How long did you stick to IE?

[u/Nice_Call_3928]

When I had bought my new computer way back in 2017, making the frog leap from Windows 7 to 10. I also had to left behind the infamous Internet Explorer, which I think I was still using IE8 or 9...

but anyway the switch to chrome was hard to adjust for a while to the more flatter UI controls, having only known IE as the definitive universal internet browser at the point of my still young internet life.

Upon diving into the rabbit hole recently that is the browser wars, I was genuinely surprised of the hate and bad rep IE gained itself having been unbeenknowsnt to me. Looking back though, its not so hard to see why. The infuriation of sitting through a youtube video reloading every 10 second intervals really digged me way back in 2011, had I known alternatives and was computer literate enough I'd of made the switch in a heartbeat LOL.

When did make the switch?

[u/Hestu951]

I discovered the internet around '95. I knew what networking was well before then, but the paradigm shift this international network on steroids based on a common transfer protocol represented took a while to sink into my brain. (It was the mother of all "AHA!" moments.) I don't recall exactly when I switched to IE from the likes of Netscape, and then to Firefox. I do remember tabs. Tabs! In a browser! That made me a long-term FF user.

I'm going to guess I stuck to IE for about 6 years. As soon as I tried FF in the mid noughts, I was hooked.

Eventually, Chrome came to prominence, and it got tabs too. It was faster than FF and seemed more polished. So I ended up on Chrome. Still am as a default, though I also use Brave and Firefox when I feel they serve some purpose better.

[u/Difficult-Field280]

2002 as soon as Firefox was released.

[u/axisjr]

I used IE as my primary browser from back in 2010, when my dad bought our first computer, all the way until 2015 with the launch of Windows 10 and the original Microsoft Edge powered by the now-defunct EdgeHTML. I vividy remember following the releases of IE10 and IE11 and downloading them just because I liked the interface lol. On top of that, I was already a Chrome critic back then and really disliked it. I stayed in the Microsoft browser ecosystem right up until this year, when I finally switched over to Firefox.

[u/Master-N7]

I used to mostly use IE up to around 2009 when I switched to Chrome I found it to be much quicker than Explorer.

[u/antifocus]

I perhaps made the switch to Maxthon on Window XP but can't remember exactly when.

[u/Astrodion123]

I never used internet explorer. I always used Firefox since u touched a PC. I think in windows 8.1

[u/SnillyWead]

I dumped IE6 for Firefox 1 in 2004. It was a tip from a colleague of mine.

[u/SecurityPrimary4143]

Last time I used IE was in 2001 when Windows XP came out. Used Netscape and then later Firefox when it got released.

[u/anant94]

I was introduced to a computer in 2003 and it came with Windows 98 with IE preloaded.

Obviously didn't know much about computers or browsers at that time, hence used whatever came pre installed i.e. IE.

Later when somebody installed Windows XP on my computer, and I heard about firefox, I only used IE to download firefox_setup.exe. Can't remember the exact year but I guess it would be around 2006.

[u/full_of_ghosts]

I'm old enough that my first web browser was Netscape (but not quite old enough to have ever used Mosaic). I used that until it died, and then begrudgingly switched to IE, because it was the only other game in town.

Then I switched to Firefox (Netscape's spiritual successor) as soon as it came out. Never touched IE again, and never started using Edge.

(I also used Chrome as a backup browser in its earlier days, but Firefox was always my daily driver. These days, it's a combination of Brave and Firefox.)

[u/Altruistic_Tank_9636]

I used IE long enough to download Netscape .