Firefox
After setting up a friend’s new Dell computer last night, I was overjoyed to see that it came preinstalled with Firefox! This has renewed my motivation to improving people’s Internet experience and prompted me to put a ‘really big annoying’ link to downloading firefox, at the top of this website. It is only visible to people who use IE.
Update 19/01/2006
I’ve since removed this, if you want you can still see it here.
November 17th, 2005 at 5:17 pm
If you’re not convinced by a big yellow box then check out this link for some pretty good advice!
http://www.dropie.com/
November 17th, 2005 at 5:26 pm
I had to revert back to my ancient IE to see it but it was good!
November 18th, 2005 at 5:04 pm
Posted by HopkinsProgramming on Fri, 09/16/2005 - 11:56Using Firefox
This is really weird. All of a sudden, PNG images will no longer show up in Firefox (1.07) or Opera (8.02) for me. Is this a bug? or is it just me?
Fusco response:
“Use IE!!!”
November 19th, 2005 at 4:45 pm
http://www.football4less.com/schedules/ls.html
Firefox??… pah…. it cant handle that website!
November 19th, 2005 at 5:31 pm
I managed to look at it on firefox!
November 20th, 2005 at 3:39 am
you may look at it, but it doesnt work like it should…
look at it using good old IE and you will see the difference…
And by the way that link shows live premiership games for free.
November 20th, 2005 at 1:36 pm
Firstly D.I. can elaborate on
Posted by HopkinsProgramming on Fri, 09/16/2005 - 11:56Using Firefox This is really weird. All of a sudden, PNG images will no longer show up…
like perhaps explaining what the hell you are on about? I suspect you copied and pasted it from somewhere without even having a clue what it means!
And secondly Overall, you are right that football site does not show up the same way in FFox as it does in IE but this is only because the web designers have been lazy and designed the site with only IE in mind. The more people use FFox the more web designers will have to re-evaluate the way they work, the better the web looks for everybody!
November 20th, 2005 at 2:19 pm
Premiership football or firefox…. hmmm tough one!
Does Firefox also prevent you from repling to emails Hopkins??
November 20th, 2005 at 9:07 pm
Problem with the PNG images Don?
November 21st, 2005 at 10:13 am
I have just downloaded this new extension to Firefox which ‘Lets you load pages in IE with a single right-click, or mark certain sites to *always* load in IE. Useful for incompatible pages, or cross-browser testing.’ Now if i come across a page that is too lazy to support Firefox i just have to right-click and choose ‘display this page using IE.’ This is very helpful for the few pages i’ve been to that don’t work properly in Firefox.
https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=35&application=firefox
November 21st, 2005 at 12:04 pm
I really am confused by D.I.’s comments. You are supporting Internet Explorer by highlighting the fact that it does not support PNG images, which of course Firefox does?
http://www.petitiononline.com/msiepng/petition.html
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:34 am
But you’re the one that said it doesn’t work on Firefox. Your exact words were:
“This is really weird. All of a sudden, PNG images will no longer show up in Firefox”
November 22nd, 2005 at 9:52 am
As I have already tried to ask, where exactly did I say that?
November 22nd, 2005 at 10:20 am
Posted by HopkinsProgramming on Fri, 09/16/2005
November 22nd, 2005 at 10:45 am
Seriously, I have no idea who or what HopkinsProgramming is but it has nothing to do with me!
November 22nd, 2005 at 11:50 am
Spread Firefox my arse! Sounds right up your street
http://www.spreadfirefox.com/blog/3864
November 22nd, 2005 at 12:13 pm
I hope I can put this matter to rest by repeating something I said further up the page. You shouldn’t just copy and paste without having a clue what it means. This guy (who has not even explained himself very well) was doing some kind of testing for a site and couldn’t get some random thing to look right, that’s all!
You have shot yourself in the foot a little because one of IE many flaws is that it has never fully supported PNG images. To anyone who knows the very basics of images & HTML this is what you said
My client is completely innocent; he could not have murdered the victim because I saw him do it.
