I would turn the question around on you, actually, OP. Why do you think that Internet Explorer needs defending? "It's passable", "It's on par", and "It's not as bad anymore" are hardly ringing endorsements. Something that has taken so long to catch up is going to get residual hate from when it was still behind, and then there's the likelihood that they'll just fall behind again. Even if IE is exactly the same as the other browsers in terms of speed, usability, and security, those of use who already adopted other browsers have no reason to return, whereas other people who use IE may have reason to switch, because:
1. Firefox is so easy to add add-ons to, as well as find add-ons that you want, it's not funny.
2. Chrome doesn't collect nearly as much bloat over use as IE, in fact I was sold on it with their initial promise that it's physically impossible to add toolbars onto it. Add the fact that Chrome can run almost any Android-based app (if I'm not mistaken) and Chrome has its extra functionality, too.
3. Safari works really well for those with apple-heavy focus, such as iTunes and similar stuff, due to product integration features.
4. You CANNOT beat Opera in terms of speed. Period. It was designed as a light-weight browser from the get-go and is simply great for those with low-power systems.
And so, with all that functionality, "pretty much the same as other browsers" doesn't really cut it simply due to the added functionality of the other browsers. If IE is ever going to have its own merits and not be seen as its own browser and not a way to download other browsers, it needs something unique (that ADDS functionality, not the stuff that we saw from IE 9 and before)
Also, it's not exactly a recent thing for IE to get hate from the geeks. Anyone else here remember Netscape Navigator? Good times man, good times.
Griffolion said:
I generally hold two very unpopular opinions:
1: Windows 8 (and subsequently 8.1) is the best operating system Microsoft have ever done, both from a technical and HCI standpoint.
Would actually agree with you on this one, if there were some way to permanently get rid of the touch-screen designed Metro Interface on non touch-screen based computers (that is, without severe modding that can lead to other issues with the OS if not done properly). When using a keyboard and mouse, I have yet to find anything that beats the standard start menu style interface (this includes the interfaces on Macs and Linux). Because the interface is so horrible, I simply refuse to use it out of spite. But you're right, besides Metro, it is arguably the best Windows platform to date.
EDIT:
Weaver said:
It's entirely the fault of IE6. It was just a terrible browser. It's largely considered to be one of the worst browsers ever made and even Microsoft execs joke about how it's probably the worst piece of software MS has ever created. That image stuck with them all this time.
Want the REAL worst software Microsoft ever created? Go Google "Microsoft Bob". Enjoy.