Firefox for IE

Cork Skate

I am gonna do it .... whats the story ... just uninstall IE and install Firefox .... any pitfalls etc? What version ??

Jammer

u cant uninstall IE, just install firefox and leave IE alone

Creamy Goodness

you can't uninstall IE, well without going to a lot and i mean a lot of hassle.

just download firefox. www.getfirefox.com

once downloaded install it, and you can download themes extentions and the lot.
i reccommend this one extension, IEview, it allows you to right click a link etc. and open it in IE this is dead handy for poorly coded sites to open in IE that don't show correctly in firefox (there's very few though, eircom's music store i think is one of them).

netwhizkid

Yes go for it, Once you go FireFox you never go back. CTRL + T is for tabbed browsing, I had FireFox installed for ages until i figured that out and i found no difference until i started using tabbed browsing. The Password remember is so easy and much better than than crappy IE. I've have never used it for online transactions though. I wonder how safe for e-commerce is it? The way it allows you to search other sites eg. ebay, yahoo etc. is damn handy. Download the Google toolbar and bob's your uncle, The google toolbar will spellcheck all forms, I'm using it for correcting my spelling while typing this. It also blocks the odd pop-up. But for this pest download the adblock plugin, I've forgotten how to do it, but someone else here will fill you in.

A bowl of prunes chop chop, welcome to the club, lol

that was in the Simpson's btw.

Creamy Goodness

netwhizkid wrote:

CTRL + T is for tabbed browsing

usually i find middle mouse click easier

Matt Simis

I (really) like Firefox, but only use it on some machines. Its a total memory hog, got 6 Tabs (nothing too fancy in them) at the moment, 97MB of ram used. The 64bit version is even more memory hungry! Get version 1.5 btw.

Like it or not, IEs integration into the OS makes it a leaner browser. Opera on the other hand, while loosing some compatibility and polish (vs Firefox), is very neat.



Matt

Balfa

Skip firefox and go straight for Opera

Cabaal

Balfa wrote:

Skip firefox and go straight for Opera

Lovely,
I suggest you try Firefox and Opera and decide for yourself which you like the best, their both as safe as each other in the end.

While Opera is very nice I have to say the extentions were the deciding factor for me when it came to keeping Firefox.

unkel

Balfa wrote:

Skip firefox and go straight for Opera

I too prefer Opera

Fastest and most stable browser for windows in my experience. I do miss some FF extensions but the move to Opera was well worth it imho. Give both a serious go and decide for yourself

Matt Simis wrote:

Its a total memory hog, got 6 Tabs (nothing too fancy in them) at the moment, 97MB of ram used

It is and I find FF (any version) can get unstable when it uses a lot of ram (several hundred MB)

Orion

Cremo wrote:

usually i find middle mouse click easier

only if you haven't mapped middle mouse to something else

Mr. Presentable

Cork Skate wrote:

I am gonna do it .... whats the story ... just uninstall IE and install Firefox .... any pitfalls etc? What version ??

Don't be a shill for the Firefox nazis.

IE does a good job, works even with "poorly coded sites" (it's always someone elses fault), and doesn't want to eat your PC. It's not perfect, but, hey, what is?

Cabaal

spannerhead wrote:

Don't be a shill for the Firefox nazis.

IE does a good job, works even with "poorly coded sites" (it's always someone elses fault), and doesn't want to eat your PC. It's not perfect, but, hey, what is?

IE is far too open to spyware/adware and has crap pop-up blocking support compared to other browsers.

Julesie

Ive been using Firefox for about a year now and wouldnt dream of going back to IE. Tabbed browsing, RSS compatability, Extensions (like Gmail Notifier, weather forecasts), built in search engines all make it far superior to IE IMHO.

Mr. Presentable

Obviously each to his own, but I use a popup blocker, run adaware/spybot on startup, have no need for weather forecasts in my browser and configure OE to fetch my GMail.

Perhaps I spend too much time on the wrong side of the tracks, but I found with Firefox I often had to use IE to display a site correctly, thus begging the question, really.

zuma

Jammer wrote:

u cant uninstall IE, just install firefox and leave IE alone

Actually you can uninstall IE.....nLite/XP Lite 1.0....etc!

I use Opera/Firefox myself.

Opera is more stable than Firefox when it comes to large amounts of pics/media in use.
Firefox is far better supported in the extensions department.

Ive recently used "firetune" to maximise Firefox's capabilities and it appears to have improved.

