firefox is growing like wildfire, so to speak... - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

phredgreen · 12-04-2004, 11:47 AM

Quote:

as found here: http://www.fool.com/news/mft/2004/mft04120325.htm

Mozilla Outfoxing Microsoft

By Kelvin Taylor
December 3, 2004

Firefox is catching fire -- pardon the pun -- and for good reason. Web surfers looking for a reliable alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer have been busy over the last month downloading the new version of the Web browser. The Mozilla Foundation, a network of programmers jointly developing open-source technology, reports more than 8 million people have downloaded the program since early November.

The vulnerabilities of Internet Explorer have opened the door for competitors. Mozilla inherited much of the underlying software code from Netscape, which was purchased by Time Warner's America Online in 1998. The popular Web browser was instrumental in the Internet's growth in the 1990s. Could Firefox gain a similar popularity?

One estimate, by WebSideStory, found that Internet Explorer's share has dropped 5% in the past few months. OneStat.com, a Netherlands-based research group, predicts Firefox is well on its way to the stated goal of taking 10% of the browser market within a year.

Soon Firefox won't just be available for download off the Net. The program will start showing up in retail stores as a preinstalled browser on PCs from Linspire. It is being bundled alongside the OpenOffice.org office productivity suite, which is considered an open-source alternative to Microsoft Office. Retailers such as Wal-Mart and Staples carry Linspire machines.

The competition isn't with only Mozilla. Rumor has it that Google is pondering a browser too. As fellow Fool Alyce Lomax reported, Google jumped in the mix by acquiring the domain name "Gbrowser.com," plus some experienced browser programmers from Microsoft. This poses a unique challenge to Microsoft. The company can't claim infringement of its software codes. The software giant's next major upgrade for Windows -- including Internet Explorer-- won't come until 2006, thus giving extra time to the other browser wannabes. Firefox isn't anywhere close to leading the browser race, but the gap is ever so slowly shrinking one user at a time. I wonder whether the big M is taking notice here.

The Mozilla Foundation is a nonprofit corporation; users can make donations to help fund continued software development. In this way users become investors -- not in the traditional sense of a publicly traded company but instead investing directly into new technologies that given rise to something other than a security-plagued program. The returns from these investments don't show up yet as earnings but in the final product more and more people are using every day. I can't wait to see what comes next.

i made the permanent migration a few months ago after trying other options... i've found that firefox, with all of its extensions and other nifty options, is simply the best browsing experience... and as you can see from the story above, it's quickly growing in the mainstream. this begs one question... if you haven't switched yet, why not?

Ustwo · 12-04-2004, 11:49 AM

The bad news, due to firefoxes popularity I've seen more and more spyware that seems to work with it.

mo42 · 12-04-2004, 12:16 PM

Yeah, but there's still a heck of a lot less than there is for IE. Until Firefox becomes worse than IE, I'm not switching back.

cj2112 · 12-04-2004, 12:18 PM

I was just getting ready to post this article here....

/me loves Firefox

ElwoodBlues · 12-04-2004, 12:31 PM

I just switched to Firefox about a week ago. So far I haven't noticed much differences, besides the fact that my webpages are bigger because there is less clutter up top.

What are some of the features of Firefox that really put it above IE?

isis · 12-04-2004, 01:27 PM

My IE has some crazy problem, every time I open it it goes to some website. No matter how many pop-up blockers and how many virus scans I've done, it always comes back. Firefox is consistently better, faster, and easier to use. The only downfall I have is some websites aren't all that compatible with Firefox if they were made for IE. However, forums and places like this are way better in Firefox.

Join the Revolution!

phredgreen · 12-04-2004, 01:36 PM

elwoodblues: it's all about the extensions. i'd suggest adblock first and foremost. using it, i've filtered about 95% of all ads and banners from my computer... it takes a bit of training when you first get started, but if you're smart about your syntax, you can effectively block most unwanted rubbish from websites

TexanAvenger · 12-04-2004, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elwoodblues43

I just switched to Firefox about a week ago. So far I haven't noticed much differences, besides the fact that my webpages are bigger because there is less clutter up top.

