Consider changing your web browser

uolj

Starter
Many of you have already considered changing your web browser, or have actually done it, but for those of you who like reading the KingsFans forum and are still using Internet Explorer, I think you should consider an alternative that just might make your forum reading a little nicer.

My browser of choice is Firefox, although the benefits I will mention apply to other browsers as well, like Opera. I have recently enjoyed exposing some of the extra features of these browsers to some co-workers and my wife, and so I thought I'd do the same for any of you here that happened upon this thread, especially since most of my favorite features make browsing KingsFans.com that much easier.

So here are the features that I like and why they are nice:
  • Tabbed Browsing - The single best feature not yet in Internet Explorer. This feature lets you open several pages, each with a different web address, that show up as tabs on your browser that you can easily switch between. In Internet Explorer, you must open a new window for each different webpage you want to keep open at the same time.

    To open a link in a new tab, simply click on the link with your scroll button (the little scroller wheel in the middle of the mouse can be pushed down to "middle-click"). This is ideal for surfing the forums. I like to open a particular forum, like the Kings forum, and then middle-click the "Go to first new post" icon (
    firstnew.gif
    ) for about 3 to 5 threads. Each one opens up in a new tab, and I then switch to each tab one at a time. I read each thread, then close the tab when I am done. The main forum window is still open after I have read the threads that I opened. In Internet explorer, you have to click on a thread, read it, then go back and click on another thread, read it, then go back, etc. If you decide that a particular thread looks interesting and you want to read through it closer later, you cannot just leave it up, you have to go back to it later. With tabbed browsing, you leave that tab open and you can continue to surf the forum and go back to it later. Trust me, its wonderful.

  • Find as you type - In Firefox, if you hit Ctrl-F (or if you do as I have done and check the Tools->Options->Advanced->"Begin finding when you begin typing" option) you can just start typing the word or phrase that you want to search the current page for and Firefox will start looking for it on that page automatically.

    I find myself trying to use this feature everywhere. I'll open up an old email, or a Word document and just start typing expecting the program to find the words I am typing in the page. Unfortunately, only Firefox (and maybe a few other browsers) has this feature. This feature helps with general web browsing more than specific KingsFans reading, but you can use it here as well. Have you ever been looking for a particular thread in the thread list but you just can't see it? Just start typing a word that you know is in the thread title, and Firefox will find it for you. Or maybe you have a thread open, and you remember that somebody made some reference to your favorite ex-King, Terry Tyler, but you just can't find it. Just start typing T-Y-L, and chances are Firefox will find just that post that you were looking for. Trust me, it's wonderful.

  • Dictionary Search - Have you ever been reading the threads and come across a particularly interesting post, but there is one word that you just don't remember the meaning of and you wish you had a dictionary at your fingertips to look it up really quickly. Or maybe you are participating in a discussion and somebody has insinuated that you are not very smart, and so to prove them wrong you decide to use some of the big words you learned in 10th grade english class - but the problem is that you don't remember how to spell them, and an incorrect spelling would completely counteract the benefits of the use of the big word? Well, Firefox gives you at least two easy ways solve your problems.

    The first method is built-in. It is the Search Bar. It is the small edit box next to the address bar that usually has the Google G logo. Normally, if you type something in here and hit enter, it will search Google for what you typed. If you click on the little arrow, it will drop down a list of other sites to search. One of those is probably Dictionary.com. So just type in the word you want to look up, and hit enter. The definition will be displayed, or if you mispelled it a list of potentially correct spellings will be given. Nifty. In fact, you can have this information pop up in a new tab so it won't bother what you are in the middle of - just hold down Alt when you hit enter, or do as I do and set the preference in the Tabbrowser Preferences extension.

    The second method is an extension to Firefox. You have to download and install extensions, but they are generally very easy. There is an extension called DictionarySearch. With this extension, if you just select a word and right-click, one of the options will be 'Dictionary Search for "plethora"' or whatever the word you selected was. This also can open a new tab with the same results. You can customize either of these options to do Thesaurus searching, too. Trust me, it's wonderful.

  • Popup-Blocking - This feature doesn't apply to KingsFans.com, which doesn't have popup windows (I think), but many other sites do have annoying popup ads. By default Firefox blocks most popup ads from appearing. In general, it is pretty good about letting legitimate popups open, but when it makes a mistake you can usually tell it to allow popups for the site that you want them from. This feature is available for most browsers, but its nice to just have it built-in and not have to worry about it. Trust me, it's wonderful.

So those are my favorite features of Firefox. There are other benefits, too, and of course a few negatives, but overall I really prefer surfing the web with Firefox over Internet Explorer. Trust me it's wonderful. ;)

Now, if any of you are curious about trying to switch, give it a try and ask any questions about it here, there are plenty of knowledgable and experienced users amongst us to help you out.

