Internet Explorer is one of the oldest browsing programs and for a long period of time it used to be the most popular web browser. However, at some point other, better browsing alternatives started to appear such as Firefox and Chrome. In addition, Explorer seemed to be falling behind in terms of security, performance, versatility, etc. It eventually came to a point where more and more people would shun it as they saw Internet Explorer as a lesser browser unable to keep up with the more modern and better suited alternatives. There were a lot of reasons for users to prefer other browsers offer Explorer as it did indeed have a lot of issues. It used to be quite slow and its performance was nowhere near as good as it should have been. Also, being the most popular browser back in the day, it used to attract a lot of cyber attacks which was made worse by the fact that its security wasn’t all that good. However, things have changed and Internet Explorer is not what it used to be – today, it is once again one of the top browsers with a lot to offer to its users which is why we are making this review where you can learn more about the latest version of this browser.
Introduction
As we already mentioned, IE with its newest version – 11, is currently considered one of the best browsers. It belongs to the top 5 browsing programs due to its good performance, high levels of security and satisfying array of settings and options that it can offer. Even though it is still not the fastest and lacks certain features that other browsers might have, IE 11 is undoubtedly a very good program that a lot of users might enjoy. Unfortunately, due to its past and the problems that it used to have, there are still a lot of people that see this program as undesirable or of lesser quality. However, many are sure to be left surprised if they gave the latest IE a go.
Interface
The Interface of Explorer 11 isn’t as slick or as interesting as that of other browsers that have a more modern look to them. It’s looks haven’t changed that much over the years and some might say it appears old school. However, there are actually a couple of neat and smart things about IE’s interface that we should point out here. For example, the search bar and the address bar have been combined within the so called The One Box. This helps save up space effectively increasing the space for that pages get to have on the PC screen. Also, The One Box and the tabs are on the same row to further decrease the space that is being taken. This might actually be considered bad by some users as the tabs might seem way too clustered together, especially if an individual likes to keep a lot of tabs opened at the same time. That said, there is certainly a bigger area for a page’s contents to be displayed. Additionally, as a way to save up even more space, there are very few browser buttons and the toolbar is minimalistic. Everything feels clean and plain without any unnecessary content to distract you.
Tabs and New tab page
The new tab page is a good addition as it shows the most visited sites allowing for quicker access to them. This is similar to Opera’s Speed Dial and while it might not be as effective, it is still a neat feature. The tabbed interface of IE is something that can be expected from a modern browser and Explorer delivers upon that. The tabs can be pulled and dragged into new windows and if you pull a tab to the side of the screen, it will become a new window that takes exactly the half of the screen’s space.
Pinned websites
Something interesting that isn’t present among other browsers is that IE allows you to pin down websites to your Taskbar. All you need to do is drag a website’s icon to your Window’s Taskbar and you got yourself a pinned site. Even the Taskbar icon of the pinned site would be changed according to the site’s design. This comes to further show how IE is all about the websites that the user visits and doesn’t try to push its own branding.
Extensions
While IE doesn’t have as many extension options as Firefox or Chrome, there is still a satisfyingly big collection of ways to expand the capabilities of your browser. There is also a nice feature to Explorer 11 that notifies you of an extension is consuming overly-high amounts of PC resources so that you know what could potentially be slowing your browser and PC performance. Another good thing about IE is that it also has an effective pop-up blocker to help you avoid interaction with unwanted banners and pop-ups.
Performance
Currently, IE is considered the third fastest browser out there being outmatched in terms of speed only by Chrome and Firefox. The program has a good has good startup time and loads pages rather quickly. However, it seems to consume a bit more RAM than other popular browsers so if you do not have a lot of memory on your PC you might want to take that into consideration.
Security and privacy
The security of IE has been greatly improved throughout the years and currently this is one of the most secure browsers out there so if you are seeking for a safe browsing program, Explorer 11 is certainly one of the best options out there. In terms of privacy, IE has a lot to offer as it is certainly a browser that values the personal space of its user. When installing Internet Explorer, the user is presented with a checkbox for “Do not track” that is set to on by default. If the user leaves it that way, websites would not be able to track the user’s activity. There is also another feature called Tracking Protection which blocks third-party tracking and cookie placement. All of this makes Internet Explorer one of the safest and most privacy-oriented browsers out there which is certainly a valuable trait, especially nowadays when almost all websites try to gather private data from their users.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a fast, secure browser that values one’s privacy and still offers a satisfying amount of options with a couple of unique and useful features, then you should probably try out Internet Explorer 11. A lot of changes have been made to IE and most of its past problems have been resolved. Currently, even though it is not the best browsing program in most aspects, it gets pretty close to the best ones making it a balanced browser with several highly-beneficial traits to its name.
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