Better Browser than IE??

[sq764]

Does anyone know of a better browser than Internet Explorer? And if so, where I can get it?

It's been nothing but trouble of late and I am sick of it..

[BillW]

Originally posted by sq764
Does anyone know of a better browser than Internet Explorer? And if so, where I can get it?

It's been nothing but trouble of late and I am sick of it..

I've been using Firefox for quite a while now and really like it.

http://www.mozilla.org/


Bill

[Tom]

Some days, I think getting in my car, driving to the store and buying newspapers would be better than IE!

[Buddha]

I am with BillW. Mozilla Firefox is great. took me a couple of days to get used to it, well the first Mozilla browser, and Firefox is even better. Many similarities between IE and Firefox, and firefox has teh ability to open numerous tabs, without opening new windows

[Dick Schmidt]

I use a minimalist browser called "SlimBrowser". It is free, and maintains the look and feel of IE with some interesting added features. The one that most stands out is using tabs to navigate around the internet. For instance, I have a list of about 6 sites that I visit most days. I click one button and all six are opened and listed on tabs across the top of the screen. Click on any of them and you are instantly transported to that website. It also features a Google search on the address bar.

Not revolutionary, it is small and compact and seems to work with any website that IE can open. It has a number of other features that I don't use, but may be of use to others. It is updated about once a month, and the updates are also free.

I like it.


Dick


If you must choose between two evils, chose the one that you've
never tried before.

[kingfin66]

Here is the real question: Are Mozilla and SlimBrowser more secure than IE? That is actually a trick question. I would assume that they have to be as IE is very lacking in security. May have to check one or both of them out. Why can't the world's largest software company, sitting on over $500 billion in CASH, figure out a way to make a good browser!?

[BillW]

Originally posted by kingfin66
Here is the real question: Are Mozilla and SlimBrowser more secure than IE? That is actually a trick question. I would assume that they have to be as IE is very lacking in security. May have to check one or both of them out. Why can't the world's largest software company, sitting on over $500 billion in CASH, figure out a way to make a good browser!?

They just announced their intention to market anti-virus software. I imagine it won't be long before they announce their anti-spyware solution also. :rolleyes:

[Dick Schmidt]

The real problem with IE, and Windows as well, is that they were designed in a gentler, simpler time. When the foundations of Windows were laid down, virus's were rare and could only be "caught" from an infected disk you personally put into your machine. The internet didn't exist.

When IE was designed, spyware and internet virus's weren't a concern. They didn't exist, and no one, at Microsoft or any other company, foresaw what a pain in the butt they would become.

Might as well complain about airports being built without security in mind. Who thought of airplanes as weapons 20 years ago? Or even 3 years ago? An airport was a fancy bus terminal. You bought your ticket and climbed aboard. Simple and easy, built for a simpler time.

One more thought. If Microsoft does bring out a really bullet proof operating system that actively protects itself from virus's and spyware, they will undoubtedly be sued for destroying the businesses of McAfee, Norton and all the other anti-virus software makers. Chances are, the government will help in the suit.

I'm not a big Microsoft supporter, but face it. If you ran a company that faced these problems, what would you do? They are developing a new OS that will (they promise) fix most of these complaints. Of course, then people will bitch about having to pay for an upgrade. Wadda you gonna do?


Dick


The word 'politics' describes the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

[andicap]

what about Opera? Anyone here use that browser?

[cj]

Firefox is free, but I would pay top dollar if I needed to use it. It is faster and much more versatile than IE. The need to find the extensions for some things you are used to doing and install them.

Tabbed browsing is the top benefit, but there are many others.

[sq764]

Kingfin, maybe this is a conspiracy theory, but.. I kind of thought that possibly, Microsoft had a lesser know spyware/virusscan division that would be a perfect compliment to any issues with their browser or even the whole Microsoft line.

