Firefox 3

[The Woodentop]

Been reading all the hype about Firefox 3. Has anyone downloaded it? What are your feelings? How does it compare to the good old Internet Explorer?

Any answers in any order will be appreciated.

Larry

 

[Dan Lyke]

I've been using Firefox for years and years, and Firefox 3 beta for a few months. I'd definitely use it before Internet Exploder, if only because it's a smaller target for virus writers. But it's also generally way ahead of Microsoft in terms of features and capabilities, it generally takes a while for the leading edge of other computing systems to filter down into Microsoft products.

However, I'm also a really nerdly type of person, we generally run Linux on the computers in this house (although we have 4 that'll run Windows, they don't normally).

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Larry,
I've been using Mozilla (Firefox) since the idea of a Web browser existed.  I've never used Internet Explorer, except when I need to test what a page I'm creating will look like.
I downloaded the new Firefox 3.0, and it works great for me.  I'm big into open source, community-created applications, so Mozilla software is definitely for me!
Matthew

 

[ken257]

I have been using Firefox 3 on Ubuntu 8.04 on my Eee PC 901 and love it, I also run it on my mac. Firefox generally is a little more secure then IE plus it just has the features and layout that works for me. I do dual boot my Eee with XP but it is a very rare occasion that I will start windows.

 

[jaegerhund]

I like it ------- use to use Safari but now Firefox on PC and Macintosh.

Justin

 

[Larry Fox]

Running it on my iMAC and love it.  I use IE at work becaue I have to and FireFox has it all over IE.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I'm using Firefox 3 on a Dell Inspiron E1505 running VISTA Home Premium OS to access FOG today.  But I have to go back to IE to view some photos and videos.  Despite repeated download tries of the needed plugins, I cannot get videos such as those at YouTube to work.  So the alleged benefits of FireFox are not able to be realized by me.

I just want to use a PC, not get a PhD in how to set up one!

Dave R

 

[fidelfs]

Are you using Adblock plus plug in or a similar one?  This ad block read the youtube content and find some advertisements and then you only see a black box.
If you do have adblock plus try disabling for that page and they reload and see if you can see it.

I have Firefox3 and had a similar problem.

 

[Steve Jones]

As a general rule, when considering which software package to use for any purpose, examine the box carefully. If it uses the words "Micro" and "Soft" in conjunction without being immediately followed by the word "compatible" then it's always better to avoid that product.

Any product that does contain those words on the packaging will have more bugs than a Texas lawn, and will be carefully designed to be as "user friendly" to hackers as possible,

Of course if you enjoy waiting....

You'll get to wait for:
* regular reboots, (when the system locks up for no reason)

* Anti virus software to check every action, (because any action on an MS system is dangerous)

* long bootups, (takes windows about three times as long as Unix to load)

* Very long installs and upgrades (I never did figure out why an install of XP should take longer than three times the time required to read and write every single byte on my hard drive, since by definition the OS has to fit on that drive how can it possibly take that long? and what the heck is it doing all that time?

* Upgrades that take far too long

* The opportunity to "Prove" to the evil empire that you really, really do own the software because they disabled it on on of those upgrades and you need it to function again.

* new features that arrive 18 months after everyone else (non MS victims) has them because MS doesn't actually "develop" anything except bugs, "Issues" (MS code for bugs) and holes inviting hackers into your system.

You're on this board because for whatever reason you decided the price of Festool is worth it for their tools - so why insist on (or even consider) using the software equivalent of Chinese tools on your computer?

Oddly enough the operating system equivalent of Festool is absolutely free

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Are you using Adblock plus plug in or a similar one?  This ad block read the youtube content and find some advertisements and then you only see a black box.
If you do have adblock plus try disabling for that page and they reload and see if you can see it.

I have Firefox3 and had a similar problem.

I'm using PC Tools Spyware Doctor to protect my PC.  It has performed much better than either Norton or McAfee, and is much faster to load and update, and much simpler to manage.

I'm using Firefox to access FOG today, but I have to switch to IE to view some images and any video files.  My OS is VISTA.

I disagree with those comparisons of Mozilla to Festool products.  Festool products are relatively simple, mechanical and easy to figure out how to use.  No so, at least for me, with any digital electronics system where I cannot see what the @#%& those ones and zeros are doing.

Dave R.

