Posted on 12/11/2008 5:31:52 PM PST by CedarDave
Mozilla just a couple of days ago updated Firefox to version 2.0.0.18, and used this occasion to advise users to upgrade to Firefox 3.0.4 (the latest Firefox build). At the time Mozilla said that it will issue just one more update, Firefox 2.0.0.19, but now we find out that one of the features that made Firefox so popular back in the day, phishing protection, will not be included in this final update. To my mind this is just one more reason to update.
Mike Beltzner explains: “The latest published update for Firefox 2, which is version 2.0.0.18, has the Phishing Protection feature enabled and working. However, the next planned update for Firefox 2, version 2.0.0.19, will be required to disable this feature.” Firefox 2.0.0.19 is expected to be made available to the general public by the middle of December, the current year.
The thing is Mozilla’s first attempt of getting users to leave Firefox behind and switch to version 3.0 was a big success – an estimated 50% of users made this decisive step. With Firefox 2.0.0.18, which was released yesterday, the 4th of December, Mozilla once again put forward the proposition to switch. If the measure will be just as successful, not many Firefox 2.0 users will be left out there.
If you insist on using Firefox 2.0 in the future, then you must know that Mozilla can no longer bother with this outdated piece of software and is instead shifting all its resources towards Firefox 3.0 (version 3.0.5 is expected to drop by the middle of the month and rumors have it to be something rather special) and Firefox 3.1 (which has already reached Beta 3 status). If you will continue to use Firefox 2.0 after Mozilla pulls support for the browser then you must realize that doing so poses a certain amount of risk. If you really don’t want to switch, then may I at least suggest switching over to another browser (there are plenty other to choose from, even though few can boast about being better than Firefox).
Phishing Protection is a feature which warns users when they attempt to reach a site Google suspects of hosting identity theft scams. Beltzner said Google asked Mozilla to disable the feature in Firefox 2.0.0.19 because the older browser line uses an obsolete protocol.
"The Phishing Protection feature in Firefox 2 relies on data provided by Google via the first version of the SafeBrowsing protocol," said Beltzner. The most recent version of the protocol is SafeBrowsing v2.2.
Firefox 3.0 has relied on SafeBrowsing v2.1 since its release several months ago, but is moving to v2.2 this month for its anti-phishing and anti-malware features.
Mozilla kills anti-phishing in Firefox 2.0 Google urges Mozilla to drop SafeBrowsing
TECH PING!
After watching urlclassifier3.sqlite grow to 50-100 MB in FF3, I turned the options off. Don’t fall for these tricks anyway.
BTW, Firefox 3.0 SUCKS. I stopped using it. It has a nasty habit of just "dropping off" ... and the only workaround is restarting your system!
I’ve been hanging onto v.2 as some add-ons haven’t been updated.
On the other hand, I hope v.3 handles videos and audio better. Many news videos posted at TV stations just plain don’t load with Firefox and I go to IE immediately to watch them instead of waiting forever(and still not seeing them). Same with audio streaming of some of my favorite talk radio shows.
FMCDH(BITS)
More than the file size, I have found the unexplained network activity disconcerting, in addition to disk accesses, both of which have dropped after disabling the attack site and phishing options. Addons such as noscript handle many of the attack types anyway.
ctrl-alt-del doesn’t drop it?? Maybe only a couple of times it hasn’t worked for hung programs, including Firefox (FF sometimes hangs for me if I am streaming or downloading).
I use Linux but in any system it depends on what plugins you have elected to handle various stream types. FF3 did improve compatibility with many of those local site videos (generally using mplayer) in my case. It is rarely now that I can’t play one.
I haven’t had the problems you mentioned with FF 3, but I want my Google Toolbar back!
No. Nothing works except a total system restart. NOTHING. Firefox 3.0 SUCKS.
So what browser do you use now??
Is the problem urlclassifier3.sqlite (whatever that is)
Is this a feature in FF 3??
Is it easy to turn off??
WOW! Definitely not encouraging.
Any other FF 3 users having/had this problem and found an answer??
Using it with NO problems. Wouldn’t go back to slow-ass IE for anything. Folks might look around here, particularly the forums for help-—
The only thing I can think of is that I stall installing updates, and it auto did one this am, just said 1 but I didn't look what it was. Instead of waiting for it to do a normal termination, you can choose restart now or later. When it was 3/4 done, I hit restart now figuring it would finish first. It didn't and immediately shut down. Then I rebooted and found out IE7 doesn't work. It is the one with flash and all the add ons so I can watch movies and use sophisticated sites so I'm sol until we get this figured out.
So my best *guess* is the update was aborted and now I don't know which one it was to back it off and try again. But it certainly could be something else.
Then I googled w/Netscape and found all kinds of things when pages won't load with some version of IE, too complicated, did change my LAN settings, didn't work, so put them back the way they were. Not much help and I don't like to blindly trust just anybody's post on the web.
Then I went and looked and saw MS has a beta for IE8, so I just dl'ed that but didn't install. Then I downloaded a fresh version of 7, saw it has an update, so dl'ed that, didn't install, just sitting there ready.
So then I try sys res for the first highlighted day, the 10th. Said it couldn't do it when it rebooted. Tried the next highlighted day sys res, the 9th, no luck, same thing. I see the update warning on my task bar and figure get it over with, dl and install Svc Pack 3 which I did, seemed to go smoothly, was dragging me feet on that because of what happened with Svc Pack 2 for so many.
Finally I call my isp. First tech got me to the point of looking for IE7 on my control panel add/remove progs. While hunting for it in the mess on there (some I don't know what they are and a lot of stuff doesn't do a clean uninstall) and the tech says he'll call me back. Wait 2 hours, nothing.
In the meantime I find IE7 in the add/remove programs but there is no button to remove like there is for most others. So I go to ms site and find instructions for uninstalling another way, started to print it out, that didn't work right w/my printer, so quit.
Then I thought my connect speeds seemed abysmal all of a sudden (were fine yesterday with IE7), so I go to mcafee and run a test. Now I call isp back and ask what that means. Plus told him ALL OVER AGAIN about my browser problem.
It took awhile, he made out a ticket, had me check my speeds at another site. 9.+ MBps, said that's bad. So he fills out a trouble ticket and will send out the phone co to check my lines plus some software to fine tune my sys.
So then I ran defrag (normal termination) which needed doing and after than chkdsk. Latter came out clean.
If I ever get this going right again, I'll wait and see what Firefox does with 3, no sense in messing with that after reading the OP, will wait until they fine tune that and will dl and install. One on the web said they tried that and neither would work with the same IE prob I'm having.
Didn't want to start a vanity so thought I'd throw it in here in case one of the techie FReepers has had the problem and knows the fix, if there is one. Otherwise, maybe it's time for a new computer, had this one coming up 7 years now, but why buy new when it's all still working but IE7?
If somebody knows somebody to ping, pls do so, but I'm weary of all this for one day, and it's hard to talk somebody through things try this try that via the web. I could take it to the shop I guess.
Using FF ver. 3.0.4...no problemos...nada...nix...nil.
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