Rant about Firefox

[Ex-zombie]

Firefox is the most irritating piece of software I have ever encountered. I have disinstalled it at least eight times. I have had to create five new profiles just to keep it working.

This rant is inspired by the fact that I went to Firefox's website yesterday to check out their themes/skins. There was one I liked, I checked to make sure it had been updated for my version of Firefox. I downloaded and installed it. Totally fucked up the browser. Once again I had to make a new profile just to get the browser to work. This download was at their official site! Stating it would work! :fuming:

There were already things about Firefox I found irritating. Like no e-mail client and having to download all kinds of extensions. How easy is it to check the downloads on your webpage to make sure it won't fuck up your OWN browser?

Before anyone has a fit I realize that Firefox is handled by volunteers.

So, I am shopping for a new browser. Any suggestions?

[livius drusus]

I haven't had to reinstall anything yet, although I have had problems with Quicktime and Java. The biggest bother for me is just how damn sluggish it is. I'm hooked on the tabbed browsing, though, so I can't really go back to IE. I too would welcome other browser suggestions.

[JoeP]

Maxthon is a worthy alternative for those hooked on tabbed browsing. It covers some IE security holes but I can't vouch for its total security; I use zonealarm and spybot and adaware as well.

[Ymir's blood]

I've been using Mozilla for sometime and really like it. I don't know exactly what is different between it and Firefox, but I've never had to mess with any kind of 'profile' or 'extensions.' I just installed it and was ready to go. :shrug:

It has an email client but I was already using Pegasus and saw no reason to change.

[viscousmemories]

I don't like how sluggish Firefox is either, but I love tabbed browsing and the availability of extensions. I can see how you might look at extensions as a pain to have to install, but when you consider all the things you can add that aren't available in, say, IE, it's worth it (imho). However I would love it to be faster. Then again... I'm still using the pre-release version of Firefox, not the official 1.0. Does anyone know if there's a difference between them? I use Outlook for e-mail.

[Ymir's blood]

I use Outlook for e-mail.
:flu:

[Ex-zombie]

Yes it is true that I am addicted to the tabbed browsing, so no recommendations for browsers without it. I've tried Maxthon JoeP and I just dislike all the ad-ware it allows in. I even disabled Active X and the browser was still an ad-ware magnet. Speed is not necessarily a big factor for me as I have a DSL connection.

Basically I want a browser with tabbed browsing, an e-mail client, and pre-loaded with basic extensions like Java.

[JoeP]

You got me worried now. Scanning, please wait...

[Corona688]

Yes it is true that I am addicted to the tabbed browsing, so no recommendations for browsers without it. I've tried Maxthon JoeP and I just dislike all the ad-ware it allows in. No suprise, given it's just an IE frontend.

It's not just you that gets all the profile and plugin problems, EZ. In order to be backwards-compatible with mozilla, mosaic, firebird, and netscape stuff, they've turned firefox into a browser with a serious identity crisis. The system they've implemented to keep all that stuff sorted out isn't too good. Hopefully they'll just chop out that garbabe before they stretch it out much further.

[viscousmemories]

I use Outlook for e-mail.
:flu:
What are you implying, Mister? I read mail and I auto-archive it. That's all the features I need, and Outlook handles those fine. What would you suggest I switch to, keeping in mind I'd have to migrate 8 years of e-mails to it? :P

[Corona688]

I use Outlook for e-mail.
:flu:
What are you implying, Mister? I read mail and I auto-archive it. That's all the features I need, and Outlook handles those fine. What would you suggest I switch to, keeping in mind I'd have to migrate 8 years of e-mails to it? :P I'm not sure whether thunderbird/mozilla can import Outlook emails or not. Just be EXTREMELY careful using outlook. No email program is perfectly secure, but I've never encountered any other program that bends over and begs for it the way outlook does.

[Petra]

Have you tried Opera (www.opera.com)?

[Ymir's blood]

I use Outlook for e-mail.
:flu:
What are you implying, Mister? I read mail and I auto-archive it. That's all the features I need, and Outlook handles those fine. What would you suggest I switch to, keeping in mind I'd have to migrate 8 years of e-mails to it? :P
What Corona688 said. Outlook has more holes than a sieve.

[Ex-zombie]

Have you tried Opera (www.opera.com)?

Lunachick, you shouldn't post to subjects you obviously know nothing about. This thread is about computer browsers NOT music! :D











No, I haven't tried Opera. Thanks for the link. :cool:

[Goliath]

I know that I'm going to get all kinds of gasps and screams of horror at this suggestion ( :D ), but what's wrong with IE? I've been using it for years (after having had my last straw with Nutscrape), and I haven't had any major problems with it.