 

[fidelfs]

Dave,

Firefox allows you to install several plugins that work only for firefox. These are different than the ones you mentioned in your post.

These plugins only affect the firefox session they are not design to work outside the firefox web browser.

Could you open firefox and click on the firefox menu "Tools" and click on "Add-ons" a new pop up will open showing all the plug ins.

Take a look if you don't have ad block plug in.  Or you can see at the right top corner of your browser and look for this sign [attachimg=1]
If you see that image you have adblock plus.

When you don't see the images what do you see? maybe you have a missing plugin.  Could you attach a print shot from your computer when you cannot see the ad or the picture?

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Good Morning,
I've been a long-time fan of the whole open-source community, and specifically the Mozilla products, going all the way back to the earliest (pre-IE days) of Internet browsers.  However, in my tests, I discovered a couple of annoying glitches in Firefox 3.0, so for my main system I'm still running 2.0.X.  As soon as they fix the problems, I'll adopt 3.0, because when I tested it I really liked a lot of what I saw.

Stay in touch,
Matthew

 

[cflansbaum]

I too have used Firefox almost exclusively for years now.  However, I recently tried Google's new Chrome browser.  Anyone else using it?  I've been using it the past few weeks and really like it, it's my default browser now.  No issues so far, other than not being supported at the ABC.com website...

Carl

 

[KM]

Hi Dave,

I am in agreement with Matthew on this one. I love Firefox, but will wait a bit before using V3.

I was running Firefox 3 for a few weeks (vista) and found that it wasn't 100% compatible with my other programs. Therefore, I decided to revert back to Firefox 2 and have been problem free since.

The solution is to uninstall 3.0 from your system and install version 2. The link to download Firefox 2 is athttp://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-older.html. Just be sure to uncheck the Firefox "Automatic Update" function once you install V2 or I believe it will download V 3 automatically. You can do this by opening firefox then click the following:

1. Tools
2. options
3. Advanced
4. Update

At this screen, uncheck the boxes for "Firefox" and "Installed Add On's". This way you can decide when and which updates you would prefer.

Hope this helps

Ken

 

[fidelfs]

Matt,

That is another reason to try the new macbooks (I know this is from another Thread but I couldn't resist  ;D).  I am running Firefox3 with no issues. OSX 10.5.5
I will try in a linux sistem to see if there are issues.

 

[mhoy]

I run Firefox 3 at work on Windows. At home on CentOS 5.3 (a RedHat rebuild) and also on my Macbook.  Love it. Also run Add Block Plus on all of them.

Mark

 

[Steve Jones]

Firefox 3.0.3 running on Ubuntu - no problems that I have discovered except my girlfriend is stuck on Hotmail which is trying very hard (apparently) to refuse to function with Firefox/Ubuntu - but I found an easy fix (if anyone else has this problem let me know

 

[Dave Ronyak]

It's interesting to me to read all of the above posts.  But here's an interesting thing, at least to me.  Although I am no fan of MS for many reasons, it is their software that continues to enable me to reach whereever I want to go on the internet, and FireFox does not.  What good is the world's greatest automobile if you cannot easily figure out how to start or steer it?  I want to use a PC as a tool, a portal to information and for communication.  Unfortunately, much too often for me a PC is more of a time sink and the ultimate puzzle game and less of a useful tool due to the ever increasing complexity of software digital largess.  But I'll keep trying!!

Dave R.

 

[The Woodentop]

It's interesting to me to read all of the above posts.  But here's an interesting thing, at least to me.  Although I am no fan of MS for many reasons, it is their software that continues to enable me to reach whereever I want to go on the internet, and FireFox does not.   What good is the world's greatest automobile if you cannot easily figure out how to start or steer it?  I want to use a PC as a tool, a portal to information and for communication.  Unfortunately, much too often for me a PC is more of a time sink and the ultimate puzzle game and less of a useful tool due to the ever increasing complexity of software digital largess.  But I'll keep trying!!

Dave R.

Dave,

If you can run IE, you'll be fine with Firefox. They work virtually the same way....as do Apple products and most other Unix based solutions.

Big plus at the moment, NO massive security hole in Firefox........not like IE!

We won't talk about the 'morons computer' for those with more money than sense!??

Larry

 

[nickao]

I have only used firefox in the last 3 years and never had any problems yet. There was a small glitch when I went to the 64 bit vista using flash on web sites, but that problem has been fixed.