I.E. vs Firefox

ezodisy · November 18, 2008, 09:33:56 AM

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on November 18, 2008, 08:56:32 AM
If you are talking about in Windows XP, it's easy as can be. Right click your taskbar, choose properties, then uncheck the box that says "group similar icons". If you are talking Firefox, well, I have never seen that behaviour, so I haven't a clue $:-\$

excellent

jchen · January 05, 2009, 04:17:43 AM

I still use I.E., and I think it's better than FireFox. I don't think they will interfere with one another.

I've been using I.E. for a long time. I've downloaded FireFox before into my computer, but I don't like it, so I uninstalled it.

Opus106 · January 05, 2009, 06:44:36 AM

Quote from: jchen on January 05, 2009, 04:17:43 AM
[I.E. is] better than FireFox.

Quite true. Especially if you want malwares and phishers to have easy access to your computer.

drogulus · January 05, 2009, 01:45:32 PM

I'm back to using only the Mozilla browsers (Seamonkey, FF2, FF3, FF3.2). I use a variety of them for practical reasons (not only that, of course). My Yahoo mail bookmarks go to my mail page. Since someone else also uses Yahoo mail, a separate browser has a bookmark for her mail. If you did this on one browser you'd have to sign out/in every time. Also some functions are absent/intermittent with the FF3's so I keep FF2. Embedding images in Gmail can only be done with FF2, or at least I can't make it work any other way.

IE is probably much better than it used to be. I really don't care for it, so I only use it through the IEView extension which I have installed on all my other browsers. If I run into one of those increasingly rare IE-only websites I just right-click the page and select "view in IE". That way I don't need an IE icon on my desktop to remind me of the injustice and cruelty of the world.

Opus106 · January 06, 2009, 05:53:53 AM

Quote from: drogulus on January 05, 2009, 01:45:32 PM
IE is probably much better than it used to be. I really don't care for it, so I only use it through the IEView extension which I have installed on all my other browsers. If I run into one of those increasingly rare IE-only websites I just right-click the page and select "view in IE". That way I don't need an IE icon on my desktop to remind me of the injustice and cruelty of the world.

I remember IE View, one of the earliest extensions I used. Of course, I left it a long time since I switched to Linux. But I rarely - close to never - run into a website which specifically requires IE. If such a situation does occur, I open Opera, which has this "UI switch" feature built into it.

donaldopato · January 06, 2009, 06:50:11 PM

Does anyone else think Mozilla Firefox sounds like a drag performer??

Seriously, I use Firefox about 99% of the time, IE only when a site seems not to be configured to work well with Firefox... and that is increasingly rare.

ezodisy · February 16, 2009, 06:45:57 AM

I downloaded a big Microsoft .NET update. It's taking way too much space on my computer. Can I delete this or is it an integral part of Windows XP? No idea what it's for. Thanks

Opus106 · February 16, 2009, 06:57:21 AM

Quote from: ezodisy on February 16, 2009, 06:45:57 AM
I downloaded a big Microsoft .NET update. It's taking way too much space on my computer. Can I delete this or is it an integral part of Windows XP? No idea what it's for. Thanks

Unless you downloaded it with a purpose in mind, which doesn't seem to be the case, I don't think you need it.

http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09%2F02%2F01%2F2143218

ezodisy · February 16, 2009, 07:04:27 AM

thanks for that. I disabled the add-on as soon as Firefox notified me. I'm just going to uninstall all these service packs which consume about 500mb or more. Not sure what the hell it is but it's going (hopefully computer still works afterwards

)

Opus106 · February 16, 2009, 07:10:36 AM

Quote from: ezodisy on February 16, 2009, 07:04:27 AM
thanks for that. I disabled the add-on as soon as Firefox notified me. I'm just going to uninstall all these service packs which consume about 500mb or more. Not sure what the hell it is but it's going (hopefully computer still works afterwards )

You are welcome, ezodisy, but why do you want to uninstall the service packs (I'm assuming these are the XP ones you are talking about)? Those may contain important updates and patches for the OS. Maybe someone with an updated XP system can help you with that.

SonicMan46 · February 16, 2009, 07:19:10 AM

Quote from: ezodisy on February 16, 2009, 06:45:57 AM
I downloaded a big Microsoft .NET update. It's taking way too much space on my computer. Can I delete this or is it an integral part of Windows XP? No idea what it's for. Thanks

Microsoft's NET. Framework is a collection of coded programs that cover a broad range of applications and simplifies writing program code for developers - I don't fully understand its need unless you are running software that requires the presence of this platform (and appears that the need will likely increase in the future) - currently I'm running a 'free' imaging editing program on my home desktop w/ XP called Paint.NET, which requires NET. Framework - however, I've not really done much w/ this software (and probably should give it a try!) -

haydnguy · February 16, 2009, 07:20:42 AM

XP Service Packs contain bug fixes and security enhancements. You don't really want to remove those.

