The Fox Is in Microsoft's Henhouse (and Salivating)
Sunday, December 19, 2004 by Black Xero | Discussion: WinCustomize News
FIREFOX is a classic overnight success, many years in the making.
Published by the Mozilla Foundation, a nonprofit group supporting open-source software that draws upon the skills of hundreds of volunteer programmers, Firefox is a Web browser that is fast and filled with features that Microsoft's stodgy Internet Explorer lacks. Firefox installs in a snap, and it's free.
Firefox 1.0 was released on Nov. 9. Just over a month later, the foundation celebrated a remarkable milestone: 10 million downloads. Donations from Firefox's appreciative fans paid for a two-page advertisement in The New York Times on Thursday.
Until now, the Linux operating system was the best-known success among the hundreds of open-source projects that challenge Microsoft with technically strong, free software that improves as the population of bug-reporting and bug-fixing users grows. But unless you oversee purchases for a corporate data center, it's unlikely that you've felt the need to try Linux yourself.
With Firefox, open-source software moves from back-office obscurity to your home, and to your parents', too. (Your children in college are already using it.) It is polished, as easy to use as Internet Explorer and, most compelling, much better defended against viruses, worms and snoops.
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For the first time, Internet Explorer has been losing market share. According to a worldwide survey conducted in late November by OneStat.com, a company in Amsterdam that analyzes the Web, Internet Explorer's share dropped to less than 89 percent, 5 percentage points less than in May. Firefox now has almost 5 percent of the market, and it is growing.
Read detailed article from New York Times at Link
Published by the Mozilla Foundation, a nonprofit group supporting open-source software that draws upon the skills of hundreds of volunteer programmers, Firefox is a Web browser that is fast and filled with features that Microsoft's stodgy Internet Explorer lacks. Firefox installs in a snap, and it's free.
Firefox 1.0 was released on Nov. 9. Just over a month later, the foundation celebrated a remarkable milestone: 10 million downloads. Donations from Firefox's appreciative fans paid for a two-page advertisement in The New York Times on Thursday.
Until now, the Linux operating system was the best-known success among the hundreds of open-source projects that challenge Microsoft with technically strong, free software that improves as the population of bug-reporting and bug-fixing users grows. But unless you oversee purchases for a corporate data center, it's unlikely that you've felt the need to try Linux yourself.
With Firefox, open-source software moves from back-office obscurity to your home, and to your parents', too. (Your children in college are already using it.) It is polished, as easy to use as Internet Explorer and, most compelling, much better defended against viruses, worms and snoops.
****************************************************************
For the first time, Internet Explorer has been losing market share. According to a worldwide survey conducted in late November by OneStat.com, a company in Amsterdam that analyzes the Web, Internet Explorer's share dropped to less than 89 percent, 5 percentage points less than in May. Firefox now has almost 5 percent of the market, and it is growing.
Read detailed article from New York Times at Link
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CygnusXII
Reply #2 Sunday, December 19, 2004 8:52 PM
Reply #2 Sunday, December 19, 2004 8:52 PM
All, I have to say, is once you give Firefox a chance, you'll never regret it.
0 I mean 0- ZERO spyware, on my machines since I installed the FOX.
My wife was a little wary at first but now she loves it.As well as the other family members, I have turned on to Mozilla,and the Fox.
0 I mean 0- ZERO spyware, on my machines since I installed the FOX.
My wife was a little wary at first but now she loves it.As well as the other family members, I have turned on to Mozilla,and the Fox.
Kobrano
Reply #3 Sunday, December 19, 2004 8:56 PM
Reply #3 Sunday, December 19, 2004 8:56 PM
Firefox 1.0 with Tabbed Browser Preferences is *WAY* better than IE or any of the IE shell browsers (Maxthon, etc). I've never, ever, had a single piece of spyware/adware installed.
Last week I accidentally loaded IE and within 1 hour, I had 5 attempts of trojan downloads through IE web page exploits on my machine! IE and IE shell based browsers are simply NOT VIABLE anymore!
I pity people still using them. Now all I need is an Alexa plugin for Firefox and i'm set.
Last week I accidentally loaded IE and within 1 hour, I had 5 attempts of trojan downloads through IE web page exploits on my machine! IE and IE shell based browsers are simply NOT VIABLE anymore!
I pity people still using them. Now all I need is an Alexa plugin for Firefox and i'm set.
George Rogers Jr
Reply #4 Sunday, December 19, 2004 9:12 PM
Reply #4 Sunday, December 19, 2004 9:12 PM
Congrats Team Mozilla/Firefox....now if only they could make Firefox with toolbar changeability support I'd be all set! Thx!!
