[100ja a.k.a. mr_mitja]

Originally Posted by Marek

Tabbed browsing. Once you get used to it, you don't want to go back.

And that's just one of many user-friendly features IE doesn't have.

Of course, you can always use shells for IE...

As far as I know both are of mozilla fame, but mozilla is complete (with outlook and stuff). Here:
http://forums.mozillanews.org/index....y;threadid=413

[Huz]

Originally Posted by Marek

Oh by the way, does anyone know the history of Mozilla vs. Firefox and the actual differences? Was Firefox an effort to 'start all over and do it better this time'? If so, why are there still two different products being actively developed?

As far as I remember, Mozilla reached 1.0 and the team decided that the reason why the thing hadn't been widely adopted was because it was bloated - who wanted an email client AND a chat client AND a browser AND an editor all combined into one big mass anyway, they asked. The idea of splitting Mozilla off into Firefox (the browser, then called Phoenix) and Thunderbird (the email side, which came a bit later) was to slim things down a bit. That's why Firefox and Thunderbird both have less functionality than Mozilla did by default - you're supposed to download extensions to add the features you want. The original Phoenix was VERY basic and not terribly good - luckily it's matured into a product that's better than Mozilla was.

As for why Mozilla is still being developed when Firefox was supposed to supercede it, I don't know! I think there was talk of finally stopping now that Firefox and Thunderbird have come of age, but I'll believe that when I see it... having Firefox and Thunderbird both installed, but independent of each other, seems like needless duplication, especially when they presumably share so much code.

[ragnar]

Originally Posted by Jackal

Someone give me the skinny here. I use IE, and never really had any problems whatsoever. Am I just lucky? What's the benefit of the other browsers, aside from anti-Microsoft chic?

If you like browsing with a non-standards-compliant browser that gives you load of popups, security holes and which gives you an inferior browsing experience, then that's up to you. I, however, go with other alternatives. Unfortunately there isn't a *really* good browser that sweeps all opposition, but Opera and Mozilla/Firefox is at least much less bad than IE.

[ragnar]

Originally Posted by Marek

Oh by the way, does anyone know the history of Mozilla vs. Firefox and the actual differences? Was Firefox an effort to 'start all over and do it better this time'? If so, why are there still two different products being actively developed?

Firefox is an attempt to rebuild the user interface for the browser part, so that it would be faster, more intuitive and generally a lot better. It still uses the same engine, gecko, to render pages. Similarily there are a project for redoing the mail part (Thunderbird). Eventually Firefox/Thunderbird will be shipped as the browser/mail of the main mozilla package.

[timcclayton]

I got sick of all the spyware/adware that kept appearing on my PC so about 6 months ago, I downloaded Firefox. I have always used the traditional combination of Adaware and Spybot to catch this type of malware and they seem to work really well. Ever since I installed Firefox, I still run my weekly checks with Adaware and Spybot and the only problems they find now are cookies (which don't pose any threat). I have not found a single piece of malware on my computer in the last 6 months - now find me an IE user who can honestly say that

Also as Marek rightly says, tabbed browsing is SO much easier. Once you start using it you HATE using IE. Unfortunately, I have to use IE to run WindowsUpdate as Firefox won't load the WU website - Firefox's fault ? Not a bit of it - the WU website is coded using non-compliant HTML (conspiracy theories anyone) so that Firefox (a totally HTML-compliant browser) can't run WU!!!

For more info on Firefox's features etc. click this link

For more info on IE click this link

[remixor]

Tabs are practically essential but they have spoiled me. I now leave about 20 tabs open all the time and sometimes it borders on the absurd. It's very difficult for me to close my tabs because what if I need that one tab tomorrow and I can't find the URL elsewhere?

[Wormsie]

It's not uncommon for me to have 40 tabs open. No wonder my PC gets slow...

[ragnar]

Originally Posted by remixor

Tabs are practically essential but they have spoiled me. I now leave about 20 tabs open all the time and sometimes it borders on the absurd. It's very difficult for me to close my tabs because what if I need that one tab tomorrow and I can't find the URL elsewhere?

I also tend to keep lots of tabs (among other things I open many AG threads at the same time), but a little question: Have you completely abandoned bookmarking in favor of tabs?

[remixor]

I've actually never used bookmarks or favorites, so tabs haven't really had an effect in that respect.

[100ja a.k.a. mr_mitja]

Originally Posted by ragnar

Have you completely abandoned bookmarking in favor of tabs?

A bit too much... That's why they're practically useless now!

[Mattsius]

Originally Posted by timcclayton

I have not found a single piece of malware on my computer in the last 6 months - now find me an IE user who can honestly say that

I know one, me! 8-)


I use favorites a lot. Too often it seems. I have a hard time finding the one I want when I have some 400-500 favorites.

I will probably start using Firefox when I get a new computer, this one is slow enough as it is.

[Kolzig]

With Opera it's so damn easy to use bookmarks and tabs combined.
That's why I like using Opera so much, it's so versatile and light to use.


I also have Firefox on my computer but there's just something about it that I don't like.
Although the rss feed thing is done better in Firefox than Opera.

[timcclayton]

Originally Posted by Mattsius

I know one, me! 8-)

Then you must have a very good firewall in place...
Now imagine that IE is the yellow smilie and it is trying to bust through your firewall...






Smack it with the pan, man !!!!
Smash it's bloody face in !!!!
Hurt it !!!!
Kill, kill, kill !!!!

Now you see what using IE does to a totally normal, rational individual like myself...?

Get out before it's too late (and take your pan with you, just in case)

[Mattsius]

Originally Posted by timcclayton

Then you must have a very good firewall in place...

The Best. 8-)

[Bird]

In the past (my previous job), I used opera, mozilla, phoenix and konqueror on linux, but I have to say I didn't like a single one of them... Probably because they were old versions (sys admin didn' t upgrade all the time). Mozilla took ages to start, phoenix and konqueror were quite crappy, Opera had problems with some sites, + I don't like the ad banners... Back then, I went with mozilla...
In windows, I used IE, and still do at home.

But on my laptop (winxp) for work (on which I'm typing right now) I installed firefox (don't know why, guess I wanted everything my own way, since it was a fresh windows install; e.g. I 've never used wmp 9 on this machine; if it wants to open something, I still get this license agreement popup).
I never use IE anymore, unless there are problems with some sites (rarely the case). Firefox looks good, is fast, has tabbed browsing, the download manager is better than in IE, and I especially like the fact that you can clear all information stored when browsing (cache, cookies, passwords, etc) with one click.
I'll definitely install it on my other pc's too, when I have some time.

[RLacey]

I must be strange. I use Firefox, but I don't use tabs. But then, I'm strange enough to type in the domain name every time I visit a site...

[Sly Boots]

Well, I use Opera and it's great. I would never even THINK about turning back to the godawful Internet Exploder.
What about Opera vs. Firefox ? Is Firefox better? I never tried it, but since I love Opera, I'm inclined not to bother.
Trust me, you IE users, just TRY Opera. You won't regret it.

[fov]

Jack, IE also sucks on platforms other than Windows (go figure).

I picked other because I use IE at home (PC) and Safari at work (Mac). The Mac version of IE is utter crap.

-emily

[Pappapisshu]

I don't get it. Why do you use IE at home even though you obviously know that it sucks no matter what?

[Swordmaster]

Exclusively Firefox at home, IE at the office (because it's the only browser they have installed to our computers) and Mozilla at university.

And why Firefox?

Tabbed browsing

(Plus pop-up blocking, better security, speed and other things that favor Firefox.)