Firefox vs. IE
 

I have a confession to make. I am a dedicated IE user. I've noticed that might make me a bit of an odd man out amongst the more seasoned 2+2ers. My question is, why? I've yet (knocks on wood) to ever get any virus, trojan, adware, etc, etc...but I'm also pretty careful, I think. I'm generally happy with my Internet surfing experience.

All that being said, I'm open to alternatives. A few years ago I tried some other browsers, but after some compatibility issues with some websites, I went back to IE. I'm sure things have come a long way since then.

So, why Firefox? Or, for the few that are like me, why IE?

Re: Firefox vs. IE
 

I'm in exactly the same boat.

Never had any trojans, etc. I like the compatability of my browser and knowing how it will work.

It is predictable to me and I am used to the short cut keys etc.

Re: Firefox vs. IE
 

I use Firefox. Here's why:

1) Add-ons: The main reason I use Firefox is it's extensibility. There are literally thousands of add-ons for it and there are new ones coming out all the time. I never see any banner ads because I use Adblock Plus. I never see Google ads because I use Customizegoogle. I can manage which sites are allowed to run scripts and install cookies. There are too many add-ons to mention but if you've ever thought "I'd like to be able to do [blank] inside my browser", you probably can with a Firefox add-on.

2) Security: I'm not going to tell you Firefox is 100% secure, it's not. But it is open-source so anyone who wants to can audit the code and bring security issues to Mozilla's attention. ActiveX is still a big threat to IE.

3) Development: Firefox has had features for years that IE only recently introduced in IE7 (tabs, RSS feeds, etc). Firefox 2.0 came out last year, Firefox 3.0 will probably be released early next year. Good luck seeing IE8 before 2010.

With all this being said, if you are only a casual internet user you may not see a big difference between IE and Firefox. But any poweruser or anyone who spends a significant amount of time on the web will see a huge improvement with Firefox + add-ons.

Ask me any questions. I'll be happy to answer.

Re: Firefox vs. IE
 

[ QUOTE ]
I use Firefox. Here's why:

1) Add-ons: The main reason I use Firefox is it's extensibility. There are literally thousands of add-ons for it and there are new ones coming out all the time. I never see any banner ads because I use Adblock Plus. I never see Google ads because I use Customizegoogle. I can manage which sites are allowed to run scripts and install cookies. There are too many add-ons to mention but if you've ever thought "I'd like to be able to do [blank] inside my browser", you probably can with a Firefox add-on.

2) Security: I'm not going to tell you Firefox is 100% secure, it's not. But it is open-source so anyone who wants to can audit the code and bring security issues to Mozilla's attention. ActiveX is still a big threat to IE.

3) Development: Firefox has had features for years that IE only recently introduced in IE7 (tabs, RSS feeds, etc). Firefox 2.0 came out last year, Firefox 3.0 will probably be released early next year. Good luck seeing IE8 before 2010.

With all this being said, if you are only a casual internet user you may not see a big difference between IE and Firefox. But any poweruser or anyone who spends a significant amount of time on the web will see a huge improvement with Firefox + add-ons.

Ask me any questions. I'll be happy to answer.

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Also it's quicker (renders pages faster). I also really like the Master Password feature.

Re: Firefox vs. IE
 

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A few years ago I tried some other browsers, but after some compatibility issues with some websites, I went back to IE. I'm sure things have come a long way since then.

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Firefox has an add-on (called "IE Tab") that allows you to view incompatible pages in IE format without switching browsers. All it takes is a right click on the tab (you also can compile a list of such sites to morph automatically). Ultimately you're running IE inside Firefox, but it's very handy.

Personally, I've been using Firefox exclusively for more than a year, and love it. The tabs brought me in, and the ability to customize -- the skins alone are worth it for me -- made it the hands-down winner. It's also much faster for me.

I would suggest you download it when you have some free time, and tinker with it.

I also use Thunderbird (Mozilla's Outlook) and love that as well.

As for security -- and I'm nowhere near a tech so correct me if I'm wrong -- one of the biggest reasons Firefox is much safer than IE is because hacks overwhelmingly target IE because of its much larger user base.

EDIT: Also, the "Foxmarks" feature is money. It allows you to run Firefox on several computers with the same bookmarks. It's great.

Re: Firefox vs. IE
 

The customization is key as stated by everyone else.

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As for security -- and I'm nowhere near a tech so correct me if I'm wrong -- one of the biggest reasons Firefox is much safer than IE is because hacks overwhelmingly target IE because of its much larger user base.

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This is really true. IE and FF both get regular patches and have known holes, but since many people design just for the #1, the #2 is sometimes safer in a sense. This is the same thing for Linux or OS X vs Windows.

That being said, a lot of people are going to be screwed because of bad habits they picked up when using a non-#1 when hackers start programing cross-platform.

Re: Firefox vs. IE
 

see here(Guaranteed to NOT be a rickroll.)

Re: Firefox vs. IE
 

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
As for security -- and I'm nowhere near a tech so correct me if I'm wrong -- one of the biggest reasons Firefox is much safer than IE is because hacks overwhelmingly target IE because of its much larger user base.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is really true. IE and FF both get regular patches and have known holes, but since many people design just for the #1, the #2 is sometimes safer in a sense. This is the same thing for Linux or OS X vs Windows.

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I'd guess that IE users (the default) update their security less frequently than Firefox users (a conscious download). That'd be another reason to target IE.

Re: Firefox vs. IE
 

opera is a good alternative.

Re: Firefox vs. IE
 

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see here(Guaranteed to NOT be a rickroll.)

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haha what a retarded ad