BasketWeaver
Reply #5 Sunday, December 19, 2004 10:34 PM
Reply #5 Sunday, December 19, 2004 10:34 PM
Eat your heart out Microsoft. You wouldn't read the writing on the wall. Now it looks like you lose. Firefox is (as Tony the Tiger says
) GRRRREAT! Keep up the good work Firefox.
) GRRRREAT! Keep up the good work Firefox.
Scarebear
Reply #6 Sunday, December 19, 2004 10:47 PM
Reply #6 Sunday, December 19, 2004 10:47 PM
Citizen Kobrano - You can add Alexa to the list of searches in the Web Search feature if that helps.
George Rogers Jr. - You can change themes in firefox and you can also edit the toolbar icons you wish to display. I'm not sure if either of those are what you're reffering to
I learn something new about Firefox daily and I've been using it for a while now. It's the best browser I've ever used.
George Rogers Jr. - You can change themes in firefox and you can also edit the toolbar icons you wish to display. I'm not sure if either of those are what you're reffering to
I learn something new about Firefox daily and I've been using it for a while now. It's the best browser I've ever used.
davisson777
Reply #9 Monday, December 20, 2004 1:11 AM
Reply #9 Monday, December 20, 2004 1:11 AM
as a long time user of firefox trust me you want it!!!!
1ke
Reply #10 Monday, December 20, 2004 1:52 AM
Reply #10 Monday, December 20, 2004 1:52 AM
I beg to differ with those who think Firebird/fox/bat/whatever they call it this week is the penultimate among browsers.
Ladies and gentlemen, please try Opera. Link
Sure, Mozilla is open-source, and that's cool, but do you really want to feel more secure using a browser whose code is freely available to anyone?
From the same people who brought you Netscape? From those who brought you the AOL browser?? Come on, people, you've made the first step away from the IE heap, now let's take it one step further. To the top of the pile.
What makes Opera so much more than a browser, then? Well, to detail every capability and innovation would take quite a while, but suffice it to say that without Opera, the current Mozilla wouldn't exist. How about this: Every good thing about Mozilla Opera does better, with a fully-customizable user interface, hundreds of skins, a top-notch integrated mail, chat, and news program, and the code is so slick it's smaller and loads EVERYTHING faster. You think mouse gestures are a complicated add-in that you'd like to try but can't get a grip on? Try downloading Opera, and then when you're in a page, hold the right button down and click the left one. Boom, you're back a page. Hold the left and click the right, you're forward. Want it to be the other way around? You got it, just go and tell it what you want it to do when you do whatever you prefer. Don't like a feature? Turn it off. The program doesn't even include the code, and those CPU cycles are free again.
How about having your browser read the pages to you, and/or you controlling it with only your voice? Thanks to some IBM creativity, Opera can do it (7.6 Preview 1 and later, not the one you find on the main page). What about tabbed browsing? It's fairly popular anymore, and you ask anyone who started it and who's on top of it, you get "Opera" every time. Don't like tabs? Quick as a wink, you're using SDI mode, or even popping in and out of modes in separate windows. You want it, you got it. Need I go on?
Give it a shot, guys.
30 Days To Becoming An Opera Lover - Link
Opera 7.6 Preview 4 for Windows - Link
TP4 for Linux/FreeBSD - Link
Opera for your phone/mobile/PDA (Symbian OS) - Link
Opera Standard for Windows, Solaris, QNX, OS/2, Mac, Linux, FreeBSD, BeOS - Link
Ladies and gentlemen, please try Opera. Link
Sure, Mozilla is open-source, and that's cool, but do you really want to feel more secure using a browser whose code is freely available to anyone?
From the same people who brought you Netscape? From those who brought you the AOL browser?? Come on, people, you've made the first step away from the IE heap, now let's take it one step further. To the top of the pile.
What makes Opera so much more than a browser, then? Well, to detail every capability and innovation would take quite a while, but suffice it to say that without Opera, the current Mozilla wouldn't exist. How about this: Every good thing about Mozilla Opera does better, with a fully-customizable user interface, hundreds of skins, a top-notch integrated mail, chat, and news program, and the code is so slick it's smaller and loads EVERYTHING faster. You think mouse gestures are a complicated add-in that you'd like to try but can't get a grip on? Try downloading Opera, and then when you're in a page, hold the right button down and click the left one. Boom, you're back a page. Hold the left and click the right, you're forward. Want it to be the other way around? You got it, just go and tell it what you want it to do when you do whatever you prefer. Don't like a feature? Turn it off. The program doesn't even include the code, and those CPU cycles are free again.
