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Protect your computer by switching browsers!


RonTheCon

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Most people get viruses from Internet Explorer. Why keep using it? It has terrible security, crashes many times, and pretty much to sum it up: It blows.

 

So why not go and use other browsers such as Mozilla Firefox. Look at these positives and negatives of each browser. It's amazing how bad a browser can suck when there is even a smaller browser that came out in 2004 (firefox) which is about 1000x times better.

 

Firefox

+ Very easy to customize and style

+ Internet Options very simple to manage

+ A nice Bookmarks toolbar

+ Able to install many many extensions which are on the mozilla.org website. Each extension/add-on is checked.

+ VERY VERY VERY SECURE!

+ Big fixes and a nice forum to help you with any trouble you "think" you encounter with firefox.

+ Uses fewer resources than IE

+ Built in Search Engines for easy searching with Google, Yahoo!, and many more. You can even add more search engines.

+ Superb popup block feature

+ Able to block images from websites so you can get rid of those annoying fastclick.net and many other ads

+ Can open new windows in tabs, so you don't have to have 500 windows open anymore.

+ Almost all languages suppoted!

- Can't do Windows Updates UNLESS you have the IE Tab extension installed.

 

(In conclusion, whatever Firefox doesn't have, there is an extension for it, so you can have everything!)

 

Firefox Screenshot - .png file about 150 KB

 

Internet Explorer

+ The only browser able to use Windows Updates

+ Comes with XP and you don't have to download or install it unless it gets corrupted which happens to many.

- VERY VERY VERY EASY TO HACK

- Looks like crap

- Doesn't have that many features

- So many bugs

- Hardly ever updated

- Whenever a feature is added, it has 100 more bugs they need to solve

 

C'mon, guess which browser I use. I use IE only for Windows Updates. You decide which one you want. Let me just say one last thing, so many viruses that come out almost daily infect IE first because so many people use it, cause they don't know any better. However, the same virus/adware would most likely be blocked by the good ol' fox!

 

Click here to Download Firefox. Scroll down to see the features more in depth. And yes, firefox is free.

 

And if you STILL think IE is better then look at this nice little Firefox Flick. Let your decision be wise.

 

~Ron :D

 

PS: Firefox sure must be good for someone to create a website called www.firefoxflicks.com with 1000s of firefox animations to promote it. :)

 

Thank you Andavari for helping.

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I think anyone who has used a computer just for a little while will already know about Firefox and Opera being safer than Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer is a security risk and an infection waiting to happen, it's been that way for many years now. I only use IE for Windows/Microsoft Updates, or the occassional registration that won't work in Firefox or Opera.

 

Edit:

Firefox can do Windows/Microsoft Updates if the IEtab (or is it IE Tab) extension is installed, it just uses Internet Explorers engine and can be configured to only use the IE engine on specific websites to avoid using the IE engine all the time.

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I think the main part is knowing the sites your visiting and only downloading files from sites you know and trust, If you have a fully patched system and working AV and Firewall, using IE isnt going to get you infections, I know that because I use IE and have never had a malware infection (no adware,spyware,virus, trojan etc..)

 

Firefox it great and is more secure than IE6 but personally I think the browser isnt the main issue why people get infections, Its mainly because they visit or download files from suspect sites or click malicious links in Messenger programs, pop ups or emails

 

Internet Explorer

+ The only browser able to use Windows Updates

+ Comes with XP and you don't have to download or install it unless it gets corrupted which happens to many.

- VERY VERY VERY EASY TO HACK

- Looks like crap

- Doesn't have that many features

- So many bugs

- Hardly ever updated

- Whenever a feature is added, it has 100 more bugs they need to solve

 

I dont agree with some of those comments, The lack of updates is now becoming an issue which is why IE7 is being worked on and is taking the security aspect seriously, I dont agree it looks like crap as I am happy using IE and have used Firefox a couple of times in the past, Its not very easy to hack if the user has service packs and all the security updates installed and It has enough features to make me want to use it as my main browser,

 

I do agree that Firefox is a great browser but I believe its a personal choice for the user of the PC, IE isnt going to cause anyone problems if they are aware of what they download and run and stay away from crack, serial, warez, pr0n sites etc...

 

Andy

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I never said they never updated. I said Hardly ever updated. Looks like crap was just my opinion, you can have your own. :)

 

Andavari, Oh I didn't know that. I knew about the IE tab, just never really bothered with it. I'll edit the first post though. :D

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I never said they never updated. I said Hardly ever updated. Looks like crap was just my opinion, you can have your own. :)

 

Andavari, Oh I didn't know that. I knew about the IE tab, just never really bothered with it. I'll edit the first post though. :D

 

Actually you don't even need the IE Tab anymore for Updates. If you use FF on MS Update's Website, it will install a tool so that you can get your updates using FF too. :)

 

I never touch IE anymore. LOL

Windows Pro Media 8.1 x64  |  8GB Ram  |  500G HDD 7200 RPM  |  All  that I know about my graphics is that it's Intel  :)

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Actually you don't even need the IE Tab anymore for Updates. If you use FF on MS Update's Website, it will install a tool so that you can get your updates using FF too. :)

 

Well on my system Microsoft Update and Windows Update fail to load and only give an error page, no so-called tool to install was offered, thus I re-installed IE Tab.

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Well on my system Microsoft Update and Windows Update fail to load and only give an error page, no so-called tool to install was offered, thus I re-installed IE Tab.

 

 

Maybe I'm thinking of something else? <_<

Windows Pro Media 8.1 x64  |  8GB Ram  |  500G HDD 7200 RPM  |  All  that I know about my graphics is that it's Intel  :)

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I think the main part is knowing the sites your visiting and only downloading files from sites you know and trust, If you have a fully patched system and working AV and Firewall, using IE isnt going to get you infections, I know that because I use IE and have never had a malware infection (no adware,spyware,virus, trojan etc..)

 

Firefox it great and is more secure than IE6 but personally I think the browser isnt the main issue why people get infections, Its mainly because they visit or download files from suspect sites or click malicious links in Messenger programs, pop ups or emails

I dont agree with some of those comments, The lack of updates is now becoming an issue which is why IE7 is being worked on and is taking the security aspect seriously, I dont agree it looks like crap as I am happy using IE and have used Firefox a couple of times in the past, Its not very easy to hack if the user has service packs and all the security updates installed and It has enough features to make me want to use it as my main browser,

 

I do agree that Firefox is a great browser but I believe its a personal choice for the user of the PC, IE isnt going to cause anyone problems if they are aware of what they download and run and stay away from crack, serial, warez, pr0n sites etc...

 

Andy

 

 

 

 

Well put Andy.

My experience of IE is the same as yours

Win 7 Home Premium 64 bit - IE11 - Nod32 - Mbam pro

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I do agree that Firefox is a great browser but I believe its a personal choice for the user of the PC, IE isnt going to cause anyone problems if they are aware of what they download and run and stay away from crack, serial, warez, pr0n sites etc...

 

Would you really want to risk your computer? Especially when firefox is pretty similar to IE and has so many extra features. I heard IE 7 Beta 2 has a lot of the same features, but it's huge! I have clicked on a link once (with javascript to not let me see where it was going) and when I clicked on it, it took me to a crack website. I thought I was going to get spyware, you know? I didn't, I checked my computer with norton, mcfee, spybot, spyware blaster, and everything else on my computer.

 

I talked to my friend about it, since this link was on ebaums world, and he said he had clicked the same thing, and his startpage kept changing, and he had obtained a lot of spyware. Guess what he was using... Internet Explorer.

 

So why take a chance?

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Your probably talking about the genuine advantage check for when you download software off of MS's site.

Yes, that's what I was thinking of. :P

Windows Pro Media 8.1 x64  |  8GB Ram  |  500G HDD 7200 RPM  |  All  that I know about my graphics is that it's Intel  :)

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Ron

 

You listed pro's and con's for each browser in the first post, when you do that it gives the impression that they are facts and have been proven, I said I didnt agree and you came back with that it was your own opinion so you should of made that clear in the first post.

 

 

Give me the link that tried to infect you and did infect your friend, with you both somehow clicking the same link Im sure one of you can remember it :)

 

Cheers

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I use It Aaron but we are in the minority :) I actually agree that Firefox is a safer browser and people should consider trying it but what I object to is comments like IE looks like crap as that is just his own view and shouldnt be mentioned in a pro's and con's list, If it is then it should be made clear that its just his opinion.

 

I also dont like to have examples given to me where a link will infect IE but will ignore Firefox (with no plugins) unless it can be backed up with proof of what is being exploited (wmf/java etc..), look at any HJT Forum and see the amount of people who have infections and use Firefox as their main browser, the browser in my view isnt the main reason people get infected so I dont buy into that idea of scaring people into thinking IE will infect them, NSIS media popups which are causing some problems will only effect FireFox user's and generally if people download and run files from suspect sites it will infect them no matter what they use as a browser,

 

 

I clicked a linked once in IE and my PC did three backwards somersaults and tried to jump out of my Window but I managed to grab the Monitor cable before it got away, there was also green slime coming out of the CD-Rom drive every time it rebooted and started showing messages on the screen saying I smell of fish , I clicked the same link in Firefox and it was fine :)

 

:D

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It is safer because it has regular updates to patch vulnerabilities when they are public knowledge and also has a built in pop up blocker and many extentions/plugins that can be used.

 

 

For an amusing comparison check here :)

 

http://toastytech.com/evil/featurecompare.html

 

 

For news of vulnerabilities which have been patched in Firefox see here

 

http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/k...#firefox1.5.0.4

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OMG! I just installed IE7 Beta3, and I like it better than Opera. It's almost as good as FF as well, but not as customizable so therefore isn't as good. But MS did good this time. :)

Windows Pro Media 8.1 x64  |  8GB Ram  |  500G HDD 7200 RPM  |  All  that I know about my graphics is that it's Intel  :)

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I use It Aaron but we are in the minority :)

Minority? From W3Schools June 2006: IE7 1.6%, IE6 58.2%, IE5 4.3%, FireFox 24.9%, Mozilla 2.2%, Netscape 0.3%, Opera 1.4%

 

I used IE6 because of the business reality ... you have to see what your customer sees and most are using IE6.

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Hi Glenn

 

Thats interesting, I did mean the minority on this forum as most of the members here appear to be running Firefox but its great to see the official stats

 

Poor Netscape with 0.3 % :)

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Thats interesting, I did mean the minority on this forum as most of the members here appear to be running Firefox

You are correct about that. :)

Poor Netscape with 0.3 % :)

 

Awwwwww :(

 

oh, well...you snooze you lose :P

Windows Pro Media 8.1 x64  |  8GB Ram  |  500G HDD 7200 RPM  |  All  that I know about my graphics is that it's Intel  :)

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i like firefox for the customizability of it. i have certain plugins that are awesome. i never minded the look of ie though. just different.

 

kind of like an old corvette or an old mustang. both cool for different reasons.

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I've never liked IE, and since in it's current version 6 it doesn't have tabbed browsing which makes it painful to use also it doesn't even load pages as quickly as Firefox, nor does it allow for the endless customization of used fonts. IE 6 sucks!

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