Another Firefox Plug
I’m pleased to see that, as of today, 29% of my visitors use the Firefox browser. That’s up from the 16% of a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, 40% of my visitors still use Internet Explorer. And that means, if I want 40% of my visitors to be able to read and navigate my website, I’ll still have to design for Internet Explorer as well as for the standards compliant browsers like Firefox and Opera. IE has its own way of interpreting certain css components and it’s very annoying.
Get Firefox. It’s so easy to install. And it’s so easy to use. I do not understand people’s reticence. Especially when Firefox is so much fun with all sorts of cool add-ons. Currently, I’ve added the gmail alert extension that tells me when I have new mail, how much, and from whom. I have a cute little iconized weather forecaster on my status bar. I have an ad block do-thingy that lets me obliterate annoying ads on websites. Especially great for the ones that blink at me in blindingly bright colors.
There’s also a spell check extension for use on forms—like comment boxes or even my own text area box when I’m composing a blog post.
And a new extension...a terrific calendar. Put in your appointments and set the alarms. Tick off completed tasks. See your appointments at a glance. Import stuff into your calendar. It’s great. Finally a calendar that works for me. Free!
And then there are the browser tabs. Instead of opening new windows for every web page, they open in tabs that line up nicely across the top of the browser. At any given time, I usually have 8-12 tabs open. Takes up way less memory than a new window for every web page and much easier to navigate. There’s also a Firefox extension that allows me to move the tab order around to accommodate what I’m currently working on. I love that.
Oh. And a really great extension I use constantly...to open any link in a new tab, all I have to do is drag the link to the left or right..or into the nearest white space and away we go.
There are tons more extensions depending on what lights your eyes up.
Even more important, Firefox is secure and doesn’t let spyware and viruses sneak through. Unlike Internet Explorer. In fact, apparently IE is so bad, even the gov’t has issued a warning about it...with advice to get a different browser if possible. I have been so blessedly spyware and virus free since using Firefox exclusively. So has the lad.
So why are people so resistant to such bounty and safety? I know many folks have to use IE at work because that’s all that’s provided. Not much we can do about that.
But what about everyone else?
Get Firefox. Have fun with it. Be safer. Enter a whole new browsing world. Just try it.
Considering that something like 90%+ of all users use it, I have to have IE for my work....but I do use Firefox and Opera for quality control and as to “even the government” is warning me against IE...pish posh...they are warning me with yellow and orange alerts every day....and I don t neeed spel chek.....for now, I’ll stick with the 40%...
Firefox all the way 
I use IE for quality control only when doing site development, but standards are the way to go. As far as the person that has a small screen, I am running on a 1024x768 12” laptop screen generally and it works just fine Go take a look at the browser skins, there are many that minimize the “look and feel” of Firefox, something you can’t do with IE (among many things you can’t do with IE).
mmm’kay. Change is hard. I can tell.
There’s this friend who calls me about every two to three weeks crying about her computer being taken over by evil forces. Unseen things that render her computer pretty much dead as a doornail. I go over and clean it out, hunt for viruses and spyware. I installed Firefox. She liked it, used it for a while and then drifted back into the IE habit. Once more the calls started. Come fix my computer. “Have you been using IE again?” “yes.”
What is the lure of IE that makes it so tempting to be repeatedly victimized? Huh? Whyyyy?
Posted by Kate on 09/27/04 at 09:40 PM
After fixing the children’s computer and Han’s computer more times than I can list, I installed Firefox and HID IE from them.
I find that I have to keep IE for some sites, but otherwise I’m sold on Firefox.
Posted by sue on 09/28/04 at 08:59 AM
Yes, unfortunately, I need IE to pay my gas bill. It won’t recognize Opera or Firefox. And I use it to test designs. But every time I fire it up, I swear at it. Damn thing.
Posted by Kate on 09/28/04 at 09:27 AM
Well you got me hooked. And I will NEVER go back to IE again. Ed doesn’t go online much anymore, but hiding the IE Icon might be a good idea! The kids just love clicking on the little fox lol, so they don’t mess with IE.
Posted by Jennifer AKA Me on 09/28/04 at 10:39 AM
Dang it! I can’t find that spell check you emailed me about!
Posted by Jennifer AKA Me on 09/28/04 at 11:14 AM
Jennifer, you can get it here
It’s called Spellbound. Not sure why it’s not currently included in the firefox extensions pages, but it still works great for me. (I’m running Firefox 1.0 PR). It’s available from the author’s website. You can install it from there.
Posted by Kate on 09/28/04 at 01:27 PM
Lynn...if browser real estate is a problem, Firefox has some nice space saving skins/themes. They install right from the firefox page and you’re good to go. I have one called “708090” that gives me the same space as IE does, even with the tabs open. Colors are pretty much the same, too. You can turn off toolbars you don’t use or need and you don’t have to have the status bar open if you don’t want. It’s way flexible and customizable. But I’m glad you tried it.
Posted by Kate on 09/28/04 at 02:06 PM
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... well I decided to try FireFox, .... downloaded it, installed it, ... but it takes up too much of my monitor screen. I have only a small screen, and my IE toolbar etc was minimized to the barest .... but thanks for the suggestion ... back to my IE now ...