Indeed, Internet Explorer is plagued with malware, viruses, spyware, and tool bars since malware writers can exploit IE's security flaws easier which makes using it risky compared to other browsers like Google Chrome, Opera, etc.
But, the new IE 9 seems to be going in the right direction by making it feel faster then IE 8 and below.
Why my previous experiences using IE which was years back, I plan to stay a way from IE even if I did use it I would not use it as my default browser, but I might start testing around with it.
But Firefox 4's downloads have really been kicking IE9's ass, though.
I'm still sticking with Chrome nonetheless. That said, you should give a hats off to Microsoft as they're actually making a good product and making sure that vulnerabilities are patched now. Seems like they hired a few too many uWaterloo students 😉
I've had several opportunities to use IE9 and honestly I still think that Netscape Navigator is a more efficient browser.
Obviously not literally, but you get my drift. Firefox 4 is better in my opinion. I'm much happier with my firefox than I've ever been with IE. Even Chrome worked better for me than IE8 or 9.