For those of you who already use Firefox, what extensions and themes do you like the most? I current use the Qute 3 theme only, I like things simple. I also use Tabbrowser Preferences, DictionarySearch, Flashblock (nice!) and just recently I added Mouse Gestures 1.0. I have only been using Mouse Gestures when browsing forums, because I have a set pattern that the mouse gestures help me with. I am slowly getting used to them so that I don't close a tab when I just mean to switch it. Are there any good ones I am missing?

And by the way, while creating this thread I have used all of the first three features that I mentioned - tabs to keep reading new posts while I typed this, dictionary search to make sure I spelled "insinuated" correctly and thesaurus search to check for a better alternative for "counteract", and Find as you type to look for the places I typed FireFox and change them to Firefox. Sure, I'm pretty anal about that stuff which is why I need these features, but trust me, it's wonderful. :)
 
Thanks, uolj. I just download the browser right now...using it right now too. So far, so good. :)
 
:D Ha! A potential convert already!

Just be sure to ask if there's anything that doesn't seem right or that you wish it would do differently. I had to change several options from the default to get the optimum effect.
 
I switched over to Firefox a while back. I was convinced by an article from Maddox's site. I love the browser and was also looking into downloading Thunderbird as well.
 
I really like a lot of the features of Firefox, but mainly I switched over because of security concerns with Explorer.

However, now the latest word is that Mozilla is becoming a bigger threat target than IE.

I've used Opera in the past and liked it a lot, so I'm trying to gather info to see how secure it is.
 
I've been using mozilla for about 5 months and I really like it also. I haven't checked out the mouse thing yet but I will. Really like the tab browsing feature.
While we're on the subject of computers and you guys/gals are obivously much more informed than I am, not difficult!!:confused: I'm buying new computer in next month or so YEA DSL CANT WAIT (sorry, tired of dial up), and I'd like your advice on what to buy. I've heard Dells are good but what do you think? Looking to spend about $500-600.
 
firefox is awesome! i love the tabs, i love the extra security! but one place were it could use some help is the download manager! it plain out sucks............ also what i noticed is when i go to certain sites on firefox and then i go to the same sites with IE they look different........
 
loopymitch said:
I'm buying new computer in next month or so YEA DSL CANT WAIT (sorry, tired of dial up), and I'd like your advice on what to buy. I've heard Dells are good but what do you think? Looking to spend about $500-600.

i wouldnt recommend buying a dell... from what i hear their parts arent interchangable. for example, if you wanted to upgrade your video card instead of going out and buying one from the store you would have to contact dell and buy one from them. i havent bought a premade computer in years, i build my own.... but from what i hear HP and Sony arent bad............ if you go at the right time to store you can find some great deals.........
 
@Twix - Any luck? Is it up and running? Are you converted or confused? ;)

@C Diddy - I've been using Thunderbird for a couple months now. I haven't found anything special about it compared to Outlook Express. I did have one annoying problem when I started it up. My wife and I have several email accounts that we download to our machines, including shared accounts, so we never delete the message from the servers (like Yahoo). When you install Thunderbird and add the account information, the default is to download all messages on the server and delete them from the server. That's not what I wanted because there are hundreds of messages and I want them to stay on the Yahoo servers until I know my wife has received them also. I just had to be quick at canceling the download and changing the settings.

@funkykingston, Rockmeister - I'd be surprised if Mozilla was a bigger threat, simply because despite the flash of publicity it is still not nearly as common as IE. Opera is an excellent browser also, but the free version has ads that are just annoying enough to make me stay with Firefox. I would assume Opera is less threatened because it is less widely used, but I couldn't comment on the abilities of any of the makers of these programs to actually combat the security holes.

@Fillmoe - What issues do you have with the download manager? Have you tried the FlashGot extension? (I haven't)

@loopymitch - I think Dell's a good way to go if your computer knowledge isn't that high. You probably won't be doing a lot of changing parts in that case, and Dell has a reputation for having good customer service (my own experiences have ranged from very good to ehhh???). I generally like my Sony, but not as much as I liked my Dell. All three family members of mine with HPs recently had catastrophic failures that required them to restore to factory settings - losing all data, pictures, settings, they had accumulated since they bought the computer. That doesn't mean all HPs are bad, of course, it's just my own personal experience. At $500-600, eMachines is an option also. I'd suggest checking out a PC magazine to see ratings for reliability and customer service, which are probably the two most important things you'll want from a relatively cheap computer for a beginner/intermediate computer user.
 
Until Firefox was released, virtually every browser other than IE was a waste of time (in my opinion anyway). Firefox still has a few rendering weaknesses, but its strengths make it well worthwhile. To me, Forefox represents the first, and to date, ONLY worthy replacement browser for IE in terms of functionality, and far surpasses IE in terms of security. MS has taken a lot of clues from Firefox for their next major build of IE. Regardless of which browser we use down the road... Firefox created an impact in a way that no other browser even came close.