What are some of the features of Firefox that really put it above IE?

As far as I've seen in using it, most pages load quicker and the tabbed browsing is kind of nice too. Unfortunately, Microsoft will probably try to steal that idea in its next version of IE.

splck · 12-04-2004, 01:49 PM

I've been using it for several months and have no plans to go back to IE.

tisonlyi · 12-04-2004, 03:55 PM

Moved to mozilla about 2 and a half years ago, i remember because it was such a wonderful liberation, moved to firefox about a year ago.

It's just better all round.

heyal256 · 12-04-2004, 07:19 PM

I switched a few months ago, and as phredgreen said "It's all about the extensions". that and the lack of active x seems to really help make firefox more secure than IE.

LoganSnake · 12-04-2004, 07:39 PM

Firefox = sex

It's more secure, offers tabbed browsing, has all the downloadable content, and is overall a better browser. It took me about 2-3 weeks of switching from Firefox back to IE to finally realize that Fox is better. I only use IE now in a rare occurance when a web page is not compatible with Firefox.

Painted · 12-04-2004, 07:49 PM

Yeah. I use firefox all the time, its great that its getting more publicity!

Jimellow · 12-04-2004, 07:59 PM

I tried Firefox, but it was slow for me..

I've been using, and continue to use, MyIE2 (now Maxthon).

Firefox seems nice, but after trying it out, I still prefer Maxthon.

Anything is better than plain old Internet Explorer though, that's for sure.

ComfortablyNumb · 12-05-2004, 12:41 AM

Swiched about a year ago to mozilla then to firefox. I wish that all websites were compatible then I would never have to use IE again

Jesus Pimp · 12-05-2004, 12:44 AM

Yeah I was checking one of my weblogs for one of my sites and 90% of my visitors use firefox. I was like damn..

ElwoodBlues · 12-05-2004, 01:22 AM

Jiggidatabbedbrowsing? I haven't noticed this feature yet. Do I have to turn it on? Color me confused

stevie667 · 12-05-2004, 05:03 AM

I love firefox, i've been using it for about a month or so now.
The only thing i have against it is the lack of 'save target as' function (though i'm probably not looking hard enough), makes saving 'files' so much damned harder :P

Seriously though, i think it's great, it's so much easier to use, and the multiple search thingy in the corner is my new best friend.

TheBrit · 12-05-2004, 05:12 AM

elwood, tabbed browsing is the best part of Firefox!
Hit ctrl-t and a new tab pops up. You can browse in that tab as well. The basic idea is you can have 10 websites open at once, all in one window. Middle click a link to open it in a new tab, middle click a tab to close it, or focus on it and hit the red x on the side.

mosha · 12-05-2004, 05:54 AM

I have switched all of my computers to firefox and a lot of friends have as well. many with older computers say that surfing is faster with firefox and i guess i would say the same. pages do load a bit quicker. all around i will not go back to IE anytime soon.

superiorrain · 12-05-2004, 06:19 AM

I love firefox since i switched it's made surfing fun again. I just hope that firefox doesn't become a victim of it's own success.

itwasntme · 12-05-2004, 06:22 AM

i switched to mozilla year or so back, havnt tried firfox. i resist change

Church · 12-05-2004, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevie667

I love firefox, i've been using it for about a month or so now.
The only thing i have against it is the lack of 'save target as' function (though i'm probably not looking hard enough), makes saving 'files' so much damned harder :P

The equivalent to 'save target as' in Firefox is 'save link as'. Does the exact same thing, just different wording.

And to stay on topic, I really like the download manager as well, helps me keep track of what I've downloaded and haven't downloaded. My only gripe is that sometimes it doesn't close when after it finished downloading a file even though I have it set to.

turbofish · 12-05-2004, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ustwo

The bad news, due to firefoxes popularity I've seen more and more spyware that seems to work with it.

