefox already. I love competitions.

I recall the times of the browser wars. I was one of the bastards who supported Microsoft’s Internet Explorer as I think the whole Netscape thing is a total piece of crap.

Now, Netscape is eaten up by AOL which turned into AOL Time Warner by including Time Warner and later rename it to Time Warner. This is called business strategy.

Oh well. While I never agreed that AOL and Time Warner should ever come together, I see the buying over of Netscape as a good idea. Then, everybody talks about Mozilla, Gecko engines and stuff. Frankly speaking, I don’t quite get it. I want to see products that work well and serves my needs, not some technical babbling about Gecko this and that. [1 point added for selfishness.]

Then Firefox came. It is a wonderful browser. It is more secure in my opinion, although they did have their share of set backs some time ago. But it’s alright compared to Internet Explorer who has lots of security holes since… let me see… since ActiveX technologies are incorporated.

Internet Explorer is the winner in the browser war. People say Microsoft cheated and stuff. Yes, they did include the browser in Windows. I understand that is not fair. But still you got to admit that the then Netscape was pretty buggy and lots of customers are displeased. Firefox managed to gain users without cheating. But I do want to criticise one thing. I don’t like web sites that supports Firefox and condemns Internet Explorer.

I use both. I use Internet Explorer more though. I want to surf the internet, I don’t need to be syntax-correct to surf the internet when all I want to do is to read a bunch of text. Web developers are worshipping Firefox and Safari. [Firefox is an excellent choice to worship, but Safari...] But don’t forget your purpose - do develop web sites that can be viewed and enjoyed by people.

A web site with a bunch of icons to get you to download Firefox or Internet Explorer [Stop that annoying animated GIF of MSIE!!] is a sin.

Now Firefox goes by the tagline ‘Take back the web’. I see their percentages increase. Good for them, but don’t forget their is another browser which currently still has like a 90% crowd although it’s dropping.

I can feel the browser wars reigniting. That’s great, because competition is seriously need for the sleepy giant Microsoft to wake up. And they have.

Announcing at a keynote address at RSA Conference, Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect at Microsoft Corp., announced continued innovation and technology investments including future enhancements for safer Web browsing, such as plans for a new version of Microsoft® Internet Explorer for Windows XP Service Pack 2 customers. [copied this, hehee...]

So Internet Explorer 7 is coming. Watch for it, I hope they will finally support PNG transparency properly and support CSS 2 fully. Good luck Microsoft, because seriously, at this point you may need it. To me, the web development and designing, viewers should be taken into more consideration. Not some browser. It’s not suppose to dominate us. It’s supposed to assist us only.

Maybe Internet Explorer 7 can try the tag line ‘Take the web back again’ or something.