Alternative browsers - destiny of marginals?

    People often wonder: why so many people use this buggy, full of holes, non-standards-compliant browser - Microsoft Internet Explorer 6?

    One of the reasons is that only a small number of “advanced” users know about concepts such as web standards, security, and even usability.

    But in books for the "common people" they write in a completely different way.

    For example, in the book “ Self-instruction. Mastering the Internet ”, among other things, users of alternative browsers are declared marginalized ... Note that the book was published in 2005: Firefox, and even more so, Opera already existed.


    Our basic browser will, of course, be the Internet Explorer browser built into Windows.

    The fact that “in spite of all their shortcomings” was devoted to normal browsers “a whole” smallchapter is wonderful. But what is in this chapter?

    There will always be a certain number of marginals who categorically assert that Microsoft’s browser is the worst and most clumsy ...

    I don’t think that Aunt Manya and Uncle Vasya, who are just starting to master the Internet, will immediately want to be among the marginalized ...

    So, while such tutorials, alas, are not uncommon, the number of users with outdated technologies in general, and IE6 in particular, will be great.

    PS Topic moved to the blog " Crazy Books " - books that do not increase, but reduce knowledge. If you have met with such books - join!

    UPD 1. The purpose of this topic, first of all, is not to "expose" a specific book or its author (we all make mistakes, and other books, it seems, are quite normal), but to show a more general problem.

    The chain breaks at the weakest link.

    We are technical specialists, we see the progress of IT in the development of "high" technologies: web standards, semantic layout, separation of presentation from content, Semantic Web ... And we achieve great success - this is a strong link in IT.

    However, there is also a weak link - this is basic user training. And if the bulk of users will not know the basic things, simply nobody will be able to take advantage of our achievements.

    Therefore, the main condition for progress is to increase the basic training of users.

    UPD 2. The answer of the author of the book V. Leontyev is in this commentary and his LJ .

    UPD 3. My answer to V. Leontiev is in the RE note : On browsers and marginals .

    UPD 4.In the course of the discussion, a more or less general opinion was found. V. Leontyev took into account criticism and corrected the next edition of his book. I think the discussion can be stopped ...

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