Re: Firefox vs. IE
If you are careful with you security settings (both browser and windows), IE (especially IE7) isn't really much more of a security risk than Firefox. That said, I use Firefox because I think it's generally a better browser, and I like performance and the interface (which is really very similar to IE6).
Curiously enough, the only spyware infection I ever got (on a work PC) I got using firefox. I was looking up a song lyric while on lunch break (That's what I told people anyway :-) ), and on a harmless looking site, I got a Java applet dialog saying I needed a plugin to view content on the site, and asking me to approve installation of an signed executable. I bit, and started getting popups right away. I managed to get rid of the crap manually, and the IT folks cleaned up the remnants with Adaware and Windows Defender. My biggest mistakes were that I was running with power user privileges at the time, and that I approved the install without thinking carefully enough.
The point I guess is that the best software and security settings won't protect you if a site manages to trick you into overriding them.
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