switch to firefox - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

mr.montreal · 07-05-2004, 09:31 AM

im using avant browser 9.02 http://www.avantbrowser.com/

im very happy with avant browser, but with the latest security threats, im contemplating making the jump to firefox since avant uses IE.

here is a list of features that i like in avant, i will make the switch if firefox has them as well.

1) (my favorite) hitting F12 puts you in full desktop mode. this hides all your toolbars until you hover over them, i use my mouse thumb buttons to navigate through pages.

2)multiple home pages at the same time

3) with the hit of one button, all flash is disabled/enabled (ive seen this in firefox, but not with one button)

are there addons for these features for firefox?

ps. my main gripe with firefox 0.9 is it seems to load mostly pictures, and web pages quite a bit slower than IE.

elmacho · 07-05-2004, 09:57 AM

There's a developer's toolbar that allows you to disable stuff like cookies, images, image animations... nothing about Flash though.

The thing i like the most is the mouse gesture browsing (which i guess is available in other browsers) - i've got so used to it though i always find myself trying it in explorer too!

oushi · 07-05-2004, 11:32 AM

I'm a long time user of Avant, as well. Just started trying out Firefox yesterday. One of the problems with Firefox is that it comes with almost no options in GUI off the get go, which is in stark contrast with Avant which has a multitude of functions. I haven't found any extensions that allow for any of the features you're looking for, unfortunately.

However, here's a list of some of the extensions I've found for Firefox that make it closer to Avant (and in some ways, surpass it):

Tabbrowser Extensions
Given that Firefox's tabs are pretty much useless after installation, this extension is a must. It gives you all the functions you're used to from Avant. Single window mode keeps all the web pages as separate tabs in one window. And you can set the tabs to close when you double-click them (a la Avant). You can also drag and drop your tabs to reorganize them and customize other tab functions more than you could with Avant.

All-in-one Gestures
This little beaut restores the rocker function in Avant (hold right click and press left click to go back a page and vice versa) and also adds in mouse gestures. With these, you can hold the right click and draw to carry out functions. (i.e. you can set it to go back when you draw a lien to the left)

Adblock
Speaks for itself.

Web Developer
Lets you disable images/cookies/aniamted gifs/java/etc. But it doesn't let you disable flash. There's anm extension called Flashblock that blocks all flash animations and replaces them with placeholders. Then you can click on those placeholders to load the flash you actually want to see. However, their site says it's not upgraded for 0.9 yet.

Nuke Anything
This baby is great. It allows you to seemlessly temporarily remove any part of a website. For example, you can remove a huge ass ad out of an article before printing it, or you can hide those ads and pictures that aren't exactly SFW. Everything is restored when you refresh the page.

BugMeNot
This thing lets you bypass those sites that ask for registration by pulling out a user/pass from a user-submitted pool of accounts. Great for sites like nytimes.com

Another function of Firefox I like is the ability to search for text on the page just by typing and then pressing F3 to find the next result. No more hassle of pulling up the find window.

There are downsides to Firefox. I haven't found anything that lets me minimize the thing to the system tray, so it hogs taskbar space. I don't know if there's anything for multiple home pages. There is no full desktop mode with autohide that I know of. You can go fullscreen with F11 but it does not autohide the toolbars, so you have to hide it manually.

I'm still on the fence about which browser I like better. Avant seems to have all the basic functions covered, while Firefox is missing some vital options, but has the ability to be customized by its extensions. It's up to you to decide what browser has the features you just can't live without.

phukraut · 07-05-2004, 12:52 PM

firefox can have multiple homepages, yes.

KMA-628 · 07-05-2004, 12:55 PM

Quote:

ps. my main gripe with firefox 0.9 is it seems to load mostly pictures, and web pages quite a bit slower than IE.

I switched to Firefox as well, so far I am happy.

Your point brings up something I haven't figured out. I too noticed the slower load on pictures...so...

I decided to benchtest my speeds using the speed tool at MSN (I used to use dslreports, but I think it is gone).

I opened IE, ran the test, closed IE. I then immediately opened Firefox, ran the test, closed IE and compared the results.

Here is what I got:

IE = 2097 kbps
Firefox = 2973 kbps

Roughly a 30% difference. I then repeated the test at different times on different days, always in the same manner as above.

The result: Firefox was consistently faster by an averag of 25-30%. Sometimes as low as 15% but sometimes as high as 45%.

So....

If Firefox benchtests faster, why does it appear to load slower? Or, is just my brain thinking it is slower while actually faster.

BTW - I downloaded a new theme (Nautipolis) for Firefox. It uses a smaller footprint and I no longer feel the need to F-11 for a bigger screen.

And, from what I have seen. Firefox's tabs work similar to your request (granted, I have never used Avant so I have no comparison).

