Posted on 09/03/2008 7:10:22 AM PDT by Veto!
So now you know, I'm a computer idiot. I have a nice new Dell Latitude D830 with XP instead of Vista. Far more computer than I need. Firefox3 keeps offering itself free. Is it a good thing? Should I download? Or will it glitch up my XP?
I only use Word, surf a little, and collect my email.
And I basically hate the new Word too. All I want to do is format manuscript pages easily, but Microsoft wants to make me read 23439 pages of gobbledygook to figure out how to get the thing to stop skipping spaces between paragraphs and obliterating the headers I want. (It's like being required to read the entire repair manual to find the window washer on my car. I don't want to know how it works. I just want to know which button to push.)
Any advice on cutting through the considerable Word krep appreciated too.
(Ms.) Veto! (The poster formerly known as PoisedWoman)
buy a mac
Why should anyone laugh? There are all levels of computer users out there. Unfamiliarity is nothing to be ashamed of.
As for Firefox 3, I've also gotten the notifications, but turned them off by clicking the "Never" option as far as future notifications. I'll decide when/why I want to upgrade.
Version 3 is new, so reasonable evaluations may be awhile. If you're not upset with what version of Firefox you have, I'd simply continue with it for now.
That's the browser upgrade to Firefox. Has nothing to do with XP other than it might make some files open in Firefox by default.
Are you gonna pay for it? Cutesy statements like this don't do the image of mac owners any good.
Firefox is a web browser. Some people like it better than Internet Explorer. You can download it if you like, but if you are happy with Internet Explorer and don’t want to use something else, there is no compelling reason to do so.
Sorry, I can’t be of much help with Word. I like Word 2007, but I agree that some things that were obvious in Word 2003 are hard to figure out in Word 2007. The person at Microosft that created the ribbon has received all sorts of rewards and praise within the company, but personally I never did understand what was so great about it.
I with you about the new Word. I have XP and Foxfire is fine. It will sometimes get you into sites that Explorer won’t.
I have Firefox 3 and like it. It has some neat features. I would definitely run some version of Firefox, either 2 or 3, instead of Internet Explorer.
As for Word, if you don’t like the newest version, there’s an alternative. Go to http://openoffice.org and download the latest version of OpenOffice (I think it’s 2.4). OO is a free clone of Microsoft Office, including word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation creator (Powerpoint), all that sort of thing. I use it and have no trouble with it at all, though it’s just different enough from Word that it might take a smidge of getting used to before you feel comfortable.
}:-)4
If you’re currently using Firefox, definitely upgrade.
I’ve been using v3 for quite a while now (xp sp2) with no problems.
I only use Firefox now after being disgusted by IE. I also got a new laptop with Vista and didn’t want to pay for Word 2007 so I reinstalled my 2003 Office Pack and it’s so nice not to have all the crap 2007 has. It’s basic and I don’t need a degree to figure out how to type and format a document in Word or Excel.
I had no idea that the Word manual was better written on a Mac! Thank you for that!
Cutesy statements like that reaffirm the image of Mac owners...
I have XP and just installed Firefox 3 after only converting from Netscape about 3 weeks ago (still learning Firefox, obviously-but love it)I have used Word which is an older version with no trouble.
FF the way to go.....Google “TIPS” re FF and change the pipelining numbers and a few other things offered and FF FLYS !!! Get particularly the nglayout thing for really fast screen writes....
With XP, you shouldn’t have any major problem running Firefox 3.
FF3 is a bit faster than previous versions. With FF you can add extensions — widget things that enhance FireFox. Occasionally one will screw up FF, but generally, they work nice.
RE: Word. If you have an existing version of Word that you like, use it. Unless you need to run the latest Word, the older version works fine (I use Word 97 on XP because I do little wordprocessing any more).
Firefox is the best.
Definitely Firefox.
Some additional good advice here:
have a Dell D630, XP SP2...I run ONLY firefox3 and LOVE it. added the noscripts and adblock addons and this takes care of allt eh critters trying to weasel their way into my system.
Go for it.
So far as I know Firefox will work with either XP or Vista just fine. I am currently using Vista but am using the new Google browser as I type this.
I would recommend to anyone that they skip Office altogether (although I purchased it) and get OpenOffice free. I like it better and it is much easier to use and will read Office files. You can download that and it is a snap to get up and using.
But any of the browers should work fine. I haven’t used the new Internet Explorer browser just released but I know of no reason why there should be a problem with either operating system.
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