Mozilla

[Guest Ghetto Bird]

I've seen many people recommend others to use Mozilla vice IE. But, I can never be sure whether they are recommending it because they genuinely think it's superior, or just because they hate Microsoft's proprietary software.

 

 

I'm not dead-set against trying something new, but as someone who's never had any problems with IE, and doesn't have any compelling reason to switch, I'd like someone to try to sell me on Mozilla; what, exactly, makes it better than IE, and why should I bother to put forth the energy to find and install it if IE's never really done me wrong?

[the max 0]

Why not just try it and find out?

 

It comes with a pop-up blocker, tabbed browsing, and, I've found it's a lot faster than IE.

[Guest Ghetto Bird]

Why not just try it and find out?

I'm not dead-set against trying something new, but as someone who's never had any problems with IE, and doesn't have any compelling reason to switch, I'd like someone to try to sell me on Mozilla...

 

That's why; I'm not going to switch just for the sake of switching. If it's better, I'd like to know why it's better.

 

What is "tabbed browsing?"

[{''({o..o})''} 0]

I was going to put up a list of the positives and negatives of Mozilla, but if downloading a file that's less than 5 megs, and trying it for at least 5 minutes is too much trouble for you, combined with the attitude you expressed in your last post, it looks like it would be a waste of my time.

[Guest macheteofodin]

Well, if you aren't having trouble with IE, why bother?

 

I use Mozilla because I actually DID have trouble with IE. It stops the massive amounts of pop ups, it's less susceptible to being hijacked by malware, hackers don't seem to be targeting holes in Mozilla like they do with IE. Tabbed browsing does rule. It allows for the user to open multiple pages in the same window, so there is less cluter in the taskbar.

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it...however, for many, IE is broke.

[{''({o..o})''} 0]

But for those who aren't Ghetto Bird and are unfamilar with Mozilla, read the bits posted below, yanked from Mozilla.org.

 

Popup Blocking

 

Stop annoying popup ads in their tracks with Firefox's built in popup blocker.

 

Tabbed Browsing

 

View more than one web page in a single window with this time saving feature. Open links in the background so that they're ready for viewing when you're ready to read them.

 

Smarter Search

 

Google Search is built right into the toolbar, and there are a plethora of other search tools including Keywords (type "dict <word>" in the Location Bar), and FastFind (start typing the first few letters of some text in the page and Firefox takes you there).

 

Privacy and Security

 

Built with your Security in mind, Firefox keeps your computer safe from malicious spyware by not loading harmful ActiveX controls. A comprehensive set of privacy tools keep your online activity your business.

 

Hassle-Free Downloading

 

Files you download are automatically saved to your Desktop so they're easy to find. Fewer prompts mean files download quicker.

 

Fits Like a Glove

 

Simple and intuitive, yet fully featured, Firefox has all the functions you're used to - Bookmarks, History, Full Screen, Text Zooming to make pages with small text easier to read, etc.

 

S M L XL XXL XXXL

 

Firefox is the most customizable browser on the planet. Customize your toolbars to add additional buttons, install new Extensions that add new features, add new Themes to browse with style, and use the adaptive search system to allow you to search an infinite number of engines. Firefox is as big or small as you want.

 

Setup's a Snap

 

At only 4.7MB (Windows), Firefox only takes minutes to download over a fast connection. The installer gets you set up quickly, and the new Easy Transition system imports all of your settings - Favorites, passwords and other data from Internet Explorer and other browsers - so you can start surfing right away.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Firefox has positives and negatives, but I find that its much better than IE.

 

For starters, Firefox doesn't have nearly the number of vulnerabilities to hackers and malicious code that IE does. And when they do find one, they fix it pretty fast. I haven't had an instance of a browser hijacking, homepage hijacking, bookmark list full of stuff that I didn't add, or other common problems that IE has.

 

The tabbed browsing is probably the 2nd best feature. Instead of opening multiple instances of IE up to view different pages you just open up different tabs which show up right under the top bar. You can switch between multiple sites much faster since each tab is labeled.

 

The built in pop up blocking/google toolbar/download manager are all nice built in features. Yes you can get add ons for IE that do the same thing, but these are all included in the relatively small download (another plus for me on my slow connection).

 

There are negatives. A lot of times, there will be a page that will load incorrectly. Its not a problem with Firefox, its due to the fact that most pages are written to load in IE which isn't as strict with html coding errors as Firefox is. If a page doesn't load on Firefox or loads improperly, its the fault of the person who wrote the code for the website thats more than likely riddled with errors. This also causes some pages to load properly, but some people say that they load slower than on IE. If anything, I've noticed a bit of an improvement in site loading times over IE, but my connection is really slow as it is.

 

The most annoying thing is that if you use Macromedia Flash/Shockwave or Java, you have to download Firefox capable versions to use them. And many things like the Yahoo Toolbar and other browser enhancements for IE aren't available for Firefox. But there are many Firefox only add ons available for download through their website that do the same things, if not more.

