NavList:

This is off-topic but relatively important for a significant number of active NavList members. It's OK to reply on this sub-topic if you have any questions, especially related to NavList functionality, but please do not add any comments telling us how much your own favorite web browser is a gift from the gods... :)

The problem is Internet Explorer.

There are still a few of you accessing the NavList website using a web browser known by the shorthand IE. Its longer name, calling back to the earliest days of the Internet, is "Microsoft Internet Explorer". I strongly discourage this. Instead, you should use Chrome (download here) or Firefox (download here) or Safari (Mac and iPhone/iPad users --pre-installed) or possibly one of a dozen-odd minor browsers out there.

Why hate IE? Just so we're clear, I have nothing against Microsoft, but IE has devolved. It has been, for nearly five years, the worst Internet browsing option available (see PS). If you're using it on your desktop/laptop machine because "that's what was installed on it", then you are missing out on the real Internet. Microsoft itself tried to launch its own successor browser called "Edge"about three years ago, but even that independent project has been converted into a cousin of Chrome recently. That leaves Chrome, Firefox, and Safari as your best options. Nearly all of them are available for all common operating systems on devices from smartphones to desktop computers. You should absolutely not be using Internet Explorer as your web browser if you have any choice in the matter at all (some business users do not have choice which is why IE is still kicking long after it should have died).

Think it's just me? That's always a risk when listening to tech advice. Everybody has their favorites. Tech advice is often opinionation masquerading as expertise. Quite coincidental with my recent advice to a couple of you, Microsoft itself has issued strong guidance recommending that everyone ditch IE, including business users. Here are a couple of articles to convince you:

• Microsoft: Drag Internet Explore to the Trash. No, Really
• Microsoft Issues Internet Explorer Upgrade Warning
• Microsoft Security Chief Urges Users to STOP Using Internet Explorer

Finally, if you know you're all thumbs when it comes to tech, then no, don't try this on your own. Don't switch browsers until you can get a local expert to help you. But yes, prioritize this. Call your local experts today, and invite them over for lunch. Break the Internet Explorer habit as soon as you can.

Frank Reed
Clockwork Mapping / ReedNavigation.com
Conanicut Island USA

PS: Here's an article from four years ago describing Why Web Developers Hate Internet Explorer (and Why You Should, Too). That's how long the devolution of IE has been going on... And here's more background from a few months ago: Why Do So Many People Hate Internet Explorer