Web browsing

Why I Recommend Firefox…

February 18, 2007 By Terry Stockdale

I guess it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten on the Firefox versus Internet Explorer subject in my newsletter. For a while last year, I beat it to death…

But, recently, in responding to a reader’s question, I mentioned that I recommended Firefox over IE for web browsing. His response was “You Do?”

The reason that I recommend Firefox over Internet Explorer boils down to security while web surfing.

First, there’s the ActiveX issue.

ActiveX is a proprietary Microsoft technology that allows a web site to download a program to your computer via Internet Explorer — and to automatically run that program.

Changing Your Web Browser Fonts and Font Size

January 7, 2007 By Terry Stockdale

I answered a question from a new Firefox user about font sizes. She had just installed Firefox and noticed that the fonts were smaller than those that she was used to seeing in Internet Explorer.

The “problem” is that we, as users, can change our default fonts and font sizes in our web browsers. Firefox even offers more flexibility than does Internet Explorer.

In Internet Explorer, we can make a temporary change by…

Read the rest of Changing Your Web Browser Fonts and Font Size

Filed Under: Web browsing, Windows XP

Bookmark Converter – the Review

November 16, 2006 By Terry Stockdale

When you use several web browsers, whether just two such as Firefox and Internet Explorer or more, one thing you might want to do is to copy your favorites (your bookmarks) from one browser to another.

Bookmark Converter, from Magnus Brading, is a nice shareware/trialware program that will allow you to manually convert bookmarks in any direction between Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Mozilla, Netwcape v1-v4 and Netscape v5-v7.

Filed Under: Firefox, IE, Opera, Web browsing

IE7 vs Firefox 2

November 11, 2006 By Terry Stockdale

Windows Fanatics, a blog at lockergnome.com, has a very interesting article IE7 Vs. Firefox 2.0

The conclusion — install both of them and use them interchangeably. If a web site doesn’t work on one, use the other.

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But, he also had an alternative conclusion — don’t install either one — wait for a couple weeks for patches.

Personally, I don’t agree with the alternative conclusion. IE7 has huge security fixes to the ActiveX gaping security hole. If you keep using IE6 when you could change to IE7, you’re making a mistake.

Firefox 2 is much more of an incremental upgrade — but Firefox has seen a lot of new versions in the last 2 years. This is the first real IE upgrade in 5 years!

Filed Under: Communications, Firefox, IE, Security, Web browsing, Windows XP

Why I Love Firefox

November 10, 2006 By Terry Stockdale

Nice little blog entry by a Firefox “newbie” who switched from IE to Firefox for security reasons — after problems with I.E.

Why I Love Firefox — You know, I use Firefox, too. For pretty much the same reasons, too, but Ive been using it since version 0.7.

Filed Under: Anti-adware, Anti-virus, Security, Web browsing

IE7: Now on Automatic Downloads

November 2, 2006 By Terry Stockdale

Looks like I was right the first time around — my IE7 showed up on my IE6 desktop this morning as an automatic upgrade “notification.”

I’m keeping that computer on IE6, so I’ll have to wait until it actually shows up in Microsoft Updates so I can tell it not to send it to me any more.

Read why in IE7: Now on Automatic Downloads on my PCRepairSite.info.

Filed Under: Microsoft Updates, Operating System, Web browsing, Windows Updates

IE 7 Automatic Update – Not Yet

November 1, 2006 By Terry Stockdale

Yesterday, I mentioned a blog entry that said IE7 was already pushing out as automatic updates.

I don’t think he was right — I think he had downloaded IE7 and started the install, then left and forgot about it. He did mention “…when I came back…”

But, the rest of that article is very pertinent, regardless of when you install IE7.

My desktop still has IE6 on it. I decided I needed to keep one copy of IE6 on it (but IE7 on all my other computers).

Anyway, I even tried Microsoft Updates and IE7 is not showing up there yet.

Why? I design web sites, so I need a copy of the ubiquitous IE6 to test designs, just as I look at them in Firefox (my normal web browser), Opera, and IE7.

Filed Under: Communications, IE, Web browsing, Windows Updates

Internet Explorer 7 Automatic Update

October 31, 2006 By Terry Stockdale

I had read and have been reporting that IE7 would be pushed as an update as part of the November 14th regular “Patch Day” from Microsoft.

However, some blogs (example) are reporting that IE7 is being pushed out TODAY as an automatic update. I haven’t seen anything from other news sources, but the issues below apply whenever the update occurs.
Well, not completely automatic, as it appears to put a recommendation on the screen — with options Ask Me Later, Don’t Install and Install.

This is necessary because the IE7 Update recommends that you disable your anti-virus and anti-spyware before starting the installation. This is a REASONABLE request — since both of those tend to try to protect your IE installation, and would royally mess up the upgrade process.

Whenever you install, expect it to take 10 to 20 minutes. The IE7 will also end with a recommendation to reboot immediately. Nicely, it doesn’t force the immediate reboot. You get an opportunity to save anything else first.

Of course, you really should save and close all the other windows before starting the update.

Filed Under: Communications, Microsoft Updates, Operating System, Web browsing, Windows Updates

PC Magazine Picks Firefox 2.0

October 31, 2006 By Terry Stockdale

In a review published on October 30th, PC Magazine picked Firefox 2.0 as their Editors’ Choice, over Internet Explorer 7 and Opera 9.

Looks like I’m using the “right” browser. Yea!

Read their Firefox 2.0 review.

They also have reviews of IE 7 and Opera 9 .

Filed Under: Communications, Security, Web browsing

IE7 vs Firefox 2 – the battle heats up…

October 30, 2006 By Terry Stockdale

The bloggers and news sites alike are getting into the Internet Explorer 7 vs Firefox 2.0 war already.

Which is more secure? The questions really should be “should I upgrade from IE6 to IE7″ and “should I upgrade from Firefox 1.5.0.7(or earlier) to Firefox 2.0?”

The answer in either case, in my opinion, is YES.

Both are big improvements over the earlier versions, especially IE7 over the 5-year-old IE6. Sure there are safety tweaks you can make to the default IE7 settings — why would anyone think otherwise? Microsoft has a long history of pushing workability and ease of use over security.
Should you switch from IE7 to Firefox 2.0? I’ll leave that for others, for now. I’m continuing my past practice — Firefox for surfing and IE for Microsoft Updates.
Of course, for people running Windows 98, Windows Me or Windows 2000, the ONLY choice for security is to go to Firefox or Opera, since they can not run IE7 (which is only for Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server and Windows Vista beta).

ZDNet has an IE7 vs Firefox 2 blog article (probably several) but this one seems to miss the mark. It rehashes history and quotes some older security problems as if they’re current ones (Firefox 1.5.0.6? ? ? The latest was 1.5.0.7 and the current is Firefox 2.0!).

Get Firefox

Filed Under: Operating System, Security, Web browsing