Techies and regular Joes, I'd like your help with internet browsers, please.

[XxFollowHimxX]

Howdy all. My tolerance level for IE has just about reached max capacity. My question is regarding internet browsers. I know of Mozilla Firefox and have only heard of Opera. However, while researching the topic, I've gotten information about Mozilla eating up copious amounts of memory over the time one uses the browser.

Does anyone have any suggestions or advice regarding browsers? I'm open to any and all and if you know of a browser I don't have above, please let me know. I'd appreciate it!

Thanks muchly:D

[Sam!]

Mozilla keeps a certain number of the most recently visited pages in memory, so if those pages are large it will consume a large amount of memory. This is actually configureable if you do a little google-ing and is only a factor if you are low on memory to begin with (which I am, since I have a laptop and to go up to 512 MB of RAM would cost me hundreds of dollars).

Anyway, I use Firefox 1.5.7 on this computer and 2.0 beta something on my other computer. I was beta testing IE7 but rumor has it the "final" version is not significantly faster than the IE7 betas, which are significantly slower than FF, for no real additional functionality.

[middletree]

Actually, the value of IE7 is that it renders the code in web pages more along the lines of W3C standards. It's a huge thing, but most users won't notice it nor appreciate it.

Anyway, I recommend Firefox, but I am curious what about IE is making you unhappy.

[Jason]

All I'll say is that I really am happy with Firefox since I switched over to it a couple months ago.

[XxFollowHimxX]

Thanks for the responses thus far, everyone.

middletree, IE has had a lot of quirks for me over the years and I'm just ready for a change.:)

[middletree]

Thanks for the responses thus far, everyone.

middletree, IE has had a lot of quirks for me over the years and I'm just ready for a change.:)
That's cool, but I was wondering if you'd share specifics.

[XxFollowHimxX]

Lock-ups, error messages, and closing all ie windows when trying to clear a lock-up, for example.

[scbyd23]

Hey dude, I havent had any problems running Firefox on my laptop since I switched even with running multiple windows and programs.

[middletree]

Hey dude, I havent had any problems running Firefox on my laptop since I switched even with running multiple windows and programs.
I've had several Firefox crashes, including at least 10 in the last week. I mean the whole app just disappears, then followed by that stupid message box asking if you want to send them a note telling them that you crashed.

[XxFollowHimxX]

I've had several Firefox crashes, including at least 10 in the last week. I mean the whole app just disappears, then followed by that stupid message box asking if you want to send them a note telling them that you crashed.

That's partly my deal with IE.


Hey dude, I havent had any problems running Firefox on my laptop since I switched even with running multiple windows and programs.

Cool, thanks chiquita. I might switch eventually, just want to conduct some good research.

[danbos]

Umm...Is firefox free? If so where can I get it? IE7 hates me. I tried updating, and it didn't work. IE opened, but the tab just said connecting, and did so for about 5 minutes while I left it alone and went to do some other stuff, at which point I got sick of it, so i had to end the process using ctrl-alt-del. So i used system restore to go back to IE6, and that worked fine so i tried again, and yeah, no good again. so I'm back to IE6 again.

[SmileyFreak1981]

I'm hearing all kinds of *wonderful* stories about IE7...so I'm passing on it. Firefox is free, and you can download it at Mozilla.com (http://www.mozilla.com). I use Firefox for everything...unless I absolutely have to use IE in order for something to work. If you click on the link for Add-ons after you have Firefox installed, you can download extensions. :)

[middletree]

unless I absolutely have to use IE

I thought you do web stuff. Did I hear that wrong? Any web designer must have IE handy for testing, since most users will be viewing your site in IE.

[Jason]

Hey dude, I havent had any problems running Firefox on my laptop since I switched even with running multiple windows and programs.

Ditto.

James, you recommend Firefox but you have had it crash a great deal recently. I assume you feel IE crashes more frequently?

[SmileyFreak1981]

I thought you do web stuff. Did I hear that wrong? Any web designer must have IE handy for testing, since most users will be viewing your site in IE.
Yes, I do web stuff. And, yes, I test in IE, since it's still the most popular browser. Along with testing it in Firefox...I'm talkin' 'bout just general web surfin' in reguards to my previous comment. :)

I'll get IE7 eventually...maybe in a few weeks. :o :cool:

[danbos]

I am now a Firefox user. :)

[Sam!]

Yes, I do web stuff. And, yes, I test in IE, since it's still the most popular browser. Along with testing it in Firefox...I'm talkin' 'bout just general web surfin' in reguards to my previous comment. :)

I'll get IE7 eventually...maybe in a few weeks. :o :cool:
You wil probably want to have it handy ASAP - from what I hear a lot of pages that used to render properly in IE 6 do not render the same in IE7.

[middletree]

Yes, I do web stuff. And, yes, I test in IE, since it's still the most popular browser. Along with testing it in Firefox...I'm talkin' 'bout just general web surfin' in reguards to my previous comment. :)

I'll get IE7 eventually...maybe in a few weeks. :o :cool:
Then you really shoud get it soon, as there is a lot of testing of your existing sites necessary in IE7. A lot of pages which have IE6-specific code will break in IE7. And a lot of people don't realize that they have IE6-specific javascript or CSS.

