I just happened to stumble upon this as I was reading some news a couple of days ago. I was on an iPad at the time using the Dolphin Browser and received the message…
Well, perhaps it’s a niche browser. Let me try Safari – after all it’s the browser that Apple put on it – same thing.
OK, perhaps the iPad has nothing to worry about.
I grabbed my MacBook Pro and tried the site with Google Chrome. Same thing. Firefox. Safara. Opera. What’s wrong with this thing?
Then, I read the fine print. “Made by Microsoft”. Ah, now I get it.
I turn to Windows 7, try it with Internet Explorer, and get this message.
Whew! I’m safe. But, what of the other Windows’ browsers that I have on this computer.
Firefox?
Google Chrome?
Opera and Safari on Windows? No data again.
Oh boy. The pundits are going to have a whale of a time with this. I wasn’t wrong. I did a Google, er, Bing search for “Your Browser Matters” and I’m not wrong! Is this payback for the years of Internet Explorer bashing from the folks and users at Firefox and Google? Or is it an attempt a legitimate research? Or, is it part of the plan to get rid of older versions of Internet Explorer that are still kicking around? I guess it could be any or all of the above. It doesn’t pay to speculate although it is fun to read the articles. They’ll come for quite a while, I’m sure. I’m also sure that the folks at Mozilla and Google are reloading to fire back!
The benefits of the site, it seems to me, is to get past the initial reaction and read the rest of the content. There really is an easy to read description about Malware and how your browser can keep you safe. In the classroom, the content would be a great starting point for a rich discussion on the four areas that are tested.
That you can’t deny. Of course, there is the fun of checking out your own browser and reflecting on your own browsing habits. If nothing else, it’s at least a reminder that the web is still a dangerous place for your computer and you really should be keeping your browser up to date. The bigger picture is that the browser developers are working to push each other to better things for more secure browsing and that certainly is a good thing for us all.
doug --- off the record 