The browser is one of the most–if not THE most–used applications on the PC. For Day 15 of the 30 Days with Surface Pro series, I’m checking out the different browser options in Windows 8 to see which one I should use as my default browser on the Surface Pro.

Internet Explorer 10 is installed by default in Windows 8. I downloaded and installed Firefox, Chrome, and Safari as well. Browser choice elicits impassioned responses from ardent supporters of specific browsers, but the truth is it’s very subjective.

The speed at which pages load typically varies by milliseconds and isn’t worthy of debating for practical purposes. It really comes down to the look and feel, and choosing the browser that seems the most comfortable and intuitive for you. Opinions vary in this department, so one person might love Firefox, while the next hates Firefox and loves Chrome.

That, however, is not the biggest deal. The weird thing I found is that some of the browsers act differently in Windows 8 depending on whether you’re in the Windows 8 Modern / Metro interface, or in desktop mode, and that the behavior can change depending on whether or not the browser is designated as the default.

Read Surface Pro, Day 15: Bizarre browser behavior for more about the odd ways browsers act in Windows 8.

The Web has moved on. IE6 is insecure, unstable, and unable to deliver the interactive Web content of today. Microsoft created an entire site to track the death of IE6. We are making progress, but 11.4 percent of the world is still using IE6.

Microsoft has already released IE9, and has moved on to developing IE10. There really isn’t any excuse to still be on IE6. Web browsers are free. If you don’t like IE8 or IE9, then get the latest release of Firefox, or Chrome, or something…anything but IE6.

I have a secret for you, though. If you use WIndows 7 and Internet Explorer 9, you can get a free month of Hulu Plus service. All you have to do is drag the Hulu Plus site to the Windows 7 task bar to pin it, and Hulu will set you up with a free month of service.

Take that Xbox 360 users!

So, is IE9 only a quarter as successful as Firefox 3? No. Statistics are fun because they paint an entirely different picture when viewed through a different lens. So, let’s put the IE9 stats in perspective and see how it compares.

The Firefox browser is available for Windows…and Mac OS X…and Linux…and FreeBSD. Basically, Firefox is available to run on virtually all PCs in existence.

Contrast that with Internet Explorer 9. Internet Explorer has always been Windows-centric, meaning it is not available for platforms other than Windows. But, Internet Explorer 9 narrows the field even farther because it is only compatible with WIndows 7 and Windows Vista–not XP. That means that the audience for IE9 is restricted to only about one third of the PCs in the world.

If you try to draw an apples to apples comparison, you can take the 2.35 million IE9 downloads and multiply by 3 to make up for the difference in the number of potential PCs. Extrapolating the statistics–if IE9 had an equivalent audience, we can assume it would have had 7.05 million downloads.

Still quite impressive, but also still lagging behind the success of the Firefox 3 launch. And, odds are fair that the IE9 downloads are almost completely cannibalizing IE8 market share. To be fair, though, let’s give IE9 six months or so and then see how it compares against specific versions of Firefox or Chrome.

Internet Explorer 9 is not compatible with Windows XP, but if you are running Windows Vista or Windows 7, I highly recommend you download it and give it a spin. Even if you are an avid Firefox or Chrome user, there is no harm in installing IE9 and testing it out.

Internet Explorer 9 shifts the browser from a separate app to an integral part of the desktop experience. It is a culture shift from the traditional role of the browser. As PCWorld’s Mark Sullivan puts it, “the main idea behind the IE9 is to get the browser out of the way of the content.”

Check it out. And, don’t just install it and surf to websites like you normally do. Really explore what IE9 can do and how it integrates with the OS. Pin some sites to your taskbar. Dig in and see what makes IE9 different, then let me know what you like about it, what you don’t like about it, and whether you plan to stick with it, or whether you prefer a different browser–even if it’s a prior version of Internet Explorer.

Of those who realize it exists, even fewer use it on a regular basis. Why? Because the Web and all of its components is still dominated by 32-bit controls, plugins, and applications.

The 64-bit Internet Explorer needs 64-bit tools. Unfortunately, not many exist and there seems to be little drive or incentive for developers to create them. Mostly I blame Adobe though. Most users can live without the Google toolbar, but Adobe has managed to incorporate Flash into virtually every corner of the Web. Without Flash the Web loses a significant amount of functionality– or at least quality of experience.

In October of 2008 Adobe posted this a message stating:

“Adobe is working on Flash Player support for 64-bit platforms as part of our ongoing commitment to the cross-platform compatibility of Flash Player. We expect to provide native support for 64-bit platforms in an upcoming release of Flash Player following Flash Player 10.”

A year has gone by and we have progressed all the way to this message:

“The 64-bit versions of Flash Player will not be in the initial release of Flash Player 10.1. We remain committed to bringing native 64-bit Flash Player to Windows and Mac in future, in addition to the currently available 64-bit alpha version of Flash Player 10 for Linux.”

Whoa! Slow down there Adobe! Let’s not get all crazy with the pace of that 64-bit development. Granted, Microsoft would just as soon have everyone dump Flash in favor of Silverlight, and there are developers who agree that Silverlight is a much richer and powerful platform. Sadly though, the Silverlight revolution has caught fire yet and Flash is still ubuiquitous on the Web.

No 64-bit Flash = no point in surfing the Web with 64-bit Internet Explorer. Perhaps the fact that Microsoft is embracing 64-bit systems more fully with the release of Windows 7 will speed things up a tad? Microsoft has made it a requirement for certification under the Windows 7 compatibility logo program that tools work in 32-bit and 64-bit modes.

Adobe should be a little more enthusiastic about making the move anyway. 64-bit software is supposed to offer better security and that is apparently something Adobe could use more of.

Microsoft unloaded a barrage of 13 Security Bulletins addressing 34 different flaws- a record for a single Patch Tuesday (woo hoo?). Eight of the Security Bulletins are rated as Critical, with the remaining 5 labeled as Important.

Adobe joined the party as well, rolling out updates to address 29 flaws in Adobe Acrobat and the popular Acrobat Reader application. As Microsoft software security has improved, attackers have sought out alternative attack vectors and Adobe is arguably the leading alternative source of exploitable vulnerabilities.

Make sure you have Automatic Updates enabled, or check out the resources linked above to find out more information about the multitude of flaws and what you need to do to patch and protect your system.