IE Gains Usage Share in June

@fanboys,

"I despise the self-proclaimed mouthpieces that go to any length to defend a company that exists for one reason only: to make money."

On this we agree, and it is Paul's mouthpiece-ism that causes me to post rebuttals. He's actually pretty good on technical issues, but has this....fetish about Apple that just drives him into a frenzy. Contrary to what some have said, he isn't paid by Microsoft (that I know of), but his entire livelihood is dependent on that company's success. He's said so himself.

Consequently his writing is very biased and there are a couple of posters here who tend to call him out when he is especially full of it.

I do try to make my remarks mostly in the spirit of Daniel Patrick Moynihan's famous line that "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." This is a a lesson Paul needs to absorb; he's at best very selective with facts and has a tendency to contradict himself, often quite hilariously:

The absence of cut/past on the initial iPhone was a massive oversight, but the similar absence of the same feature on the still-vaporwre Windows Phone is just fine, Microsoft's Desktop OS marketshare is all-important, but Apple's marketcap is not, minute changes in IE usage share are fantastically important while equally minute changes in the Mac marketshare are not, etc, etc.

So, I try to keep my posts factual, which is why I post links to that old-fashioned thing called "data" and back it up with real sources, from real journalists, something not much in evidence when Paul writes about Apple. Occasionally, it is all too much, and I might get a wee bit sarcastic. It's a failing.

On your part, and others, you might all drop the iTroll, iDiots, etc. Of course Paul does it too, systematically. The word "Apple" is ALWAYS conjoined with "zealot", "fanatics", "lemmings", but you can do better than he does...

@Jones

Let's be perfectly clear: I don't despise Apple. I despise the self-proclaimed mouthpieces that go to any length to defend a company that exists for one reason only: to make money. Thus, my moniker AND my rant against fanboys. There used to be Microsoft fanatics on this blog as well. Luckily, they're few and far between these days. Unluckily, they've been replaced by even worse fanboys: The Apple Troll.

Take Paul to task on his facts all you want. Post links to "data", stats, whatever you think will back up your position. I welcome the debate. As for the "what did I do?" question? It wasn't your post here that caught my eye, but there have been others.

Clear?

"I could go on, but I'm much more interested in what your stupid-a$ remark will be."

Odd, I posted a link to data, just data, and my main point was that data over a long period of time contains more useful information than looking at minor fluctuations over a period of a couple of months.

What has you so rilled up over a post that basically says, "look at more data before you make a conclusion"?

I don't want Microsoft to "fail"; I want Microsoft to compete! When they don't have competition, they don't compete. Even PAUL says this, for God's sake. It's in his podcast this week!

The fall of IE from 90+% to ~60% is hardly an extinction event, it is just a transition from complacent hegemony to a place where competition is required. If you haven't noticed, IE remains the most used browser in the world, but in a multi-polar world. Anything good that gets into IE8 or IE9 will be because of the changed competitive landscape.

For the record, I feel the same way about Apple. I'm GLAD that Android and RIM share the smart phone market with Apple. I don't care if Windows Phone takes a reasonable share of the market, although I very much doubt that it will. We don't need any one company to have a 90+% position in any critical market; that's good for no one.

Really, you should thank heaven for Apple, even if you despise the company and hate their products. Who else kept Microsoft even slightly honest?

@O: the iDiots don't understand competition.

"What I found most interesting about the link Mike posted was that IE6 usage actually went up in June 2010."

I do believe that's because the browser in WinMo 6.5 identifies itself as IE6. It could be causing an up-tick (or buttressing the XP levels causing them to not slide-off so quickly). Likewise the iPhone can get wrapped into Safari numbers pretty easily (depending on their methodology).

"WANT Microsoft to fail"

I don't get it either. The responses are illogical. I don't want any company to fail, because that means lots of jobless folks and less competition.

It's like the same people who hate (with a passion) Wal-Mart. Take it or leave it, they employee 2 million people. Their supply chain makes GM/Chrysler/Ford seem minuscule in comparison.

I think the only time I'd hate a company is if they paid to have my house leveled.