放弃IE要三思而后行的原因

Why you should think twice before ditching Internet Explorer

为什么放弃IE要三思而后行

《endurer注：think twice 重新考虑(仔细考虑)》

by Jonathan Yarden
作者：Jonathan Yarden
翻译：endurer 2006-10-10 第1版

Tags: Web browsers | Security | Internet | Microsoft Windows
标签：网页浏览器 | 安全 | 英特网 | 微软视窗

英文来源：http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-1009-5890288.html?tag=nl.e044

Takeaway:
If your organization has decided that using IE on a regular basis exposes it to security risks, it's not necessarily wrong. But switching to an alternative Web browser isn't necessarily the right decision either. Find out why even long-time Microsoft critic Jonathan Yarden says companies shouldn't be so quick to look to alternative Web browsers.
如果组织已决定使用暴露安全风险的IE，这未必是个错误。而转换到一个可替代网页浏览器也未必是正确的。来找出资深微软评论家Jonathan Yarden奉劝公司不必这么快就期待可替代网页浏览器的原因罢。

《endurer注：1。on a regular basis定期地
2。expose oneself to暴露于
3。find out 找出(查明,发现,想出,认识到,揭发出来)
4。look to: 管(照顾,注意,依赖,期待,面向)》

Long before Internet security became a mainstream concern, many users chose to dump Microsoft's Internet Explorer and switch to other Web browsers, most notably products from Netscape. And given IE's checkered security history, that trend continues—particularly thanks to the growing popularity of the Firefox browser.
在英特网安全成为一个主流忧虑之前的很长一段时间里，一些用户选择抛弃微软的IE，转换到其它网页浏览器，显然绝大部分是Netscape的产品。鉴于IE充满波折的安全历史，这个趋势在继续——特别要感谢Firefox浏览器的日益流行。

《endurer注：1。Long before在...以前很久》

However, while I'll be the first to criticize Microsoft, I'll also say that companies shouldn't be so quick to look to alternative Web browsers. As anyone who has switched to an alternative Web browser has discovered, security isn't always the only issue. Companies often focus so intensely on security that they manage to overlook areas that are just as vital—such as functionality.
然而，尽管我将先批评微软，我也会奉劝公司不必这么快就期待可替代网页浏览器。换到其它可替代浏览器的人已经发现，安全不总是惟一的问题。公司们通常如此热衷于关注于安全而没注意到同样至关重要的的地方——例如功能。

《endurer注：1。manage to 达成；设法
2。just as 同样地,正如》

It's an undeniable fact that IE sports some functionality that simply isn't present in other Web browsers. In addition, a considerable number of Web sites don't function properly if you're not using IE to access them.
不可否认的事实是IE玩起一些功能来要比其它浏览器简单。另外，有相当数量的网站，如果不用IE来访问的话，其功能会不正确。

《endurer注：1。In addition另外,加之》

Over the years, Microsoft has adamantly maintained that IE is a part of Windows—not an add-on. In fact, the software giant has spent a great deal of time and money ensuring that users can't easily remove IE from Windows. (It is, however, much easier to disable IE on your system.)
这些年来，微软坚定主张IE是Windows的一部分——不是附加。实际上，这位软件巨人已花费了大量的时间和金钱来确保用户不能轻易地从Windows中移除IE。（禁用系统中的IE则要容易一些。）

《endurer注：1。Over the years:经过多个年月》

If your organization has decided that using IE on a regular basis exposes it to security risks, it's not necessarily wrong. The majority of browser-hijacking malware targets IE—and for good reason. Hackers are taking advantage of features designed to make IE more extensible to create malware that takes over the operation of IE.
如果组织已决定定期使用暴露安全风险的IE，这未必是个错误。大多数浏览器劫持恶意软件以IE为目标－并有很好的理由。Hacker们正利用为使IE更具扩展性而设计的特性来创建接管IE操作的恶意软件。
《endurer注：1。take over 接管,接任；接收,接管》

For example, a primary way that spyware and adware infest a Windows system is via the use of the Browser Helper Objects (BHOs) that alter IE's behavior. This is another case of the common conflict between functionality and security—to the detriment of average users.
例如，间谍软件和广告程序感染Windows系统的一个主要途径是通过使用能改变IE行为的浏览器帮助者对象（Browser Helper Object，BHO）。功能和安全之争的另一种情况是对一般用户的伤害。

