Firefox = only free browser left?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bruce the Shark
  • Start date Start date
B

Bruce the Shark

Well, I know there are many others, but Firefox, IE, and Opera are
really the top 3 browsers around. Opera has never been 100% free,
because it's ad-supported, but now Micro$oft is saying that the
latest version of IE will ONLY run under Windows XP! That means
to use it, you'll have to upgrade... making IE no longer "free".
Source: http://tinyurl.com/3ktm2 (Cnet news article).

I'm glad I use Firefox. :)
 
Bruce said:
to use it, you'll have to upgrade... making IE no longer "free".
Source: http://tinyurl.com/3ktm2 (Cnet news article).
Click to expand...

Here's the start of the article, if you don't want to visit the above:

"If you're one of about 200 million people using older versions of Windows
and you want the latest security enhancements to Internet Explorer, get
your credit card ready. Microsoft this week reiterated that it would keep
the new version of Microsoft's IE Web browser available only as part of the
recently released Windows XP operating system, Service Pack 2. The upgrade
to XP from any previous Windows versions is $99 when ordered from Microsoft.
Starting from scratch, the OS costs $199."
 
I'm glad I use Firefox. :)
Click to expand...

I'm glad too: go on debugging it and when it will be ok, I'll switch to
Firefox! :-)

Simon
_______________________________________________________
"Try not! Do, or do not. There is no try."
by Yoda, Jedi Master (from anonymous poster)
( remove/togli 'FalselinK' to reply/per rispondere )
 
Well, I know there are many others, but Firefox, IE, and Opera are
really the top 3 browsers around. Opera has never been 100% free,
because it's ad-supported, but now Micro$oft is saying that the
latest version of IE will ONLY run under Windows XP! That means
to use it, you'll have to upgrade... making IE no longer "free".
Source: http://tinyurl.com/3ktm2 (Cnet news article).

I'm glad I use Firefox. :)
Click to expand...

There are many freeware IE shells that enhance IE and add additional
security. I personally use Avant and find it to work quite well.

There was an interesting sidebar on the article posted above:

"Should Ford have gone back and retrofitted every Pinto with anti-lock
brakes when the technology came out? Should OnStar be available for 1989
Dodge Aries K cars? If you want the new technology, you have to stay current
with the new products."
--unknown

This is certainly an opportunity for other browsers to make inroads.

Another quote from the above article:

Rosoff agreed that Firefox and other second-tier browsers might benefit from
Microsoft's IE distribution policies, but he noted that the vast majority of
consumers are far less likely to download a browser than the typical Firefox
early adopter.

"From a consumer standpoint, I think evaluating other browsers makes
sense," Rosoff said. "And Microsoft is going to face more and more users who
are on dual platforms, who won't see any reason to upgrade once they see
that Firefox offers the pop-up blocker and other features they'd have to pay
for in IE. But most consumers don't download anything if they can avoid it."
 
But most consumers don't download anything if they can avoid it."
Click to expand...

Bullshit. How the hell do viruses happen? Most consumers download
everything in sight.

Chakolate
 
Bullshit. How the hell do viruses happen? Most consumers download
everything in sight.

Chakolate
Click to expand...

I disagree. I know numerous "casual" PC users and they don't
download anything.
They can barely use what came with their PC, normally just
using I.E. to browse the web, Outlook or O.E. for email and maybe
Excel & Word.
Okay, also Anti-virus software, probably. But they don't
use Windows update, nor do they run backups.
 
There are many freeware IE shells that enhance IE and add additional
security. I personally use Avant and find it to work quite well.
Click to expand...

Do IEshells really add additional security over IE?
 
I disagree. I know numerous "casual" PC users and they don't
download anything.
They can barely use what came with their PC, normally just
using I.E. to browse the web, Outlook or O.E. for email and maybe
Excel & Word.
Okay, also Anti-virus software, probably. But they don't
use Windows update, nor do they run backups.
Click to expand...

Never even dl a game?

Chakolate
 
Do IEshells really add additional security over IE?
Click to expand...