Opera 8.51/Firefox 1.5 are a good freeware combo that should allow you to just about completely ignore IE from now on.

For webpages that dont display properly in Opera/Firefox you can use "IE view" and similar to automatically reproduce them in IE.

Cork Skate

Cheers lads ... gonna give firefox 1.5 ago .... i might try Opera in a few months .... where do i download it and what version ?

Cheers for the help too !!

Fabritzo

There's a new boy on the block called flock (www.flock.com). it's in beta but seems to work ok. It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Here's the download page: http://tinderbox.flock.com/builds/ just pick to very top option if you've got regular windows.

Capt'n Midnight

Fabritzo wrote:

There's a new boy on the block called flock

http://www.decrem.com/bart/2005/10/flock-firefox-and-open-source
so what's the difference between it and firefox ???
With the IE Tab firefox can use the IE rendering engine

For windows the top canidates would be FireFox and Opera.
http://lynx.browser.org/ - is different

You might as well download opera now too. Like FireFox it's smaller than the total patches for IE that you'd download in 10 weeks. And like FireFox it's a totally separate program. Less extensions so less fun but better for people who just want something to work out of the box.

www.opera.com

art

zuma wrote:

Ive recently used "firetune" to maximise Firefox's capabilities and it appears to have improved.

Yeah, I also found that handy for giving FireFox a quick tune up - it definitely helps so would recommend its use.

astrofool

lol, are Opera users the new Firefox users?

X-SL

Opera uses are SMART users! I used FF for AGES and thought Opera to be ****e (from some use) Then my FF ****ed itself up (no explantions how) and I converted to Opera. I am way too used to it to turn back now. The Magic Wand is sooo handy. Tabs work better. It is quicker and more stable. Haven't had any problems left. And it's customized fully to meet my needs

art

FireFox is more likely to be here for the long haul, though, whereas Opera continues to struggle to establish itself.

unkel

astrofool wrote:

lol, are Opera users the new Firefox users?

Lol, possibly :cool: :v:

art wrote:

FireFox is more likely to be here for the long haul, though, whereas Opera continues to struggle to establish itself.

We will see. Now Opera is free (full version without ads) it has a lot going for it imho

art

unkel wrote:

We will see. Now Opera is free (full version without ads) it has a lot going for it imho

Aye, I've no doubts the current Opera browser is very good but I'm thinking from the perspective of Opera developers and the future - what's in it for them, now that the source of revenue is gone, to keep the product updated, contemporary etc? FireFox has the Open Source momentum behind it but I can see Opera just going the way of Netscape, ultimately, or alternatively simply starting to lag (in development terms) behind FireFox in a year or two.

cgf

Just downloaded Opera had had a quick look at it.

Certainly seems faster but when I lob into my gmail account the inbox is all right justified - makes it fairly inoperable.

At the moment I have IE6, Opera8.51, Firefox 1.5 and Deer Park Alpha 2.

Only use IE to view 1 site which Firefox/DeerPark doesn't display 100% correctly - the site is down at the moment so I cann't check via Opera.

I use gmail so unless I can corerct the problem with the display I'll be sticking with Firefox/Deer Park Alpha2. Also kinda used to the extensions, especially the gmail one where you can login to multiple accounts rather than the single account login on the gmail notifier.

thats my tuppence worth - it all really depends on what takes ur fancy - Opera & Firefox are streets ahead of IE but what's new there

stevenmu

My own 3c (1c enviromental levy included :v: ):

Opera is solid, performs well, has good functionality and looks great and works perfectly "out of the box". It's almost the kind of thing you'd expect to find on a MAC, and is probably best suited to "power users". Firefox is a little more finnicky, doesn't look quite as good, but it's many extensions and near infinite customisability makes it ideal for techies. IE's integration with windows, and windows update, makes it ideal for users with limited resources or users with limited PC knowledge (the kind of people who go cross-eyed if you mention the word browser).

Personally, I'm happy using all 3 depending on the situation, but my personal preference is Firefox, altough I'm planning on switching the parents PC from FF to Opera at some stage, I think it's better suited to them.

(btw, I've gotten a bit behind the times with opera and just downloaded 8.51, do they not use ads any more for the free version ?)

BopNiblets

When will Moox do his custom build of Firefox 1.5, that's what I wanna know.

