Firefox & pop-ups & accessibility

As a technical person who's experienced one-on-one relationships with x-number of computers since 1981, I've managed to pick up some knowledge of them (who am I kidding, I'm pretty good at them!). But to keep my relationships a care-free experience, I use lots of protection. Does it take the fun/enjoyment out of it? Not really.

Without boasting, I have software as well as hardware protection to keep those vicious viruses, spyware & trojans out of my home network (my realm). A further & my final step for total protection was to replace my main browser I use for the web from Internet Explorer (IE) to Firefox.

This move wasn't easy. As a Microsoft .NET2 developer I, or rather the web application tool I use (being Microsoft's 'Visual Studio') requires IE to test anything I build. Also, changing to Firefox meant that because 90%+ of the world's browsers are IE, many web designers & developers gear their website to be viewed correctly using IE, & because IE6 specifically does its own rendering of objects on a webpage, I need to sometimes switch back to IE to view the website how the web designer intended/or targeted.

Technically, the use of a new standard XHTML & following accessibility rules (which I am an advocate of (see my website on accessibility)) eases the problems of cross-browsing compatibility (IE, Firefox, Netscape, Safari) & cross-platform compatibility (Windows, Macs, Linux) to ensure that if you build your site following XHTML guidelines, your site will be not only seen by all, but it will be displayed how you intended. But, in accessibility terms, we're not there yet. My personal project when I learnt ASP.NET2 at the beginning of 2006, was to build my website using Microsoft's newest technology, but also to have it completely accessible & compliant. That's all fine, but I guess I'm going off on a tangent....let me get back on track...

Yet, from all my protection & swapping browsers to Firefox; I received my first pop-up - my first for quite a while.

I'm hurt.

Not just that the pop-up has penetrated my heavily-protected environment, but the irony of the pop-up contents. A pop-ups' objective is to be targeted, and to receive a pop-up advising my environment needs attention is very astute. Not. If they can gain a foot in the door (or a security hole, technically) the pop-up & it's message is going to be random.

These companies who advertise & exploit an area of the security flaws are without doubt the scum of the IT world and although I dislike having to use negative words, these companies who exploit the security holes of Microsoft IE (& now Firefox) are unquestionably bad. Sure, there's talk of anyone who exploits these holes get recruited by the likes of Microsoft on a massive salary to effectively 'be on their side'. Does this help the experience of not only IT professionals but the non-IT literate? I dare not. Discuss!