Posted on 12/19/2004 5:04:56 AM PST by clyde asbury
December 19, 2004
New Microsoft Patch Blocks Firefox Downloads
by Scott Ott
(2004-12-19) -- Microsoft Corp. today released a new security patch for its Internet Explorer (IE) web browser which prevents users from accidentally or intentionally downloading the new free, open-source Firefox browser from The Mozilla Foundation.
"Firefox is a dangerous and contagious browser that could seriously jeopardize marketshare ," said an unnamed Microsoft spokesman. "Unless consumers take action to block Firefox, it could speed up web surfing and return control of user computers to the users themselves."
The source added that Internet Explorer is a superior product because it allows computer experts, called 'hackers', to control your computer.
"Who would you rather have in control of your PC?" the Microsoft spokesman asked rhetorically, "Do you want an expert who knows every line of the IE code, or some bozo like you who just walks into Circuit City and buys the cheapest PC off the shelf?"
Although Microsoft recommends that IE users download the anti-Firefox patch immediately, users who fail to do so will get it anyway within two weeks through Windows automatic updates.
Asked whether Mozilla's free email program, Thunderbird , could also pose a threat to Microsoft's Outlook, the spokesman said, "There is no competition for Outlook. We have not heard of Thunderbird, and we are not now preparing a patch to block it, which will be released in January."
LOL. Actually Microsoft is NOT that unscrupulous. Check this out:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/default.mspx
It's a blatant attempt to give Firefox and Mozilla browsers a bad name.
Mozilla and Firefox are far superior products. IMHO
Its satire. Any Mozilla based browser is secure. Including AOL's front end Netscape which is a rebranded Mozilla Suite browser. I've used it a couple of years now and to be fair, Bill Gates hasn't take any step to to prevent or hinder my using it.
Yes, it's satire. It's Scrappleface. :)
I've been trying out Firefox for a few weeks. I like it and many of the extensions.
But, for some reason, I get a wide screen on some webpages. I have to use the left-right scroll bar to show the whole screen. I haven't found a way to restrict the webpage to the 'window'.
The wide screen doesn't happen when that same web page is opened in other browsers.
One webpage last evening had the wide screen. After I scrolled right, 1/3 of the page was blank.
IIRC, Netscape browser used to do that same thing. I quit using Netscape around version 4.7.
Anyone know a quick fix to force Firefox to 'wordwrap' into the window size without the left-right scrolling?
LOL! I love the picture of the guy 'looking for spyware' on his computer with his nose up against the monitor and his hands shading his eyes!
The Netscape 7X browsers are built on the same open source Gecko Engine build as the Mozilla Suite and Firefox browsers.
Thanks!
It is late here and I prolly missed that.
That won't work with a flat panel...
Oh boy, it took me minute to see "scrappleface".
FireFox ROCKS.
I do have to check out Thunderbird though. Outlook Express it starting to irritate me.
I use Foxmail rather than Outlook Express.
I loaded Thunderbird but just haven't got in the habit of using it.
Try this.....
Then there's always the F1 key (HELP) as a last resort.
Ok thanks, I'll check it out.
C'mon! Scrappleface is not news. It's satire.
I.E users' gripe for a long time was you couldn't zoom a page into full screen mode. I think that's been fixed now.
Ah! But liberals think its real. :)
One feature it doesn't have that IE does is the CTRL-N which opens a new window identical to the current one with all typed text included. This is a handy feature for a Freeping when you want to jump back to re-check article text, or to grab a quote from a troll who needs a smack upside the head. Instead Firefox opens a new window to the designated home page.
I've been wondering: How do you know whether a given firefox extension is trustworthy from the standpoint of malware, spyware, or whatever?
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