He customises FF to utilise the SSE2 instruction set and other stuff and it runs faster, but his site (http://www.moox.ws) has said "Returning soon..." for weeks now!

unkel

stevenmu wrote:

Opera is solid, performs well, has good functionality and looks great and works perfectly "out of the box". It's almost the kind of thing you'd expect to find on a MAC, and is probably best suited to "power users". Firefox is a little more finnicky, doesn't look quite as good, but it's many extensions and near infinite customisability makes it ideal for techies. IE's integration with windows, and windows update, makes it ideal for users with limited resources or users with limited PC knowledge (the kind of people who go cross-eyed if you mention the word browser)

Decent summary there

May I add from personal experience that I got a bit tired of having to find that FF extensions stopped working after upgrades - about 10 upgrades in the last year :rolleyes:

No way to beat FFs flexibility though, it will surely remain its core strength. Mind, Opera is not without flexibility. For an example of independent development for Opera see adblock here

stevenmu wrote:

I've gotten a bit behind the times with opera and just downloaded 8.51, do they not use ads any more for the free version

That's right. From version 8.5 it is free and without ads

A few months ago they had an anniversary special where they let you download the full version of 8.0 with a free license. This seems to have been very succesful and maybe that's why they decided to go free...

zuma

If Opera,

Saved webpages in the IE manner and included images by default

and

was more compat. with certain parts of the internet

and

had a large set of free extensions

THEN I would certainly ditch Firefox right now as I still find it unbearable unstable when it comes to sucking down huge amounts of memory and saving files.
Whenever I wish to download a file after having 2 or 3 windows with 5-10 tabs open in each(not that difficult with forums!) Firefox totally freezes for many seconds ever before any file downloading takes place!!
This is experience from using a A64 3500+/1GB RAM...fast HDD..etc!!!

Opera is FAR superior in this regard as its, IMHO, far better built.
I do admit that Im a heavy user, internet browseing, but FF/Opera are still considered more specialist as the average user wil still use IE6!

Opera 8.5X is totally free(you still pay for premium support I think?) with no add banner as the developers saw that it was loseing a large part of the market to Firefox and was being very badly served in the theme/extension department because of this which furether decreased its share.

art

zuma wrote:

I do admit that Im a heavy user, internet browseing, but FF/Opera are still considered more specialist as the average user wil still use IE6!

FireFox has around 25% usage in Europe so it is hardly just a "specialist" browser these days.

unkel

art wrote:

FireFox has around 25% usage in Europe so it is hardly just a "specialist" browser these days.

That's way higher than I thought. Any link for that?

If that's the case and FF is mainstream to that extent then the future for Opera is looking good (depending on what IE7 is like)

Capt'n Midnight

unkel wrote:

That's way higher than I thought. Any link for that?

If that's the case and FF is mainstream to that extent then the future for Opera is looking good (depending on what IE7 is like)

Don't forget that Opera usually spoof it's identity and FireFox does in many cases too. So stats can be misleading.

Also very few people choose IE.

blorg

Definately try Opera, much quicker and less of a resource hog. Only thing it lacks is the extension support, although it is very customisable.

projectmayhem

does opera still have the banner ad of yesteryear? (it used to have banner ad up at the top a few years ago, put me right off)

unkel

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Don't forget that Opera usually spoof it's identity

Yep default in Opera is still IE. Anyone know the reason for this?

projectmayhem wrote:

does opera still have the banner ad of yesteryear? (it used to have banner ad up at the top a few years ago, put me right off)

RTFT:p

Ads are gone in free version

art

unkel wrote:

That's way higher than I thought. Any link for that?

If that's the case and FF is mainstream to that extent then the future for Opera is looking good (depending on what IE7 is like)

It was on a thread in these har boards here some months ago, which was what I was referring too. Since I'm sitting in work at the mo might as well go google it and see what I find...

art

Well, it looks like it depends what countries you average, Germany is 25% and Finland right up at 34%, but others fall right down to 2% or so. Average of all the countries used in this study I found on a French monitoring site (which seems pretty comprehensive) puts it at 15% for Sept 2005.

see: http://www.xitimonitor.com/etudes/equipement11.asp

zuma

art wrote:

Well, it looks like it depends what countries you average, Germany is 25% and Finland right up at 34%, but others fall right down to 2% or so. Average of all the countries used in this study I found on a French monitoring site (which seems pretty comprehensive) puts it at 15% for Sept 2005.

see: http://www.xitimonitor.com/etudes/equipement11.asp

15% is still "specialist" in my view.

