Savvy Web Surfers Catch New Wave of Browsers

I have gotten FireFox just the other day and I am using it now. It seems to work pretty good, but the only two complaints I have are that my "view partial source" does not work as I would like it too (used it copy and paste just certain HTML) and second my program "Adsubtract" which was the best compliment tool I had to Internet Exployer does not support use with Firefox.

But overall, I like FireFox. Especially since Bill Gates now wants you to upgrade to XP in order to get security fixes with IE in the future. I like my old 98 (second edition) and really can't afford XP right now.

41 posted on 09/26/2004 5:10:28 PM PDT by LowOiL (Christian and proud of it !)

I must be the only person on Earth who has never had one single problem with Internet Explorer or spyware. Probably because the first thing I do after an IE installation is to go into the security settings and disable cookies, ActiveX, Java, and Active Scripting.

If you MUST use any of these features, place the website into the Trusted Sites zone.

I don't understand computer-savvy people who allow websites to execute code on their computers.

42 posted on 09/26/2004 5:17:05 PM PDT by 10mm

I run Ad-Aware pro every couple of weeks. I'm going to try someone else's suggestion and install the Google toolbar pop-up blocker in IE and see if that has any effect. Thanks for your suggestions.

I use IE for one thing only... to access the Merriam Webster online dictionary. It ports the pronunciation sound directly to my sound card. Mozilla either can't do that or I haven't configured it to do that. For some odd reason Mozilla has to launch Media Player to play the sound, which adds 10-15 seconds to the process. In fact, I don't actually launch IE to do that, I just open a single window, in Windows Explorer, and I'm done in 3 seconds.

All in all, I'm a big Mozilla fan though.

43 posted on 09/26/2004 5:39:28 PM PDT by kylaka

So, just what is so great about "it"?

With MSIE I can load a page, see pics, hear sounds, interact with a page, follow links, etc. What ELSE is there? Is "it" tactile? Does "it" come with Smellorama?

Hackers will hack "it" as soon as it is "profitable" to do so.

Convince me WHY "it"...which ever your "it" is... is "better". The "Because it ain't MS" answer is not sufficient.

44 posted on 09/26/2004 6:19:24 PM PDT by ApplegateRanch (The world needs more horses, and fewer Jackasses!)

To: ApplegateRanch

"Because it isn't IE" isn't a sufficient reason. If you've read my posts, you'll notice I haven't said anything of the sort. I'm not a Microsoft hater.

So, why use Firefox?

1: Firefox is more secure than IE.
-Firefox comes with a pop-up blocker included. "So what? WinXP Service Pack 2 installs a pop-up blocker into IE!" That's true, except that its pop-up blocking is a less-robust implementation, and is merely a stopgap measure to keep you somewhat placated until IE 7.0 is released... in 2006.

-Firefox simply is not vulnerable to most of the various browser hijacks and exploits that are just waiting for IE, simply because the traps in question are written to take advantage of IE's ActiveX scripting engine, something Firefox lacks. No ActiveX means a webpage can't use ActiveX to load viruses and worms into your browser. "So what? A webpage can just pretend to install an XPI-format extension, when it's really a browser hijacking!" True, but only if you allow it. By default, Firefox is configured to only allow XPI installations from update.mozilla.org, Mozilla's official updating service. Any other page is automatically blocked from installing software. You have to manually add the page to a whitelist, and even if a malicious page somehow makes its way on to your whitelist, you must manually approve the installation of the software.

-The argument that Firefox will get hacked as often as IE if it becomes popular is a fallacy, because you presume that there is no inherent difference between IE and Firefox. This is wrong. Firefox is being continually improved (unlike IE, which has effectively halted development, barring the flood of security patches), and like I mentioned before, any new vulnerability is patched and a new release issued before hackers have time to implement the vulnerability.

-Firefox has less security vulnerabilities than IE. This is a fact. Firefox was coded from the beginning with security in mind: IE was not. Any exploits or bugs found in Firefox are often fixed and a new release issued the same day or the next day--if they exist at all. With IE, it's a near-certainty that you'll be downloading some kind of security patch every couple of weeks--whenever Microsoft gets around to issuing a patch. As a aside note, there are high-profile vulnerabilities built into IE that Microsoft has been aware of for years, yet has not fixed. What does that tell you about their dedication to keeping your computer safe?

2: Firefox is customizable.
-Firefox comes, by default and design, with only the bare essentials. These bare essentials are already more than what you get with IE: tabbed browsing, a Google search bar (customizable to include other search engines such as Yahoo! and Altavista, if you wish) built in to the browser, and Live Bookmarks (for RSS feeds.) But if and when you wish to add more features, such as an extension which will give you more options related to controlling your browser tabs, you need only go to update.mozilla.org and download the appropriate extension. And by the way, these extensions are secure and will not conflict with each other, unless you download some type of early beta (which, if you stick to Mozilla Update, will not occur.) You can also download themes to customize the browser's appearance.

3: Firefox is reliable.
-Firefox crashes less often, if ever, than IE. Firefox renders pages according to W3C standards, meaning that web pages look exactly how they were intended (unlike IE, which uses its own set of standards.) Firefox uses less system resources than IE, putting less of a strain on your PC. Firefox often renders webpages faster than IE, as well.

4: Firefox is migration-friendly.
-If you're switching from IE to Firefox, Firefox will ask you if you wish to import your settings, cookies, and bookmarks when you run it for the first time. It's a seamless transition.

