Laptop Computers

[emily_in_nc]

Who else does not use Internet Explorer?

I haven't used it for years, save for at work, where they still have a few dinosaur sites that need IE 6 (yes, IE 6, riddled with security holes!) to run properly.

I've been using Firefox for several years. I initially switched b/c of all the security holes in IE. Recently tried to make the switch to Google Chrome b/c I'd heard such good things about it, and Firefox has had more and more security patches lately, but had to go back to FF. Why? I could never get pdf files to display in Chrome, and that's a deal-breaker. I sell on ebay and have to print my shipping labels using pdf files. Read all sorts of online support tips for it, but nothing worked for me. Other than that, I really liked the simplicity and speed of Chrome. My DH uses it and loves it.

All that said, I read a couple of PC geeky newsletters, and it sounds like the latest versions of IE are much, much improved from IE 6 and 7. One testing lab did a head-to-head test between the latest IE (9, I think), FF, and Chrome, and each one did better in some areas, but overall, it was pretty much a draw, as I recall.

Go with what you like and feel comfortable with.

[OakLeaf]

Google by definition is spyware... the whole way they make their money is from data mining and selling the demographics.

Yeah, I have an Android phone. There's really no privacy with phones anyway, but it did give me pause to put my calendar onto Google. If I were working or getting any kind of serious medical treatment, I'd either have gone with a Blackberry, or just kept my calendar on a separate, non-networked device. And yeah, I use Facebook. There too, I weigh the benefit against the risk, keep my privacy settings fairly tight, use a minimum of FB apps.

Spyware - i.e. "legitimate" software - is a much greater threat in this day and age than non-corporate-sanctioned viruses and Trojans.

[Crankin]

I use Safari; never had a problem with it. Every time I try to switch to Firefox, something bad happens to my computer. I don't like change, anyway.
The clinic where I work uses Explorer. It's so old, you guys would laugh.

[badgercat]

The clinic where I work uses Explorer. It's so old, you guys would laugh.

I've done clinical rotations at two different hospitals that are still using Internet Explorer 6. It's shocking, considering that IE6 got a reputation back in the day as being about as secure as a piece of swiss cheese.

As far as the original topic goes, I have an almost-3-year-old MacBook. Before that I had a Dell laptop (Windows XP) that I got in early 2005 and still runs fine. That was back when Dell was still essentially direct-order. My mom has a Dell laptop that she bought at Best Buy last year and it just doesn't seem as "solid" as the old ones. I also have an Asus EEE Windows 7 netbook that I bought this past spring--I got in the habit of taking lecture notes on my computer last year, and I was getting nervous about schlepping my Mac (which is my primary computer) back and forth to campus every day. I call my netbook my MacBook insurance policy.

I guess what I'm getting at is I'm not a die-hard supporter of anything... I like all of my machines. Go with what feels good. If you're thinking about trying a Mac, now's as good a time as any. I'm glad I got mine and "expanded my horizons," so to speak, and if my MacBook dies I'll probably replace it with another Apple product (if I can afford to), but I'm not bonded for life.

ETA: if you do go with Mac, I also recommend the AppleCare... I took advantage of mine recently when my wi-fi card failed. I brought it in to my local Apple Store and they replaced it while I waited, no charge. It doesn't cover any kind of accidental damage, but it is a little extra peace of mind since it extends your warranty from one year to three.

[pll]

I've been using Firefox on Windows for years, and in the Mac, I am using Safari but a friend who's a Mac guru swears by OmniWeb. I have yet to give it a fair try.

Related to web browsers, did anyone read about how offers change depending on the web browser you use? See the blog entry here, on the Capital One interest rate offers.

[OakLeaf]

did anyone read about how offers change depending on the web browser you use?.

Not just your browser, but everything. Location (easy, from your IP address), content of your posts, everything they can correlate about your demographics from the above-referenced data mining. That's why Facebook and Google are worth so much money.

[Roadtrip]

Not just your browser, but everything. Location (easy, from your IP address), content of your posts, everything they can correlate about your demographics from the above-referenced data mining. That's why Facebook and Google are worth so much money.

Your IP is always going to be viable to the server your hitting when requesting a web page (they need to know where to return the request) and yes, a simple report can show that to the server owners, so it's really easy to see where your viewers are. If you enter your private information in the browser settings, yes, that info can be crawled by the server and captured.

NEVER put your information into the browser properties.

ALWAYS assume that anything you put out on the internet is just as good as placing an avert in the local paper.

As to why Google is worth so much money, they developed a very simple (easy to use) tool, with a powerful back-end that indexed and crawled the internet so that finding information was more intuitive. People flocked to the site and Google started to monetize it... ever do a web search for "Car Loan" and all of a sudden your seeing tons of ads for Car Ins, Lending Tree, eLoan, etc? That's how Google makes it's money, by charging a higher rate for ads because they can target you and the advertiser knows his ad is being see by a more interested demographic.

Think of a billboard and if you had the ability to know the demographics of the person walking by who would read that billboard. If you knew how they voted in the last election, how many kids, relationship status, what hobbies or special interests they might have. If you knew they were an avid biker, the LBS would likely pay a premium to get his advertisement seen by that demographic group, right?

Same thing goes on on a broader level all the time. Ever notice how those Lottery Jackpot billboards always are placed in poorer neighborhoods and the luxury car billboards are conveniently located near the mall or affluent communities?

Facebook is just evil and looks the other way while advertisers scrape the data of you and ALL your friends any time play a game or interact with a part of the site. Not all advertisers do this, but Zynga is the biggest and has made millions (and likely paid Facebook a good chunk too), while they collect data on you and your friends every move. Oh and yea, if one of your FB friends inadvertently opens up the private data cookie jar, because your linked as friends, your private information is out in the wild now too.

Shannon