IE Users Have Lower IQ Than Users of Other Web Browsers [STUDY]

A recent study links intelligence test results with browser usage — and the results don’t look good for users of Microsoft’sInternet Explorer, especially its older versions.

The study, titled “Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Browser Usage” by Canadian company AptiQuant, compiled IQ test scores of 101,326 individuals over the age of 16 and divided them into groups according to the browser they use.

The results are fascinating. Users of Internet Explorer 6 have an average IQ score barely over 80; Firefox and Chrome users fare much better, with average IQ scores of around 110, while Opera and Camino users have an average IQ score over 120.

It’s also interesting to note that average IQ scores of IE6 users were significantly higher in 2006, and that the IQ scores get better with newer versions of IE.

Internet Explorer 6 has long been a thorn in the side of developers who hated it for its non-compliance with web standards, while users struggled with its many security flaws. This new study will probably induce more mockery of the ancient (but still sometimes found on older computers) browser and its users, but it’s probably not telling us that much about the browser itself — it’s about unwillingness to upgrade to a new version of any software.

The study concludes that “individuals on the lower side of the IQ scale tend to resist a change/upgrade of their browsers.” It’s only logical that users with a higher IQ are more likely to experiment, choose a different software version or variant (notice that users of IE with Chrome frame score very high on IQ tests) or listen to upgrade suggestions and security advice.

In March, Microsoft started a campaign to get users to stop using Internet Explorer 6. But did it take into account the fact that many IE6 users tend to have lower than average IQ scores? Maybe that’s the key to finally getting rid of the world’s most hated web browser.

“Individuals on the lower side of the IQ scale tend to resist a change/upgrade of their browsers … Now that we have a statistical pattern on the continuous usage of incompatible browsers, better steps can be taken to eradicate this nuisance,” the study concludes.

Firefox 4 Beta Adds “Do Not Track” Feature

by Ben Parr

Mozilla has released Firefox 4 Beta 11, the newest version of the popular web browser. It not only adds several performance and stability improvements, but it implements a “Do Not Track” list to enhance user privacy.
Earlier this month, Mozilla announced its intention to implement “Do Not Track” in Firefox 4. Resurrected by the FTC in August 2010, the “Do Not Track” list essentially lets users opt-out of behavior tracking by advertisers through cookies and other browser-based methods.
“When the feature is enabled and users turn it on, web sites will be told by Firefox that a user would like to opt out of OBA,” Mozilla privacy lead Alex Fowler explained in a recent blog post. “We believe the header-based approach has the potential to be better for the web in the long run because it is a clearer and more universal opt-out mechanism than cookies or blacklists.”
Mozilla argues that the HTTP header approach sends a more universal opt-out signal to websites. You can check out the technical details if they interest you, but the goal is the same: give users the ability to tell advertisers that they do not want to be tracked for the purposes of targeted advertising.
The development of Firefox 4 is nearing the finishing line. Firefox 4 Beta 10 was release just two weeks ago, and it shouldn’t be long until a release candidate makes its debut.