These results were probable carried out in surveys and not by analysis of website logs as Opera would be almost non-existent in that case.

Capt'n Midnight

unkel wrote:

Yep default in Opera is still IE. Anyone know the reason for this?

Because far too many sites only expect to see IE and automatically reject unknown browsers.

http://www.getodd.com/stuf/stupid/woodchuck.html

Attention: Woodchucks don't chuck unless you use Microsoft Internet Explorer as your browser.... Netscape scares them.

Works ok in non-IE browsers despite the warning.

Active-X only works in IE but then again you are handing complete control of your machine and files over to any Active-X applet that runs.

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=50611798
Big hole in using IE / explorer to view WMF's

X-SL

If you download FF I garuntee you'll have a whisper in your ear saying "Opera" for the rest of your left.

The desicion is yours

Capt'n Midnight

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=50611798
Big hole in using IE / explorer to view WMF's

since it affects windows...
Even while using Firefox/Mozilla browsers, users should decline to open a WMF file when prompted.

F-Secure reports detecting 57 different malicious WMF files in the wild so far.

art

zuma wrote:

15% is still "specialist" in my view.

These results were probable carried out in surveys and not by analysis of website logs as Opera would be almost non-existent in that case.

The results weren't probable anything - its a professional web auditing company with that information. They regularly provide net usage info.

Note, the 15% means 35 million users in Europe alone - ie almost the same total number of Xbox and Gamecube owners in the world combined!! Then there is 12% usage in the states, a further 15% in Australia and so on to add to that total... Still think that's "Specialist" use???

SeanW

For those IE bashers - even an unpatched version of IE can be made safe

1: Turn off Active Scripting and Javascript, adding only reputable websites to its "Trusted Sites" zone as required.
2: Use a good firewall.

I've been doing that for a year or two now and I haven't had any viruses or "CoolWebSearch" type nasties since then.

Capt'n Midnight

SeanW wrote:

For those IE bashers - even an unpatched version of IE can be made safe

1: Turn off Active Scripting and Javascript, adding only reputable websites to its "Trusted Sites" zone as required.
2: Use a good firewall.

in addition to setting almost all sites with the most restricted settings you also have to turn off images and javascript and cut/paste links via notepad in case of spoofing.

art

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

in addition to setting almost all sites with the most restricted settings you also have to turn off images and javascript and cut/paste links via notepad in case of spoofing.

All to avoid downloading a free and better browser

PiE

Fabritzo wrote:

There's a new boy on the block called flock

Flock wrote:

Out with bookmarks, in with Flock Favorites.
They're stored online, and they're shared, searchable, and tagged

Nnnnnah.

I used Opera for ages a couple of years back, switched to Firefox last year and haven't missed Opera one little bit.

rsynnott

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

since it affects windows...
Even while using Firefox/Mozilla browsers, users should decline to open a WMF file when prompted.

F-Secure reports detecting 57 different malicious WMF files in the wild so far.

Indeed. However, IE can be compromised by opening the offending images in-line, that is, on a web page. With other browsers, you'd have to download the WMF file and then preview it in Explorer.

DirkVoodoo

In relation to firefox memory leak,i have to say i have never looked,but damn! a small bit of task manager-ising reveals its chomping away at 60MB of my memory!

Being an idiot i of course googled the problem, and top of the list was a kind chap who offers some kind of solution.

Memory Fix

I dont know what the long term effects of fiddling around with the cache do to firefox,but if it helps....

astrofool

I use IE because it suits my browsing habits, and know how to not get spyware/virii. I have no problem using FF if its installed as a default browser on other machines I use. Its just not a big deal for me.

Firefox should be praised however for pushing the development of browsers, and forcing IE to be more secure (though blaster forced MS' hand more).

I find it stupid when people go on about web standards when IE has become the de facto standard for the web simply by its dominance (fortunately, or unfortunately, but at least there is a standard).

rsynnott

astrofool wrote:

I find it stupid when people go on about web standards when IE has become the de facto standard for the web simply by its dominance (fortunately, or unfortunately, but at least there is a standard).

You realise that Microsoft is trying to make IE7 more compliant with the REAL standards? And that they are prioritising that above retaining compatibility with IE6's broken implementation?

And when the rest of th'internet is based on real standards, it'd be a shame to adopt something made up by a lazy vendor for the web.

I'm happy with Safari