Why i like firefox

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by Oleg, Aug 9, 2008.

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  1. emperordarius

    emperordarius Registered Member

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    People have different opinions. Some like Firefox, some Opera, some Safari, Some IE, Some K-Meleon etc.

    However, while Internet Explorer may be a good browser, I woudn't recommend it to anyone if not used Sandboxed or in Protected Mode(of whatever is called in Vista).
     
  2. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

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    I can only speak from experience.... I have used IE 6 and 7 for years, as well as Firefox, Opera and K-Meleon. I have never ever once had a problem with any of them. I have been using IE mostly in the past year or two.

    It's one thing to talk about statistics, and other to talk about experience. The same applies to all the discussion about security apps in general. Many people load up on HIPS and endless apps, yet in my 12 years online here, I have never had a problem or been infected in any way, and all I have used most of the time is just an AV.

    So, perhaps your numbers are right, but in practice they don't mean much in my experience because I have never encountered an exploitation of any of the feared "vulnerabilities"... So no worries here. I use IE7 because I like it best.
     
  3. Long View

    Long View Registered Member

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    Just curious - if you don't use Roboform for passwords, credit card details etc what would you recommend ? The wand ? option in Opera was very basic and of no use the last time I tried it. With 300 plus account names and passwords of which 20 plus are in regular use I wouldn't want to be without Roboform. On the other hand if there is a better replacement I'm quite happy to switch. I would like to like Opera but a proper password program would be essential befoer I would consider a change.
     
  4. ambient_88

    ambient_88 Registered Member

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    The problem here is that you only speak of your experience. What about other folks who doesn't know much about security? Those who are not as careful as you? Their chance of getting infected is greater because IE has ten unpatched vulnerabilities, as opposed to Firefox's three, all of which are patched.

    I don't use password managers, so I don't know much about them. Roboform is the only one I know too. Also, how come you have so many account names and passwords? Just curious...

    Another reason why OpenID should become the standard.
     
  5. Long View

    Long View Registered Member

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    Every bank, credit card, computer hardware supplier, investment house, utility company, ............ plus roboform stands in for bookmarks or favorites. There is no need to have security when loading newspapers etc but I find it easier to just click on roboform to load say ft.com rather than go via favorites or book marks.
     
  6. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

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    Isn't that what we all do? Speak based on our experiences and preferences? Are you personally claiming to be a "security expert" and ready to advise all users on the best course of action and best apps to use? ;)

    I think the "vulnerabilities" are overrated, if you are a reasonably intelligent user, it doesn't matter much what browser you use. Just be smart about how you use it. I have used them all. If you are a clueless user, then no manner of security, browser or otherwise, will save you, you are doomed.
     
  7. ambient_88

    ambient_88 Registered Member

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    Yes, it is important to speak of our experiences. However, IE's vulnerabilities are tied not just to you but to everyone else who uses it (and to some extent Windows users). No matter how you slice it vulnerabilities will be vulnerabilities, and the fact remains that users are at risk because they are unpatched. It might not affect you a lot, but the average user who likes to click away will most likely be (the clueless user you mentioned).

    Also, I am not claiming to be a "security expert," rather I am pointing out some of the facts regarding IE's security.
     
  8. Pseudo

    Pseudo Registered Member

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    1. IE is equally as fast as Firefox 3 for me.
    2. Both are not very web standard compliant; but Firefox 3 has picked up, and so has IE 8.
    3. IE has extensions.
    4. IE can be skinned, it's more difficult than in Firefox, though.
    5. Why is it more flexible than IE?
    6. Both have security vulnerabilities, and Firefox has a feature similiar to ActiveX. IE also has flexible security settings and security zones to help "lock it down."

    Also: (Both Firefox and IE viewing msn.com)

    fxie.png
     
  9. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

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    Ok, fair enough......
     
  10. ambient_88

    ambient_88 Registered Member

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    2) Firefox 3 is way more standards compliant than IE7, though I hope that will change with IE8.

    3) It's true that IE has extensions, but many of them are shareware.

    6) Both have vulnerabilities, but IE has more. I do like the flexible security settings it provides, however.

    Regarding the memory usage...over time IE tends to eat more memory, especially when many tabs are open (and with media-rich websites).
     
  11. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

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    How is Firefox 3 in this regard? Did they finally fix the memory eating problems that plagued FF 2? I have used it in Win only briefly, so I didn't notice one way or another how much ram it used. Most of my Firefox 3 experience has been in Linux, where it generally acts and performs a bit differently than Win.
     
  12. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

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    Hello,
    what feature of firefox is similar to activex in ie?
     
  13. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

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    I think there is some ActiveX type extension for it.......
     
  14. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

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    IE tab?
    with that extension you can even run windows update in firefox.
     
  15. SystemJunkie

    SystemJunkie Resident Conspiracy Theorist

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    It is not a matter of infected or not. Analyze your internet traffic then you will see if you find hidden things. Stealth things don´t fall under infections because most tools won´t find them.
     
  16. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

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    There's no need to generate paranoia and fear where none exist.... I have never ever had one single issue here, call it what you like. Trust me.... ;)
     
  17. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

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    I don't know if that's it or not... I just remember seeing something related to ActiveX for Firefox some time ago, and I think it was an extension... Seemed funny, cause that's what most people try to escape by using Firefox....
     
  18. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

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  19. Pseudo

    Pseudo Registered Member

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    Well, it was an assumption that Firefox's addons can interact like ActiveX. Either way, Firefox addons can introduce new vulnerabilities.
     
  20. ambient_88

    ambient_88 Registered Member

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    Firefox 3 has a cycle collector that releases memory that is no longer used by a running module. And it actually works--no more memory hogging like in Firefox 2.
     
  21. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

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    That is good indeed...... :) I will have to give it a try here on Vista soon... Is there an x64 version yet?
     
  22. ambient_88

    ambient_88 Registered Member

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    I don't think there is an official 64-bit for Firefox 3; however, I found this link where 64-bit builds are available.
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2008
  23. Kerodo

    Kerodo Registered Member

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    Very good, thanks..... I will try that one. The x64 IE7 is way faster than the x32 version.. Seems to benefit quite a bit...
     
  24. mercurie

    mercurie A Friendly Creature

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    I use FF... I like it... but honestly I think it is slipping. :oops:

    Indeed it is good to have so many choices. I really did not think there would be so many. I thought like maybe two would just totally dominate. :(

    Not the case. :)

    This module that releases memory sounds very promising.
     
  25. sukarof

    sukarof Registered Member

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    I have tried "Minefield" but so far I dont see any benefit using the 64bit. Firefox 3 32bit is blazing fast on Vista 64 compared to when run on Vista 32.
     
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