Got any examples?

LIMilf · 12-05-2004, 07:25 AM

I had to switch when some spyware got downloaded on my IE and i couldnt get it off using almost everything. IE sucked so bad. Firefox is what im using now and it's better in all aspects. Faster, cleaner just a better experience. I dont know why anybody would be using IE

Redlemon · 12-05-2004, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ustwo

The bad news, due to firefoxes popularity I've seen more and more spyware that seems to work with it.

I'm also going to have to call you out for examples. I'm on the Mozillazine boards a lot, and subscribe to many Firefox blogs, and I am not aware of any spyware that targets the Firefox 1.0 release. There were a couple around 1.0PR, but those security holes were fixed, and the end result of the spyware was to change things in IE, not Firefox, which was weird.

And let me take a step back, and assume you are correct in your statement. You are saying "I'd rather use Browser A, which looks like Swiss cheese, rather than Browser B, which has two holes in it"?

Blackthorn · 12-05-2004, 08:00 AM

I haven't switched yet but I'm leaning more toward doing so now. My brother in law was one of the early adopters of Firefox and he raves about it every time I see him. I think he's a bit nutty but perhaps in this case he's got something.

Nice post Phred...

fatbob · 12-05-2004, 08:59 AM

what do people use on mac osx ? i'm just using the standard safari that comes with it, but on my old pc i used opera which i really liked...

in firefox, if you want to move between tabs is there a keyboard short cut? eg: in opera ctrl + tab lets you flick between tabs, but this doesn't work in safari which i am finding tres anyoying! woudl appreciate it if someone could let me know.

Xell101 · 12-05-2004, 09:59 AM

Ctrl+Tab does cycle tween tabs. I'm on day two and this Firefox is most excellent, I can see why it is beating out Microsoft.

stevie667 · 12-05-2004, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Church

The equivalent to 'save target as' in Firefox is 'save link as'. Does the exact same thing, just different wording.

Ahhhhhh, thank you for that

World's King · 12-05-2004, 03:52 PM

Yippie.......................................................

Antrocka83 · 12-05-2004, 04:21 PM

I just got firefox and it is SO MUCH worth it. Not having a pop up from whatever by MS or pop unders from the Gain Network makes this so much better. It is like Netscape without the spyware.

A question: What is some of the add-ons one can get with Firefox?

quadro2000 · 12-06-2004, 04:27 AM

I just downloaded Firefox yesterday for my Mac (trying to see if I like it better than Safari). So far, I think it's pretty neat - and a lot faster than Safari or IE on loading certain pages. I had also tried Camino and OmniWeb before this, but I like this one better thus far. Just wish I could use it at work...XP blocks any application downloads.

ratiocination · 12-06-2004, 04:39 AM

I just got firefox a few days back and it is definetely the best browsers I have ever used. I gave up on Microsoft IE and switched to Opera. But recently that browser has been giving me problems as well .. it's slowing down and it's got too much fluff.. plus gmail doesnt work on it. The firefox seems to be working excellent so far .. i was so impressed that i got firebird.. the mail application which is equally good

Bill O'Rights · 12-06-2004, 05:53 AM

I, too, am resitant to change. Being somewhat...older, I get set in my ways. However, I also get tired of having to have more security, on my home pc, than the CIA. I was drug, kicking and screaming, into the world of Firefox. I've picked up not so much as a single bug, or anything else, since. So, from my point of view, Microsoft has blown it. IE, in my estimation, could've been made more secure, but Microsoft didn't see the profit in that...I guess. Their loss...as I said, I tend to get set in my ways. It's going to take one hell of a lot for Billy boy to woo me back to IE. On the other hand, I remain loyal to MS Office, so perhaps he neither notices, nor cares.

phredgreen · 12-06-2004, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill O'Rights

