I posted that link because it comes from a respected source, for informational purposes, not to
denigrate Firefox, which I use myself. But I have never believed Firefox is inherently 'safer',
because the weakest link in any web browser is the user. And the purveyors of parasites exploit
that fact. I believe it is called "social engineering."

I also continue to use IE, and have not contracted any parasites through its use for several years,
ever since I learned how to protect IE, via configuring its security zones, via installation of a few
pro-active apps (such as ie-spyad and SpywareBlaster), and most importantly- via safe surfing practices.

I place little credence in testimonial letters too- but they were not the main point of that article,
as Langa himself admitted. Firefox is a fine browser, but objective evidence that it is 'safer' is
still lacking. Use whichever you like- but be informed. The net is a dangerous place.

Been using Firefox for about a month and love it!

It is a lot faster and has much better control over font size
than IE6.

Two downsides I see are that ALPS back-forward strokes don't function
and HTML toolbar on this forum's 'Reply' do not appear.

On that same note, URL's are not automatically parsed into links.

Spell check is still here.

Art

Firefox does not use Active X, a security issue, and also, when Firefox has a vulnerability, they patch it rather quickly. With IE, well, it depends. If the security hole(s) is found around the monthly update time, you'll be fine, as long as you update.

But if another security hole is found after the updates, welllllll, you may have to wait a few weeks for a patch.

I like Firefox because it loads webpages faster, has tons of extensions (adblock is my favorite) and has a built in pop-up blocker.

And I don't get all those annoying messages from Firefox. (error on page, etc, etc)


Some people wonder what the hype is about. Some say they'd rather use IE.

That is their right. I use Firefox, because I love it.

Message Edited by msil217 on 04-19-2005 05:14 AM

Art,
If you are saying that when you are reading this post right now, above my name the Reply button is missing, there is something wrong at Mission Control.

Let me know if that is the situation you are experienceing?

Steve

Steve,

No, that is not what I meant at all, it is the 'html' ToolBar that you see (with IE6) above the Message Body block that has
all the html 'shortcut' tools for changing Fonts, size, color, Bold, Underline, etc. etc.. I forget all it had :(

Also, with IE6 it would automatically parse URL's into links, I can understand that Dell & Microsoft would
have a very tight relationship (compared to Mozilla) but I don't know if that is the reason or if I need
a Mozilla 'Add-On' to enable these features.

No matter, Firefox is worth the trouble for me to look up html when I need it to parse a link and I will
do without the more complicated fonts, colors etc.. :)


Art

Art,

The fancy editing control that you see from IE and not Firefox is a feature of IE. Hence the less-featured editor that's seen with Firefox.

BBCode is Firefox addin you might find handy for handling URL generation, text attributes, and the like. I use it all the time.

Jim

I've read the article that Joe linked and the "letters" the author received regarding the particular Firefox users that were unhappy with FF. I, for one, don't put much faith in "everyone's" personal comments as stated in those letters/emails. I'm not aware of each of those individual's total "computer/internet knowledge" to begin with.

As an IBM tech told me once about calls he had received: One lady complained that her "cupholder" was broken----come to find out it was her CD tray she was using for a cupholder. Another call----the operator could not get the mouse to function properly---come to find out she was using it as an accelerator under her foot.

What I do know---Microsoft is worried only for one reason---the market share for IE has dropped below 90%. That's the only reason they're worried----not the problems that everyone has with IE---just their blessed market share. MS is working on a "NEW" IE----I wonder why. Firefox has reached 6.1% of the market share and growing.

I put my faith in my own experience----since I downloaded and began using Firefox as my default browser about 2 months ago, my infections with adware & spyware have "STOPPED"-----TOTALLY STOPPED! Because of the "setup" of certain websites (re: eBay), I must, unfortunately, resort to using IE in those instances---but, only in those instances.

Until things change (if they do)---I'm sticking with Firefox---if you're an IE diehard--fine---it's your choice.

Dimension 8400
1 GB SDRAM
3.4GHz
160GB
Samsung CD-R/RW
Philips DVD+RW
Iomega HDD 80GB USB 2.0
Radeon X300
WinXP w/Service Pack 2
Firefox browser

That's odd. I use ebay all the time with Firefox. Hmmmmmmm. :|

---

@jimw wrote:
Art,

The fancy editing control that you see from IE and not Firefox is a feature of IE. Hence the less-featured editor that's seen with Firefox.

BBCode is Firefox addin you might find handy for handling URL generation, text attributes, and the like. I use it all the time.

Jim

---

Jim,

Thank you for that link, went and got it but it said it would show up next time I loaded Firefox, perhaps it meant after a reboot.

While I was looking around, came across several other interesting items:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Newest Firefox Extensions

New and updated extensions. Subscribe to our RSS feed to be notified when new extensions are added.

1. Ebay Negs! 0.6, April 19, 2005

Displays all the Negative Feedback an eBay user has received via right-click or Tools menu.

Usage Options
1. "Right click" the mouse on an eBay username on any eBay page, then select Ebay Negs!

2. Highlight an Ebay username link with your mouse on any Ebay page, then "right click" and select Ebay Negs

3. Just "right click" on any Ebay auction page and then select Ebay Negs and the extension will automatically try and work out the username. If the extension doesnt find an ebay username, it will pop up a text entry box that will let you enter the ebay username of the person whose negative/neutral feedback you wish to check.

4. Highlight an ebay username that is in "plain text" on any web page and then right click and select Ebay Negs! you will also then be transferred to the http://www.toolhaus.org page where all the negative feedback remarks that user has received will be displayed. When using any of the above methods, you can choose whether the negs page is opened in the current window, or in a new tab. After that you will be transferred to the Negative Feedback page at Toolhaus.org, which will show you all the negative feedback that user has received.
Many thanks to Guido for providing the code for the new improved functionality for this latest version! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those of us who use ALPS GlidePad cursor control have missed the "Back-Forward" 'with a stroke' that works in IE but not Firefox,

now here it is, released today!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :)
2. Mouse Gestures 1.0, April 19, 2005
Allows you to execute common commands (like page forward/backward, close tab, new tab) by mouse gestures drawn over the current webpage, without reaching for the toolbar or the keyboard. You can also use click-only "rocker" gestures which are even faster than drawn gestures ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" and more at:

. Firefox: Extensions, Themes, Plugins

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Art
Edit:

Jim, Have yet to see anything from that Add-On but have noticed that *Some* forums supply UBB or HTML code 'shortcuts' that Do work in Firefox
(and they worked prior to my download of that Add-On.

*second edit* NOW I See! it is added to your right click menu,


"Mouse Gestures" is prominate on toolbar but can't see that it does anything with
this ALPS thing.

As I said before, these issues are very minor in the overall advantages with Firefox over other browsers and it is just about all I use now.

Message Edited by Art on 04-20-2005 12:23 AM