How many times per day does internet explorer crash on you?

[mbpark]

TW,

Unfortunately, most corporate software that forces you to use IE is some unholy combination of ActiveX and/or Java with Java Native Interface that hooks into your system. Chrome or Firefox will not help you.

If you are lucky, the vendor will support IE patches or Java patches without complaining. Kronos, which is one of the most popular packages out there for timesheets, requires a specific Java version and has multiple ways of checking for it. Java runtimes are buggy, and the combination of an older Java Runtime Environment (JRE) and newer browser can crash it. The same goes for the Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Flash, or other third-party plug-ins.

I can give you a list of vendors that don't support browser patches or updated Java/ActiveX runtimes, and it runs the gamut from the US Government to a host of Fortune 500 companies.

Malware writers do a better job than most corporate software developers. Their software crashes less.

If IE crashes 4-6 times a day, see what browser plug-ins are enabled, and clear them out. Whatever you can run on Chrome or Firefox, do so.

We had this discussion when The Cellar was a Waffle BBS. It was a bad idea then, and it still is now.

[tw]

Originally Posted by mbpark

Unfortunately, most corporate software that forces you to use IE is some unholy combination of ActiveX and/or Java with Java Native Interface that hooks into your system. Chrome or Firefox will not help you.

I'm not even discussing problems created by ActiveX or Java. The new thing with many 'free' software sites are programs that load into your system if you do not carefully identify the vague click box that disables each download program. These other programs are downloaded automatically.

Even Microsoft is now doing this with some OS addons. They are a little more honest about it by asking if you want to download PowerPoint, Live or Bing extensions. The downloads are automatic if you do not specifically disable them.

Also in Chrome are programs that get loaded as Extensions. These sometimes cause strange delays (appear like a crash). I never did figure out how those extensions are getting loaded into Chrome browsers.

[mbpark]

TW,

Those are all ActiveX or Java in IE. It's the same class of problem in a different era.

In Firefox or Chrome, they are extensions. Some, like Java, have binary code, however most of those are Javascript.

[tw]

Originally Posted by mbpark

Those are all ActiveX or Java in IE. It's the same class of problem in a different era.

Those automatically loaded programs do not run in IE. Load into the system and remain doing undefined things 'in the background'. Part of eliminating them include manual deletions in the Registry and AutoRuns to disable these programs from loading on power up.

In one case, I thought I had cleansed the Registry. To discover it reloaded on the next boot.

[xoxoxoBruce]

If you aren't logged in as admin, no changes will occur to IE.

[mbpark]

Bruce,

Funny. I was just reading the latest edition of 2600 magazine, where it talked about how exploits get on systems.

The method used to get into a system for this particular zero-day exploit was a Java JAR file targeting both Java and its corresponding ActiveX plugin control.

The other popular ways for exploits to get in are the Adobe Flash and Acrobat Reader plugins, which are also both ActiveX.

The exploits which IE has been especially vulnerable to without plugins are CSS, HTML, and Javascript.

All of these do successfully run as normal users without any issue.

The Registry, AutoRuns, or similar protections won't help when there are fundamental issues with the browser architecture and how it loads code in the first place. IE is just #1 with a bullet because of the Adobe and Oracle plug-ins that make it easier to infect machines.

Those plug-ins (based on ActiveX) are the fundamental weakness of IE.

IE 7 and up allow you to reset the browser and remove the plug-ins. Run the browser after that and you should see a better experience.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Ah, thanks Mitch. I'm always leery of plug-ins and usually when I check it out, it's for the site to show me something I didn't want to see in the first place.

[tw]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Ah, thanks Mitch. I'm always leery of plug-ins and usually when I check it out,

Was looking for some free software that does something rather unique. Found one in CNET. Once a good source of clean freeware.

Using Chrome, I tried to download it. CNET loaded an installer progam, loaded AVG with all its toolbars, etc, loaded a URL and some registry setting to access Internet game programs, loaded some sort of browser monitoring program, a search engine, etc. None of which I wanted nor gave permission to load.

It added about six extensions to Chrome. Enables many startup programs (that load when the computer boots), disabled many setting in Chrome including the Bookmark toolbar, disabled the home page, and corrupted the preferences (options unique to different sites).

Well I expected this to happen. Figured I would get a listing of the many items changed by this once very responsible web site. It even took two reboots to clean out all the many changes and loaded programs.

Of course, Chrome does not use ActiveX. Problems are not limited to IE. Once you give permission to download something, well, fewer 'free' sites are that responsible anymore.