The security of the Web browser itself is often a primary motivation for searching for an IE replacement. In the past, exploitable programming errors in IE have resulted in viruses and other malware infesting a Windows system.
网页浏览器自身的安全通常是寻找IE替代器的主要动机。过去，IE漏洞利用编程错误已导致病毒和其它恶意软件感染Windows系统。

《endurer注：1。result in 导致》

But this is the point where most organizations go astray in their logic: They assume that switching to an alternative browser will keep them safe. Yet, just because IE has suffered from security issues before doesn't guarantee that a replacement Web browser won't experience similar issues.
但是，这是大多数机构按照其逻辑而误入歧途之处：他们假设切换到可替代浏览器将令他们安全。然而，正因之前IE已遭受安全问题，不能保证替代的网页浏览器将不会经验类似的问题。

《endurer注：1。go astray 迷路,误入歧途》

Yes, IE is a common target for hackers, but that's primarily due to its popularity. Malware authors typically focus on frequently used software, and IE is no exception. And as the popularity of other Web browsers grows, they begin to attract more attention from hackers.
嗯，IE是hacker们通常的目标，但这主要归因于其使用广泛性。恶意软件作者们通常关注频繁使用的软件，IE也不例外。随着其他网页浏览器日益流行，它们开始引起hacker们的更多注意。

In fact, Firefox—arguably the most common IE alternative—has seen its fair share of exploitable security problems in recent months. And that means users are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
实际上，Firefox——可以认为是最常见的IE替代品——已经在近几个月里公平处理共享可利用安全问题。这意味着用户陷进左右为难的境地。

《endurer注：1。see fair公平裁判(公平对待,公平处理)
2。between the rock and the hard place左右为难》

While it's possible to improve security in IE, it's quite difficult for most people. Although Microsoft has made improvements that allow people to specifically manage add-ons in IE6, the majority of users are still unaware of how to use any of these features.
然而越是尽可能地增强IE的安全性，对大多数人就越困难。尽管微软已经做了改进允许人们管理IE6的插件，大多数用户仍然不知道如何使用这些特性。

However, using an alternative Web browser that doesn't support ActiveX prevents users from accessing those Web sites that require it. This is perhaps the largest issue when it comes to not using IE. Despite the overwhelming evidence that using proprietary technologies on Web sites is a horrible idea, Web sites that require IE are actually quite common. And even after years of criticism, Microsoft still remains resistant to fully implementing W3C standards.
然而，使用不支持ActiveX的替代网页浏览器将妨碍用户访问要求使用ActiveX的网站。这可能是不使用IE时最大的问题。尽管压倒性的证据（证明）在网站上使用专有技术的(所有的)是令人讨厌的想法，要求IE的网站仍然十分普遍。甚至在批评多年后，微软仍然持续抵制完全实现W3C标准。

《endurer注：1。come to：总计(苏醒,复原)》

There are also differences in how different Web browsers process XML and CSS. While larger Web sites compensate for many of these issues, others do not. And even some Web sites that don't use proprietary Microsoft features simply won't work using alternative Web browsers due to subtle differences in how all Web browsers process HTML, JavaScript, or Java. Despite claims to the contrary, Java is anything but portable.
不同的网页浏览器处理XML和CSS的方法方面也存在差异。尽管较大的网站弥补这些问题，其余的则不。甚至不使用专有微软特性的一些网站，由于所有网页浏览器在处理的HTML, JavaScript, 或 Java的细微差别，在用替代浏览器（访问）时就是不工作。尽管声称幽默感很重要，Java除了可移性性外一无是处。

《endurer注：1。compensate for弥补,赔偿
2。 due to因为,由于》

Regardless of the reasoning, companies need to realize that it's not always feasible to simply abandon IE. If your organization has decided to stop using IE based on the premise that another browser's security is better, it's making a questionable assumption that might prove to be more trouble than it's worth.
不论什么原因，公司需要认识到简单地放弃IE不总是可行的。如果机构已经决定以其它浏览器的安全更好为由停止使用IE，造成可能得不偿失（花钱买麻烦的）的不可靠设想。

《endurer注：1。Regardless of不顾,不惜》