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.

Microsoft Unveils Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate

by Ben Parr

Microsoft has released the Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate (IE9 RC) to the masses, bringing the browser one step closer to a final launch.
In September 2010, Microsoft released the IE9 Beta, its “reinvention of the browser,” featuring updated compatibility with web standards like HTML5, an overhaul of the user interface and hardware acceleration for apps running within the browser.
Unlike the betas though, the IE9 Release Candidate is ready-to-ship code. This is the final test drive for Microsoft’s new browser, a chance to catch any last-minute bugs. After that, IE9 will have its official debut.
The IE9 RC boasts improved browser and JavaScript performance from the IE9 Betas. Microsoft says it has made more than 2,000 changes since the first Beta to improve system performance. The company also now claims that Chakra, the IE9 JavaScript engine, is the fastest engine, based on the SunSpider Benchmark.
The tech giant is also touting new UI improvements from the Beta, including a focus on reducing unnecessary pixels. It has reduced the frame pixels by five since the Beta. The menu has also been updated with a menu bar toggle feature and a “paste and navigate” shortcut that lets you automatically perform a search or visit a web address based on what’s in your clipboard.
One big UI change users will notice is a change in tab layout. In the betas, tabs appeared on the right-hand side of the search bar, but IE9 RC includes an option to turn tabs into a separate row under the address bar. This is especially useful for those of us who multi-task constantly in the browser (we wish the tabs were on top, though).
Lastly, Microsoft has put the emphasis on security and privacy. It has enabled tracking protection (its version of the “Do Not Track” list), added a more robust ActiveX filter and SmartScreen malware protection for the download manager. Microsoft has been pushing IE9′s privacy features as a selling point in recent months.
If you’re interested, you can download the release candidate.

900 million Internet Explorer users hit by bug - You're probably one of them!

By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Are you a Windows user that still surfs the web with Internet Explorer? Well, if you are one of the 900 million who do, you need to to sit up and pay attention to a new vulnerability that affects you.

Details here:

Microsoft is investigating new public reports of a vulnerability in all supported editions of Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow an attacker to cause a victim to run malicious scripts when visiting various Web sites, resulting in information disclosure. This impact is similar to server-side cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. Microsoft is aware of published information and proof-of-concept code that attempts to exploit this vulnerability. At this time, Microsoft has not seen any indications of active exploitation of the vulnerability.

The vulnerability exists due to the way MHTML interprets MIME-formatted requests for content blocks within a document. It is possible under certain conditions for this vulnerability to allow an attacker to inject a client-side script in the response of a Web request run in the context of the victim’s Internet Explorer. The script could spoof content, disclose information, or take any action that the user could take on the affected Web site on behalf of the targeted user.

This issue affects ALL versions of Windows, from XP SP3 all the way to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core installations are unaffected).

Microsoft has published a one-click “Fix it” workaround for the bug that involved locking down MHTML. This will prevent the launch of script in all zones within an MHTML document. Any application that uses MHTML will be affected by this workaround.