We uses computer is because of (School) Work, Digital Life like watching Videos and Listening to Musics and Of course , Play!
However, even in Windows, like www.ijji.com and all their games can be play live. Sadly, it supports only Windows 98 and above and IE is a MUST. It cannot play live (Start Game) if using Firefox .

Then, on the other hand, some websites like www.sogou.com , a Chinese Search Engine Website is ok to use other browsers. However, if you switch to 音乐 (Translation:Musics) and type a Chinese Song there, it can play also but for it's lyrics (If have) , by using a Firefox browser , it can't have the lyrics function even if I have installed the Flash player on both IE and Firefox separately.

Next, Anti-Virus looks like a lager,but sadly, like Symantec Virus scanning online on http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/v...IJPUVGCWETOMGM,
it needs Active X. Hence , Firefox won't work.

Again, another music listening site, www.foqu.cn , another Chinese site that needs IE to work (play the music). It does not look like Windows Media Player, Real Player etc. I don't know what is that.
For your convenience , I took an English song at
http://www.foqu.cn/playlist.asp?chec...=%B2%A5+%B7%C5

There were other website that has a player that is Windows Media Player. However, if it is running on Firefox, it won't work.

Why?? All my version are updated as in 24 May 2007. So active x seems to be part of our life and we cannot be separated even though we can download it first then delete it but that's more troublesome to me.

Welcome to the world or proprietary computing and formats..

This is the reason Linux and open source software in general is built to be, well open and standards based. if you set a standard that everyone adheres to then anyone that writes a program that follows that standard will be able to accomplish the same or similar task with the same or similar results.

Enter Microsoft. Microsoft is of the 'embrace and extend' camp.. kinda like the Borg in the star trek series. They see something they like and they take it, they then modify it, then usually patent those modifications so no-one else can make use of their 'advanced functionality'. you then end up with things like Active X, Direct X, etc..

If a web author builds their site and follows the W3C Standards then their site 'should' work properly in any browser.. if they code their site to support IE's 'advanced features' and require proprietary items such as Active X, then the site will only work in IE and Windows.. to me that's poor coding imho..

There are java based games that should run fine in Firefox.. Lemmings is one example

Personally if a site requires some proprietary item that won't run no my machine.. well they've lost me as a customer.. you might have noticed all teh Banks have pretty much fixed their websites now so you can do your online banking from Linux or Mac and Active X is no longer required.. Gee I wonder why the banks changed..... maybe because customers would leave them if their website was incompatible with their Computer..

Whenever I come across a business website that does not work with Linux and/or Firefox, I write them informing them that they just lost a customer since their website does not work with my OS and/or browser. I don't know if they care or not, but I want to let them know of the situation and of their loss.

Thanks. However, is it true that by using the IE "advance features"= Easier to code than standard? If not why some would like to lose their potential customer?

I think saying it's easier would be debatable.. designing your site to work with a single browser and OS would be the easy way out..designed with MS apps for MS browsers not taking anything else into consideration...

a GOOD web developer would ensure the site looks and works properly in multiple browsers and platforms. easiest isn't always best.

imho

Getting a website to work with the different flavors of IE is actually difficult. IE explorer before the release of Firefox was crippled and non-standard by design. MS saw that web apps utilizing css, java and other standard features could potentially make the choice of desktop irrelevant. So they adopted a borg like embrace, extend & destroy strategy. By leveraging their desktop monopoly they are able to inhibit competition by making sure that A) The IE browser won't display standards compliant websites properly B) Standard compliant competitors won't work as well visiting websites written for MS IE.

That said, it should be mentioned that active X controls are so dangerous that you should even disable them when using IE. In other words, those music and game sites that use active x controls should be avoided all together. They might be using active X technology to enable them to infect your computer with malware. Games and Music are popular with younger web users who are more likely to be careless, such as enabling active x controls. The music and games may be the lure. The active X controls are the trap.