Are you still using Internet Explorer? If the answer is affirmative, then you should already know it's time for a change. Obviously, you shouldn't move on to a new browser just because I say so, but because there's something better to get
Firefox is an impressive browser that can be used without problems by all computer users, from beginners to gurus. Since you can get it for free and installing it is just as easy as one-two-three, you should find some reasons to make you move away from Microsoft's browser, or at least get Firefox and use it from time to time, as an alternative. Are you ready?
Firefox gives you tabbed browsing, but since IE 7 offers that too, its 3 major advantages are :plugins, skins and speed.
I am a power user and I must confess that using Firefox "out of the box" is not my choice, but with the help of less than 10 plugins, I can make it turn into an ultimate weapon of IE myth destruction. Anyway, I'll leave them for another time, now we're talking about the browser, right?
For beginners, even a "naked" Firefox, without any additional plugins, is an excellent choice. Since security is the greatest issue for every user online at this time, remember these two words - security and privacy. Firefox is able to stop viruses, spyware, popups and even detects phishing, while cleaning your personal information is only a mouse click away.
The skins and speed of this browser are not something that we should talk about, but something that you should check for yourselves. Obviously, these are only the cherry on top of the Firefox pie, so... let's cut the talking, get it and play around with it, that's all you should do, but first, let's draw some quick conclusions!
The Good
Firefox is really fast, looks good and can be beautified even further with the use of additional skins, and its features cover almost any need of an average computer user. Of course, for those power users that always want more, there are plugins... but everyone could benefit from the browser's excellent security, with or without additional tools!
The Bad
Despite the fact that last versions are improved a lot when compared to the old ones, Firefox still takes up too much memory in some cases, but that shouldn't be much of a problem, as long as you're not trying to use it on a computer with 128MB of RAM or less...
Conclusion
Choosing a web browser is a rather tricky task, because there are a lot of good choices. If you want to have them both, an excellent browser and a popular one too, then get Firefox and don't forget to share your opinions or even problems with us (while Mozilla charges 39.99$ per incident to assist you, we'll do it for free)!
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Can I usit with vista???
Can I usit with vista???
Yes, Firefox works on Vista.
Yes, Firefox works on Vista.
(Quote: I am a power user
(Quote: I am a power user and I must confess that using Firefox "out of the box" is not my choice, but with the help of less than 10 plugins, I can make it turn into an ultimate weapon of IE myth destruction. Anyway, I'll leave them for another time, now we're talking about the browser, right?)
Hi there,
I have just joined up to receive your newsletter & then came across your acticle about Firefox as well. I was hoping you would aleviate my agony by posting the answers to the above quoted comment sooner, rather than later please. I'm an avid FF user & have been since it became a viable option from IE. I'm always looking for that 'added advantage'. Your claim to be a power-user & the knowlegde you have, would enable us would-be-power-users. So you may have a decent following here on this topic alone in my humble view...
Your thoughts...?
Mike (From down-under in New Zealand)
Well, let's see what I
Well, let's see what I usually use to make Firefox much better than it is "out of the box"...
First of all, FireTune. It's not a Firefox plugin, but a program that enables you to speed it up and all I can say about it is that I hope its results to be obvious for you too. You know how these things are... I see a nice speed increase, you may not, it depends a lot on your Internet connection, computer and, sometimes...luck!
http://www.totalidea.com/content/firetune/firetune-index.html
Now, PDF Download... No more waiting for large embedded PDF files to load, now you can choose to save them before waiting to load, and even checks to see if the target is really a PDF file.
http://www.pdfdownload.org/
Java/VLC Plugin/Flash/other multimedia add-ons
No comment here, if you're a power user, you know already what to do and, even more, what you need and what you don't...
Tabbrowser Preferences
While Firefox is a tabbed browser, it's not perfect. This plugin brings it closer to perfection, enhancing control for some aspects of tabbed browsing, such as the ability to drag and drop URLs on the new tab button on the tab bar, open URLs from the Extension/Theme Manager and the Help window in new tabs or by allowing you to select tabs by moving the mouse onto them, instead of clicking on them. These are small things that can make a big difference during your daily web browsing...
http://216.55.161.203/theonekea/tabprefs/
NoScript
Firefox may be more secure than IE, but it's not perfect on this side either, so NoScript is "a must" for everyone. Its purpose is to provide flexible extra protection for your computer, allowing you to enable or disable scripts on individual domains, and also protects you from cross-site scripting attacks (XSS).
http://noscript.net/
StumbleUpon/other Toolbars
I don't want to advertise, so I mention the only toolbar I use in Firefox, this being StumbleUpon's one. Since your browser can't give you random sites based on your preferences to check out when you're bored or simply tired of seeking things on Google without a solid result, such tools may come in handy. No more comments, just check it out and decide for yourselves!
http://www.stumbleupon.com
This is it for now, I know that some plugin categories may have been left aside, but I am not really interested in them and, of course, they are not vital. If you need more, just let us know and we'll do our best to help you further. Good luck!
- windvis editor
Toolbars
I've used Firefox in Windows XP and enjoyed it a lot. Now in Vista, I've having a problem with toolbars. I have a toolbar that's completely empty, but I can't figure out how to delete it. There's another toolbar that only has one button that again, I really could do without, but I can't figure out how to get rid of it. I just want the basic bar with the address/forward/back buttons and the Google toolbar I downloaded. How can I do that?
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