In el paese, the most used browser to surf the internet is Google Chrome, with more than 40% of users in the last 6 months (according to the findings of StatCounter).Il primato che Chrome ha raggiunto in el paese è piuttosto netto, tanto che il secondo browser più usato in el paese è distaccato di oltre 15 punti e si attesta ad un 25% e si tratta di Internet Explorer.
The others are even more detached, with Firefox less and less used at 19%, Safari used by iPad and iPhone users at 9 and then the others with very low percentages.
Although Internet Explorer comes pre-installed on Windows PCs, the fact that it is second and most used of Firefox is surprising because IE, compared to other browsers, is only available on Windows PCs (while Chrome and Firefox can be installed on Android, iOS, Mac , Linux, etc.) and then because IE10 is only available for Windows 7 and Windows 8, losing the whole slice of XP users.
These statistics lead us to introduce a really interesting discussion that aims to answer the trivial, but very complex question a reader asked me: Why is Chrome better than Internet Explorer?.
This brings up another question: If Chrome is the most used browser, does that mean it's better than the others and IE?
Let's start by saying that the time when there was a much better web browser than the others is over; today browsers are more or less similar to each other and all very performing.
Internet Explorer, with version 10 available for Windows 8 and Windows 7, has improved considerably, becoming at the height of Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome which is taken as an example by all the others (Safari, Opera etc.).
There is nothing wrong with using the latest versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer or Chrome because they all work very well even if there are a few differences that can lead people to choose one over the other.
By focusing this post only on Chrome e Internet Explorer, i due più usati in el paese e nel mondo, let's see here the main differences and why one is better than the other or vice versa.
1) Installation and updates
Internet Explorer is updated by Microsoft with Windows updates, especially with security patches that do not add features.
Google Chrome is updated to a new version every 6 weeks and, often, there are new options or features to try (which also give us to write on the blog)
Chrome is better than Internet Explorer for those who enjoy discovering browser news every month.
2) Interface and ease of use
The current trend in browser design is to make the interface disappear completely and leave as much space as possible for web pages.
Both IE and Google Chrome have an address bar for searching and a few buttons on the right to access options and settings.
In Chrome it is much easier to add websites to the favorites bar with a single click on it and then the search bar is integrated with the Google search engine, providing precise suggestions based on the history and the most frequent searches.
In both you can use an initial tab with links to open the most visited sites and to reopen the last session even if only Chrome has the ability to add applications from the Chrome Web Store, to quickly open web apps.
Both allow you to add your favorite sites to the desktop even if Internet Explorer 10 integrates much better in Windows 8, with the possibility of adding websites to the Start screen.
Internet Explorer for Windows 8, in the Modern application version, is really minimal (too much), with zero options and all the space for internet browsing.
Google Chrome in Windows 8 can also be opened in the application version and can be started in the options menu Chrome in Windows 8 mode although I find it much more limited.
3) Speed and compatibility
Most browsers are compatible with the latest web standards.
As we have seen in the experiments for Google Chrome, Google has shown how you can play on the PC using the smartphone as a controller, in a very futuristic way (with an application like Cheapcast you can browse from the TV using the smartphone as a wireless remote control).
As for speed we are there, everyone is fast, even if Chrome has something more (see the speed test of browsers between Chrome, Firefox, IE10 and Opera).
4) Security and Privacy
A recent study showed how Internet Explorer 10 is significantly more secure than Chrome and much stronger at blocking malware (see Softpedia).
Internet Explorer also protects privacy much better than Google Chrome which instead suffers from the interference of Google, which always wants to know everything about how people surf the web.
Read the guide to the protection of the smartscreen monitoring and filter in IE to see in practice how the Microsoft browser provides all the necessary security without using external plugins.
Google Chrome, on its side, has the function of blocking sites where Google has detected malware, preventing you from browsing completely.
5) Extras, expandability and extensions
Chrome is the most expandable browser there is, even more than Firefox, thanks to the numerous extensions, applications and scripts that can be installed.
With Chrome extensions it can do anything and it also manages to become a complete work tool, a mini operating system inside Windows that incorporates everything you need to use a computer.
Internet Explorer doesn't have many extensions, but it integrates better into the Windows 7 and Windows 8 taskbar.
Chrome is better than Internet Explorer if:
- We often use the translation of a web page;
- Favorites are synchronized between PC and smartphone (Internet Explorer does this only with Windows 8 and Windows Phone)
- Google web applications such as Gmail, Blogger, Google+, Google Docs, Maps, Drive are used.
- You want to monitor the receipt of mail in Gmail or other indicators.
- You are not a privacy freak.
Conversely, if you only use Windows 8 or Windows 7 PCs, Internet Explorer 10 is an excellent choice, equivalent to Chrome and Firefox, more secure and, even if with fewer functions, more suitable for less capable users with the computer.
Which browser do you use?
ALSO READ: Come usare Internet Explorer in Chrome o Chrome in IE