November 22nd, 2005 at 12:30 pm
“Web browser user-share data released Monday show that Firefox’s rate of growth has dropped slightly since its Version 1.0 release. The browser had been increasing about one percentage point a month since November, but the pace has fallen this month, reports Web analytics provider WebSideStory Inc.”
LOL!!! Looks like Firefox is showing strong growth. Got a long way to go til they reach the heights of IE. Think those open-source geeks better get there finger out. What they really need is a leader, a strong leader, a dictator, someone who can take Firefox to the top. Unfortunatley the only person who can do such a thing is already tied up in a very successful company. That company is Microsoft and that man is Mr. Bill Gates (legend)
THE END
November 22nd, 2005 at 1:09 pm
Don’t be shy, say something!
November 22nd, 2005 at 1:58 pm
In my opinion it’s ridiculous to have “loyalty” to a company. I base my evaluation of products only on their own self-worth and merit as a product, and not on any pre-conceived opinions about the company that develops it or distributes it. Generalising about the software of one company as a whole is, frankly, narrow-minded and readily worthy of ridicule. A comment such as “Think those open-source geeks better get there finger out. What they really need is a leader, a strong leader, a dictator”, displays the author’s bias for Microsoft products and demonstrates an inability to effectively provide any evidence that Internet Explorer is a better browser than Firefox is. Based on this, I’ve made a decision not to take very much of what D.I. says seriously.
(adapted from a very good article!)
November 22nd, 2005 at 2:41 pm
Well said, congratulations. However, as you know, I am in no position to comment on how good or bad Firefox is compared to IE and unfortunately the majority of people in the world do not know the ‘very basics of images & HTML’. I just feel it is important for the computing world to understand that we are not all ‘open-source’ fanatics and that the what IE offers already exceeds expectations for the normal home user, which is why people have no reason to improve on something which they already no nothing about. Based on this, I’ve made a descision to state that Firefox is destined for failure - or least not much success.
November 22nd, 2005 at 5:14 pm
based on what i have used and seen i feel firefox is better as the saying goes one man’s cup of tea is another mans poison.
November 22nd, 2005 at 6:35 pm
BILL GATES IS A FUCKING WANKER!!!
November 22nd, 2005 at 7:40 pm
Having different products is a good thing for consumers… Similarly if we have more web browsers it is better…It forces the companies/open-source developers to come out with cooler features. One has to agree, the open-source developers develop their product with more passion than the developers who work at a company. More so because, corporate environments tend to be restrictive. Unfortunately there are too many web pages designed exclusively for IE and hope that it will change in future.
November 22nd, 2005 at 7:57 pm
To DI and overall, your comments show some very deep ignorance. Products should be and are judged on they’re own merit. If I had a BMW car, then a new company came along that was formed from another old company (say Rover) and it was safer, faster, and better, I would consider buying it.
If it cost less but provide the same features, was safer, more reliable, rated as much better by reviewers and professionals, then I would consider buying that product.
If you on the other hand would stand by your BMW which was twice the price, unreliable, prone to damage and wear and tear, simply because of who the company was, then the only fool is you.
If your BMW car was not even rated in the top 100, but another car was, was prooved to be safer more efficient and more popular, then by all means, stand there and argue with the person whom have bought that other car that its not as good as yours lol.
Firefox is a safer, faster, better browser, thats why its won countless of awards from professionals who know what they’re talking about.
Examples are PC worlds Product of the year, coming top in a list of 100 products, Opera coming 1st, IE not even in the top 100.
Much of the public agree too, because over 10% of the web now use Firefox and growing. They are not all geeks and thats a laughable igorant claim. A brower is the most common used software on the computer, and it matters to and is used by over 700+ million people in the world. IE is prooved by professionals to be insecure and letting in a lot of viruses, spyware and other problems onto computers, be they home or business computers.
Governments, agencies alike have too all recognised this, and also choose Firefox because it has simpler features, layout, tabbed browsing, and many other things that making using the internet a safer, quicker, more convenient experience than ever before.
If you choose not to use another browser then fine thats your choice. But dont try to claim you know what your talking about with little research, because you are just making yourself look incredibly silly, ignorant, and closed minded.