 

The major thing to remember is that its not exactly like IE. You may be able to do one thing in IE by clicking two menus, but with Firefox it might take 1 click or 3 clicks. It takes a bit of time to get used to, but in the end you'll find that anything you can do with IE, you can do with Firefox.

[razazteca 0]

Get Netscape 7.1 but dont get the full download. It is bundled with some extras you might not want, so when it ask what to dl just use the custom option.

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

Go with MYIE2 (Maxthon)

 

I've tried every other browser and I always come back to MYIE2, but I don't really know if it's safe against hacking though.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

IE has a security vulnerability that allows spyware programs (moreso than usual) to automatically download and install on your computer. They are stored on websites, and will automatically start installing, right there in front of your face. One of them is some Lycos program, and there's two or more others.

Somehow they (or bits of them) are stored on some common servers, and if in your web browsing you come across em, bang.

Do a search, you'll find many people (including me) have gotten this lsatest rash. I had to run lotsa ad-aware and spybot scans to get rid of them. This doesn't happen with mozilla or opera or whatever.

It's not a question of IF, it's WHEN. Feel free to wait till you browse across the "right" website though before switching.

 

Oh, and The Department of Homeland Security recently issued a recommendation that people stop using Internet Explorer because of security vulnerabilities.

 

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...tc_cmp/22103407

[Guest suplexmasta]

Honestly, I've tried a lot of different browsers (Mozilla, Firefox, Opera, Avant) but I keep coming back to IE. I run Adaware, Spybot, and Norton each once a week, use PopUpPopper, and I haven't had any problems. I guess I'm just so used to IE that anything else feels weird. Plus, I'm on dial-up with shitty phonelines all around me (26.4kbps with a 56k modem!), so anything I use is going to be slow as Christmas anyways.

[Guest Dumb Fuck]

For starters, Firefox doesn't have nearly the number of vulnerabilities to hackers and malicious code that IE does. And when they do find one, they fix it pretty fast. I haven't had an instance of a browser hijacking, homepage hijacking, bookmark list full of stuff that I didn't add, or other common problems that IE has.

 

This is the only reason you need.

[Guest Ghetto Bird]

Two more questions:

 

1 - How good is the support for Mozilla? How will I find out if there's an upgrade or a patch of some kind?

 

2 - How compatible is it with Microsoft software? For example, if I click on a .doc file, will it open up in the Mozilla browser like it does in IE?

[Guest cellardoor]

IE has a security vulnerability that allows spyware programs (moreso than usual) to automatically download and install on your computer. They are stored on websites, and will automatically start installing, right there in front of your face. One of them is some Lycos program, and there's two or more others.

Bravo, my friend. Very well put. My dad's been warning me more about IE lately, although he doesn't really need to bother because I rarely use it.

 

Personally, I just like to have a variety of browsers. Mozilla doesn't like to open a few specific pages for me, so I keep IE around for those rare instances.

 

Mozilla 1.7.1 is my favorite browser thus far. I like it because it comes with the autofill feature. Firefox does have something similar, but it's like a dumbed down version. Unless I just can't figure it out. I can't manually enter fields that I want it to fill in. It wants to save info for each and every page, and from what I could tell, it wasn't working too well. In Mozilla, I can just double click, and it almost always fills in the correct thing. Especially handy for entering contests.

 

The tabbed browsing is a huge turn on. It beats having a million windows open at the same time. So much more convenient.

 

And, of course, the pop up blocker works wonders. You can allow it to accept pop ups from certain sites if you need to, so that's a nice little feature.

 

My question is: Why NOT switch to Mozilla? It beats IE in essentially every aspect I can think of.

[BrokenTiger 0]

Being a web designer, I have to used a lot of browsers to test my sites. So I guess I could provide a valid opinion here....

 

Mozilla Firefox's relatively faster and safer(reasons provided by others above)than IE6. Opera's claiming to be fast...although I don't see much difference...not really liking it. Netscape 7.1....loads a bit too slow for my liking, maybe that's just me. The 'tabbed surfing' feature, though is not exclusive to Firefox only...also prevalent in Opera and Netscape 7.1 if I remember correctly. There, I covered the main browsers.

 

Having said that, I have no probs with my IE...just have to use various browsers due to my work. Just begun to love Firefox a lot...perhaps the looks, or the speed. My heart just flutters whenever Firefox loads...and I'm feelin' fuzzy and warm inside...ok I should stop now.

 

*starts Firefox*

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

I was wondering. Since regular Mozilla has tabbed browsing then what's different about Firefox as opposed to regular Mozilla? Is it just faster?

[Guest Contentious C]

Yeh, to echo the general sentiment here, if you haven't had any problems with IE, it's because you don't know what all the problems are yet. Save yourself the future hassle and start using Firefox. Things'll look funny, but you get used to it.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I was wondering. Since regular Mozilla has tabbed browsing then what's different about Firefox as opposed to regular Mozilla? Is it just faster?

