When did you first switch from Netscape to IE?

[UNCjigga]

Was thinking about this in the shower...my mind wanders easily (see sig quote.) I think for me it started sometime after IE 3.x was released. I can't remember what it was but some site I visited was IE optimized, or used some newfangled ActiveX control or something that required me to have IE installed. That was the first time I installed it, but it didn't become my default browser. I never used Outlook Express either, because at the time it didn't have built-in IMAP support (was using IMAP for my school email account.)

I never really started using IE exclusively until I upgraded to Windows 98 (surprise surprise.) I think that OS came with IE 4, and then Win98SE came with IE5. I think IE5 was really the turning point for most geeks who were hellbent on sticking with Netscape. Communicator 6.x/7.x was bloatware and it crashed a lot...I really don't know what went wrong with them.

I guess nowadays with the gecko engine and Firefox, Mozilla's making a comeback. I use Firefox for most of my surfing and only use IE for MS sites, sites with ActiveX, and a few other sites with Windows Media files.

 

[notfred]

IE4

 

[BigToque]

I came around with IE4

 

[zimu]

can't remember the version, but it was about 2 years back. before that i was hardcore netscape fan.

 

[dullard]

When Netscape stopped at version 4.76. I used to use Netscape exclusively since it worked better with the websites I visited. In fact I shunned Internet Explorer since Netscape had some really nice and useful functions that Internet Explorer either (a) didn't have or (b) implemented poorly.

AOL took over Netscape, released version 6 which is an ugly cartoonish bloated piece of crap and stopped improving version 4. Time went on and more and more sights won't work with version 4. I was forced to switch to Netscape v6 or to IE. I chose the lesser of two evils and choose IE (IE had in the mean time fixed the problems I had in the past in viewing the websites I frequent).

I've gotten accustomed to IEs problems and they don't bother me any more. I'd consider switching again (to the other browsers that people rave about here), but IE finally works on all websites I visit so I just haven't taken the time or effort to relearn. Plus it is nice to use the windows updates...

 

[brtspears2]

IE 4.0, as it took over my computer, loaded faster, and pages looked better in IE for some reason. Netscape was becomming a bloated piece of junk. Now it's FireFox, IE around for windows update or whenever something in firefox doesn't load (rarely happens).

 

[CraigRT]

I don't recall ever using Netscape as my main browser.
I have been using IE ever since.. and Opera for a few years too.

 

[clamum]

Originally posted by: CraigRT
I don't recall ever using Netscape as my main browser.

 

[Saulbadguy]

Never used netscape, unless I was forced to.

 

[Heisenberg]

I didn't ever use IE for my main browser. Went from Netscape 4.76 to Mozilla.

 

[Xionide]

Originally posted by: Saulbadguy
Never used netscape, unless I was forced to.

 

[Xionide]

Originally posted by: Saulbadguy
Never used netscape, unless I was forced to.

 

[ajpa123]

I used both until the intro of IE5. Now i only use IE6 and Opera. I have yet to download firefox, cuz i'm a slow mo-fo.

I lalways liked IE over Netscape primarily because you can combine the file menu, tool bar and address bar into one convenient, out of the way bar like this. Hopefully firefox allows the same kind of convenience

 

[LAUST]

IE3

 

[Beau]

IE4

 

[SaltBoy]

IE3 -- it just seemed more stable and better integrated with Windows95.

 

[jadinolf]

Never used IE. I started with Netscape 2.0, then 3.x, then 4.x, then 7.x and now Mozilla.

 

[StageLeft]

1997 I think. Nutscrape is such crap now.

 

[UNCjigga]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
1997 I think. Nutscrape is such crap now.

LOL @ 'Nutscrape'. Ahh, memories of the 'Nutscrape' vs. 'Internet Exploder' debates...

 

[Bryophyte]

Around 1996ish. I don't know the version.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Never.

 

[prontospyder]

around the time IE3 came out. but I still used Netscape as a backup.

 

[Harvey]

Never. I use NS 7.1 by choice, and I'll probably give Mozilla a try, pretty soon. I have to use IE 5.5, occasionally, for MS specific sites. I still don't trust IE 6.

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: Harvey
Never. I use NS 7.1 by choice, and I'll probably give Mozilla a try, pretty soon. I have to use IE 5.5, occasionally, for MS specific sites. I still don't trust IE 6.

I recently switched to FireFox replacing IE 6 and NS 7.0. Was running Firebird on my Debian laptop, but was too lazy to install it on the main rig. After the reformat on my main rig I went straight to FireFox.

Excellent browser.

 

[GoSharks]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Never.

same
(i dont remember whats before...)->ns->mozilla/phoenix->firebird->firefox...