Ron Schenone

Yahoo!: “Use Firefox, It Is Safer – No, Wait – Use IE.”

Posted by on Aug 20, 2009 | 14 Comments

This explains why it is so hard for consumers to figure out which corporate giant is telling the truth sometimes. Back in September, 2008, Yahoo! was recommending that users switch over to Firefox 3, because it was safer:

A tipster yesterday sent us a screen shot of Yahoo’s front page running on Internet Explorer with a Firefox recommendation sitting atop the page. “Yahoo recommends upgrading to the NEW safer, faster Firefox 3,” the ad says.

Link is here.

But now that Yahoo! and Microsoft are playing in the same sandbox this week, Yahoo! has changed its tune:

Get more out of the Web

  • Better protection against online threats such as fraudulent sites and spyware
  • Increased speed to help you browse the Web faster
  • New tools that provide easier access to your favorite sites
  • Built-in Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! Toolbar and Yahoo! Search

The New Internet Explorer 8

Link is here

So which browser is safer? It all depends on who pays the most money to Yahoo! LOL

Comments welcome.

Source.

  • Brandon

    I like Google Chrome better. it loads faster on my quad core system and its a lot simpler which would be bad for some people but I can live with it.

  • http://markk-b.sitesled.com/ MarkKB

    Yahoo! has been providing a custom IE browser since IE7 came out with pretty much that sales pitch. This is nothing new.

    (BTW: TechCrunch suggests that that recommendation was due to the fallout of the Yahoo! requisition deal – a shot across the bow, so to speak.)

  • http://markk-b.sitesled.com/ MarkKB

    Gah – acquisition!

  • leftystrat

    Doesn’t matter… people are too uneducated to care.
    Voluntarily so.

  • http://brw.typepad.com Blane Warrene

    A browser is only as safe as you make it. It takes a security conscious web browser – which both Firefox and IE8 attempt to be. Then add in a machine that is properly secured with the right apps – and hopefully the user is not trolling through highly infested waters on the web.

  • http://www.iscifi.tv iscifitv

    hmm. how about we just use.. our hands, phones, faces, etc. social interaction is lost in software, broken APIs, hackers, phreaks and browser wars.

  • http://jimenglandweb.com kusza

    i prefer Firefox 3
    simple, safe, and i know the way to optimize it..
    Chrome..? i try it later

  • Ryan Farmer

    Any company that actually recommends Internet Explorer must be getting paid for their services by Microsoft.

    I have yet to hear one real person tell me what a delight it is to design a page using only features that Internet Explorer supports.

    Actually, it’s usually either two versions of the site, or hacks to get IE to not try and process anything it’s too stupid to handle.

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  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Thank you for all of the comments. I also believe it doesn’t really matter which browser you use. It is the user who controls how safe, or not safe, they surf.

  • Ryan Farmer

    Barring 158 security holes, 22 of which are unpatched?

    http://secunia.com/advisories/product/11/

    88 vulnerabilities with 9 unpatched?

    http://secunia.com/advisories/product/12366/

    12 with 2 unpatched (It’s only been 5 months, give IE 8 a chance, it’ll accumulate more)

    http://secunia.com/advisories/product/21625/

    How about 2 with 0 unpatched? (Firefox 3.5)

    http://secunia.com/advisories/product/25800/

    Open source security bugs never last long in a high profile project. IE bugs can go on for years and Microsoft only patches them AFTER the damage is done.

  • Kelly Williams

    I am sorry I will not use Internet Exploder, I like firefox better.

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