I use Firefox, however i don't get why people feel like they have to promote and defend it with their lives.. it is a great browser, but i could easily live without it.. i don't feel i need to convince anyone and don't get why people do.. i give the benefits of it if someone asks why i use it, and leave it at that

When it comes right down to it, I think people forget that it is just a web browser

For me its just the desire to try to help others keep from suffering the majority of exploits written for IE. My scare was an ActiveX/Javascript exploit that stole thousands of WoW account info and then the items off those accounts for a total of millions of dollars. I was running FF and fortuantely didn't get hit clicking innocently enough a link to another site something that happens every day on sites everywhere. Those running IE though got to deal with an overloaded Blizzard CS for weeks on end. Now I never surf the net without FF and NoScript if I can help it.

Thats not to say that IE is a bad browser though its real achilles heel is the fact it is so tied to the operating system that things that exploit IE exploit Windows and thats why its particularly system damaging. I actually have read that IE was a great browser for the few years it was maintained to run on Mac's specifically because it was actually standalone for once. But of course that will never happen on Windows because then people would have the option to remove IE even if making it that way would greatly minimize the damage IE exploits cause.

As for the OP the only advice I can give is my also limited sucess in getting family to switch. My dads issue was his favorites he couldn't move them himself I had to do it. Once that was out of the way that was it the big problem was the favorites. Dunno if thats any use to you for his not wanting to learn a new interface but maybe people are too proud to ask for help sometimes. 

@tabsina & cringer8,

Like I said I agree that there is no point in trying to convince anyone since it is a choice they have to make. I just think its a very bad choice. You can offer folks the option but you can't force them to switch.

@cringer8,

As far as not telling folks they are uninformed, you placed yourself in front of that bullet not the other way around. I was referring to the many many people I have talked with all of whom are otherwise happy to take my computer advice on a regular basis but aren't interested in my advice on the browser issue. Which is why I don't bother trying to convince folks anymore.

But since you brought it up, I will say it's easy to say you know whats going on but really how aware are you of whats going on inside the browser? Could you, if asked, explain even the basics of the TCP/IP layers and which ones were directly related to the browser? How much do you know about Javascript issues? What are your opinions on the level of HTML compliance in current web browsers? Are you happy with IEs implementation of SSL? Do you know the average time to patch critical security flaws for the major browsers and do you think they are satisfactory?

You may well know the answers to those questions but many don't, and I think its foolhardy for someone ignorant of those things to ignore the advice of someone who does understand them. But that is the nature of free will and choice and you have to respect it and let people make their choices.

And I'll be honest in saying I am not as well versed in many of those areas as I could be but I do my best to keep up on it..mostly because I find it interesting, but then I always was different that way =P

Sorry but in my opinion, except for My Space, Firefox really sucks. I've downloaded three different language versions to test it. I'm using Internet Explorer again. I'm getting sick and tired of the constant cooking downloading on my main screen, not being able to open several sub pages before it had to be stored on a disc, WTF is up with that?! Not to imagine the corrupted pages which the Internet Explorer blocks them but Firefox easily opens them.

If that person wishes to stick with IE... stick with it!

If you are running Windows make sure you keep it up to date, if you using IE make sure you have the latest version and keep it up to date. Now you have done that leave you Dad alone but you may want to save him some money when Norton come knocking on his door with one of the free Anti Virus packages below.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is good and free
Avast 4 Home edition is alright and free
Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic is the best of the bunch and again free.

Give your father a break.

If he doesn't need the browser, he doesn't need it.

If you really want to help him, ask him to try the IE7Pro addon, as it adds a lot of neat features along with a few vey similar ones to Ad-Block Plus.

PS:  I'm glad Sqrl mentioned it... Norton sucks in a great many ways.  You only use it if you're too stupid to figure out something else.

 O finnish people! you are so silly with yor little Linux OS, go have fun with the 3 million people who use it!

I recently got Firefox and it really is a hell of a lot faster than IE7.

And it also has those quick link bookmarks like Opera, which I really love.

The only thing I don't like is that when you open a new tab, it doesn't open your home page in it, like you get with Internet Explorer. I looked for a setting to do it, but couldn't find one. 

Hey Mrmoney, don't block my finnish people post it was funnier than yours!