Er... where in options does it live?Originally Posted by lo0ol
I'm still something of a newbie to Firefox...
| SitePoint Sponsor |
Er... where in options does it live?
Adding to what's been said: the extensions are fantastic. RSS Feeder is very powerful, simple and beautiful.
There are many reasons why I prefer Firefox over IE (I also fancy Opera, ad-supported or no - this is a browser with an amazing amount of innovation and is fast too!).
Here are some of them, off the top of my head:
1) "Find as you type" - very, very convenient
2) Quick access to Google search (Ctrl-K, keyword, go!) - I like how I don't have to use the mouse.
3) Custom keywords - I can do a search on Dictionary.com for the meaning of "estoppel" by just typing "d estoppel" in the location bar (where you'd normally type a URL)
4) Better CSS support (important to a web developer who cares about standards)
5) EditCSS (or the Edit Styles bookmarklet) - only in Mozilla browsers
6) Web Developer toolbar - I like features like "View ID & Class Details" and validation
7) No more worries about a dodgy toolbar being installed without your knowledge
8) No more worries about dodgy websites setting themselves as your homepage
9) I can build my own Firefox just to put in patches or optimizations (yes I used to do that when I had the time), or get (very professional) custom builds (see The Burning Edge)
There probably are more that I don't realize - I have gotten so used to Firefox that I expect many things of a browser but won't notice them until I miss them. I'll probably notice more reasons when I'm forced to use IE.
don't forget this one:ctrl+l = location bar
ctrl+k = google search
ctrl+enter = auto complete .com
shift+enter = auto complete .net
ctrl+tab = scroll tabs (just found out about this - feels SOO natural)
oh, and if a site uses some compressor thing (lol yes thats the technical term) - then the site will load ~80% faster than in IE
oh, and the webdev toolbar is great
shift+ctrl+enter = auto complete .org
http://urlnav.mozdev.org/
For the second time this week, I've been trying to fix IE (it won't go to google or any tool bar searches). This morning I wondered (to myself), why bother. The constant aggravation of fixing IE has pushed me over the edge. Firefox has not exhibited these types of problems (so far).
Two monstrous things that convinced me to switch:
1) Tabbed browsing
2) Javascript debugger that actually tells you the line of code in the right file generating the error message. Nothing worse than trying to debug JS code on IE...
I often hear people saying that Firefox/Mozilla is "faster" than IE. I assume they mean faster loading websites. But from my experiences, to me there seems to be no real difference, or if there is, IE seems faster ... note that this is just pure observation which may not be accurate
The main thing keeping me using IE is the Google Bar ... I know you can get it for MZ/FF but it's not the same, and I use it soooo often that its too annoying to try to switch
I agree.. I love the google toolbar..The main thing keeping me using IE is the Google Bar ... I know you can get it for MZ/FF but it's not the same, and I use it soooo often that its too annoying to try to switch
And yes, 90 percent of websites look better in IE then firefox, even mine.. because It's hard to design for every browser.. so if 99 percent of the population is using ie.. I'm going to design for ie.
I'm a newbie at firefox.. and I occasionaly use it while I'm using IE.
So you don't have to just use one, use both of them! I love firefox's tabbed browsing.. and you don't have to have a popup blocker to block pop ups.. FireFox does that for you.
Hell, Firefox already imports your IE favorites.. so you can use your favorites in IE in firefox without importing.
The download manager in firefox sucks though.. it saves everything in one spot.. and unlike IE, you can't save as every time you save something.. you have to browse through that folder, and move it around.
Sorry if I'm wrong on something.. but I'm a newb at firefox. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm surprised noone mentioned security issues. Even some MS developers advise to almost never allow ActiveX objects to run in your browser. People that use Outlook/Outlook Express (I used to be one of them) expose themselves to even higher risks.
BTW...
I use Opera for browsing and mail.
Cross-Browser.com, Home of the X Library
I wish CTRL + Tab (in series) worked the same as ALT + Tab (between current and last).
I still prefer Opera implementation of tabs, Firefox one is extremly basic, and it gets a little better with the extention
Why I use Opera? Faster rendering (benchmarkerd using some weird moz dev page) and no memory leak (My PC doesn't like .8 milestone release...)
Speed & scalability in mind...
If you find my reply helpful, fell free to give me a point
Whew! This thread has really exploded!
As a result, please keep them reasons coming, even though I'm a convert—and am loving every picosecond (billionth of a nanosecond) of my Firefox browsing experience.
Also, I'm going to try to keep up my devil's advocate act, although it may be impossible.
Thanks, everyone!
Edit:
Who moved this to CHD? Spanks...
Last edited by cfm; Mar 24, 2004 at 14:40. Reason: I realized that someone moved the thread to CHD.
lieut_data did.
And about Outlook... I know it's holey, but it's the best I can find. As W. Luke put it, I like having my calendar, contacts, and e-mail in one app.
Put the icons in the same place as IE, by View > Toolbars > Customise, and you will be migrating in no time.
You can change this by going to Tools > Options > Downloads
One of the reasons I stayed with IE was for the Google Toolbar. But when T found out that I could do a search with a simple "g somethinghere" using keywords, I don't think I'll ever go back! I've now got a ton of sites 3-4 keystrokes away, don't have to reach for the mouse
I've been using that in IE since version 5... nothing new. Tabbeb browsing in Firefox feels aquard for me... though I've not gone through all the extensions there are to try and make it work as well as in Opera. (For example, try closing a non-active tab in Firefox using a mouse gesture...)