The .NET framework is a programming library that other programs (mostly newer programs) use. In the future, if not already, you will be needing it. IF a program needs it and it's not there you will get an error message and will probably have to re-download it again.

As far as IE vs. Firefox, I've been a longtime Firefox user but also have IE installed and stayed acquainted with it. Starting with IE8 (as I'm writing this), I give the edge to IE by a nose. The security issue is really not an issue any more and IE is VERY fast in IE8. Also, IE8 has "Browse secure", better known as "porn mode" that covers your tracks while browsing. The one edge that Firefox holds over IE (and it's a big one) is Add-On's. If you depend on the add-on's your best bet is Firefox. IE8 is pretty slick though.

ezodisy · February 16, 2009, 07:25:37 AM

Thanks for the answers. I haven't removed any XP service packs (not intentionally anyway). I have removed all the M .NET packs though and have gotten back a lot of space. Strangely enough I don't see the option to delete M .NET itself.....I suppose I must have without realising it. Cheers

haydnguy · February 16, 2009, 07:30:12 AM

Hi ezodisy!

The way you would normally delete the .Net Framework would be to go to Control Panel. If you click the Start button and then Control Panel (in the right hand column), you'll see an applet called "Add/Remove Programs". If you click on that, after a moment or so, you'll see a list of programs on your computer. Scroll down and if it's there you will see Microsoft .NET Framework. (There could be more than one version). Here is where you would normally remove it.

As someone else mentioned, if you don't have any programs that need it, then it's just wasting hard drive space. At some point, though, if a program needs it and you get a rather strange error about .NET you'll know what it probably is talking about.

Opus106 · February 16, 2009, 07:31:32 AM

Quote from: BaxMan on February 16, 2009, 07:20:42 AM
The one edge that Firefox holds over IE (and it's a big one) is Add-On's. If you depend on the add-on's your best bet is Firefox. IE8 is pretty slick though.

The other edge is that I can call Firefox "Ice Weasel," and no one's going to complain; but with IE, I can only complain and call it one lousy browser.

haydnguy · February 16, 2009, 07:32:32 AM

Coopmv · February 16, 2009, 07:40:07 AM

Do most members here use FireFox instead of IE?

Opus106 · February 16, 2009, 07:46:52 AM

Quote from: Coopmv on February 16, 2009, 07:40:07 AM
Do most members here use FireFox instead of IE?

Sounds like an idea for a Diner poll!

FWIW, I use Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9.0.6) Gecko/2009020911 Ubuntu/8.10 (intrepid) Firefox/3.0.6.

I also have Opera... just in case.

ezodisy · February 16, 2009, 09:21:35 AM

Quote from: BaxMan on February 16, 2009, 07:30:12 AM
Hi ezodisy!

The way you would normally delete the .Net Framework would be to go to Control Panel. If you click the Start button and then Control Panel (in the right hand column), you'll see an applet called "Add/Remove Programs". If you click on that, after a moment or so, you'll see a list of programs on your computer. Scroll down and if it's there you will see Microsoft .NET Framework. (There could be more than one version). Here is where you would normally remove it.

As someone else mentioned, if you don't have any programs that need it, then it's just wasting hard drive space. At some point, though, if a program needs it and you get a rather strange error about .NET you'll know what it probably is talking about.

Thanks for the detail Baxman. I don't know much about computers but I do know how to delete things. Within 2 weeks of my very first school computer class in 1993--back when these things were completely new to us--I got kicked out of the programme for wiping out the lab's entire system. It was a pretty big school too, one of the best in Vancouver. I really miss those days of mischief

SonicMan46 · February 16, 2009, 10:13:13 AM

Quote from: Coopmv on February 16, 2009, 07:40:07 AM
Do most members here use FireFox instead of IE?

Well, I've not done a search in this (or the older) forum, but we may have a tread or so already on this topic?

For myself, I use both - now on my Ubuntu laptop, so Firefox; on my XP & VISTA computers, I have both IE & Firefox loaded; I use to use Opera a while ago; and going 'way back' to the beginnings of the WWW, the venerable Netscape! (boy, those early web days were painful!)