What is firefox and how is it different from Windows XP?

[farmall806]

HI:

Can someone tell me what is Firefox and how is it different from Windows XP? Can you still keep the XP operating system if you download Firefox?

Thanks,

[GeorgeB]

Firefox is an open-source alternative to Internet Explorer. Your operating system will continue to be Windows XP, Firefox is just a piece of software that runs on Windows.

Firefox is a standards-based, open source browser. In plain English, this means that the "code" that makes the browser work is open for all to see. This has many benefits, one of the biggest in my book being security. Since the code is open, the community can (and does) review the code looking for vulnerabilities (as well as enhancements). In contrast to the weeks or months that it takes microsoft to patch bugs and security problems, the open source community often has fixes available within days.

Another benefit is that Firefox is immune to more than 90% of the most common browser exploits, so your web browsing experience is much safer.

It's my professional opinion that Firefox be used in business environments in particular, since there are so many IE vulnerabilities that could open corporate networks to theft and/or abuse. It's also better for personal use for the same reason, plus the fact that there is a wide variety of "extensions" or free add-ons makes using Firefox a no-brainer in my book.

Try it, I bet you'll like it. And if not, you can always uninstall it.

[speaker]

I have wondered about Firefox, so, thanks for bringing it up, farmall.
I started to install it but took it off because my computer was a mess at the time.
I meant to ask res what he thought of it. Since it's on the SU homepage I figured he must not have any grievances against it. But I don't feel like getting all messed up again.

[GeorgeB]

But I don't feel like getting all messed up again.

You have nothing to lose. The firefox developers go to great lengths to make sure that there is no interference with other programs or settings. You can simply run the Add/Remove Programs utility through your control panel to get rid of it if you so choose, and it will not affect anything else.

I'm strongly in favor of using Firefox in place of IE (IE=Internet Explorer) because it is much safer. In fact I install it and set it up on all the computers for family and friends because it is that important.

You see, Internet Explorer is so tightly intertwined with the operating system that it doesn't take much to take complete control over a computer through an IE vulnerability. It's so easy in fact that sometimes all you have to do is browse a particular website to be compromised, and your antivirus won't stop it because the vulnerability is not a virus!

Let me put it this way, if all the people who come to Res for computer repair started using Firefox, he'd have to find a new line of work to supplement his income, because there would be that many fewer instances of "messed up" computers. This is fact, not opinion.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a magic pill that will solve all your problems. But it WILL keep you from being taken over by the thousands of hostile websites and programs out there that are designed for nothing more than to take over computers through IE vulnerabilities.

I have no stake in your using Firefox, this is simply friendly advice from a computer geek who knows how important it really is. The 'net is a dirty place, I like to say it's similar to the old west, there's very little regulatory control, and very few "sheriffs" to keep the peace. It's up to each user to protect yourself. The easiest way to do so is to stop using software that is proven to be vulnerable time and time again. Using IE is like travelling down the Oregon trail in the old days by yourself, without a rifle, with a big sign on your back saying "free gold". Yes, it's that bad, I'm not exaggerating even a little.

One last bit of anecdotal evidence - up until a year ago I was constantly re-loading and repairing my wife's computer. She no longer uses IE for web browsing, and wouldn't you know it, I haven't had to fix that computer even ONE TIME since she stopped using IE.

...just some friendly advice from a geek who knows

PS - To those who use and love Firefox, try Thunderbird which is an email program made by the same developers. I swear by it and use it on all my systems. No more Outlook vulnerabilities, and it includes *free* junkmail controls that are as high quality as the $30+ add-ons for Outlook. Thunderbird is for email what Firefox is for web browsing

[WNYresident]

I have wondered about Firefox, so, thanks for bringing it up, farmall.
I started to install it but took it off because my computer was a mess at the time.
I meant to ask res what he thought of it. Since it's on the SU homepage I figured he must not have any grievances against it. But I don't feel like getting all messed up again.

I believe it's on your computer when I reloaded you. Do you see a blue/orange icon on your desktop?

[concernedwnyer]

HI:

Can someone tell me what is Firefox and how is it different from Windows XP? Can you still keep the XP operating system if you download Firefox?

