IE's generally been fine. From a user perspective, the problem with IE is that everyone has it. Everyone having it means that most of the programs you install will look at installing an addon in. Be it a toolbar, a QuickTime plugin, Flash, Shockwave, Java, Office, Groove... there's hundreds of the bloody things. They generally cause the instability and speed loss rather than the browser itself. It's not so much of a problem now (IE's more aware of what plugins are likely to be used and disables the others until they are needed), but it's what's carved the reputation it has.
I'm not a fan of IE myself. I don't like the simplistic GUI and IE8 still felt quite clunky.
That said, I don't like Chrome either. More to the point, I don't like Google. I don't trust them with my data. I don't trust that the options to turn off the use of that data collection will actually turn off all that data collection. The browser seems OK, but it's missing some of my most used plugins for Firefox - namely a decent addon to see exif data at a click of a button and I've no idea if there is an Youtube/Flash/HD video downloader available for Chrome. If it wasn't for my privacy concerns, I'd be able to get around those issues I'm sure, but as it is, Google is still Google - fine as a search engine (though rapidly going downhill with the live-results and the removal of ability to disable Search Suggestions), but not with
all internet data.
I still prefer Firefox. It's a bit slow to startup when you've got a hundred million addons, but when it's loaded it does everything the way I want it to be done.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/24/2010 09:23AM by gav.