To summarize, Firefox is preferable to Internet Explorer because it is not the computer programming equivalent of opening all your windows and leaving the door unlocked when you go on a two-week vacation. Firefox gives you more control over how you browse, ranging from the organization and cleanliness offered by tabbed browsing to the power of extensions. There really is no reason to use IE, unless you either need to access Windows Update, or you come across a page which will not allow you to view it with anything but IE (which can be worked around using an extension called User Agent Switcher, which identifies your browser as IE and not Firefox, thus granting you access.)

Get Firefox.

Or if you're still not convinced, a quick Google search (performed from the Google search bar built into Firefox) reveals dozens of pages listing reasons to switch.

45 posted on 09/26/2004 7:01:34 PM PDT by Terpfen (Wanted: Laura Ingraham's leopard miniskirt picture. Links welcomed!)

WinXP SP2 installs a pop-up blocker into IE... the problem being that if you aren't running WinXP, you can't use it. Google Toolbar's a nice alternative, though.

46 posted on 09/26/2004 7:02:49 PM PDT by Terpfen (Wanted: Laura Ingraham's leopard miniskirt picture. Links welcomed!)

I feel stupid asking this, but I keep going to that "Get Firefox" site and I don't see a Download button.

47 posted on 09/26/2004 7:05:18 PM PDT by Timeout (Proud, card-carrying member of JAMMIE NATION)

Netscape is still alive and kicking with its 7.2 browser based on Mozilla's open source Gecko engine. And then there's Firefox. Why be limited to Microsoft?

48 posted on 09/26/2004 7:09:28 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)

Get Firefox redirects you to Mozilla's Firefox product page, where you can download Firefox by clicking Download Now! on the right side, in the green bar.

I don't know why the page wouldn't load properly for you... but anyway, there you go.

49 posted on 09/26/2004 7:15:58 PM PDT by Terpfen (Wanted: Laura Ingraham's leopard miniskirt picture. Links welcomed!)

but Firefox's customizability wins the day, IMO.

That's what I love about it, I can shape this thing to fit the way I like to think, so surfing flows much easier on the brain. I'm taking in more content inless time than I was ever able to with IE.

The way I have FireFox set up is a long way from default. I have the tabs down the left side, bookmarks to the right. I got that menu-shrinking extension, and I find that I can comfortably fit all of the toolbar items onto the menu bar(navigation buttons, history, bookmarks, google, address).

I have a fairly high resolution screen, so the end result is a very clean top and easy access to everything I need, with nothing to visually distract me from the viewing pane.

50 posted on 09/26/2004 7:18:01 PM PDT by Yeti

Getting some great new FReepers signed up! BUMP

51 posted on 09/26/2004 7:25:33 PM PDT by Libertina

Firefox 1.0 Preview Release

Go to Mozilla

When there move your the mouse to the Green Block.

* The Download Link is in the Green Colored Block.
Click on: Free Download
for Windows, English (4.5MB)

52 posted on 09/26/2004 7:25:47 PM PDT by Buddy B

From Washington State: Welcome to FR, NewMediaFan. You're going to love it here! :)

53 posted on 09/26/2004 7:28:27 PM PDT by Libertina (10 Little Lying MSM Networks. CBS went down, and soon there'll be none!)

To: goldstategop

This old duffer is using Netscape 7.2 on a Mac with Safari as backup and IE in case. How does Firefox differ from 7.2. I use Eurora for email through Cox.net and screen it on their server...

54 posted on 09/26/2004 7:37:46 PM PDT by tubebender (If I had known I would live this long I would have taken better care of myself...)

To: Buddy B; Terpfen

Well, this is wierd. I'm not seeing a green bar or a green block on any of the Firefox pages.

55 posted on 09/26/2004 7:41:37 PM PDT by Timeout (Proud, card-carrying member of JAMMIE NATION)

Thanks for the Info. I have SP2, but haven't got around to installing it yet, because I've been troubleshooting some system problems for a few weeks now. I've also been playing around with an evaluation copy of "Longhorn" I got hold of.

56 posted on 09/26/2004 7:43:48 PM PDT by kylaka

I find the the Firefox "bookmarks" system very slow. Seems like "its forever" while I wait on it to place the bookmark in the dialog feature.

Time stands still, the seconds go tick, tick, tick...and more tick, tick, tick...

Even so, Firefox is my default browser.

Comments...

57 posted on 09/26/2004 7:45:14 PM PDT by Buddy B

What did Microsoft do with Longhorn's desktop? I don't mean that new 3D desktop they're working on, but the screenshot or two I've seen has some kind of gigantic, obtrusive and useless-looking sidebar on the right-hand side. What's up with that?

58 posted on 09/26/2004 7:57:17 PM PDT by Terpfen (Wanted: Laura Ingraham's leopard miniskirt picture. Links welcomed!)

59 posted on 09/26/2004 7:58:30 PM PDT by Terpfen (Wanted: Laura Ingraham's leopard miniskirt picture. Links welcomed!)

To add one one other difference between the two browsers: FireFox is consistant with loading pictures! One of the things I always hated about IE is its abilty to show all the images of a page consistantly. How many times has anyone had to click "show picture" in a page because IE did not render it?

60 posted on 09/26/2004 7:59:19 PM PDT by The Bandit

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