Thanks,

Simply put it is an Internet Browser alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer Browser. Give FireFox a try but be for warned that there are some issues with this browser. If it gives you trouble just go back to Internet Explorer. I find that more and more WEB sites are written for and are more compatible with Internet Explorer than many of the Browser alternatives out there.

[concernedwnyer]

PS - To those who use and love Firefox, try Thunderbird which is an email program made by the same developers. I swear by it and use it on all my systems. No more Outlook vulnerabilities, and it includes *free* junkmail controls that are as high quality as the $30+ add-ons for Outlook. Thunderbird is for email what Firefox is for web browsing

You may be over rating FireFox. Download the latest IE and you will find it seems to work just fine. I have the systems you just described while using alternative Browsers..... I have three installed on my system and all three display certain WEB pages differently.

[SolarEclipse]

Firefox is far superior to IE6. Most of the new features that will end up being released in IE7 are already in Firefox - tabbed browsing, downloadable extensions, etc. There are even extensions for Firefox that will allow you to open a page using the IE rendering engine right inside Firefox, in case you run into a stubborn page that doesn't work in FF.

As a developer, my only regret is that I didn't find Firefox sooner. The developer extensions are priceless... and free.

[Ragin]

...just some friendly advice from a geek who knows

I've been hanging out with geeks too long .. y'all are turning me on!

[therising]

I like Firefox, particularly for the tab feature (which I guess "regular" Netscape has as well?).

Anyway, my only problem with it is this: I use Yahoo email (not through Outlook). When I'm in Firefox, I can't copy and paste a link onto the body of an email. Any idea why, and whether or not there's a way to change this?

Also, is there much of a difference between Netscape and Firefox?

Thanks.

[speaker]

Not there, res, but I'm going to install it--and Thunderbird. You saw that I use SU for IE's homepage--what, duh, do I do to make SU Firefoxes home page? (I feel dumb)
Thanks, george B

[GeorgeB]

Rising, for troubleshooting purposes, can you paste a link by pressing Ctrl-V as opposed to right clicking? I haven't experienced that issue myself, but I read about it some time in the not too distant past. If that doesn't do the trick, are you able to paste otherwise? Meaning, if you type into notepad and copy that text, you're able to paste it into yahoo mail then, right?

As for the differences between Firefox and Netscape, the average user won't notice many differences other than the look and feel and placement of some of the options. There are some "nuts and bolts" differences, but they share many components. Power users will appreciate the extensible architecture of firefox, like eclipse mentioned, there are literally thousands of community developed extensions that can add to or alter the way firefox works. Want to check your favorite stocks? Or how about having the ability to click on any word on a web page and get the definition with one click, there's an extension for that too - try the Answers extension (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/735/) There's also the "ForcastFox" extension that shows you the weather in the bottom of your brower... and that's just 3 of hundreds and hundreds of extensions.... www.mozilla.com/extensions/

Speaker, I'm happy to help
To make speakup your homepage, click "Tools" in the top menu bar, then "Options". At the top of the "General" section you'll see a group box labelled "Home Page", type "http://www.speakupwny.com" into the "Location(s)" text box and click OK. If you have any trouble please let me know.

[DelawareDistrict]

I've been using firefox for over a year and can't stomach the thought of going back to IE. The plethora of extensions alone makes firefox far superior. One of my favorite extensions is BBCodeXTRA, it allows you insert code into forums and blog posts with a "right click" that displays the menu of choices.

[SolarEclipse]

Cool. I'm going to have to try that out.

My favorite extension is Sage - an RSS reader right in the browser. No need for a separate program.

[GeorgeB]

I agree, Sage is on my "must-have" list. As is the "Web Developer" toolbar. I also like "SessionSaver" that restores your windows exactly as you had them after closing firefox or even after shutdown/reboot. "GooglePreview" is another must-have in my opinion, it shows thumbnails of websites to the left of Google search results. Last buy not least in my lineup of must-haves is "All-in-one-Gestures" that allows you to perform tasks such as back, forward, refresh, new tab, etc, etc, etc all with simple mouse movements instead of clicking on the buttons. To the other developers out there, you might want to check out "MeasureIt" if you haven't already, it's basically a browser tape-measure, it's great for CSS tweaking/etc.