[Dingfod]

I had a bit of trouble when I first started using Firefox, particularly with downloading .pdf files, they seemed to lock up the browser completely. I also had trouble getting Java to work. Once I downloaded the latest updates from both Adobe and Java, no more problems. In my opinion on simple webpages Firefox is faster than any version of IE, on my aged 700 MHz POS anyway, but on pages with a lot of graphics and javascript, it's a bit slow. I like the extensions I use regularly like image blocking, adblock, weatherfox, and dictionary lookup. I've become quite fond of tabbed browsing too.

[livius drusus]

It's very susceptible to spyware, as I know from sad, horrible experience both personal and professional. But most importantly, no tabbed browsing, and I need that like a crack whore needs crack.

[Goliath]

So...what exactly is tabbed browsing?

[Ex-zombie]

I don't use IE because it lets all manner of Ad-ware and Spyware into my computer. I have an older windows operating system so the new spyware software that Microsoft is offering will not work on my system. I gave up on IE when my computer crashed, when backed up and rebooted at the advice of the computer tech I loaded Lavasoft's Ad-aware and Spybot. My computer was busting at the seams with crap.

[livius drusus]

So...what exactly is tabbed browsing?
Here's a cap (http://www.freethought-forum.com/images/tabs.jpg) of my current tabs. Out of many windows one, basically, which is a great thing for someone as compulsive as me.

[Petra]

How's Opera working for you, EZ?

[Ex-zombie]

How's Opera working for you, EZ?

I have to be honest with you lunachick. Opera is not really working out for me. I am more of a hard rock kind of guy.

[Ex-zombie]

Okay I think I'm done being a smart ass for the time being. I"m going to go give Opera a trial run.

[freemonkey]

I'm not sure whether thunderbird/mozilla can import Outlook emails or not.
Yes, it can. You can also much more easily back up all your Thunderbird email files than you can with Outlook Express, although I can't remember how at the moment.
What are you implying, Mister? I read mail and I auto-archive it. That's all the features I need, and Outlook handles those fine. What would you suggest I switch to, keeping in mind I'd have to migrate 8 years of e-mails to it? :P
Also, you can set Thunderbird up to display all your different email accounts at one time. You can do all kinds of sub-folders, set up filters for incoming messages, color-code messages, etc., etc., etc. I love Thunderbird, although it took me a few days to get used to it.... but that was a habit thing.

Out of curiosity, why are you keeping 8 years of email messages on your computer? This is not ALL your messages in that 8 years, it is?

[viscousmemories]

Out of curiosity, why are you keeping 8 years of email messages on your computer? This is not ALL your messages in that 8 years, it is?
I'm a packrat. Every once in awhile I peruse old e-mails for nostalgia reasons. I don't have eight years of junk mail, though. Just all the e-mails I've sent and received on my home account. :)

[freemonkey]

Out of curiosity, why are you keeping 8 years of email messages on your computer? This is not ALL your messages in that 8 years, it is?
I'm a packrat. Every once in awhile I peruse old e-mails for nostalgia reasons. I don't have eight years of junk mail, though. Just all the e-mails I've sent and received on my home account. :)

Aaaawww, you ol' sentimental softy, you. :wink:

[Goliath]

Actually, I wish I could've archived my old spam to look through it. Man, I had so many chances to make my breasts bigger and perkier.... :P

[Petra]

Well, I've had some problems with Firefox today - not able to access the arcade, or click on smilies to place them in posts, etc. Dammit, I had it set just right, too, with FoxyTunes, ad blockers, the weather, etc, etc.

But I'm using Opera right now, and I think I'll stick with it. Opera has tabbed browsing, too. No hiccups, so far.

[CARLA]

:( The sad truth is, there isn't a BROWSER that doesn't have some leak in it. They all are magnets for spyware, hacker, tracker, trojans.. Now damn way around it.

No More Internet for Them
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-fedup14jan14,0,111456.story?coll=la-home-headlines

READ THIS TODAY: A BIT OF THE ARTICLENow the 50-year-old Seemayer is once again on the cutting edge: Sick of spam clogging his in-box and spyware and viruses crashing his system, Seemayer yanked out his high-speed connection.

"I'm not going to pay for something that I can't use," he said.

