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Comment by Stoo | Hacker News Reader

I always thought the Internet Explorer branding was the one thing they got right. If you're not a technical person and you've got a new computer and you're trying to get onto the internet for the first time do you use:

  Firefox  
  Chrome  
  Opera  
  Internet Explorer

The last one says exactly what you want to do.

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I'd think something in the line of "Microsoft Web" or "Windows Web" would be better.

The name "Internet Explorer" was right, but the feeling that web developers have with it, ain't. So that's why they have to change it..

If they use Microsoft Web for a cross platform application, the naming would identify Microsoft and "Web". With Windows Web it's solely targetting the Windows platform (and not crossplatform as their goals are changing)

The problem is that 'not a technical person' is a dying breed.

Take a long-term view of things - anyone born after 1985 will be the dominant demographic in 20 years. These people are more technically literate than the current dominant demo.

So yeah. My mom doesn't know IE from Chrome, but my 12 year old nephew does, as do all his friends. In 20 years, my mom will be 85, my nephew and his generation will be the dominant demo

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