Small things in Firefox irritate me: for example, say I want to go back two pages in the history. With a mouse gestures extension installed, I have to hold down the right mouse button, click the left, release the right, press the right down again, then the left again, and then let go. In Opera, it is just hold down the right, double tap on the left and you're done. It feels so much more fluid.
Add on a decent skin and you're away, especially with the new Opera 7.5 (grab it off the my.opera.com forums rather than 7.23 on the front page). It feels *very* snappy, even more so than Opera 7.23, which itself is faster than Firebird 0.8. It is always a pain when I'm on another computer and I have to wait that half a second for IE to do anything...
The only problem I had with Opera 7.23 was that the download manager was reluctant to show you the real speed of your download, but that's much better in 7.5 now. Way back when I used IE, I always used the GetRight download manager, so the fact that IE doesn't have one was never really an issue for me... and tabbed browsing was in Opera before Moz anyway.
Later,
Douglas
Hello World
I'm suprised that Opera hasn't taken over the world and stepped on Mozilla. I think the best thing that Mozilla has in terms of a browser, is that it's open source. Nothing about it is innovative, it's a pain in the butt to use, the developer likes to spread FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) about other software such as Opera. I remember when FireBird 0.7 was released and they put up a comparison page, that had to be the biggest set of lies I've ever seen come from a company, they spread more lies within 24 hours than Microsoft has done in 3 months. They were claiming that the tabbed browsing in Mozilla was better than Operas (this isn't opinion, it's a lie. Opera doesn't have a 'tabbed interface' like Mozilla does, it has a multi-document interface which is MUCH more powerful), they were claiming that Opera didn't have inline find in page, and a bunch of other things which were lies. They removed the comparison page within a few days because of the uproar in the Opera community. The webmaster knew that it was a bunch of lies, he just didn't expect to get caught as bad as he did. While he was running back into the Mozilla-Cave with his tail between his legs, Opera users were giving eachother pats on the back for telling off "Godzilla".
I'd also like to point out that people are TOO fanatical about OpenSource. Just because it's OpenSource doesn't mean that it's programmed better than the closed source alternatives.
Another note I should mention, FireFox hasn't passed up the advances of Internet Explorer as fast as people say it has. I can only say one name: Netscape. Mozilla is a registered trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation. Years and years ago Netscape and Internet Explorer were duking it out to be the best browser, and Mozilla and Internet Explorer are still in this battle. Mozilla will win this war, but it's only because of Microsoft's stupid decision to discontinue individual Internet Explorer updates, not because it's the best thing since sliced bread. If Microsoft would've continued releasing individual updates to Internet Explorer, then Mozilla wouldn't have half of the followers that it has now.
Personally, I ONLY use Mozilla for testing my webpages in because I know other people use it. But I cannot take the developer seriously, and I've lost all respect for the product and will probably never use the product out of personal preference. While the developers of Mozilla were 'claiming' innovation, Opera was the innovator years ago.
If you think I'm spreading a bunch of FUD, wait until their next release and watch how they claim something is innovative, then go look at Opera and see how it was there before. They've done this 'innovative lie' for the last couple of releases and I think it's sickening.
Just my two cents...
megamanXplosion certainly has some strong opinions on the subject!
All I can say is, I used opera a few years ago, and was very frustrated at having to still have IE open pretty much constantly. I was impressed at the speed of browsing with Opera, but what good does it do to load a page a split-second faster just to find out I had to go look at the page in IE anyway?
One thing I like about Firefox is that it is a nice small program. It takes hardly any time to open Firefox, whereas it seems to take IE, Opera and Mozilla forever to open. Also, Firefox works great for 90-95% of the sites that I visit. I never had that with Opera.
Opera may have innovated, but I think Firefox got it right.
-Tony
Don't know what sites you're visiting, but it's been about 2 years since I've had to open a site in another browser because it didn't work in Opera, besides WindowsUpdate of course
Not sure about being innovative, but a pain in the butt to use? You got me stumped there.
Well, in response to megamanXplosion, I'll certainly give Opera a change too.
Hey, the Opera people deserve to make a living too. And if you really think the browser is better than the alternatives you'll probably end up buying it. Put it this way: I can give you a sandwich, or you can pay $20 for a great steak dinner*.Frankly, the fact that it has ads (which are unacceptable in such a crucial app) and costs money to remove them (which is absurd—or at least nonstandard) really turns me off.
*Opinions are subjective.
Compared to Opera, yes it is a pain in the butt to use.
An example of Opera innovation (which will probably get copied into Firebird - oh I mean Firefox, or was that Phoenix?) which is in the 7.5 release:
To open and close the panel in Opera, you can click the new 4px wide bar on the far left of the screen. Not even noticable when closed. If you're browsing a website with your mouse, it is even faster to click than using a keyboard shortcut. In Firebird and IE etc, you have to either click a small "x" button, or click somewhere on the resize bar, use a keyboard shortcut, or whatever. How long does it take to slide your mouse to the left hand side of the screen?
I'm not surprised that Opera hasn't beaten Mozilla. First of all, Moz gets well on the band wagon of OpenSource, after Netscape gave up trying to sell it. Opera still sells Opera, and having to buy something will always be a deterrant to people who can grab something for free. Which is a shame, they are missing out. But even the Moz people are telling the IE people that.
Douglas
Hello World
Fair enough.
Off Topic:
I quote people an awful lot, don't I? I think that's because I can never come up with anything original.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks