To those still using Windows 7 - which browser do you recommend ?

2/12/21 | sushiman

[sushiman]

Just bought a new Windows 10 PC for downstairs where I am much of the day but am still using a 6 year old Dell Windows 7 with IE upstairs in the evening . Twitter and other sites no longer support IE so I would like your advice re: a new browser . Thanks in advance .

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

Thanks!

[rarestia]

You know there are over a dozen in-the-wild exploits for Windows 7, right? And you’re connecting it to the Internet and browsing from it? I’d be remiss if I didn’t implore you to give up Windows 7. I don’t care where you go, Linux, Apple, Win10, just get off of Win7. Please.

[upchuck]

You’re welcome.

[dennisw]

Brave uses the least computer resources. It is similar to Chrome but a bit stripped down from Chrome.
Firefox uses the most resources so skip it
Chrome is in the middle.

I use Brave and Chrome on Windows 10 along with 16GB memory. Windows 10 is light years better than 7.

[daniel1212]

I’d go with Brave but the new MS Edge browser is not bad. You might have to do a manual download/install on Windows 7.

I firmly disagree, but I am one who prefers a "utility truck" versus a basic model sedan. i I wrote this critique a while ago, but it seems that mainly due to security and speed aspects, then unlike legacy Firefox ESR 59.9 with Tab Mix Plus and a few other extensions. which enabled more key customizations than the whole of Edge, which the below critique is aimed at, but much applies to browsers of that engine of many browsers use, and which Vivaldi is part of, which I would recommend apart from those of the Firefox family:

1. You cannot make it show multiple tab rows (you can with Firefox
   Quantum but it takes one [1]of the hacks. And unless the latter is a portable version, it cannot run concurrently with FF ESR. Note there is also a hack that works in Vivaldi to get multiple tab rows)

2. You cannot adjust max or min tab width. And the more you open the thinner they get, and all look the same. (except the active tab has an close

3. You cannot close a non-active tab by just placing your cursor on it the top right
   to get a X to click on (so unless you activate it, you need to R. click on it and hit close tab).

4. You cannot enable different colored tabs as with the legacy Colorful Tabs extension (NOT the one in Quantum).
   

5. You cannot choose to open links in other installed browsers via right click.

6. You cannot toggle btwn the most recently accessed tabs using the Ctrl+Tab switch (and its Alt+Tab alternative messes up switching btwn applications).

7. Edge has a very poor spell checker and the dictionary is hard to find in the drive even if you could edit it (as you can with that of Firefox).

8. You cannot create more than one profile (as far as i know).

9. I know no extension that saves your text box posts such as this, like the Lazarus legacy FF extension did/does.

10. MS does not make it easy to set another browser as the default one for all html documents and links (details too long for here).

11. There is no option to keep the Find/Search bar open across tabs (handy in searches), meaning you need to do the search new for every tab.

12. There is no option via right click on a tab to choose “Copy link.”

Since MS writes the software for Windows, than it ought to be able to create a real "utility truck" browser - and which I am sure would become a classic for "power users" - rather than just another minimalist Chrome clone.

However, although using the same engine, Vivaldi has more options so that some of the above criticisms do not apply to it: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50835261511_0edaca21c2_c.jpg

Footnotes
[1]https://github.com/Izheil/Quantum-Nox-Firefox-Dark-Full-Theme/tree/master/Multirow and other functions

[dennisw]

One major upgrade in Windows 10 is called night light. It shifts the LED screen color to redder. This makes night time computer use more relaxing. Who wants to stare at a bright screen at night or 2AM.

Flu.x also does this. I use both and both are adjustable as far as red shifting. Linux has a crude red shift program. Mint Linux that is.

______________________

f.lux: software to make your life better
https://justgetflux.com
f.lux makes your computer screen look like the room you’re in, all the time. When the sun sets, it makes your computer look like your indoor lights. In the morning, it makes things look like sunlight again. Tell f.lux what kind of lighting you have, and where you live.

[MikelTackNailer]

"Do products like Norton (etc) protect from viruses? I thought that’s what you pay them to do?"

Malwarebytes and similar lightweight products are a better bet, in my opinion. (snip)

The best defense is a high level of human situational awareness. Think before you click.

"Words of wisdom, Lloyd. Words...of...wisdom."

Riding herd on a bunch of careless users' workstations at a small brokerage some years back I found Norton screwing up other programs and functions like a virus itself. Deciding to remove and replace with better, less-intrusive software I found the bastard often did it's damndest to prevent removal (no uninstall.exe, of course).

I've got a useless Norton Backup program on my inherited Win10 unit now that won't die no matter what I do. It seems to be a remnant that doesn't do anything but stick there in the background program list, mocking my impotence - knowing I won't muck with registries without EXACT understanding.