On the other hand, I remain loyal to MS Office, so perhaps he neither notices, nor cares.

there's a free cure for that, too. openoffice.org is an incredible application that does everything that ms office does, for free. i'm not a heavy office user, but it has met every one of my ms-office related tasks and handles all of the ms office filetypes without issue. another open-source goodie to consider.

amonkie · 12-06-2004, 07:02 AM

is openoffice compatible with MS office? ie giving a presentation on a normal PC with MS office?

phredgreen · 12-06-2004, 07:05 AM

yep. openoffice has an application that allows you to view/manipulate .ppt presentations, as well as applications that allow you to use word files and excel files.

amonkie · 12-06-2004, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phredgreen

yep. openoffice has an application that allows you to view/manipulate .ppt presentations, as well as applications that allow you to use word files and excel files.

Saweet! Of course I find this out after everything's done for the semester, but will keep in mind. Thanks!

ScottKuma · 12-06-2004, 07:26 AM

Is OpenOffice completely compatible with MSOffice yet? Last time I tried it, there were some nagging problems in it that caused me to switch back to MSOffice.

No, I don't remember what those were....excepting that they were problems with Word compatibility.

12-04-2004, 11:49 AM	#2 (permalink)
Ustwo Pissing in the cornflakes	The bad news, due to firefoxes popularity I've seen more and more spyware that seems to work with it. __________________ Agents of the enemies who hold office in our own government, who attempt to eliminate our "freedoms" and our "right to know" are posting among us, I fear.....on this very forum. - host Obama - Know a Man by the friends he keeps.

12-04-2004, 12:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
mo42 Insane Location: California	Yeah, but there's still a heck of a lot less than there is for IE. Until Firefox becomes worse than IE, I'm not switching back. __________________ It's not getting what you want, it's wanting what you've got.

12-04-2004, 01:36 PM	#7 (permalink)
phredgreen who? Location: the phoenix metro	elwoodblues: it's all about the extensions. i'd suggest adblock first and foremost. using it, i've filtered about 95% of all ads and banners from my computer... it takes a bit of training when you first get started, but if you're smart about your syntax, you can effectively block most unwanted rubbish from websites __________________ My country is the world, and my religion is to do good. - Thomas Paine

12-04-2004, 01:49 PM	#9 (permalink)
splck it's jam Location: Lowerainland BC	I've been using it for several months and have no plans to go back to IE. __________________ nice line eh?

12-04-2004, 03:55 PM	#10 (permalink)
tisonlyi Nothing	Moved to mozilla about 2 and a half years ago, i remember because it was such a wonderful liberation, moved to firefox about a year ago. It's just better all round. __________________ "I do not agree that the dog in a manger has the final right to the manger even though he may have lain there for a very long time. I do not admit that right. I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place." - Winston Churchill, 1937 --{ORLY?}--

12-04-2004, 12:18 PM	#4 (permalink)
cj2112 Unbelievable Location: Grants Pass OR	I was just getting ready to post this article here.... /me loves Firefox

12-04-2004, 12:31 PM	#5 (permalink)
ElwoodBlues Psycho Location: Massachusetts	I just switched to Firefox about a week ago. So far I haven't noticed much differences, besides the fact that my webpages are bigger because there is less clutter up top. What are some of the features of Firefox that really put it above IE?

12-04-2004, 01:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
isis Insane Location: In the Woods.	My IE has some crazy problem, every time I open it it goes to some website. No matter how many pop-up blockers and how many virus scans I've done, it always comes back. Firefox is consistently better, faster, and easier to use. The only downfall I have is some websites aren't all that compatible with Firefox if they were made for IE. However, forums and places like this are way better in Firefox. Join the Revolution!

12-04-2004, 07:19 PM	#11 (permalink)
heyal256 Not so great lurker Location: NY	I switched a few months ago, and as phredgreen said "It's all about the extensions". that and the lack of active x seems to really help make firefox more secure than IE.