A small but growing number of frustrated computer owners are coming to the same conclusion. They're giving up or cutting back their use of the Internet, especially at home, where no corporate tech support team will ride to their rescue

If you like one stick with it, get the bugs out, change the security settings a bit, manage your add-on. And download every damn free software out there you can to combat it. :whup:

I have ADAWARE 6.0, SPYBOT, SPYWARE BLASTER, REGISTRY MECHANIC, STARTUP INSPECTOR FOR WINDOWS(love this one can actually remove progroms from window xp, 2000, startup..works wonders), and ZONEALARM, NORTON SYSTEM WORK 2005, POPUP STOPPER FREE EDITION. :yup: :yup:

[Ensign Steve]

STARTUP INSPECTOR FOR WINDOWS(love this one can actually remove progroms from window xp, 2000, startup..works wonders)

ooooOOOOoooo! I am definitely going to have to check that one out!

[CARLA]

LINK TO STARUP INSPECTOR SITE.. "KNOW MORE ABOUT YOUR COMPUTER.. :cool:

http://www.windowsstartup.com/

[Corwin]

I use Outlook for e-mail.
:flu:
What are you implying, Mister? I read mail and I auto-archive it. That's all the features I need, and Outlook handles those fine. What would you suggest I switch to, keeping in mind I'd have to migrate 8 years of e-mails to it? :P
What Corona688 said. Outlook has more holes than a sieve.

Get OfficeXP. Problem solved.

Outlook's problem areas have been written out. The main email handling and display areas are all redone in XML... so the only weaknesses are XML weaknesses.

[Token Effort]

If you must use an IE cover-up, use SlimBrowser. Otherwise, Firefox is a superior option to Opera any day, IMO :).

[Corona688]

:( The sad truth is, there isn't a BROWSER that doesn't have some leak in it. They all are magnets for spyware, hacker, tracker, trojans.. Now damn way around it. I'll admit firefox has let through tracking cookies on me when I've been silly enough to okay them. But it's never installed spyware or trojans; it's software-install settings are paranoid, unless you manually okayed a site by whitelisting it in edit->preferences, the worst you'll get is "this site attempted to install software on your computer etc etc". Hasn't let any hackers through either.

What are these pieces of spyware and adware that I'm missing out on, and how would I go about hacking my own browser? Let's put this to the test.

[Ex-zombie]

Corona,

That's the reason I have gone to such lengths to keep Firefox-the complete lack of Adware and Spyware. It doesn't let anything in.


I spent two hours trying to set up the e-mail client in Opera. Still doesn't work. Any other suggestions for browsers?

[freemonkey]

Corona,

That's the reason I have gone to such lengths to keep Firefox-the complete lack of Adware and Spyware. It doesn't let anything in.


I spent two hours trying to set up the e-mail client in Opera. Still doesn't work. Any other suggestions for browsers?
Try Mozilla Thunderbird (http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/) :yup:

[viscousmemories]

Y'know, I've never had a problem with adware, spyware, viruses, or anything like that and not because I'm at all careful. I use Outlook which y'all say is totally insecure, I used IE for years, I use a freeware anti-virus program and sometimes forget to update the definition files for years at a time... I just really don't get why so many of you seem to have so many problems. Maybe it's 'cause I've been using Windows 2000 since it came out, not 98 or XP? I dunno, but it sure is weird to hear about all these issues others have. :chin:

[Ensign Steve]

Do you do sketchy stuff online like "share" music or look at porn? cuz those sites are like the biggest culprits.

[viscousmemories]

It's funny, I thought about that right after I posted. No, I don't do those things. Well, not using my web browser, anyway. Porn comes from Usenet as is proper, and I don't really collect music at all.

[livius drusus]

Do you do sketchy stuff online like "share" music or look at porn? cuz those sites are like the biggest culprits.
I've seen spyware infections beyond my ability to wrangle (and I'm a damn good spyware wrangler) on corporate computers (all running W2K), and I can assure you they were not used for surfing porn or trading music. Malware is absolutely everywhere. Cotton Mather himself wouldn't be immune.

I have no idea how Tom Shady there has managed to avoid it.

[Ex-zombie]

Corona,

That's the reason I have gone to such lengths to keep Firefox-the complete lack of Adware and Spyware. It doesn't let anything in.


I spent two hours trying to set up the e-mail client in Opera. Still doesn't work. Any other suggestions for browsers?
Try Mozilla Thunderbird (http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/) :yup:

Hallelujah! All hail Freemonkey! :ovation:

Downloaded and installed Thunderbird! It worked the very first go round!

[Ex-zombie]

I have no idea how Tom Shady there has managed to avoid it.

