OT: FoxFire

mjroddy wrote on 2/9/2005, 2:00 PM

(or is it FireFox? - Dangit! I can't remember!)
Just thought I'd jot a note to the great and kind community here about the web browser.
While I've been using Internet Explorer, I've been getting a lot of spyware. Frustrating, but so far not devistating. I got about 10-15 spyware programs a day (according to AdAware).
I heard on NPR a report about Fox Fire, a free web browser, so I thought I'd give it a go. Last week, I started using it exclusively. To date, I have not had a single report of spyware. I've kept AdAware up to date and run it daily. To my pleasant surprise I'm clean.
Just thought that someone out there may want to give this browser a try as well.

Comments

B_JM wrote on 2/9/2005, 2:22 PM

yes -- it is great ...

lots of plugins for it and tabbed view is great .. also the configuration you can do with it is amazing (hidden access - look it up if you want , you can also screw it up good)

Mandk wrote on 2/9/2005, 2:25 PM

The companion mail program (I do not recall the name) is a good one too. Replaces outlook.

I started using both after a bad round of spyware took control.

pjrey wrote on 2/9/2005, 2:43 PM

thunderbird... is the mail program...
i use them both, everyday, and have for many-a-day....
no IE for me.. (i never used it, i used netscape)

B_JM wrote on 2/9/2005, 2:46 PM

I am finding it really taking over also -- + 2 million visitors a month and:

Browsers January 2005
Internet Explorer 77.2%
FireFox 14.7%
Opera 2.2%
Others, view all here 5.9%

Chienworks wrote on 2/9/2005, 2:48 PM

The browser is FireFox and the email program is Thunderbird.

I've been a Netscape user since ... well, back before lots of people knew what the WWW was. I'm on version 7.2 now. Contrary to popular belief, Netscape and FireFox are both based on the Mozilla code base with very few differences. In fact, Netscape has all the blocking and other features of FireFox, and it has the email program built in. I've only come across a couple of sites in the last year that it couldn't display.

I don't know why so many people knock Netscape and claim it doesn't have all the new features of FireFox. It does, and they work. The only real difference you'll see is the icon and the window decorations. Other than that, they are basically the same software.

GaryKleiner wrote on 2/9/2005, 2:53 PM

I have been using Firefox for about 2 months and like it a lot, especially the tabbed browsing.

Gary

Chienworks wrote on 2/9/2005, 3:03 PM

And yes, Netscape 7.x has tabbed browsing too. Sorry to sound pedantic here, but i'm getting pretty tired of having so many people list tabbed browsing as something only FireFox does. Netscape has had it since version 6. Opera has had it since version 2.

I never understood the hype over Opera. It uses MSIE as a foundation and then adds a lot of graphic fluff on top that fills the screen but doesn't add anything useful functionally. When you use Opera, you are using MSIE, security holes and warts and all.

B_JM wrote on 2/9/2005, 4:42 PM

Chienworks - see here http://ilias.ca/MozillaNetscapeRelationship.html

nickle wrote on 2/9/2005, 5:30 PM

Don't forget "Linktification" extension to make pasted links clickable.

L25 wrote on 2/9/2005, 7:26 PM

I have been trying firefox, and while I like it, I can't seem to get it to work with "the fan" features of comcast.net (my cable internet provider).

Is there a plugin I need?

InformationSponge wrote on 2/10/2005, 5:56 AM

You just need Macromedia Flash for the fan. The fan works ok on my PC, although I don't use it that much... the Mrs seems to be a bigger "fan" of the fan. :)

InformationSponge wrote on 2/10/2005, 5:59 AM

Opera isn't built upon IE, it's a whole new browser and engine (just surf a few sites and you'll notice an occasional page that has problems). It's been that way for years. Although I haven't used it for a little while and have been dabbling with Firefox myself, it is a pretty nice browser if you don't mind paying for a browser. It's addons like MyIE, Maxathon (sp?) that actually are just IE wrappers to add extra functionality.

B_JM wrote on 2/10/2005, 7:09 AM

firefox is free -- and is for all platforms

64 bit version have now been released also

Mandk wrote on 2/10/2005, 7:11 AM

Interesting statistic,

My website, although many fewer visitors 9000 per month and mostly high school students is 93% IE, 5.5% Mozilla, and 1.5% other.

busterkeaton wrote on 2/10/2005, 8:05 AM

I think they just found the first security problem in Firefox dealing with spoofing.

I'll find the link

busterkeaton wrote on 2/10/2005, 8:11 AM

Link

Google News also has a bunch of stories predicted spyware creators will target Firefox in 2005.