Dumb people use Internet Explorer

wp7

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/5383308/Dumb-people-use-Internet-Explorer-study

Dumb people use Internet Explorer: study
This post was originally published on Mashable.com

A recent study links intelligence test results with browser usage - and the results don't look good for users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, especially its older versions.

The study, titled Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Browser Usage by Canadian company AptiQuant, compiled IQ test scores of 101,326 individuals older than 16 and divided them into groups according to the browser they use.

The results are fascinating. Users of Internet Explorer 6 have an average IQ score barely more than 80; Firefox and Chrome users fare much better, with average IQ scores of about 110, while Opera and Camino users have an average IQ score more than 120.

It's also interesting to note that average IQ scores of IE6 users were significantly higher in 2006, and that the IQ scores get better with newer versions of IE.

Internet Explorer 6 has long been a thorn in the side of developers who hated it for its non-compliance with web standards, while users struggled with its many security flaws. This new study will probably induce more mockery of the ancient (but still sometimes found on older computers) browser and its users, but it's probably not telling us that much about the browser itself - it's about unwillingness to upgrade to a new version of any software.

The study concludes that "individuals on the lower side of the IQ scale tend to resist a change/upgrade of their browsers".

It's only logical that users with a higher IQ are more likely to experiment, choose a different software version or variant (notice that users of IE with Chrome frame score very highly on IQ tests) or listen to upgrade suggestions and security advice.

In March, Microsoft started a campaign to get users to stop using Internet Explorer 6. But did it take into account the fact that many IE6 users tend to have lower than average IQ scores? Maybe that's the key to finally getting rid of the world's most hated web browser.
Ad Feedback

"Individuals on the lower side of the IQ scale tend to resist a change/upgrade of their browsers ... Now that we have a statistical pattern on the continuous usage of incompatible browsers, better steps can be taken to eradicate this nuisance," the study concludes.

Mashable.com is the world's largest blog focused exclusively on social media news.

taomibaobao

我用firefox.

John.G

哪天微软彻底放弃IE开发组就好了。。。

Aesop

用firefox

tyr1988

90%的时间用chrome，剩下由IE和FIREFOX平分

applepie21

yeah~~ proud chrome user

miaomeow

firefox
已经记不起来多少年不用IE了。

wdyssun

firefox也很垃圾..

NewLynnHse

这则报导有可能是虚假的:

Study Showing IE Users Have Low IQ Likely a Hoax

http://mashable.com/2011/08/03/ie-users-dumb-hoax/

wp7

http://news.mingpao.com/20110805/tbu1.htm

「IE用戶IQ低」 假新聞騙倒傳媒

【明報專訊】「IE用戶智商較低」假新聞騙倒大傳媒。這項矚目「調查」於上周發放，美國有線新聞網絡（CNN）、英國BBC、《每日郵報》、《每日電訊報》、《福布斯》雜誌，以至本港部分傳媒機構先後引用報道，結果事後證實該新聞純屬惡作劇，相關傳媒紛作澄清。雖然BBC和CNN都在報道中引用專家學者意見，質疑該研究可信性，但許多人仍批評媒體報道不經查證，讓權威媒體面目無光。

歐美一些主要傳媒機構上周均收到一間自稱AptiQuant、設於加拿大溫哥華的科網顧問公司發出的新聞稿，內容宣稱一項研究邀請了10萬名網民參加智力測驗，並將測驗結果與他們所慣用的瀏覽器進行對比，得出了「IE用戶智商較低」的結論。新聞稿還附有廣泛研究數據。及後，CNN、BBC、CNET等傳媒及眾多科技網誌俱引述報道和轉載。

訛稱調查網民後所得結果

有些讀者質疑報道，加以查證，發現AptiQuant是7月才新設的網站，而且網站上介紹的公司成員內容及照片，全挪自法國公司Central Test，只是換了人名。一批IE用戶和Central Test表示，考慮採取法律行動，追究肇事者。

策劃者：借惡作劇揭IE缺陷

在AptiQuant網站上，一名自稱吉爾（Tarandeep Gill）的人發文解釋設局原委，表示甘為事件負起全責，但無意中傷任何人，只望藉此行動引起傳媒注意。

自稱電腦程式員的吉爾說，他架設了一個格價網（www.AtCheap.com），卻發現IE 6.0至8.0版本都不兼容其網站的部分特設元件。他表示，「低智商」惡作劇純為指出IE缺陷，雖早知徒勞，但即使只有100個人在這件事後棄用IE 6.0，他仍感高興。

（英國廣播公司/有線新聞網絡/中央社）