Vm uses his roommate's computer for any nefarious deeds. :yup:

[freemonkey]

Y'know, I've never had a problem with adware, spyware, viruses, or anything like that and not because I'm at all careful.
vm, do you know for certain that you don't have spyware/adware? Do you regularly run spyware and adware hunting utilities?

Doesn't IE and Windows Explorer have its own set of spyware that goes directly back to Microsoft? Have you gotten rid of that?

[freemonkey]

Hallelujah! All hail Freemonkey! :ovation:

Downloaded and installed Thunderbird! It worked the very first go round!

:cheer: just doing my duty, sir :curtsey:

[Ex-zombie]

Doesn't IE and Windows Explorer have its own set of spyware that goes directly back to Microsoft? Have you gotten rid of that?

Oh yes. A download of Windows Media Player 10 installed two Spyware programs on my computer.

[Petra]

Hmmm. After a day of using Opera, I'm not so happy with it either.

My Firefox is not doin' it for me, either, though, so what to do, what to do...


I guess I'll have to install it over again, and see if that fixes the bugs I've started to experience.

Maybe I'll go get the full Mozilla suite and start using Thunderbird, too.

[Scotty]

Just to pop in with no helpful advice, I think

If you import into Thunderbird from Outlook, most if not all of the attachments don't come through. At least, this worked that way for me. Not too good most of the time.

As for Firefox running slow, that is odd. It runs great on Mac OSX, great on Linux and fantastic on Solaris x86 and Solaris Sparc.

I suspect that MicroSquish does was MicroSquish always does, and doesn't let the software developers have access to the code they need access to to make the software run quickly. Thus, they keep an edge by making everybody elses software they don't like run slow.

There should be no reason it runs slow, really.

The preview version of Firefox did have some security issues, best to upgrade.

Have a good day :)

-Scott

[livius drusus]

Thank you, Scotty. I'm still running the preview edition myself just out of laziness. Maybe my speed issues will improve when I upgrade.

[CARLA]

:yup: If any of these BROWSERS can hold off an attack from SEVERAL TEENAGERS, WORKING THERE FINGERS TO THE BONES TRYING TO GET AROUND EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO TALK TO THERE FRIENDS ON THE NET..THEN I WILL BACK IT 100%... :giggle: :giggle: :giggle:

Some even go so far as to install several Browsers on PC's, when one dies they use another, then another, then they switch to IM'S software, makes my head spin.. !! GIVE YOUR BROWSERS THE TEENAGER TEST.. :wink: :wink: :wink:

Most of my weekend lately are bringing PC's make to life for $100 an hour, most are friend of my brother in law, all Physicians... they will pay any thing to get their PC back.. :whup: :whup: Then the little evil children are not give internet access till they can prove they respect the use of it, (well homework with supervision).

MULTIPLE USERS ON A PC IS ALSO A REAL PROBLEM, JUST CREATES LAYERS OF CRAP BURIED IN DOCUMENTS, AND SETTINGS... :whup: :whup:

I will say this, I have heard good things about MOZILLA THUNDERBIRD.. :cool:

[viscousmemories]

Long time no see, Scotty. :wave: Thanks for the info.

[TomJoe]

I've had problems with Firefox asking me to start a new profile before, but rebooting the computer always seems to do the trick for me.

I have no complaints with Firefox personally... all the additional extensions I have make this browser the most worthwhile tool on my Windows partition.

[seebs]

I am constantly having odd quirks; for instance, the current build of firefox is the first one in a long time where the "find" feature has worked for me. (I'm building from source on NetBSD.) On Windows, I'm one of the people affected by the "cursor keys stop working" bug. I'm just cursed.

But... It's still pretty useful. I mostly use it because I like having a browser that doesn't hang for thirty seconds and then demand that I enter personal information if I don't realize that a link will be a mailto:... *cough* Mozilla *cough*.

[Corwin]

I suspect that MicroSquish does was MicroSquish always does, and doesn't let the software developers have access to the code they need access to to make the software run quickly. Thus, they keep an edge by making everybody elses software they don't like run slow.

I've never had a problem, running several releases of Firefox on both 2000 and XP.

[Ray]

I use Opera for most of my browsing, although it is a heavyweight, so I have a copy of Firefox if I want to quickly view a local html file. I've been using it for years, and have rarely had trouble with it. (It does occasionally crash, unfortunately, but far less often than IE, and they have been improving it in recent releases.)


The sad truth is, there isn't a BROWSER that doesn't have some leak in it. They all are magnets for spyware, hacker, tracker, trojans.. Now damn way around it.
For future reference, the bad guys are called crackers (http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/cracker.html). Hackers (http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/H/hacker.html) are the ones who wrote the browser in the first place.

