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Doug Jones
09-25-2005, 8:16 AM
I didn't want to hijack the other thread so after following the firefox thread, I am really interested in trying the program on my system. I was wondering if there is any pros or cons with using it. Any recommendations on setup. And whats all these varios downloads and plug ins you can use with firefox.
Any help is as always, appreciated.

Scott Parks
09-25-2005, 11:00 AM
I'm not an expert, but...

Pros:

I prefer Firefox. It does a great job at blocking pop-up windows. This may just be hype, but I've heard that a majority of viruses are targeted to the most poplular web browser, Microsoft IE. So in my mind, my computer is more secure with Mozilla. (this may just be a misconseption). It is a free program, and it is not made by MicroSoft.

As for cons, not all websites are optimized for Mozilla. However, there are only two websites I frequent that has problems with mozilla. One is a motocross magazine, and the other is with my company, I can't view my work schedule. Otherwise, Mozilla works A+++ for me...

Jim Becker
09-25-2005, 11:37 AM
Firefox is an excellent browser and the one I now use as "primary". It did take some getting used to as some behavior is different than IE and for some functions I had to install plug-ins/extensions to restore things I used frequently in IE either as native features or IE add-ins. (Such as spell check, etc.) I don't use tabs, so that didn't matter to me. (Dr. SWMBO uses them extensively, however) One important add-in for Firefox is the one that allows you to launch the same page in IE by right-clicking on the page that is not working right...sadly, some sites will only work properly with IE.

As to security...Firefox also has vulnerabilities so it's important to keep it up to date. Given it's up to about 7-8% of the browser market now, more "nasties" are beginning to target it. (The current version is 1.0.7 which was released this past week). On the other hand, IE is nearly as secure these days as long as you keep it updated, too. And since you need to have IE on your system still...you still have to update it even if Firefox or any other browser is your primary view to the web. It's all relative in reality...

Tony Falotico
09-25-2005, 11:42 AM
Firefox allows multiple tabs, that is, you can have several pages loaded and tab back and forth. I have heard that the next generation of IE will have tab browsing. That's my favorite feature. Have not had much trouble with incomparability, only one work related site will not work for me. Also, it seems slightly faster than IE.

Firefox has all sorts of custom downloads for various customization and tweaking. I only have a couple basics, like the tab browsing upgrade. There is a third party spell check (Spellbound) that works very well also.

I guess it's a matter of personal preference, I like Firefox better than IE, but then again I also like liver as long as it has plenty of onions with it!

Michael Cody
09-25-2005, 12:10 PM
I didn't want to hijack the other thread so after following the Firefox thread, I am really interested in trying the program on my system. I was wondering if there is any pros or cons with using it. Any recommendations on setup. And whats all these various downloads and plug ins you can use with Firefox.
Any help is as always, appreciated.

Firefox is not my main browser. I use IE for certain sites because they don't work with Firefox. There is an extension you can load into Firefox that allows you right click on a link and then choose to launch it in IE. I also use several other extensions including:


ForecastFox (not as good as weatherbug but no spyware!)
SpellBound (online spell checker)
Image Zoom
Linkafication (makes URL text into hot-link)
IE View -- lets you right click on link and start it IE
TabBrowser Prefs (ehances tabs even more)
Session Saver (restarts Fox at point it crashed if it crashes)
Mini IT (lets you drag & drop tabs)
Undo Close Tab (lets get back a tab you just closed)


Those are just some of the extensions. The only thing I miss is the IE Google Toolbar "Auto Fill Function" the Google toolbar for Fox doesn't do that and I've found nothing that works as well...

I whole heartedly recommend it .. I recommend it to many of my industrial clients as it avoids some (not all by far) Spyware that affects IE 6.x but it's not foolproof and it has seen several updates for security holes.

Curt Harms
09-25-2005, 12:34 PM
I've found that most pages that have problems with Fire Fox work fine in Opera. I see no downside to having Fire Fox and Opera installed. Unlike some companies' products, these don't seem designed to break others' products.
{vent mode on}
My wife is a realtor and her MLS site is I.E. only. If she tries to log on with any other browswer, the site says to "upgrade" to I.E. That is like "upgrading" from a PM66 to a Tradesman bench top saw :D
{vent mode off}

Re spell checker, take a look at this:http://spellbound.sourceforge.net/. I just downloaded it, so don't know much about it.

Curt

Chris Fite
09-25-2005, 1:56 PM
You might consider the Autofill extension for Firefox: http://tinyurl.com/7cmfu

Andrew Ault
09-25-2005, 1:57 PM
I like the new Google toolbar for Firefox.

toolbar.google.com

The spellchecker in the Google toolbar does not work with the message editor on The Creek (because it is not an HTML form field) but it is handy for many other things - like in the Title field on this message input page.

- Andy

Ted Shrader
09-25-2005, 2:00 PM
Doug -

Just an echo of the other folk's comments. I use Firefox almost exclusively. There are two sites I visit (work related - pay and travel request submission) that do not have full function in Firefox. All other times, the only browser I use is Firefox.

When you install it, it will automatically import your bookmarks from IE. The file structure, however is not the same in Firefox. You will have to manually re-arrange the bookmarks the way you like them. Another very handy feature is the Bookmarks Tool Bar folder. You can place your most frequently used bookmarks in there (say SEC, Bay or whatever) and they will always be available a the top of the screen, just below the menu bar. Very handy for the frequently visited sites.

The tools (extensions) I use most frequently are Spellbound and IE Vie IE View has those two sites I mentioned set to come up in IE. No muss, no fuss.

Regards,
Ted

Jim Becker
09-25-2005, 2:30 PM
Another very handy feature is the Bookmarks Tool Bar folder.

Yea...I use that for a number of sites I visit "often"...like SMC. Incredibly handy and takes minimal space out of the application window. I edited the names of those links to be as short as possible and was able to fit about a dozen across my normal browser window size, which is about 1000 pixels wide or so. (I hate full-screen windows other than for my photo editing and video editing software)

Tom Stover
09-25-2005, 3:05 PM
I downloaded firefox yesterday and it does seem to make surfing the web faster. My two main problems is I have to readjust the text size everytime I come on line and I can't change the bars across the top the way I like. The problem is probably that I just haven't learned how yet. I'll keep experimenting and playing with it until I learn how.

Curt Harms
09-25-2005, 3:34 PM
I downloaded firefox yesterday and it does seem to make surfing the web faster. My two main problems is I have to readjust the text size everytime I come on line and I can't change the bars across the top the way I like. The problem is probably that I just haven't learned how yet. I'll keep experimenting and playing with it until I learn how.

Hi Tom

Try this: view->toolbars->customize. I find it useful to have a 'new tab' icon handy.

Curt

Doug Jones
09-25-2005, 7:50 PM
Thanks all, I installed it and been playing around with it. So far, I like what I see.

Vaughn McMillan
09-26-2005, 5:52 AM
Thanks all, I installed it and been playing around with it. So far, I like what I see.
You'll be hooked in no time. :D Welcome to the fold.

I second the suggestion to add the "New Tab" icon to the toolbar. I've also become reliant on right-cicking links on a page and selecting "Open in new tab", to the point where I try to do it in IE, then remember that I can't. (Like others have found, there are a couple sites I need to access that only work in IE for me.)

- Vaughn

Tim Morton
09-27-2005, 7:02 AM
The latest Firefox build here in macworld is very unstable...:mad:, I am considering switchign back to Safari.