I would say yes. Simply adding a pop-up blocker is a security enhancement.
Many have additional cookie management options as well as ad blocking, cache
and history cleaners etc.
 
Bullshit. How the hell do viruses happen? Most consumers download
everything in sight.
Click to expand...

I would say that some certainly do but my experience (I do user support for
600 people) is that most don't. I know many people who will not open any
attachment or even click url's in email messages.
 
Aaron said:
Do IEshells really add additional security over IE?
Click to expand...

kinda hard to belive that it does when it uses the IE engine which itself is
full of holes; just because an add on has a built in pop up blocker doesn't
mean that its more secure than firefox which already includes a built in pop
up blocker.
 
kinda hard to belive that it does when it uses the IE engine which
itself is full of holes; just because an add on has a built in pop up
blocker doesn't mean that its more secure than firefox which already
includes a built in pop up blocker.
Click to expand...

The poster never mentioned Firefox. Only wether or not an IE shell could add
more security over the base IE. I think there are more than a few IE shells
that have improved security compared to running IE by itself.

As to which browser is 'more secure' that is an entirely different subject
and probably difficult to determine. Which versions do you compare, which
configurations, which is more important the number of vulnerabilities or
their severity, do the vulnerabilities require the user to do something they
would never do under normal circumstances? On top of that the security of a
browser is a moving target as new vulnerabilities are discovered. A
supposedly secure browser one day could be critically vulnerable the next
when a fatal flaw is discovered.
 
kinda hard to belive that it does when it uses the IE engine which itself is
full of holes; just because an add on has a built in pop up blocker doesn't
mean that its more secure than firefox which already includes a built in pop
up blocker.
Click to expand...

Did you never heard od proxomitron or webwasher
???
 
You are right they do download everything in site. So far in all the years
I've been using a computer I've never yet had a virus "knock on wood" But I
don't download stuff either! Well I can't say that! I mostly use info from
this group to decide what I'm going to down load. So far this news group has
been a great help to me and I have some great programs!

So thanks!
:)
 
Bullshit. How the hell do viruses happen? Most consumers download
everything in sight.

Chakolate
Click to expand...

Wrong, actually. Most folks get infected through email, by opening a
message which contains a payload. Few actual viruses are in
circulation, they are mostly email worms, which people mistakenly
refer to as viruses. Very few consumers who are not computer
enthusiasts download programs. Maybe some pictures or songs, and games
for the gamers, but the average person will usually just use whatever
software came with their system until it's necessary to upgrade, then
they just buy a new computer.
 
kinda hard to belive that it does when it uses the IE engine which itself is
full of holes; just because an add on has a built in pop up blocker doesn't
mean that its more secure than firefox which already includes a built in pop
up blocker.
Click to expand...

I am convinced that someone, somewhere, is right now working on a
virus that will be disguised as an extension for either Firefox or
Thunderbird. How much do we know about the people who write these,
anyway? Heck, I've got more than a dozen installed in Firefox, and
most of those popped up a warning that they were unsigned. I have no
idea whether my AV scanner can analyze an xpi file, but I go ahead and
install them anyway, and it's probably the most insecure action I
perform on my system.
 
I am convinced that someone, somewhere, is right now working on a
virus that will be disguised as an extension for either Firefox or
Thunderbird.
Click to expand...

There's already extension scumware in the wild, at least. Going here:

http://www.cracks.spb.ru/

calls a page from here:

http://install.xxxtoolbar.com/ist/scripts/prompt.php

which springs a dialogue offering to install "Content Access Plugin
1.01", an xpi package. (If you have the allow software installation
option turned off, it proffers an exe instead).
 
There's already extension scumware in the wild, at least. Going here:

http://www.cracks.spb.ru/

calls a page from here:

http://install.xxxtoolbar.com/ist/scripts/prompt.php

which springs a dialogue offering to install "Content Access Plugin
1.01", an xpi package. (If you have the allow software installation
option turned off, it proffers an exe instead).
Click to expand...

Scary stuff. Do we at least know that the extensions listed on the
Mozilla, Mozillazine, and mozdev sites are clean?
 
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