There are some web browsers that are safe in older versions and some that aren’t.
The safest (and fastest) web browser in the world is Lynx. This is because it’s 100% text-based. There is no malware, spyware or malicious code that exists for Lynx that I know of. The only drawback is that there aren’t any images in Lynx, nor can you use a mouse. But it is safe.
Older versions of the Opera web browser do quite well because they’re not a primary target to develop malicious code for. However there really isn’t any significant advantage to running an older version of this because the newer versions are better, more stable and more feature-packed.
Where you really see the difference in speed and security is when it comes to Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Firefox
The fastest and most stable version of Firefox was arguably the last release of version 1.5, that being 1.5.12 (available here). It’s really fast and the US English Windows installer is just a tick over 5MB whereas the current 3.0.7 is 7.3MB. Firefox has fattened up quite a bit since 1.5.
Is running FF 1.5 safe? No. There have been many security fixes since 1.5 and it’s worth it to run the most current version.
Fortunately if you yearn for The Firefox That Once Was, there’s Seamonkey. I recently wrote about this. This browser runs how Firefox used to run. Speedy, quick, fast, light. And you can run it alongside Firefox easily; it won’t "argue" with Firefox whatsoever so you can easily have both installed without a problem.
Internet Explorer
The IE browser is well known to the the #1 target for spyware and malicious code as far as web browsers are concerned. To run an older version of it is literally inviting trouble. And it doesn’t matter how careful of an internet user you are, because if you run an old IE, it’s just bad news.
What you can run for IE depends on what version of Windows you have.
Windows 2000 can run 5.01, 5.5 or 6.
Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 can run 6, 7 or 8.
Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 can run 7 or 8.
With 2000, IE 6 is the most recent version you can run and that has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Yes, I know there are more than a few readers out there running 2000 and IE 6. And most of you would proudly state, "I use IE 6 and have never had a problem." That may be so, but your luck will eventually run out. I strongly recommend switching to Opera, Firefox or Seamonkey for 2000 users.
With the rest of the Windows versions after that, IE 7 is still considered to be a safe browser. It is routinely updated by Microsoft and has wide adoption. IE 8 is new, it’s great and better to use, but some people have been reluctant to upgrade for compatibility reasons. For example, you may ask the question, "Will I be able to access my bank’s web site with 8 like I did with 7?" For some, yes. For others, no.
The next question after that is, "How long should I wait before upgrading to 8?"
Most web sites that require IE will deploy updated versions in around 90 days. If you want to be extra careful before upgrading, wait 6 months. During this time Microsoft will not stop supporting 7. Updates will be deployed routinely and you can continue to use it as you always have.
Some notes on IE 8
I downloaded IE 8 the first day it was released and after using it can say the following:
First, it does not require a huge learning curve. In fact it hardly requires any learning curve at all. IE 8 is not some massive departure look-and-feel wise from 7.
Second, I haven’t noticed any web site that didn’t work with 8. Some have reported some issues with some sites, but I haven’t personally.
Third, 8 did not do any weird "hey what’re you doin’, IE?" things to my XP Pro setup whatsoever. With past versions of IE, yes it did do that. But 8 did not.
Last, and most important, I recently performed and IE 8 upgrade on my father’s computer. He’s 74, very set in his ways and doesn’t like it when things change around on his computer (but then again who does). He was able to use IE 8 with no problems whatsoever. He has an older Dell box with a 2.4GHz CPU and just 512MB RAM. IE 8 runs just fine. In fact it runs better and faster than 7 did, so he was happy. If that doesn’t say 8 is better than 7 I don’t know what does.
Do you use IE 8? Did you find certain sites that didn’t work?
If the answer is yes, please comment. Users of 7 thinking of upgrading to 8 would be very interested to hear what you have to say.
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