Since broswing under the auspices of Google's generosity seems to attract the attention of undesirables (and that's not a reference to anyone in here - stragely, I do post elsewhere), I thought I'd restore the balance a bit, and if anyone wants to try browsing with a better IE than IE (it make sense if you think too hard ), then they can try browsing with The World Browser

http://www.ioage.com/en/index.htm

This uses the IE engine to provide its functionality, but is not IE.

In fact, it's a lot nicer and slicker than IE, and a number of features "in the box" that you have to go and find to add-in to IE if you want them. Blocking ads and rubbish for example. In use, in my opinion, it's lighter and faster than IE, which has to be a good reason to give it a try.

It's also one of the few browsers I've ever been tempted to reskin, and the version I use at the moment is skinned to resemble Winamp modern.

Quoted from Apollo

http://www.ioage.com/en/index.htm

In my opinion, it's lighter and faster than IE, which has to be a good reason to give it a try.

I've downloaded the world browser and totally agree with the above Apollo.
Much faster than IE.

So, I wasn't deluding myself

I haven't tried it since I upgraded to IE8, which is billed as a whole heap faster than its predecessor, so that will be interesting to try and compare when I can get round to it.

I suppose the downside to this - if that's the right way to describe it - is that you are still browsing with IE. As I noted above, it uses the IE engine to do the actual browsing, which means that the functionality, appearance, toys etc are all being provided by the folk that code The World.

This shows how much "waste" there is in the corporate offering.

That said, I simply haven't done enough to tell if IE8 is as fast as it's claimed to be - and I'm not likely to very soon, since (as you can read in the IE8 thread), operating the browser in IE8 mode is knocking the first pic out of every SeSco page, and that's not good, and means I have to run in Compatibility or IE7 mode

While I'd have to admit that I still don't touch IE8 - even a casual flip into it just to check that my installation is up-to-date still shows it has an unpleasant "feel" in the way it works - I have been checking around the other browsers recently, and discovered that The World had been rev'd up to Version 3.

I hadn't been using it much, and thought it has stalled on Version 2.4.1.4 Final, with no other news for just a bit too long, and a quick check threw up Version 3.

Having installed and used V3 for a while, I'm still fairly amazed that it uses the IE engine to achieve its browsing, as is it head and shoulders above Microsoft's incarnation of their idea of a browser, both in terms of speed (V3 seems to be very fast) and in terms of functionality. I've went for The World's option of the Chrome skin, and it's very, very nice, especially with the toys and accessories that are written into it as standard. It has nearly all of the browsing enhancements that I have built into my Firefox installation, but as standard features, and they seem to work just as well.

The English version of The World V3 can be downloaded from:

http://www.ioage.com/twen/?op=en

The World never seems to appear in any "expert" reviews. I don't know what they have against it (perhaps they don't receive enough free gifts from the creators), but it should. It's fast, and even though the current version of V3 is marked as beta, it hasn't crashed on me so far, it's fast and efficient.

I still wouldn't recommend it over Firefox though, as it's adblocking isn't worth a mention (and I haven't seen a web ad for a loooooong time), and Firefox does still blocks every ad, which simply makes browsing a pleasure without having sites taken over by that unwanted rubbish flashing in your face all the time.

This is all a bit strange Apollo.  I have been using IE8 on the old computer for months and the new one came with IE7 but soon updated itself with IE8 and both work well.  I don't get popups although it does offer the option of allowing them  when required.  I have never noticed the first pic on a page going AWOL.    I cannot comment on speed as it is the programe I use most of the time.