Internet Browser Recommendation

[John]

Hi. Are you using Microsoft Internet Explorer? Chances are if you have a PC and you're reading this, you are. Did you know that the percentage of Caudata.org users who use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer has just topped 20% ? A few months ago it was 16%. You might be wondering if they know something you don't. Well I can't speak for everyone else but I can sure offer my own thoughts - Firefox is my Internet browser of choice for two simple reasons:

1) It has a built in spelling checker. As I type this it's constantly monitoring my spelling. Words that I've spelled incorrectly are underlined in red, just like editing a Word document.

2) I can painlessly add extra features to it. For example, I have an unobtrusive 5 day weather report from accuweather that updates every few minutes, located on the bottom of the browser window.

Those are my own reasons but that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you're using Microsoft Internet Explorer version 7 you're probably familiar with tabs. IE 7 only has tabs because Firefox 1 had them and was highlighting IE's inferiority. Firefox is now at version 2. And if you're worried about changing, Firefox will import your bookmarks and your homepage automatically.

How do you get it? Go here: http://www.firefox.com

 

[blckkeys]

I use firefox as well. And I like that fact that if my computer goes bonkers and I have to shut it off manually, I can get back to the webpage I was just on. Firefox saves the "session" you were just in, and then when you load up the browser it asks you if you would like to resume that session.

 

[Jumpshot724]

I never like firefox. Some of our school computers have it and it drives me nuts. The whole spell checker thing really irks me, especially if you're using AIM shorthand such as "lol" or "g2go".

 

[Kaysie]

Oh how I love the spellcheck and 'resume session'! Firefox has always been my browser of choice.

 

[Mark]

That’s some sales pitch, John . I tend to use IE7 although I curse it at least 10 times a day and blame it for most of bad things that happen in the world. I keep Firefox handy for those frustrating times when IE kills my PC - again. Next time Microsoft come up with an unavoidable browser upgrade I hope it’s better that this one.

FYI I have an I-phone and the site looks lovely in the in-built Safari browser. As does it in the Opera browser on my Nintendo Wii .

 

[MRIGUY]

As a Mac person I do not have the burden (option) of IE anything. Safari is perfect.

 

[ajc]

Flock: http://www.flock.com/

 

[lims]

spelling

I'm with the cocktail sipping skeleton, mac with safari, is there any other ones?
I always make an effort to get spelling/grammer right on C.C., but otherwise I hate how word underlines all my words, its distracting to read, you can't use non-words withought them being underlined, even if you want to use that particular non-word.

Interesting thing I heard: The 'bad spellers' are normally the best/fastest readers, they dont read the word, thus never learning with which letters it is contructed, they just reckognise the shape of the word and therefore know what it means.

 

[John]

I'm with the cocktail sipping skeleton, mac with safari, is there any other ones?
I always make an effort to get spelling/grammer right on C.C., but otherwise I hate how word underlines all my words, its distracting to read, you can't use non-words withought them being underlined, even if you want to use that particular non-word.

Interesting thing I heard: The 'bad spellers' are normally the best/fastest readers, they dont read the word, thus never learning with which letters it is contructed, they just reckognise the shape of the word and therefore know what it means.

Actually Safari 3 is their first decent implementation of a web browser. Firefox 2 is still superior though. Again, Safari 3 is just Apple responding (like Microsoft) to Firefox 1 making their browser look inferior. I too am a Mac user on occasion, though I must admit that I run windows far more often on my Macbook pro than Leopard. However when I use Leopard I also use Firefox 2.

I wasn't crazy about firefox until 2 came out. I was a die hard IE user who never got used to it (firefox). Firefox 2 really does have the competition for breakfast and I'm man enough to admit when I backed the wrong horse. There's something to be said for consistency I suppose...

 

[dane_zu]

i've been using firefox for a while, i love it for a few reasons

1.) you don't have to put the .com at the end of the site names in the address bar

and dosn't it have way better virus protection compared to IE?

 

[Nathan050793]

I love firefox. It all just seems to flow better on the screen and it is easy to use.

 

[damien]

Firefox has an addon that I truly love: adblock. If you do it right, you hardly ever see any annoying flashing ads, so internet becomes a much better place.
The weather forecasts are nice as well.
The only time I use IE now is when there is a site that doesn't support Firefox.

 

[Abrahm]

Firefox has an addon that I truly love: adblock. If you do it right, you hardly ever see any annoying flashing ads, so internet becomes a much better place.

This is the truth! Adblock is great but thankfully you don't need it for Caudata.org (thank you donors!)

As a Mac person I do not have the burden (option) of IE anything. Safari is perfect.

I'm running OS X 10.2 (dual booted with Xubuntu Linux) on my laptop and the only Safari option is 1.x. I hate it. It loads reasonably fast but bogs down quickly and tends to crash. Apple software should not crash on Apple hardware! But then again I do everything I possibly can in Xubuntu, it's faster and allows me easy access to a ton of awesome open source stuff.

I am totally dedicated to open source as a computer ideal. I will be running Linux from here on out. Ubuntu/Xubuntu/Kubuntu are nice easy to learn distributions. I have a Photoshop equivalent, an Adobe Illustrator equivalent, financial software, media players, etc, etc for not a single penny. Plus an OS that barely ever crashes, is very customizable and runs faster than anything on my ancient hardware and I don't have to worry about viruses. Even when I get the money to upgrade MS and Apple won't be seeing any money for their OS. I do love Apple hardware though.

FYI, Firefox 3 is in either early beta or late alpha testing.

 

[MRIGUY]

Cocktail sipping skeleton...... I've never thought of myself that way but it works. Well I am more of a gulper, and 6'2" 275# I can't qualify as skeleton but I like it anyway. For the record that is not photoshopped. It is a true x-ray.

 

[Saspotato]

I have to use a number of browsers (as I am a software tester - occasionally I do web testing) and Firefox is my favourite by far. Mainly because of the add-ons. My favourite ones are Mouse Gestures, IE Tab, Adblock, iMacro and Tab Preview. Can't live without Mouse Gestures now! Also my partner makes me add-ons as well from my suggestions, so I have got my browser almost 100% perfect

I have to use IE7 fairly frequently for work and really hated it. But I found something that makes it bearable - IE7 Pro. It basically makes IE a lot like FF (has gestures, more tab control, spell check, adblock, etc). So if anyone has to use IE, I would recommend installing that plug in.

The worst browser in my opinion is Safari for Windows (hate macs so not sure what it is like on a mac). It is unstable (much like iTunes, the other piece of Apple software I have) and also not as easy to customise. When the first release came out it wouldn't even work on my second monitor (or my partners second monitor too, so not just mine)... which I thought was poor form :\

Jumpshot724, you can turn off the SpellChecker on FF - go to Options->Advanced->General tab->Browsing-> and unselect 'Check my spelling as I type'

 

[John]

It is unstable (much like iTunes, the other piece of Apple software I have) and also not as easy to customise.

If I had a penny...

 

[Saspotato]

? Sorry, not sure what you mean by that John

 

[lims]

if he had a penny, for every time(im guessing) itunes crashed on his computer, he would be rich..

 

[John]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[MRIGUY]

I run iTunes on my Mac laptop. I drive it from a pair of external terabite drives that hold about 60% of my music. I have yet to crash it but I do know that lots of windows folk have issues with it.