November 22nd, 2005 at 10:52 pm
very well said, D.I. try and get yourself outta that one!
November 23rd, 2005 at 12:19 pm
Well Mr Silver. Mircosoft IE more than satisfies my needs, it has done so for at least the last 10 years and it will continue to do so until something drastically goes wrong. Microsoft meets the needs of the home user and businesses all over the world. Which is why it dominates the market and which is also why “insignificantâ€? competitors such as Firefox and Opera will always struggle to match the demand that IE has on the global market. Let’s face it, even though it may be possible to get more features from a different browser (features that have no use to people that do not use the internet on a regular basis), one of the biggest drawbacks is the learning curve of a new program. Other drawbacks include having another program installed on your computer, especially when hard disk space is limited because you can’t uninstall Internet Explorer because of the fact it is incorporated into Windows. Apart from this, most web sites are designed exclusively for IE, so why would anyone in their right mind what to change!?
November 23rd, 2005 at 1:33 pm
I was just listening to a conversation between two old codgers moaning about expensive cars and why anyone would want to pay more than they needed for something that “just took them from A to B”. I think this has helped me to understand the IE mentality. Why would you want to use a shiny new car with satellite navigation, beautiful interior, loads of other new features, comforts and performance, when your crumby old banger will take you to the same destination!
So tell us D.I. what car do you drive?
November 23rd, 2005 at 2:09 pm
I think the whole car analogy is pathetic! It’s typical of a computer nerd to use an example that has no relevance to the internet whatsoever.
The bottom line is you’re all fighting a lost cause, Firefox only has 10% of the market and it looks like it’s growth is slowing down if anything, so that my friends is the bottom line.
November 23rd, 2005 at 3:00 pm
Lol. DI you really are cringe worthy and making yourself look like the number one most igorant person of 2005. You havent taken in one point because your so close minded and arrogant.
You simply will not accept even factual points so your a lost cause. The use of cars by way of an example was to put things into other levels that you might then get, but you dont lol. I’ll try again though, one last time. You would stand and argue with a car mechanic that told you your car is running in efficiently and not that safely, that that is a lie, and it satisfies your needs and every persons needs.
You thankfully, are not the people, and you show zero understanding of the human race or their needs, preferences, of product using habits.
Some more basic factual maths for you again: 750+ million people use the internet. IE is only roughly 85% of that, with other browsers such as Firefox now catering for around 15% and rapidly growing. That has only happened in the past year. So that 100 million people are not sudden geeks, they are everday people that have chosen a different product, a car if you will. People change using products and programs all the time to suite there needs and better there experience.
Businesses, grandma’s, mums, kids, schools, internet cafes, governments, agencies, corporations are all examples where some use Firefox, and more and more everday. Its a cross over the whole sections of society, 12%+ of 750 million people, its a given.
Netscape used to be the dominant browser. So did you say then, that IE should not be, and should give up? The main reason for its growth was it being pre installed on computers. The main reason for its consistent rapid drop in usage is due to it not being developed for 4 years, causing a lack of progress and an influx of spyware, virus and other security problems on the internet. There are many products out there, many browsers, and almost all of them apart from IE develop and better the product daily. They are prooved to be safer, and its prooved users of all kinds, and from all walks of life are choosing another product.
Open up your mind to the prospect of being wrong, biased, igorant, and go do some research before you spurt out some simply incorrect statements again, otherwise you risk appearing to be the most igorant, rude, closed minded fool for 2005.
November 23rd, 2005 at 4:04 pm
I only wish that I was still an Internet Explorer user so I could be converted to Firefox by di’s RIDICULOUS arguments!!!!
November 23rd, 2005 at 5:05 pm
I’d like to inform you all on several things
* IE comes installed with Windows.
* Windows is the most widespread and used OS ever.
* FireFox can take 10 seconds to start.
* The FireFox GUI (the XUL engine) can be quite slow.
* FireFox OS integration cannot be as close as Internet Explorer’s due to the cross-compatibility that it has to offer.
