The German Government has taken the unprecedented step of warning its citizens to avoid using Microsoft`s Internet Explorer.
This was prompted by the publication on the Internet of what is effectively a hacker`s recipe book for malicious websites to install all kinds of unwelcome software on a PC using Internet Explorer. This is software that slows down your PC and could steal passwords and personal information.
Microsoft themselves have recognized the security flaw and are working on a patch that won`t be released until 9th February 2010. In the mean time both the German and French governments are advising their citizens to steer well clear.
These days Microsoft`s Internet Explorer is less and less important with excellent rivals FireFox and Google’s new Chrome browser eating into its market share. At the time of writing less than 50% of all web users now use Internet Explorer.
The publicity around the German and French warning means that Internet Explorer`s market share looks set to fall even further which also means a few extra grey hairs for any conscientious web developer. Your website should always be developed and checked for the major browsers FireFox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari and Opera as there can be marked differences in how the same page displays. As long as the pages are developed using good coding practice then most issues can be fixed without too much hair tearing!