Thank you so much for an excellent set of explainations and arguments. It is what has been sadly lacking in what I have seen in the "browser wars" talks I've come across.
It is EXACTLY the kind of answer I was looking for.
Most boil down to the Star Trek Arguemnt: "Kirk can kick Picards @ss!" vs "No he can't; and besides, Miles is a better engineer than Scotty!"
Or, they are SO technically oriented and full of jargon, as to be useless to me.
With IE so heavily integrated into Windows-XP, and Windows products, how does Foxfire compare as to saving, copying, moving, directly (Outlook Express) mailing, web-based data into other aps?
Also, I don't use--tried, didn't like--searchbars, including MS's; I prefer to open a seperate window, and use Dogpile or Google; any problem with that? Also, I have Dogpile setup to automatically open any result I click on in a new window.
What I hate most about IE: minimized windows (such as Drudge) not staying minimized when they auto refresh, while I'm using the keyboard in another window. Does Foxfire behave the same, or is it more civilized in that respect?
Thanks again.
Thanks for the compliments. I'm glad my post helped.
Firefox's functionality is fairly similar to IE's. It doesn't integrate itself into the OS, but it doesn't need to. A lot of IE's integration, as it matters to you, simply comes as a result of IE and Outlook being set as the default web browser and default email client, respectively. Firefox and Thunderbird (Tbird is Mozilla's email program--since I don't have a mail account that can be accessed with such programs, I don't use it, so I can't answer questions as to its functionality), when set as your defaults, should be able to perform the same functions as your current IE/Outlook combination. If you click an email address in Firefox, and if Thunderbird is set as your default mail client, Thunderbird should open up, ready to send an email.
IE's integration into Windows doesn't accomplish much. It's your default program settings that really control the features you're talking about.
I don't know what Dogpile is, but I'm assuming it's some kind of search program/engine. With FF, you can merely open a new tab (multiple browser windows are also possible, but again, tabs reduce clutter), go to whichever webpage you want, and go nuts. You can have a separate Drudge tab (which will not steal focus when it refreshes, based on personal experience), a separate Google/Dogpile tab, and your other browsing going on other tabs. It's great for FReeping in multiple threads, and also easier on the system.
Ultimately, I think you should download Firefox and Thunderbird, and give them a quick trial. Set them as your default browser/email programs and use them for a week. If you don't like them, you can uninstall, and set IE and Outlook back as your default applications. FF and TB are free, so the worst you could say is that you wasted your time downloading and uninstalling the pair. Of course, I don't think you'll consider them a waste. =D