Differences Between Windows Internet Explorer and Firefox
By Eric Fenton
Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox are both popular and free Web browsers, so the one you use is matter of preference. While some may assume that all browsers are the same, there are some very specific differences between these two browsers.
An Original and a Competitor
Internet Explorer was developed and launched by Microsoft long before Mozilla existed. For a time, Internet Explorer had little competition and was almost every Windows user's default browser because it was always been included with the purchase of every PC. Mozilla was the first company to successfully challenge Internet Explorer, which is still the most widely used browser, but only by a nine percent margin.
User Interface
Mozilla Firefox is known for introducing "tabbed" browsing. Before Firefox, if you wanted two or more Internet pages open at once, you had to open a separate window. Firefox allows users to have several web pages open in one browser window making it more user friendly. The most current version of Internet Explorer now uses tabbed browsing, but Firefox remains a faster browser with a wider viewing window.
CMS Compatibility
Internet Explorer has an advantage over Firefox in terms of Content Management System (CMS) compatibility, making it much easier to create and publish a Web page in Explorer than it is in Firefox. Firefox does not read CMS code properly. You may also have an issue publishing blogs in Firefox as the blog code doesn't always translate correctly.
Pop-up Protection and Security
With its built-in pop-up blocker, Firefox is considered the safer browser. Firefox will block almost everything and you must manually give specific sites permission for pop-ups. It is usually the reverse with Explorer, but the newest version now resembles the Firefox blocker. Due to sheer volume, Internet Explorer is at a higher risk for attacks than Firefox users.
References
Writer Bio
Eric Fenton has been writing for journalistic and scientific publications since 2005. He has previously written for "The Pen," where he was the opinion editor. He now works as a copy editor for the "News-Letter." He is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University.