[middletree]

Ditto.

James, you recommend Firefox but you have had it crash a great deal recently. I assume you feel IE crashes more frequently?
No, I don't think IE crashes more frequently. Not in my experience. And as a web developer, I use both all the time. IE's biggest problem is its refusal to accept W3C standard code, so a lot of special code gets written for IE. If it's CSS code, this is referred to as a hack. (No relation to what is commonly referred to as Hacking).

A lot of IE6 hacks break in IE7, so you go to the site, and it doesn't work at all. Either you don't see what you're supposed to see, or a submit button doesn't do what it should.

[Gandalf]

From what I can tell, IE 7 seems about on par with FF 1.0.x. I like FF 1.5.x somewhat better myself.

Ditching the IE 6 specific stuff was a good move, though it'll be inconvenient for some developers in the short-run. IE had far too many nonstandard, unpredictable behaviors that needed to be cleaned up.

[Strider]

Firefox 2.0 fixed any complaints I had about Firefox. It's free so it isn't a big deal to download it and try it. I would prefer Firefox over Opera just because Firefox has a bigger user base and more websites are compatible with it. Opera doesn't work on a few sites I have been to. Also, Firefox plugins are the best. Adblock anyone?:D

[The Unknown Gomer]

Big write up in PC World (http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,127309-page,1/article.html) this month comparing Firefox 2 to IE 7

Which one should you use? For satisfied Firefox 1.5 users, moving to version 2 is a no-brainer, as they'll get new features and won't be thrown off by major interface changes. Confirmed IE users have a similarly easy choice: IE 7's features make it a much better browser than 6.x, and its security enhancements alone make it a must-have.

Of the two rivals, Firefox remains the better application. Since IE users will have to adjust to a new layout and interface anyway, this might be a good time to give Firefox a try, then watch IE 8 play catch-up again in five years.

IE 7's got an all new layout and interface? :confused: Wonder if they've got a setting where you can make it look like the old version, like the Classic Windows version of XP. I know exactly where everything IS in the old version of IE, and don't particularly want to have to take the time to relearn all that with a whole new version. Wonder if once IE 7 is installed, if you can rollback to IE 6 if you don't like it, or if you're stuck with it once it's installed...

[middletree]

The problem with articles like this, and the way many people are judging the browsers here, is that they are based on interface and features. let me tell you, those two items are a distant secnd and third in importance. First question to ask is: how well is it going to render the code? Firefox took the lead over IE in recognizing certain code (HTML, Javascript, and CSS) that IE either didn't recognize, or displayed incorrectly. IE 7 is much closer to the W3C standard. Neither FF nor IE nor Opera is completely standards compliant, but they're getting there.

[The Unknown Gomer]

The problem with articles like this, and the way many people are judging the browsers here, is that they are based on interface and features. let me tell you, those two items are a distant secnd and third in importance.If the pages don't render correctly, yeah, that's a problem. But I haven't seen that happen very often with IE 6, so IE 7 getting closer to whatever is the standard is pretty much a non-issue for me. And features? I don't need no steenkin' features. :p But interface rates up there very VERY highly with me. I HAVE used Firefox, and still do occasionally (it's the best way I've found to save my favorite YouTube videos to my hard drive, and used in conjuction with IE, helps me to get great tickets for events :cool: ), but for my day to day usage, I just prefer the way IE is designed and how it handles.

Hence why, while I like the sound of better security in the new version, I'm in no rush to switch to IE 7 with it's all new interface. Plus strange things tend to happen to my PC when I apply Microsoft updates: I installed SP2 and some of my programs wouldn't run anymore, twice when I've applied two of the automatic updates, I found myself unable to log onto the internet; I hate to think what will happen to my PC when I update to IE 7. :eek: So I'm waiting a little while, until after they work all the inevitable bugs which always show up in new MS updates out of it first.

[cheewiee]

I prefer Safari... I don't ever have any problems with it crashing whatsoever.. Occasionally Firefox will stop displaying pictures and need to be restarted, I don't EVER have that issue with Safari..

[Tony Trout]

I've heard that IE7 tracks internet activity (like it you go to a "bad" site or things of similar nature) and that it reports it....(I don't go to 'those' kinds of sites, though)....is this true?

[middletree]

If the pages don't render correctly, yeah, that's a problem. But I haven't seen that happen very often with IE 6, so IE 7 getting closer to whatever is the standard is pretty much a non-issue for me.

Just because it isn't a big issue for you doesn't mean it's not an issue. Believe me. I am seeing a lot of people in my line of work go back and change a lot of code because of IE7.

[The Unknown Gomer]

Just because it isn't a big issue for you doesn't mean it's not an issue. Believe me. I am seeing a lot of people in my line of work go back and change a lot of code because of IE7.Right, which is why I said that pages that don't render correctly CAN be a problem, but specified that it's not a big issue for ME, since I've not run into that. And as such I'm more concerned with the interface of the program over anything else at this point. Tis very hard to teach this old dog new tricks, when there's nothing wrong with the tricks I already know. ;)