How about having your browser read the pages to you, and/or you controlling it with only your voice? Thanks to some IBM creativity, Opera can do it (7.6 Preview 1 and later, not the one you find on the main page). What about tabbed browsing? It's fairly popular anymore, and you ask anyone who started it and who's on top of it, you get "Opera" every time. Don't like tabs? Quick as a wink, you're using SDI mode, or even popping in and out of modes in separate windows. You want it, you got it. Need I go on?
Give it a shot, guys.
30 Days To Becoming An Opera Lover - Link
Opera 7.6 Preview 4 for Windows - Link
TP4 for Linux/FreeBSD - Link
Opera for your phone/mobile/PDA (Symbian OS) - Link
Opera Standard for Windows, Solaris, QNX, OS/2, Mac, Linux, FreeBSD, BeOS - Link
mrdickie
Reply #11 Monday, December 20, 2004 1:54 AM
Reply #11 Monday, December 20, 2004 1:54 AM
Firefox is the best browser I've ever used by miles. It blocks popups and anything that might be nasty. You can still use Roboform with it too, which is also amazing. THere are loads of extensions and themes for it. My favourite is Weather Forecaster. See my article here > Link
Keep up the good work, Mozilla. Get thunderbird too!
Keep up the good work, Mozilla. Get thunderbird too!
mrdickie
Reply #12 Monday, December 20, 2004 2:40 AM
Reply #12 Monday, December 20, 2004 2:40 AM
I have to disagree with Citizen 1ke. I just tried Opera and dont like it at all.
1) It is only free if you have ads on it. (Yuck!)
2) I could not write this reply in Opera browser. (D'oh)
3) And it is not faster than Firefox at all.
4) You can get Mousegestures with Firefox anyway.
I have uninstalled it already (2 mins later!)
1) It is only free if you have ads on it. (Yuck!)
2) I could not write this reply in Opera browser. (D'oh)
3) And it is not faster than Firefox at all.
4) You can get Mousegestures with Firefox anyway.
I have uninstalled it already (2 mins later!)
GreenReaper
Reply #13 Monday, December 20, 2004 4:35 AM
Reply #13 Monday, December 20, 2004 4:35 AM
I agree. I won't even abide ads on the pages when I use Firefox, so I use Mozilla/Firefox Ad Blocking. Just make a userContent.css or open it up if it's already there in the Profile directory and paste it in. It just works! (most of the time)
Brandon Paddock
Reply #14 Monday, December 20, 2004 5:09 AM
Reply #14 Monday, December 20, 2004 5:09 AM
I tried FireFox and couldn't stand its rendering. And not just the pages that it messes up, but the way it loads EVERYTHING one item at a time, like IE 2.0 and old Netscape browsers did. It gives me a headache.
I use Maxthon and love it. I've never had a single piece of spyware/adware on any of my computers, nor have any of my clients who all use IE.
I use Maxthon and love it. I've never had a single piece of spyware/adware on any of my computers, nor have any of my clients who all use IE.
Brandon Paddock
Reply #15 Monday, December 20, 2004 5:12 AM
Reply #15 Monday, December 20, 2004 5:12 AM
Also, this article has a very misleading last paragraph.
It implies that the only change made to IE in SP2 is the by-default blocking of activeX controls.
However, countless changes were made to the browser itself, along with its APIs, to harden them against attack. That's why the IFRAME exploit, which affected earlier versions of IE, did not affect SP2. They also took many security enhancements from Windows Server 2003, particularly those that harden system services (like RPC) from attacks.
I'm not saying that IE isn't in need of updating... I agree, it is. But to downplay the steps taken by SP2 is ignorant at best.
It implies that the only change made to IE in SP2 is the by-default blocking of activeX controls.
However, countless changes were made to the browser itself, along with its APIs, to harden them against attack. That's why the IFRAME exploit, which affected earlier versions of IE, did not affect SP2. They also took many security enhancements from Windows Server 2003, particularly those that harden system services (like RPC) from attacks.
I'm not saying that IE isn't in need of updating... I agree, it is. But to downplay the steps taken by SP2 is ignorant at best.
WARCRY
Reply #16 Monday, December 20, 2004 6:08 AM
Reply #16 Monday, December 20, 2004 6:08 AM
im one of the few that does not like firefox at all nothin on made me want to switch in my view avant is all around the best browser to get the fastest by far 
JeremyG
Reply #17 Monday, December 20, 2004 8:09 AM
Reply #17 Monday, December 20, 2004 8:09 AM
Firefox will never win over any significant market share. Why?
