\nLet me explain. Back in the mid-1990s there was a choice of web browsers. Then Bill Gates came along, decided that Microsoft needed to take over this Internet thing, and released Internet Explorer. Initially, it was a joke — one of the worst web browsers ever. But Microsoft persisted, and in the end, they produced an excellent product, one which was superior in many ways to their rivals, such as Netscape. And they gave it away for free. And bundled it into the Windows operating system. By 2001, the browser wars were finished and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was everywhere.
\nAnd then Microsoft stopped developing it. There has been the occasional odd patch, but basically the software is the same as it was back when Bill Clinton was in the White House (seems like a long time ago, right?) What’s the problem, you might ask? If it works, don’t fix it. But that’s the point: it doesn’t work. Microsoft Internet Explorer is so full of security loopholes that the US Department of Homeland Security now recommends against its use. And according to recent surveys, use of alternative web browsers (notably Mozilla and Opera) has been steadily increasing.
\nLast month, the Web Standards Project, a group of web professionals who had consistently maintained neutrality in the competition between Microsoft and its rivals, finally took sides. It has launched an online campaign called “Browse Happy” where it lays out the case against using Microsoft Internet Explorer and promotes a handful of alternatives. (See http:\/\/browsehappy.com<\/a> ).
\nShould trade union members care? Of course they should. Our computers, both in our union offices and in our homes, are vulnerable to viruses, spy-ware, pop-ups and all the other annoyances that come with Microsoft’s browser. We need to be exploring the alternatives to bad software, starting with our web browsers.
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![\"Get](\"http:\/\/www.spreadfirefox.com\/community\/images\/affiliates\/Buttons\/180x60\/get.gif\"\/ "\\"Get")
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