In the past, I’ve recommended to friends and family that they run Firefox instead of Internet Explorer to gain better security and usability on Windows systems. I’m re-evaluating that stance now that I’ve learned about a new feature of Windows Vista that restricts Internet Explorer and runs it inside of a jail. It’s called [Protected Mode](http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2006/02/09/528963.aspx), or [Mandatory Integrity Control](http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1887/2), and it means that that spyware and adware are less likely to infect a Vista computer.
As far as I know, Firefox doesn’t (yet) run inside the “jail”, so Internet Explorer is probably the more secure choice — yet another reason to admire the technical engineering [effort that went into Windows Vista](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista#New_or_improved_features).
Despite the improved security of IE 7 in Vista, I enjoy the usability of Firefox, including the ability to disable JavaScript from running by default, using the [NoScript extension](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722) extension. Does anyone know whether there’s a [NoScript extension](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722) available for Internet Explorer? If not, I’m sticking with Firefox.