(Written in October, 2004. That's why you see a bit of outdated information)
In the Information Age, it is only necessary to remain insecure on the Internet, and to be plagued by pop-ups and spyware. It should also remain important to allow strangers to steal your bank account’s password. When you let others take your personal belongings, it helps build the economy when others spend what you earn and save, recirculating your currency into the market.
In late June, 2004, a Russian hacker hacked into popular websites, putting a program called Scob on websites. Scob attempts to install itself on computers that go to the compromised website with Internet Explorer. Scob logs the keys you press on the keyboard, and attempts to steal your passwords you type in, and tries to send them back to Russia, so your password-protected accounts can be stolen! Unfortunately, authorities quickly blocked the receiving computers from receiving any data.
Because this is the essence of the Internet, it disturbs some people to hear that someone has switched to a newly emerging browser called Mozilla Firefox (www.getfirefox.com). Geeks that say the Internet should be secure, not insecure use Firefox. They say that Firefox secures the user better from threats like Scob, protects the client from automatically installed programs, and even has a pop-up blocker! Its pop-up blocker performs even better than Google toolbar, which still presents a shame to the society.
One more thing, people like old, ancient, Neanderthal things, for example, antiques. It scares many people to see new things with many confusing new features! That’s why Microsoft Internet Explorer prevails. It has not been updated in three years, and Microsoft plans to release Internet Explorer 7 in 2006! So, Internet Explorer would be considered an “antique”, in internet standards, while Mozilla Firefox has a new release every few months, presenting new features such as tabbed browsing, find as you type, and RSS integration! New applications and technologies certainly create a scare!
In the daunting modern world, it must be much better to have many things stolen from you and to constantly fight pop-ups and spyware than to switch to the tremendously frightening Firefox.