12-04-2004, 07:39 PM	#12 (permalink)
LoganSnake We work alone Location: Cake Town	Firefox = sex It's more secure, offers tabbed browsing, has all the downloadable content, and is overall a better browser. It took me about 2-3 weeks of switching from Firefox back to IE to finally realize that Fox is better. I only use IE now in a rare occurance when a web page is not compatible with Firefox. __________________ Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

12-04-2004, 07:49 PM	#13 (permalink)
Painted Pleasure Burn	Yeah. I use firefox all the time, its great that its getting more publicity!

12-04-2004, 07:59 PM	#14 (permalink)
Jimellow Junkie	I tried Firefox, but it was slow for me.. I've been using, and continue to use, MyIE2 (now Maxthon). Firefox seems nice, but after trying it out, I still prefer Maxthon. Anything is better than plain old Internet Explorer though, that's for sure. __________________ Desperation is no excuse for lowering one's standards.

12-05-2004, 12:41 AM	#15 (permalink)
ComfortablyNumb Upright	Swiched about a year ago to mozilla then to firefox. I wish that all websites were compatible then I would never have to use IE again

12-05-2004, 12:44 AM	#16 (permalink)
Jesus Pimp The Original JizzSmacka	Yeah I was checking one of my weblogs for one of my sites and 90% of my visitors use firefox. I was like damn.. __________________ Never date anyone who doesn't make your dick hard.

12-05-2004, 01:22 AM	#17 (permalink)
ElwoodBlues Psycho Location: Massachusetts	Jiggidatabbedbrowsing? I haven't noticed this feature yet. Do I have to turn it on? Color me confused

12-05-2004, 05:03 AM	#18 (permalink)
stevie667 Too Awesome for Aardvarks Location: Angloland	I love firefox, i've been using it for about a month or so now. The only thing i have against it is the lack of 'save target as' function (though i'm probably not looking hard enough), makes saving 'files' so much damned harder :P Seriously though, i think it's great, it's so much easier to use, and the multiple search thingy in the corner is my new best friend.

12-05-2004, 05:12 AM	#19 (permalink)
TheBrit Psycho	elwood, tabbed browsing is the best part of Firefox! Hit ctrl-t and a new tab pops up. You can browse in that tab as well. The basic idea is you can have 10 websites open at once, all in one window. Middle click a link to open it in a new tab, middle click a tab to close it, or focus on it and hit the red x on the side.

12-05-2004, 05:54 AM	#20 (permalink)
mosha Crazy Location: Htown, NJ	I have switched all of my computers to firefox and a lot of friends have as well. many with older computers say that surfing is faster with firefox and i guess i would say the same. pages do load a bit quicker. all around i will not go back to IE anytime soon.

12-05-2004, 06:19 AM	#21 (permalink)
superiorrain Psycho Location: London	I love firefox since i switched it's made surfing fun again. I just hope that firefox doesn't become a victim of it's own success. __________________ "The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible." - Arthur C. Clarke

12-05-2004, 06:22 AM	#22 (permalink)
itwasntme Upright	i switched to mozilla year or so back, havnt tried firfox. i resist change

12-05-2004, 07:25 AM	#25 (permalink)
LIMilf Crazy	I had to switch when some spyware got downloaded on my IE and i couldnt get it off using almost everything. IE sucked so bad. Firefox is what im using now and it's better in all aspects. Faster, cleaner just a better experience. I dont know why anybody would be using IE __________________ My goal is to be rookie of the year...

12-05-2004, 08:00 AM	#27 (permalink)
Blackthorn Beware the Mad Irish Location: Wish I was on the N17...	I haven't switched yet but I'm leaning more toward doing so now. My brother in law was one of the early adopters of Firefox and he raves about it every time I see him. I think he's a bit nutty but perhaps in this case he's got something. Nice post Phred... __________________ What are you willing to give up in order to get what you want?