"Let's leave a few bugs in our software, so people will then have to purchase security software (from us) to combat the flaw in our original software"


It's the perfect crime

[BillW]

Originally posted by cjmilkowski

Tabbed browsing is the top benefit, but there are many others.

The session saver is also addictive. I'm constantly opening the same 4 or 5 sites. That annoyance has now evaporated.

Third on my list is the ability to automatically refresh a page at a specified interval. Auto refresh @ 15 minute intervals on Yahoo mail (in a tab) is pretty cool.

Bill

[Big Bill]

I have always found Netscape's Navigator to be less buggy than IE. I use Netscape 7.1 now and also find the mail program (Communicator) easier to use than Outlook Express.

The feature that Dick described...

"The one that most stands out is using tabs to navigate around the internet. For instance, I have a list of about 6 sites that I visit most days. I click one button and all six are opened and listed on tabs across the top of the screen. Click on any of them and you are instantly transported to that website."

.....might be the same as what I have with the Netscape browser's Personal Tool Bar, i.e., I can put up to 12 bookmarked web sites, or tabs, on the tool bar and just click to open them.

As far as I know, Netscape is still downloadable for free from their site.

Big Bill

[BillW]

Originally posted by Big Bill


As far as I know, Netscape is still downloadable for free from their site.

Big Bill

Bill,

Mozilla and Firefox are essentially Netscape.

Bill

[andicap]

Originally posted by BillW
The session saver is also addictive. I'm constantly opening the same 4 or 5 sites. That annoyance has now evaporated.

Third on my list is the ability to automatically refresh a page at a specified interval. Auto refresh @ 15 minute intervals on Yahoo mail (in a tab) is pretty cool.

Bill

what does session saver do?

[BillW]

Originally posted by andicap
what does session saver do?

Andi,

When you bring the browser back up it restores the same state that existed when you last shut it down. The benefit is if you habitually always have the same sites loaded in the tabs, they automatically come up and load on each invocation.

Bill

[Dave Schwartz]

Bill,

I am trying FireFox. My tabs do not reopen when I reopen the browser. Is there a setting I am missing somewhere?

Dave

[cj]

Originally posted by Dave Schwartz
Bill,

I am trying FireFox. My tabs do not reopen when I reopen the browser. Is there a setting I am missing somewhere?

Dave http://texturizer.net/firefox/extensions/#sessionsaver

Try here Dave, the extensions are where to find all the neat add-ons that make it such a nice browser.

[Dave Schwartz]

CJ,

Very cool! Thanks.

Dave

[BillW]

The whole idea behind Firefox is that the engine is lean and mean. The user has the choice to make it as much a bloated pig as they desire. You are not forced to run the most bloated incarnation if you do not wish. Not to mention that anyone with a good idea can write an extension.

I should note that I've been using rev. 0.9 since the day it was released (a few days ago). Not all of the extentions have been updated to be compatable with the latest rev. yet. The one that I use that hasn't been yet is the auto-reload extension. While this is just a beta "technology preview" it has been rock solid, since I started using Rev. 0.7 quite a few months ago now.


Bill

[Big Bill]

BillW,

Your post makes Firefox sound mighty good. My daughter is my computer guru and when I asked her about it, this is what she said:

"If you get Mozilla and Firefox (which are the same core as Netscape but with newer versions/features because they've moved on while Netscape's stopped) then you don't get mail unless you also download a separate "Thunderbird" which is still "young" enough that I haven't tried using it although I look forward to the day when I think it will be worth switching to."

Sounds like I might have Firefox for my browser someday.....when my daughter decides to change over from Netscape.

Big Bill

[BillW]

Big Bill,

Yes, if you are a novice, it wouldn't hurt to wait. The mail client is also broken out from the browser core and is called Thunderbird ... I've never used it.


BTW ReloadEvery 0.3 the auto update extension is now been brought up to date with Rev. 0.9.

Bill

[kitts]

I've been Netscape for years. NS7.1 does a good job. I have heard good things about Firefox and Opera. Any browser, IMHO, is better than MSIE.