KMA-628 · 07-05-2004, 01:09 PM

In regards to the full-screen without toolbars, etc.

There is an extension called "Autohide" that does this:

http://texturizer.net/firefox/extensions/

I installed it and tried it out. Sure enough, when I hit F-11 I went to full-screen with only the web page, nothing else.

oushi · 07-05-2004, 02:44 PM

About the speed issue... Firefox has a 250ms delay where it waits for information before it starts loading the page. You can set the delay lower and you'll notice pages load a bit faster.

http://texturizer.net/firefox/tips.html#oth_rendering

Pipelining may also help increase your speed. Type "about:config" into the address bar in Firefox and filter for "pipelining." Change the 3 results to true, 100, and true.

KMA-628 · 07-05-2004, 02:56 PM

Thanks oushi - considerably faster now, no real reason to go back to IE

BTW....sorry about hijacking the thread...

SecretMethod70 · 07-05-2004, 03:54 PM

To disable flash, you can use the Preferences Toolbar extension -

http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/prefbar

I have not tried this with Firefox 0.9 yet (haven't been able to update for reasons not related to Firefox), but it's worked fine for me in the past.

I believe the other questions have already been answered.

EDIT: Oh, and as for HOW to set multiple homepages, I unfortunately can't tell you ATM, but I know you can. Unfortunately I'm on a crappy computer right now, using Mozilla 1.5 and the computer won't let me install anything else

)

mr.montreal · 07-05-2004, 07:23 PM

thanks a ton for the replies. I will give it a shot tomorrow.

Scipio · 07-05-2004, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by oushi
About the speed issue... Firefox has a 250ms delay where it waits for information before it starts loading the page. You can set the delay lower and you'll notice pages load a bit faster.

http://texturizer.net/firefox/tips.html#oth_rendering

Pipelining may also help increase your speed. Type "about:config" into the address bar in Firefox and filter for "pipelining." Change the 3 results to true, 100, and true.

that's badass! works great!

I love firefox btw. No popup ads, even without an added plugin. Just keep the riffraff programs off your computer with spybot and adware.

ShaniFaye · 10-02-2004, 12:22 PM

Ok I downloaded this...Im liking it so far...I've added the extension for the IRC client...bare with me here...its been a LONG time since I've used IRC...can someone tell me if the add on that I added can be configured for the TFP chatroom? if so...can someone abc me thru it?

(I searched and with all the things that came up I couldnt find this...sorry if its here somewhere)

Willravel · 10-02-2004, 12:50 PM

I downloaded FF from thescreensavers and tried it. I prefer Safari.

gmoot · 10-03-2004, 02:54 PM

I haven't seen someone mention it, so I'll just add in a little tidbit. To have multiple homepages, go to the options page where you enter the url for the homepage, and enter any number of url's with the | (that's shift + forward-slash, not "L" or "I") symbol separating them. The tabs will load in the order you enter them.

07-05-2004, 09:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
mr.montreal Upright Location: montreal,canada	switch to firefox im using avant browser 9.02 http://www.avantbrowser.com/ im very happy with avant browser, but with the latest security threats, im contemplating making the jump to firefox since avant uses IE. here is a list of features that i like in avant, i will make the switch if firefox has them as well. 1) (my favorite) hitting F12 puts you in full desktop mode. this hides all your toolbars until you hover over them, i use my mouse thumb buttons to navigate through pages. 2)multiple home pages at the same time 3) with the hit of one button, all flash is disabled/enabled (ive seen this in firefox, but not with one button) are there addons for these features for firefox? ps. my main gripe with firefox 0.9 is it seems to load mostly pictures, and web pages quite a bit slower than IE. Last edited by mr.montreal; 07-05-2004 at 09:33 AM..

07-05-2004, 01:09 PM	#6 (permalink)
KMA-628 ....is off his meds...you were warned. Location: The Wild Wild West	In regards to the full-screen without toolbars, etc. There is an extension called "Autohide" that does this: http://texturizer.net/firefox/extensions/ I installed it and tried it out. Sure enough, when I hit F-11 I went to full-screen with only the web page, nothing else. __________________ Before you criticize someone, you need to walk a mile in their shoes. That way, if they get angry at you.......you're a mile away.......and they're barefoot.

07-05-2004, 02:56 PM	#8 (permalink)
KMA-628 ....is off his meds...you were warned. Location: The Wild Wild West	Thanks oushi - considerably faster now, no real reason to go back to IE BTW....sorry about hijacking the thread... __________________ Before you criticize someone, you need to walk a mile in their shoes. That way, if they get angry at you.......you're a mile away.......and they're barefoot.

