Internet Explorer 8 not so good

OK, so I decided to download and install Internet Explorer 8 since it was finally released.  I have been running Windows 7 on my work laptop and have had 30 days of goodness and it has been problem free.  I actually really like Windows 7.  You cannot install IE8 on Windows 7 Beta since it’s running a special version of IE8 that can use features built into Windows 7 that only Windows 7 has.  I digress….

Anyway, I downloaded it and installed it on my home PC.  I’ve been running IE7 on my home PC for years now.  My home PC is a Pentium 4 1.5GHz box with 1.2GB of RAM and it runs Windows XP Pro with SP3.  It runs awesome and is fast for all I need it to do.  It runs Firefox, Chrome, and Opera beautifully with no problems.  It also runs IE7 with no problems….other than the typical “IE just locking up” problem.  I’ve seen IE just become unresponsive on a number of different boxes and just need to be forced to close.  For the record Firefox has done this on 3 different machines of mine too but just not as often.

As a side note, my work laptop is a Dell D830 Latitude with a 2.0GHz Intel Core Two Duo processor and 2GB of RAM.

So, last night I download and install IE8 onto my home PC (P4 1.5GHz 1.2GB RAM).  The install takes about 20 minutes and then reboots.  OK, no problem.  After that I launch IE8 for the first time (after my PC finishes booting and settles in).  It takes about 25 seconds before IE8 comes up.  After it comes up it seems like no matter what site I go to it seems to take a long time to get there when compared to IE7 or Firefox.  Weird.  So I close IE8 and restart the computer and just let the computer sit for another 10 minutes after reboot to make sure it’s done with all it’s stuff.  I launch IE8 again….slow.  Still about 20 seconds before it shows up and can be used.  I then go to 3 or 4 sites, and then cl0se the browser.  I then open it up again, to find that it still takes about 20 seconds to come up, maybe 15 seconds.  Yeah in the grand scheme of things 15 seconds is not much.  However IE7 took about 4 seconds and Firefox about 2 or 3 seconds.

After letting my wife use IE8 for about 30 minutes just doing some web surfing she says “yeah I hate it”.  So I uninstalled it, restarted, and am now back to using IE7.

I am not sure why the biggest software company on the planet can mess up it’s browser and OS so many times.  I will continue to use Firefox for everything and only use IE7 for work required things that cannot use Firefox.

For the record, the IE8 Beta that I have been using inside Windows 7 Beta has been great.  It’s pretty flawless actually.  Go figure.  Of course, Microsoft should give Windows 7 to everyone that bought (or got a PC with) Windows Vista.  Windows 7 Beta has been much more stable than the production version of Vista with SP1 on it.  Pretty Amazing actually.

New Facebook layout sucks!

Yeah, so after just a few days I cannot take it anymore.  Today I logged into FB only to find that one of my “friends” had sent some bullshit gifts to about 18 friends regarding New Kids On The Block (NKOTB).  I was not one of them.  I still however had to see all the bullshit gifts sent and it went 3/4 of the length of my page.  The only solution was to de-friend this person on Facebook, which I did.  Then all those stupid posts disappeared.

Since Facebook has taken it upon themselves to force everyone to read what everyone else does as a freakin’ news feed I will no longer visit the site.  In fact, I am going to deactivate my account until they change it back.  If they never do, then I’ll never be back.  There is way too many good things going on via the Internet to waste my time with the crazy new layout of Facebook.  It was great until they changed the layout.  Now it sucks.

Oh well, some companies never learn.  It’s also easy to tell when a good company gets all “corporateized” (yeah I know….not a word).  Once that happens everything gets messed up.

Goodbye Facebook.  I hope you learn…

Thankful in these tough times.

Yesterday I took a Gallup poll on the phone.  It took about ten minutes.  During the poll I was realizing my answers showed that I am very blessed.  The gentleman on the phone said that I am very lucky and that most people are not that happy in this current economy.

So I just really wanted to express the fact that sometimes you forget how good you have it.  I’m very thankful for all that I have.

If you can afford to help others in need, do it.  If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask.  These are tough times and I am thankful to God that they are not affecting me yet.