If you know me, you will know how much I despise all versions of Internet Explorer. Not only are they highly insecure browsers, but they make their own rules up as they go along.

Take today for instance.

I have been developing a new version of a website on a different domain instead of a sub-domain. I needed to get the users to update their information on the new site, so instead of directing them to the development domain, I used a frame to pull in the pages I needed on the old domain.

Every browser, including IE8, worked with this frame without a problem.

I then got a phonecall from the client who was freaking out because people were logging in then getting redirected to the homepage instead of the page that follows the login procedure.

I couldn’t replicate this at all. Until, all of a sudden, it stopped working on my version of IE8 and I could see the problem.
It was a fairly easy fix in the end. IE blocks cookies over frames, so I changed the CMS to use sessions and all was right with the world.

But once again, this episode shows why web standards are so important if development of websites is to improve.
If we are constantly having to make concessions to each browser, we will never move forward.

There is no perfect browser, but the likes of Firefox and Chrome are a lot closer to where they need to be than Internet Explorer is.

I remember a time last year when Google Wave invites were THE item being begged for on Twitter – that included me!
After all, Google Wave was going to revolutionise the way we interacted with each other.

After I managed to get my invite and got to download Google Wave, I was left with an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. What did it actually do?
To this day I don’t really know – admittedly, at the time I spent most of my time on Twitter and didn’t see the need for a new way of communicating, so Google Wave went on the eternal backburner in the belief that one day I would take it out of storage and give it another look.

Today the news came that Google were going to stop developing Wave due to lack of interest.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10877768
It doesn’t surprise me that much – to be honest, I think they should stick to what they’re good at, and it’s not social media type apps. Yet.
I don’t really know of anyone in the UK that uses Buzz, although I think it might be a bit more prevalent in the US, particularly among the tech people, but we Brits tend to stick to the mainstream, so Facebook, Twitter and MSN are the communication tools of choice.

Google, remember you created the number one search engine by innovating and not following the masses. But you became a giant when no-one else was creating something new. The internet is now full of innovators and maybe you should stick to what you have always done best and leave social media to others!

RIP Google Wave!

As the web evolves, there is talk of Facebook expanding to become a player in search.

Is this really a possibility? I suppose it comes down to how users embrace the technology.

Currently I would imagine that if users are looking for something they will still head over to Google, while if they want to chat to their friends and be social, they will head on over to Facebook.
However, it is fairly easy to change a users’ online habits, so if it were an easy process to search the web whilst chatting to your friends, it may take off.

However, I already have concerns about the ethics of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg and am unsure how they would improve search.

Whilst Google is having trouble sticking to it’s principle of “Don’t be Evil”, it is still trying, and all the data they collect is to understand how people search and try to improve the results for every unique user.
Yes of course their main goal is to make money – but they have single handedly improved search throughout the last decade and have gradually introduced the money-making ideas off the back of their success. They have never shown a desire to release personal information about their users.

On the other hand, Mark Zuckerberg has stated that he wishes that the default profile of everyone on Facebook was public, and that is how he would implement it if starting it now. He clearly has no respect for keeping data secure, and as such, I cannot help but eye Facebook with increasing disbelief at how the users are becoming a secondary factor in their pursuit of the almighty dollar.

I do think that Matt Cutts’ announcement that he has deactivated his Facebook account was done to deflect interest away from Facebooks’ third party “like” function, but I am starting to worry about my personal data being in the hands of someone I don’t trust.
If it weren’t for the fact that I like to look at the profile of one of my friends who recently died, I would decativate my own Facebook account as I don’t think it adds anything to my life.

Personally I don’t think Google has too much to worry about. They have spent years refining their search algorithms and that is why they are leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else. Facebook will have to pull off a major coo that I just don’t think they are capable of.

Only time will tell!

Now I don’t tend to look at my server logs too much – not unless something odd happens anyway.

Today I did have a look and came across a spider from gigablast.com – another real time search engine. I had a quick scout around, and I don’t think it will make any inroads into Google’s market share, but it does seem to bring back a few different results which is interesting.

I will be playing around with it over the next few weeks when I get a chance, as I think Google’s stranglehold on the internet is getting a little too tight. We need some real competition to ensure we as searchers get the results we want!

Give www.gigablast.com a go and let me know what you think of their results!

As a web developer, I get frustrated with Internet Explorer – every version has different bugs that affect the way the brower renders a website. It is something that the average person doesn’t think about because we try to make sure that websites look the same on all browsers.

It is made all the more frustrating because people don’t upgrade their browsers when new versions come out. I still get hits to various websites from people using Internet Explorer 5!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting that people upgrade just to make my life easier. There is a far more sinister reason to ensure you keep your browser – whichever browser it is – up to date.

I am aiming this at Microsft’s Internet Explorer because of the many security issues they regularly have, but it applies to all browsers.

Software development is not all about adding fancy new features, it is also about identifying existing problems. Companies do not offer unlimited support on outdated products as they want to concetrate on improving the most recent browser.

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 5 was the first browser I every used back in 1999. Support continued for this version up until 2004 when Microsoft switched all support over to it’s newest browser, Internet Explorer 6. So, there are still people using a browser that has not had any security updated since 2004 – and they could be doing their internet banking online whilst giving away all of their details.

This is an extreme example, but general internet users are unaware of the security implications of not using the most up to date version of a browser, and are not aware that if they are using an old browser version, it may no longer be supported by the manufacturer and so could be at risk while surfing the internet.

The easiest way to make sure you are doing your utmost to stay secure online is make sure that you are using the most up to date version of your browser of choice.