Because businesses will never use anything but IE. (and most home users dont even care) Anyone who takes their corporate IT issues seriously will understand somethign about switching your users browser......you don't gain anything.
People can go off for hours about how IE is not as secure as other browsers, etc etc etc. But the simple fact is that most organizations have at least one critical appplication that relies on IE. 3rd-party developers integrate IE into their programs in DROVES. No other browser software offers robust AND supported browser controls that can easily be used in their programs.
This being the case, you still have to make sure that IE is fully patches with all latest security fixes. After all, even if your users are using Firefox to look at the web...it doesnt mean they aren't retrieving updates to their accounting software using IE.....or posting payroll information to the bank, using IE. They probably don't even know they are using IE, and worse, there's probably a lot of Admin's who dont know either.
As soon as you have discovered one critical application in your organization which uses the IE controls, it makes little sense to use an alternative browser. It only serves to increase your security overhead.
The moral of the story: Microsoft wins AGAIN, by catering to developers. I wonder when the linux people will finally "get it".
Because businesses will never use anything but IE. (and most home users dont even care) Anyone who takes their corporate IT issues seriously will understand somethign about switching your users browser......you don't gain anything.
People can go off for hours about how IE is not as secure as other browsers, etc etc etc. But the simple fact is that most organizations have at least one critical appplication that relies on IE. 3rd-party developers integrate IE into their programs in DROVES. No other browser software offers robust AND supported browser controls that can easily be used in their programs.
This being the case, you still have to make sure that IE is fully patches with all latest security fixes. After all, even if your users are using Firefox to look at the web...it doesnt mean they aren't retrieving updates to their accounting software using IE.....or posting payroll information to the bank, using IE. They probably don't even know they are using IE, and worse, there's probably a lot of Admin's who dont know either.
As soon as you have discovered one critical application in your organization which uses the IE controls, it makes little sense to use an alternative browser. It only serves to increase your security overhead.
The moral of the story: Microsoft wins AGAIN, by catering to developers. I wonder when the linux people will finally "get it".
JeremyG
Reply #18 Monday, December 20, 2004 8:13 AM
Reply #18 Monday, December 20, 2004 8:13 AM
By the way...i think Mouse-Gestures are a really poor feature.....even back to when they were used in the game "Black & White".
Why are they bad? Cause they assume people use a mouse. Not only do I use a pointing device as little as possible, but when I do I use a trackball. Gestures are pretty much useless to trackball users.
Why are they bad? Cause they assume people use a mouse. Not only do I use a pointing device as little as possible, but when I do I use a trackball. Gestures are pretty much useless to trackball users.
mr.bo
Reply #19 Monday, December 20, 2004 8:42 AM
Reply #19 Monday, December 20, 2004 8:42 AM
I've been using the Mozilla Suite forever. I love it, and will probably use it as long as they make it. I've tried switching over to Mozilla Firefox every time they hit a big milestone, but it still seems kind of clunky compared to Mozilla (atleast to me). I always end up sticking with Mozilla suite. I do like what they've done so far with Thunderbird though. It's sticks pretty close to Mozilla -mail. from what I've seen.
Kobrano
Reply #20 Monday, December 20, 2004 10:23 AM
This is 100% NOT TRUE, and you know it.. Maxthon is nothing more than a buggy cheap IE shell browser, and as such, is vulnerable to the entire internet, just like IE is. A mere hour of web browsing with IE is all you need to have a half dozen pieces of spyware/adware installed on your PC.
Maxthon is no different than the 20 other cheap IE shell browsers. Whats the point of using Maxthon over Firefox? Firefox has better tab support (with Tabbed Browser Preferences), is faster, doens't infect you with spyware, and has much more stability.
Bottom line, anyone that still uses IE, is either in denial, or just doesn't understand computers very well.
Reply #20 Monday, December 20, 2004 10:23 AM
I use Maxthon and love it. I've never had a single piece of spyware/adware on any of my computers, nor have any of my clients who all use IE |
This is 100% NOT TRUE, and you know it.. Maxthon is nothing more than a buggy cheap IE shell browser, and as such, is vulnerable to the entire internet, just like IE is. A mere hour of web browsing with IE is all you need to have a half dozen pieces of spyware/adware installed on your PC.
Maxthon is no different than the 20 other cheap IE shell browsers. Whats the point of using Maxthon over Firefox? Firefox has better tab support (with Tabbed Browser Preferences), is faster, doens't infect you with spyware, and has much more stability.
Bottom line, anyone that still uses IE, is either in denial, or just doesn't understand computers very well.
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Reply #1 Sunday, December 19, 2004 8:42 PM