12-05-2004, 08:59 AM	#28 (permalink)
fatbob Insane Location: Edinburgh	what do people use on mac osx ? i'm just using the standard safari that comes with it, but on my old pc i used opera which i really liked... in firefox, if you want to move between tabs is there a keyboard short cut? eg: in opera ctrl + tab lets you flick between tabs, but this doesn't work in safari which i am finding tres anyoying! woudl appreciate it if someone could let me know. __________________ change happens when those who don't normally speak get heard by those who don't normally listen.

12-05-2004, 09:59 AM	#29 (permalink)
Xell101 Junkie	Ctrl+Tab does cycle tween tabs. I'm on day two and this Firefox is most excellent, I can see why it is beating out Microsoft.

12-05-2004, 03:52 PM	#31 (permalink)
World's King Here Location: Denver City Denver	Yippie....................................................... __________________ heavy is the head that wears the crown

12-05-2004, 04:21 PM	#32 (permalink)
Antrocka83 Upright Location: Stamford, CT	I just got firefox and it is SO MUCH worth it. Not having a pop up from whatever by MS or pop unders from the Gain Network makes this so much better. It is like Netscape without the spyware. A question: What is some of the add-ons one can get with Firefox? __________________ Anthony T. Townes Victim of the Glass Ceiling

12-06-2004, 04:27 AM	#33 (permalink)
quadro2000 All Possibility, Made Of Custard Location: New York, NY	I just downloaded Firefox yesterday for my Mac (trying to see if I like it better than Safari). So far, I think it's pretty neat - and a lot faster than Safari or IE on loading certain pages. I had also tried Camino and OmniWeb before this, but I like this one better thus far. Just wish I could use it at work...XP blocks any application downloads. __________________ You have to laugh at yourself...because you'd cry your eyes out if you didn't. - Emily Saliers

12-06-2004, 04:39 AM	#34 (permalink)
ratiocination Tilted	I just got firefox a few days back and it is definetely the best browsers I have ever used. I gave up on Microsoft IE and switched to Opera. But recently that browser has been giving me problems as well .. it's slowing down and it's got too much fluff.. plus gmail doesnt work on it. The firefox seems to be working excellent so far .. i was so impressed that i got firebird.. the mail application which is equally good

12-06-2004, 05:53 AM	#35 (permalink)
Bill O'Rights will always be an Alyson Hanniganite Location: In the dust of the archives	I, too, am resitant to change. Being somewhat...older, I get set in my ways. However, I also get tired of having to have more security, on my home pc, than the CIA. I was drug, kicking and screaming, into the world of Firefox. I've picked up not so much as a single bug, or anything else, since. So, from my point of view, Microsoft has blown it. IE, in my estimation, could've been made more secure, but Microsoft didn't see the profit in that...I guess. Their loss...as I said, I tend to get set in my ways. It's going to take one hell of a lot for Billy boy to woo me back to IE. On the other hand, I remain loyal to MS Office, so perhaps he neither notices, nor cares. __________________ "I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony "Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

12-06-2004, 07:02 AM	#37 (permalink)
amonkie Drifting Administrator Location: Windy City	is openoffice compatible with MS office? ie giving a presentation on a normal PC with MS office? __________________ Calling from deep in the heart, from where the eyes can't see and the ears can't hear, from where the mountain trails end and only love can go... ~~~ Three Rivers Hare Krishna

12-06-2004, 07:05 AM	#38 (permalink)
phredgreen who? Location: the phoenix metro	yep. openoffice has an application that allows you to view/manipulate .ppt presentations, as well as applications that allow you to use word files and excel files. __________________ My country is the world, and my religion is to do good. - Thomas Paine

12-06-2004, 07:26 AM	#40 (permalink)
ScottKuma Insane Location: Maineville, OH	Is OpenOffice completely compatible with MSOffice yet? Last time I tried it, there were some nagging problems in it that caused me to switch back to MSOffice. No, I don't remember what those were....excepting that they were problems with Word compatibility.