[Beth]

I ran a search for a thread that mentioned this. Yesterday, for the first time, Firefox went nutso. After I rebooted and opened the mozilla browser, a profile window popped up. I tried to get out of it, but a new profile was created and I cannot get into my old profile with all of my extentions and bookmarked links.

I followed the instructions in the help, but I can find nothing in program files or options to allow me to either create or restore my old profile.

Help?

[viscousmemories]

I've never had this problem, but this fix (http://byronmiller.typepad.com/byronmiller/2005/03/fixing_firefox_.html) might work for you.

[Crumb]

Overman, and anyone else who has had the same thing happen to them:

Your bookmarks and extensions and stuff are not lost, they are in the default profile.

Go to Start -> Run and enter firefox.exe -profilemanager

This will bring up the dialog box that ate your profile. Select the default profile and click "Start Firefox". You can also delete the new profile (the non-default one) if you like.

Boy, how I wish Mozilla would fix this bug, or at least make the profile manager more accessible so people can undo the damage more easily...

I found this on IIDB.

Edited to change to better advice.

[cappuccino]

I had this error message saying that my old profile was already in use and that I had to create another one for the first time a couple weeks ago after firefox crashed. I realized that it was because though Firefox looked like it had been shut down, it was still running in background which you can verify by seeing if it shows up in the process list in task manager. So I just clicked on the firefox process, killed it, and then restarted it. That solved my problem. :2thumbsup:

[Beth]

Thanks guys! I restored my info. I downloaded the 1.01 version, too, the dern thing is not compatable with a lot of my really cool extentions. Be warned about the 1.01 version.

[Ex-zombie]

I also downloaded the update for Firefox to 1.0.1. I began to get pop-up ads. I posted about it at the Mozilla forums and was told it was a user problem and not a Firefox problem. I decided they were out of their minds. I uninstalled 1.0.1 and reinstalled 1.0. Guess what? Once again I am free of pop-ups.

[Crumb]

I recently got a few popups, too. :chin: Maybe I will have to roll back.

[livius drusus]

Pop-ups?! Well fuck that then. No way I'm upgrading to 1.01. Thanks for the heads up, Ex-zombie.

[Beth]

Sigh> The new version did some major stuff to my system> i have no periods< commas< or numbers on my keyboard< so please excuse>

my computer crashed< barely rebooted< i"ve spend ages< over a day trying to fix my system< i finally restored it< but the onboard keyboard and my keyboard is screwed< will not function properly> my mouse function is crap> i have searched my computer for hours< done system analysis on it< run diagnostics on it> grr> just be warned about the new mozilla< wait till they work out the bugs before installing it> oh< all this happened after i downloaded some keytouch extention and weather program> after that the pop ups started and my computer acted as if it were under remote control>

[Ex-zombie]

Sigh> The new version did some major stuff to my system> i have no periods< commas< or numbers on my keyboard< so please excuse>

This was happening to me as well. I didn't associate it with Firefox 1.0.1, although I now see I should have. :blush:

Oh well, at least I have a new keyboard.

[Beth]

I had to buy another keyboard as well. I thought i had done something to my keyboard, but I realized that i hadn't. I will be much more cautious of the browser and extentions from here on out.

[Crumb]

Whoa, it certainly hasn't messed up my periods and commas or anything like that. You sure it was FF 1.01 that did that?

[Ensign Steve]

Whoa, it certainly hasn't messed up my periods ...

:blush2:

[Crumb]

:roflmao:

[Beth]

Whoa, it certainly hasn't messed up my periods and commas or anything like that. You sure it was FF 1.01 that did that?
I was fine till I added one extention and the popups started. That is when the computer went haywire. What ever it was totally screwed up the XP keypad as well. all of my caps lock were lower cased and visa versa. All of my numbers and ,./;'[]-=\ were gone. I tried several different keyboards, they were all the same. I searched the computer for malicious code, found a script that showed up on my computer dated and timed right around the malfunction. So,...either the extention itself crippled my relatively new system, or a pop-up did something. I had to do major stuff just to get my system to boot properly and had to restore my system back to the beginning of the month.

[Crumb]

I wonder if this (http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/asa/archives/007682.html) solves the popup problem... I still have 1.01. I haven't had a popup since I posted on this thread though, but I mad this change anyway.

[viscousmemories]

This thread scared me off upgrading to 1.0.1 for awhile, but then I started seeing pop-unders here and there anyway! So I've gone ahead and updated it. It's past my bedtime now but if I remember I'll probably use that trick Crumb, thanks.