That is the reason why IE is so damn popular, and has been ever since it’s breakthrough during the Browser Wars I (BWI), but as we all can see, IE is losing more and more, though as stated earlier it has support for various security bugs that are used as features by many sites, thus making a secure browser inable to render it (f.ex. the document.domain JavaScript issue) - D.I. is just fooling around, either playing dumb or well, is dumb.
Furthermore, FireFox won’t break through due to the slowness and the low awareness of most users on the web, some even mix up Internet Explorer with Windows, and Windows with Word, and Word with Work, and then everything they use is mixed up - you think they’ll even be as smart as to /change/ their browser? Even so, other built-in products (Window Messenger) force the use of IE when you click links in f.ex. conversation windows, they open in Internet Explorer no matter what browser you have as default. Same thing for Windows Media Player.
There is little hope left though, Microsoft has promised IE7 be released before Windows Vista! If it can match the standards that FF set up, then I’ll be damned - Microsoft’ll be sanitized from their bad bad bad bad reputation.
November 23rd, 2005 at 5:46 pm
“750+ million people use the internet. IE is only roughly 85% of that”
Don’t quite think you’ve used the word ‘only’ in the correct context here Mr Silver. Sounds like quite a large percentage to me
November 23rd, 2005 at 6:10 pm
are you mad DI, can you not read anything that has been said? you’ve lost, give up!
November 23rd, 2005 at 6:27 pm
Unless you use other browsers, you cannot compare them. When I was a young boy, my granny used to tell me a story about a frog in the well, DI’s arguments reminds me of that story… (http://www.truthisone.org/docs/insights/frog.htm)
:)
November 24th, 2005 at 2:49 pm
In the space of a roughly a year, Firefox has gone from relative obscurity to being the second most popular browser in the world. It’s got only about 9 percent of the Internet browsing market, but that’s incredible for a version 1.0 product, especially since the top browser, Microsoft Internet Explorer, comes bundled with new PCs. The release of Firefox 1.5, the first major upgrade since Firefox 1.0 came out in November 2004, is almost certain to drive adoption rates even higher.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1892104,00.asp
November 24th, 2005 at 5:29 pm
How can I tell what version I have?
November 24th, 2005 at 6:03 pm
Press ALT-h-a
November 24th, 2005 at 7:07 pm
I have version 1.0.6 it came pre-installed on my new Dell computer. Which was nice. Should i upgrade???
November 25th, 2005 at 9:45 am
I’ve only got 1.0.4
i want an upgrade
November 27th, 2005 at 6:53 pm
Is this a joke site? ‘Coz this D.I. guy looks more like he is D.U.I. (Deliberately_Under_IE), and makes me laugh with his ways of argument.
Anyway, Firefox 1.5 is expected to be released on 29th this month (Day after tomorrow), and is expected to boost Firefox Adoption higher than ever!
As for comparisons of IE and Firefox, you could just google for ‘Firefox vs. IE’ and read yourself. I’m not going to waste my time around this D.I. guy, who probably works for M$ (Why else, would anyone sane claim that Bill Gates, a known thief and the guy who said “Internet? We’re not interested in it!”, to be a legend??)
November 28th, 2005 at 2:42 pm
Just because “everyone” is using IE now, doesn’t mean it will stay that way.
I remember when the CP/M OS and Apple OS ruled the world. When the IBM PC was introduced, the predictions were that the PC would fail because there was such a huge installed base of CP/M and Apple users and no software for the PC.
December 7th, 2005 at 2:38 pm
To Kris Silver (Nov 22nd)….I’m not sure how my comments show deep ignorance I only wanted to watch the fucking football! being in the states its not that easy to go down the pub and switch on sky sports….
February 23rd, 2006 at 12:41 pm
sorry to change the subject a little, but does anyone know why my version of firefox (1.0.7) doesn’t display PNG images (my gif images display fine)? The same images also displayed ok in Opera…Any suggestions?
February 23rd, 2006 at 3:42 pm
First thing I would suggest would be upgrading your version. The latest is 1.5.0.1!
February 24th, 2006 at 10:17 am
thank you for that. Everything is working perfectly well, i think the ‘web dev’ extension is useful too!
: )
February 24th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Here’s a list of firefox extensions I never leave home without…
http://fscked.org/writings/Firefox/