07-05-2004, 03:54 PM	#9 (permalink)
SecretMethod70 Human Administrator Location: Chicago	To disable flash, you can use the Preferences Toolbar extension - http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/prefbar I have not tried this with Firefox 0.9 yet (haven't been able to update for reasons not related to Firefox), but it's worked fine for me in the past. I believe the other questions have already been answered. EDIT: Oh, and as for HOW to set multiple homepages, I unfortunately can't tell you ATM, but I know you can. Unfortunately I'm on a crappy computer right now, using Mozilla 1.5 and the computer won't let me install anything else ) __________________ Le temps détruit tout "Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

10-02-2004, 12:22 PM	#12 (permalink)
ShaniFaye Submit to me, you know you want to Location: Lilburn, Ga	Ok I downloaded this...Im liking it so far...I've added the extension for the IRC client...bare with me here...its been a LONG time since I've used IRC...can someone tell me if the add on that I added can be configured for the TFP chatroom? if so...can someone abc me thru it? (I searched and with all the things that came up I couldnt find this...sorry if its here somewhere) __________________ *I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!*

07-05-2004, 09:57 AM	#2 (permalink)
elmacho Upright	There's a developer's toolbar that allows you to disable stuff like cookies, images, image animations... nothing about Flash though. The thing i like the most is the mouse gesture browsing (which i guess is available in other browsers) - i've got so used to it though i always find myself trying it in explorer too!

07-05-2004, 11:32 AM	#3 (permalink)
oushi Upright	I'm a long time user of Avant, as well. Just started trying out Firefox yesterday. One of the problems with Firefox is that it comes with almost no options in GUI off the get go, which is in stark contrast with Avant which has a multitude of functions. I haven't found any extensions that allow for any of the features you're looking for, unfortunately. However, here's a list of some of the extensions I've found for Firefox that make it closer to Avant (and in some ways, surpass it): Tabbrowser Extensions Given that Firefox's tabs are pretty much useless after installation, this extension is a must. It gives you all the functions you're used to from Avant. Single window mode keeps all the web pages as separate tabs in one window. And you can set the tabs to close when you double-click them (a la Avant). You can also drag and drop your tabs to reorganize them and customize other tab functions more than you could with Avant. All-in-one Gestures This little beaut restores the rocker function in Avant (hold right click and press left click to go back a page and vice versa) and also adds in mouse gestures. With these, you can hold the right click and draw to carry out functions. (i.e. you can set it to go back when you draw a lien to the left) Adblock Speaks for itself. Web Developer Lets you disable images/cookies/aniamted gifs/java/etc. But it doesn't let you disable flash. There's anm extension called Flashblock that blocks all flash animations and replaces them with placeholders. Then you can click on those placeholders to load the flash you actually want to see. However, their site says it's not upgraded for 0.9 yet. Nuke Anything This baby is great. It allows you to seemlessly temporarily remove any part of a website. For example, you can remove a huge ass ad out of an article before printing it, or you can hide those ads and pictures that aren't exactly SFW. Everything is restored when you refresh the page. BugMeNot This thing lets you bypass those sites that ask for registration by pulling out a user/pass from a user-submitted pool of accounts. Great for sites like nytimes.com Another function of Firefox I like is the ability to search for text on the page just by typing and then pressing F3 to find the next result. No more hassle of pulling up the find window. There are downsides to Firefox. I haven't found anything that lets me minimize the thing to the system tray, so it hogs taskbar space. I don't know if there's anything for multiple home pages. There is no full desktop mode with autohide that I know of. You can go fullscreen with F11 but it does not autohide the toolbars, so you have to hide it manually. I'm still on the fence about which browser I like better. Avant seems to have all the basic functions covered, while Firefox is missing some vital options, but has the ability to be customized by its extensions. It's up to you to decide what browser has the features you just can't live without.

07-05-2004, 12:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
phukraut Addict	firefox can have multiple homepages, yes.

07-05-2004, 02:44 PM	#7 (permalink)
oushi Upright	About the speed issue... Firefox has a 250ms delay where it waits for information before it starts loading the page. You can set the delay lower and you'll notice pages load a bit faster. http://texturizer.net/firefox/tips.html#oth_rendering Pipelining may also help increase your speed. Type "about:config" into the address bar in Firefox and filter for "pipelining." Change the 3 results to true, 100, and true.

07-05-2004, 07:23 PM	#10 (permalink)
mr.montreal Upright Location: montreal,canada	thanks a ton for the replies. I will give it a shot tomorrow.

10-02-2004, 12:50 PM	#13 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	I downloaded FF from thescreensavers and tried it. I prefer Safari.

10-03-2004, 02:54 PM	#14 (permalink)
gmoot Upright Location: Ohio	I haven't seen someone mention it, so I'll just add in a little tidbit. To have multiple homepages, go to the options page where you enter the url for the homepage, and enter any number of url's with the \| (that's shift + forward-slash, not "L" or "I") symbol separating them. The tabs will load in the order you enter them.