"Norton!!!"

[daniel1212]

You may be interested in this thread: Vivaldi 3.6 is out with two-level tab stack https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3930575/posts

[BiglyCommentary]

All the whizzy bells and whistles are nice, but if you want a modernized/updated at the core in Windows 7, that apps utilize when embedding browser functionality, some add on third party browser fails.

[daniel1212]

You might try more than one (thank God if you can):

And there is an extension for Firefox and Chrome family type browsers called "Open With" that should provide the option to open links in one or more different browsers. As this one under legacy Firefox but which offers many choices. .

Thank God for all good tools to be used for His good purposes.

[HKMk23]

You want the green “20.04” button on this page:
https://ubuntu.com/#download

Once you have the image downloaded, you want to follow these instructions to create a bootable USB stick:
https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#1-overview

-— OR -—

Burn the image to DVD to create an install disk:
https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/burn-a-dvd-on-windows#1-overview

[I took the USB stick route, BECAUSE it enables “try before you buy”; I booted from the USB and played around awhile to see how my computer would behave before I committed to the install. KEY POINT: Once you have the image on a bootable USB, when you decide to install Ubuntu, you will use that same USB.]

Bookmark these pages:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CommunityHelpWiki
https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/ubuntu-help/index.html

AND, if you want to install Ubuntu alongside Windows in a “dual boot” configuration, read this before you begin:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

Before you actually install Ubuntu, read through this a couple of times so you know what to expect. I HIGHLY recommend getting that page up on a separate device so you can refer to it during installation.
https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/install-ubuntu-desktop#1-overview

WHEN YOU GET TO STEP 6, this is where, if you want to run Ubuntu on your windows machine as an alternate boot, you MUST NOT choose “Erase disk and install Ubuntu”; that’s a point of no return.

Also, regarding partitioning, the claim is that Ubuntu doesn’t NEED separate partitions, but there remains a discussion about having a separate /home partition (the O/S or System partition, in Windows parlance), and a /swap partition equal to double your amount of installed RAM.

This makes a lot of the lingo make sense:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowtoPartition

Get the rundown on /swap over here:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwapFaq
— and (very detailed) —
https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/installation-guide/arm64/ch06s03.html

You can manipulate partitions AFTER installation, so proceeding with defaults is fine for most use cases.

[daniel1212]

Yes, Google's telemetry, dependencies, and spying?are added by Google to the Chromium- base. The source code can be compiled into a web browser.

Chrome has features that are not present in a default Chromium build. However, some are enabled or manually added to a Chromium build, for Linux distributions.^[17]

• Auto-update capability
• API keys for some Google services
• The Widevine digital rights management module
• Licensed codecs for the popular H.264 video and AAC audio formats
• Tracking mechanisms for usage and crash reports

  As for options, I am not sure if Chrome even enables Ctrl+Tab toggle btwn most recently opened tabs yet. As if no one opens more than 2 or 3 tabs.

  And

  Upon its first release in September 2008 Chromium was criticized for storing saved passwords in a manner so that any casual user of a computer can easily read them from the GUI. Chromium users have filed many bug reports and feature requests asking for a master password option to access stored passwords, but Chromium developers have consistently insisted that this provides no real security against knowledgeable hackers. Users have argued that it would protect against co-workers or family members borrowing a computer and seeing the stored passwords in clear text. In December 2009, Chromium developer P. Kasting stated: "A master password was issue 1397. That issue is closed. We will not implement a master password. Not now, not ever. Arguing for it won't make it happen. 'A bunch of people would like it' won't make it happen. Our design decisions are not democratic. You cannot always have what you want."[24][25] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium_(web_browser)#Differences_from_Google_Chrome

  Yet despite its minimal interface and few options (yet better than Edge), because of mobile devices and marketing, and a largely superficial public, look at the

  Usage share of web browsers

  NetMarketShare October 2020 desktop share[22]
  Google Chrome			69.53%
  Microsoft Edge			9.71%
  Mozilla Firefox			7.15%
  Internet Explorer			4.53%
  Safari			3.92%
  QQ browser			1.49%
  Sogou Explorer			1.35%
  Opera			0.9%
  Yandex Browser			0.84%
  UC Browser			0.29%
  Other			0.29%		Then (besides legacy Firefox family browsers) there is

  Vivaldi - Download

  Vivaldi is a freeware, cross-platform web browser developed by Vivaldi Technologies, a company founded by Tatsuki Tomita and Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner, who was the co-founder and CEO of Opera Software. Vivaldi was officially launched on April 6, 2016.[10][11]

  Although intended for general users, it is first and foremost targeted towards technically-inclined users as well as former Opera users disgruntled by its transition from the Presto layout engine to a Chromium-based browser that resulted in the loss of many of its iconic features.[10][12] Despite also being Chromium-based, Vivaldi aims to revive the features of the Presto-based Opera with its own proprietary modifications.[13][14] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivaldi_(web_browser)

[daniel1212]

How am I to know if I am using Windows 97 or any other particular version of Windows?