Firefox is a slimmer download and not bundled with an email client. Firefox is also only at a .9x release which means that it still could have bugs and the like. If I remember reading their forums correctly, Firefox 1.0 is expected to be released in September.

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

I've started using Firefox and I've found that if a webpage has background music or sounds they are not playing. What can I do to fix that?

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I've started using Firefox and I've found that if a webpage has background music or sounds they are not playing. What can I do to fix that?

I think the background music thing is only supported by IE.

[griffinmills 0]

How far down on the computer tree do I have to go to see the speed difference for Firefox vs. IE? I went down and launched IE on the 500mhz computers we use for Point of Sales and it launched instantly just like it does on my computer at home. Are we talking time it with a stopwatch differences here or "feels faster" differences?

 

I've been using Firefox from time to time here at work. I'm not seeing the tabbed browsing thing as the amazing feature it is frequently made out to be but perhaps that is because I'm one of those folks that opens everything in new windows to read later? (Hint: This is a really smart thing to do on Mondays when TSM forum tends to go down, you have a few open threads to read through while you wait.)

 

That post yanked from mozilla.org is a little... funny. Why is the browser better because it is 4.7mb? I also don't see the "built in" arguments (pop-up blocker, google search, customizing) as being very convincing but I guess we can chalk that up to "I know what I'm doing with my computer." I've had google toolbar since the week it was released for instance and my search page in IE has been google.com for years now (used to be deja news if you can believe that!)

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

I think my Firefox is infected by devils. Whenever I open it and try to surf around I get a message saying that the connection was refused when trying to connect to x website. I get that for every page I try.

 

IE still works fine for me. Did I end up somehow changing a web setting in this or something?

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

I've been using Firefox from time to time here at work. I'm not seeing the tabbed browsing thing as the amazing feature it is frequently made out to be but perhaps that is because I'm one of those folks that opens everything in new windows to read later? (Hint: This is a really smart thing to do on Mondays when TSM forum tends to go down, you have a few open threads to read through while you wait.)

I don't get what you're saying. You can do the same with tabs and save a lot of trouble of cluttering your computer with multiple windows. It's right there by your other tabs and you can keep them open while doing other things. You're making it sound like you can't do the same thing you just described in tabbed browsing, but you can and it's a space saver.

 

Say you have IE and a couple of programs open. Then you start adding new windows from IE and you've got a mess on the windows bar at the bottom of your screen.

 

Honestly after using tabbed browsing I can't even think of using IE. The second a new window opens it's frustrating.

[MooreMark 0]

I like Mozilla but I don't want to go and re-install flash and the other stuff just for it. I just use it to browse sometimes. Or browse sites with horrible pop-ups that even google toolbar doesn't get.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

I use Mozilla and I like it, but be aware that some sites and plug-ins won't work, period.

[AmericanDragon 0]

I use firefox and it only took like 2 min to install flash and java for it.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

Firefox has FireSomething, the greatest extension known to man. Endless amusement right there.

 

It seriously does have a lot of very cool enhancements/extensions that are firefox/mozilla exclusive. Mouse Gestures are a very neat idea.

[griffinmills 0]

I don't get what you're saying. You can do the same with tabs and save a lot of trouble of cluttering your computer with multiple windows. It's right there by your other tabs and you can keep them open while doing other things. You're making it sound like you can't do the same thing you just described in tabbed browsing, but you can and it's a space saver.

Sorry, didn't mean to make it sound like you can't do that with tabbed browsing but more that I'm Already doing it without tabbed browsing. Does that make more sense? As for cluttering my taskbar... well we just have different opinions/tolerances on what clutter is.

 

I'm in the process of experimenting with FireFox right now, I have a favorites/bookmarks list that has been growing exponentially since 1992 so I get frustrated when I have to migrate browsers/systems and they de-format. Anywho, still time for me to "see the light" on this thing.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

'92? I didn't even know the internet'd been around that long... I didn't even get my first e-mail account (at college) until '93.

[AmericanDragon 0]

I don't get what you're saying.  You can do the same with tabs and save a lot of trouble of cluttering your computer with multiple windows.  It's right there by your other tabs and you can keep them open while doing other things.  You're making it sound like you can't do the same thing you just described in tabbed browsing, but you can and it's a space saver.

Sorry, didn't mean to make it sound like you can't do that with tabbed browsing but more that I'm Already doing it without tabbed browsing. Does that make more sense? As for cluttering my taskbar... well we just have different opinions/tolerances on what clutter is.

 

I'm in the process of experimenting with FireFox right now, I have a favorites/bookmarks list that has been growing exponentially since 1992 so I get frustrated when I have to migrate browsers/systems and they de-format. Anywho, still time for me to "see the light" on this thing.

Your IE favorites are automatically imported into firefox. I really don't get what you're saying. You keep mentioning things that might be an inconvenience about firefox but firefox does everything better than IE.