A huge thumbs up to these guys.
 
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@rhuber - I agree. I think Opera might rival Firefox as an alternative, but the effects on future versions of IE will by themselves be worthwhile, even if those browsers never become mainstream.

@Heuge - There is an extension that makes it easy to open up pages in IE when they don't work right in Firefox, but I don't remember the name. It might not be ready for use yet, but you might consider looking into it.

@Everybody - Juicy nugget for Firefox users:

  • Open a new tab (leave this tab open so you can read the instructions).
  • Type "about:config" without the quotes into the location bar and hit enter.
  • Search for the preference called, "browser.tabs.showSingleWindowModePrefs" without the quotes. You can paste that into the Filter box to find it more easily. If it is not there, right-click anywhere and select New->Boolean, then paste the text above.
  • Set the value to True. I think you can just double-click on it.
  • Close the tab.
  • Go to Tools->Options.
  • Find the tabbed browsing option that says, "Force links that open new windows to open in:".
  • Change it to "a new tab".
This fancy feature helps keep everything in the same window so you don't have multiple windows popping up everywhere. Much nicer.
 
Fillmoe said:
also what i noticed is when i go to certain sites on firefox and then i go to the same sites with IE they look different........

this is what I meant by alternate browsers being every webmaster's nightmare. Its very hard to design sites that function correctly across 4 or 5 different browsers, + when you go to cut corners its normally the minority browsers you are going to ignore. Design for 95% of your users, and then just hope it works well enough for the rest.
 
I'm a dell fan personally, I haven't heard regarding video cards or upgrade parts. If you are buying a 500-600 comp you probably aren't going to have a system that you can upgrade THAT much.

Whatever you do don't do emachines. Go dell or gateway. You probably can get more comp for the price from dell, especially if you search the internet for coupons and then buy online. I personally don't like compaq, but I can't for the life of me figure out why. ;)
 
FIREFOX is by far my favourte browser to use on PC.... I've been using it at work for few months now and I like it lot better than IE.
At home however I use SAFARI (own Apple).....
 
bdouble013 said:
I'm a dell fan personally, I haven't heard regarding video cards or upgrade parts. If you are buying a 500-600 comp you probably aren't going to have a system that you can upgrade THAT much.

Whatever you do don't do emachines. Go dell or gateway. You probably can get more comp for the price from dell, especially if you search the internet for coupons and then buy online. I personally don't like compaq, but I can't for the life of me figure out why. ;)

Dell & gateway aren't bad machines, but they're not upgrade friendly either. Just like all the big manufacturers, they take a lot of shortcuts to bring down the overhead. They don't adhere to standardized component specifications, which means that if you want to upgrade a component, you'll often be out of luck, or be forced to pay double the price to pruchase it from Dell or Gateway, or the major suppliers that build the components for them. They don't want you to upgrade... they want you to buy new machines.

If you want upgrade options down the road, you have to build it with that in mind. If you can't do it yourself, companies like IBuyPower.com will do it for you within the same price-range as an off-the-shelf PC.
 
Thanks rhuber I'm checking that out now. The only upgrade I'd probaly want to make is more memory. I'm going to get 512 RAM now but will want more later. I'm not a gamer so the video card is not essential for me.
 
Flaw found in FirefoxBy Dawn Kawamoto, CNET News.com
Published on ZDNet News: April 5, 2005, 2:24 PM PT

A flaw has been discovered in the popular open-source browser Firefox that could expose sensitive information stored in memory, Secunia has warned.

Firefox versions 1.0.1 and 1.0.2 contain the vulnerability, the security information company said in an advisory on Monday. The flaw stems from an error in the JavaScript engine that can expose arbitrary amounts of heap memory after the end of a JavaScript string. As a result, an exploit may disclose sensitive information in the memory, Secunia said.

"Unlike other browser flaws, this one is not subject to phishing or access to the system. But it can expose sensitive information from other Web sites you visited and the information you entered there," said Thomas Kristensen, Secunia chief technology officer.

While the flaw is only rated as "moderately critical" by Secunia, the rapid adoption of the open-source browser means that many users may be at risk. Prior to the release of version 1.0, downloads of earlier versions of the browser had reached 8 million within the first 18 months.

The Mozilla Foundation, which makes the Firefox browser, is working on a patch, and no cases have been reported, a representative for the group said.

Secunia has developed a test that allows people to see whether their system is affected by the vulnerability.
 
Well firefox is pretty good but the only thing is... I believe it cant read html codes. So if your a person that likes to design your page with html codes, it wont look as great as it does on internet explorer, sbc yahoo, etc.
 
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