If you are using Windows 97 then hang onto it for it is worth a lot of money!

Help desks and the like are always asking such questions: Why is such basic information not more-plainly displayed* by my computer? Regards, *Where I can't possibly not see it?

IIRC Windows 95/98 (which was sppsd to be 97 but became 98 due to delay) did display it on the desktop, and there is a tweak to do that with W/10, but two simple ways is to paste winver in the Run command (hold down Windows key and r key together) and hit OK. Or paste msinfo32 in the same.

[daniel1212]

I hate Windows 10.

But (thank God) there is a wealth of easy customization and free software to do such.

Like over 200 tweaks available in in Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4 for Windows 10 From the Windows club.

Add to this Winaero features of the Winaero Tweaker

Then there is Right-Click Extender (add items to many right click menus) , and T-Clock Redux and Classic Shell, now called Open Shell (https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu/archive/master.zip)

Composite (with my own Quick Launch menu) using T-Clock and Open Shell, by the grace of God.:

[daniel1212]

Probably the best option for a non-power user is to buy a used Dell PC that has Windows 10 already on it. You can get those for $30-$50 at most large city recycling places. That is where you go and do a local pickup, avoiding a $25-$30 shipping charge. Paying $100 to upgrade an older PC to upgrade to Windows 10 makes no sense.

Just adding a SDD as the main drive (240GB for under $30) should substantially speed things up. Clone OS.

A few months ago you could build this for under $500:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/82zhy4

AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor / integrated graphics  $144.99 
ASRock B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard    $90.99
Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL16 Memory    $52.99
PNY XLR8 CS3030 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  $64.98
   ADATA SU635 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive    $26.99
DIYPC Ranger-R8 ATX Mid Tower Case  $46.99
CoolMax 500 W ATX Power Supply  $23.53
Insignia NS-PCF8050 23.96 CFM 80 mm Fan     $7.95
Reeven Coldwing 65.2 CFM 140 mm Fan     $7.99

Base Total: $467.40
Promo Discounts: -$5.00
Shipping: $6.99
Total: $469.39

This is without the OS. Note the AMD Ryzen 5 3400G can by OC'd to over 4GHz, and comes with Wraith Spire Cooler. BIOS should be updated from AS Rock before installing that, and which should be done on the PNY XLR8 CS3030 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive. Read manual first. Thank God for instruments to be used for good in service to Him.

[daniel1212]

All the whizzy bells and whistles are nice, but if you want a modernized/updated at the core in Windows 7, that apps utilize when embedding browser functionality, some add on third party browser fails.

These are not some "whizzy bells and whistles" but extensions that provide important functionality for those who know and use them. And I have daily run two installations and profiles of Firefox ESR 52.9 with over 300 tabs or more open in frequent heavy duty use, and there have been no problems with apps not working, with only a rare web site not rendering. Which is no problem since a simply right click Open with and the other browser I choose does it. And with no viruses/malware in years, thank God. But the fact the minimalist Chrome, pretty much a sedan versus a utility truck, is by far the #1 browser indicates that most people just go with the flow or have no use for much more than some "whizzy bells and whistles" versus very useful enhancements.

[BiglyCommentary]

This is without the OS

My point was that it made no sense for a non-power user with an older PC to spend $100-$120 to upgrade tor Windows 10, when they could replace it on the cheap and also get Windows 10.

[stylin19a]

Thanx.

>>If you are using Windows 97 then hang onto it for it is worth a lot of money!>>
That right there is funny.

>>Or paste msinfo32 in the same.<<

another good one.

[BiglyCommentary]

Minimalistic Chrome... sedan

You are making a false apple to orange comparison, i.e. comparing Edge without any extensions to FireFox with extensions.

The new version of Edge will support not only MS extensions but Chrome based extensions also. In my experience, there are more extensions and addons for Chrome based browsers than there are for FireFox.

[daniel1212]

My point was that it made no sense for a non-power user with an older PC to spend $100-$120 to upgrade tor Windows 10, when they could replace it on the cheap and also get Windows 10.

Indeed, for MS believes in marriage, that the OEM OS is married to the mobo, and unless the MS magisterium makes an exception then you cannot legally transfer and activate your Windows to another PC. But you can if your Windows is on retail channel as they told me to my surprise that mine was, having upgraded from XP to W.8 for $27 with a rebate, and then got the free upgrade to 8.1 and from there the free upgrade to W/10 Pro, past 3 computers. Praise God.