Microsoft is taking on Internet trolls with a new ad that acknowledges the sometimes vitriolic Internet Explorer hate but suggests that even the trolls are coming around, albeit slowly.
The new ad (video below) features a stereotypical Web troll - a young man sitting in the glow of several computer monitors, surrounded by takeout cartons and geek paraphernalia. He sips from an "I *trash* Internet Explorer" coffee mug and scours the Web for any opportunity to dismiss Microsoft's IE browser.
"IE SUCKS," he writes in the comments section of a positive IE10 reviews. "IE SUCKS!!! 4evUR! Srsly," he quips on Facebook. He rolls his eyes at IE10 news, like Xbox 360 availability. "IE is only good for downloading other browsers," the smug bully writes.
The ad then shows the IE Twitter feed, which features a tongue-in-cheek tweet that reads: "IE adopts an island of kittens and donates them to children everywhere!! #Kids+KittiesRULE." Not even that impresses our troll, who responds with his signature "IE SUCKS."
It is not until Microsoft posts a tweet about IE introducing a new Karaoke Web standard that our troll comes around. He swivels in his chair to face his 2008 Karaoke Grand-Master Award before reluctantly returning to his keyboard to write "IE sucks ... less."
A single word flashes across the screen: Progress. "Comebacks come in many shapes and sizes," the ad concludes.
IE is the most popular browser in the world, but it has its very passionate critics, as this ad acknowledges. IE10 was released with Windows 8, and a test version for Windows 7 made its debut earlier this month. The revamped browser provides what the company touts as an entirely new browsing experience, complete with new touch-first browsing, full-screen UI, and security and performance improvements.
Redmond also patched up Internet Explorer 9 last week, providing four fixes to the browser, which left other versions — IE 7, IE 8, or IE 10 — unaffected.
For more, see PCMag's review of IE10 and the slideshow above. Visit www.TheBrowserYouLovedToHate.com for more IE 10-related videos, GIFS, and more.