Any reason to install IE8 when using Firefox? (XP)

Angilion · 26 Aug 2009 at 05:50

Title says it all, really. MS is pushing IE8 at me through updates. I don't use IE, but since it's sort of part of XP, should I install IE8 anyway for security? Or will I have better security not installing it? Or doesn't it matter? I'm not going to be using it, as I'm happy with Firefox.

Angilion · 30 Aug 2009 at 06:37

Nathans_ie8team said:
Angilion,
If you’ve made up your mind not to use it then it can’t help you much, but something worth considering is that a recent study conducted independently by a third party, NSS Labs, reported that IE8 has a much higher block rate for both malware and phishing than the other leading web browsers. If you’re interested in learning more about the study, visit the IE8 Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/20...h-ie8-s-smartscreen-filter.aspx?ocid=ie8_sm_a

Best,
Nate

A member of the IE8 Outreach Team

MS might well have a bigger blocklist and therefore IE8 might well block more sites, but that doesn't necessarily make me feel more secure. I'm content with my security, which certainly isn't just the browser.

Angilion · 30 Aug 2009 at 06:39

robinbredin said:
Also Firefox uses up a lot of memory, the more addons you have, the slower Firefox is.

150MB at the moment for me, which doesn't seem to be causing any issues with speed. It is rather a lot, though.