In a move that sounds like a joke, Microsoft is offering $10,000 as a prize for using IE8. They specify that Firefox users need to switch, or get lost! I’ve been accused of blog hyperbole once or twice, but that’s a direct quote from the contest site:
We’ve buried $10,000 somewhere on the Internet and if you’re the first one to find it, you get to keep it.
But you’ll never find it using old Firefox.
(So get rid of it, or get lost.)
It seems as if the big M is paying users to risk giving up the convenience and stability of FireFox, but if the choice is between a distant shot at a $10,000 prize, or using a stable browser with virus protection everyday, well, that’s not much of a choice.
I’m not a big fan of the new Word or the old Internet Explorer (I do use it from time to time to check if my sites work in IE), so as much as I love trying new programs, I don’t think I’ll try IE8.
The new Word was such a disappointment. I know that a new version of a familiar product can be a bit like when Stick reorganizes the cabinets. I look for sugar with the salt and the spices, but he’s put it next to coffee and tea. There’s nothing wrong with putting sugar by the tea bags and electric kettle, it may even be more efficient to keep it there, it’ll just take me a few confused openings of the spice cabinet to remember. I expect a bit of learning curve, but the new Word was a bit like hiding the sugar (and other essentials, like the beer and yogurt staples) in a drawer marked only with the Windows logo.
Even though there’s a $10,000 prize that can only be seen with IE8, I’ll be staying with FireFox. So, Microsoft, since you put it that way, I think I’ll get lost.
Info from Ten Grand is Buried Here | Microsoft, thanks to @mercurywaxing for the tip.
Congratulations! You’ve found the $10,000!
If you see this message, you are probably using Internet Explorer!
Contact us at my_loyalty_is_easily_bought@microsoft.com with this URL and you will be contacted to receive your reward. Congratulations again, and thanks for using Internet Explorer!
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I don’t like browsers that crash. I’ll stick with my trusty Firefox.
@Elliott Oh no! The $10,000 was on my blog all along! I missed my chance!
@Gabby Sure, FF has crashed on me a few times (usually when I’m in the midst of telling someone how stable and awesome it it is, thanks Murphy!) but nowhere near as often as IE. And everytime there’s a IE virus alert, I remember why I like FF!
Now you just need to ditch MS all together and go Apple.
At work, mu IE browser crashes at least ten times a day. It irritates the piss out of me.
@Cory you know, Stick + I talked about that when we got out laptops and found Vista really is as awkward as people say. Too many games are PC-only, though, to make the switch to one-button-mouse-land seem appealing.
i avoid MS as much as possible!
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