Which browser do you use

[pivaska]

I have been getting popped up, down and around so much that I know I must switch from Micro$oft IE to a real browser. Rather than going throuogh the test and trail of Mozill or Opera or something that I am not aware of I thought a poll might get me headed in the right direction.
So what browser do you use?

[ChristopherTD]

Firefox, which isn't on the list (unless it falls under the Mozilla umbrella)

[Steven Cedrone]

I voted Mozilla as well since I bounce back and forth between IE and Firefox...

Steve

[pivaska]

I was going to put Firefox in there as well but I thought that it did fall under Mozilla. I have downloaded all of them and so far I am leaning towards Firefox. The only thing is that we have and Exchange server and it does not have a pop account for security reasons. So I am not sure if I can use the mail client with a work around or not.

[surur]

You have only 7 votes (excluding mine) Its not too late to start over and add in the various IE shells (e.g. netcaptor, MyIE, AvantBrowser etc). It gives you the compatablity of IE, with added features such as tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking etc. Of course mostly you still get the same security holes as IE.

I am however willing to bet they are a lot more popular than the various alternative browsers.

Of course I have about 3-4 different browsers installed, but the ones I use most often are MyIE, Netcaptor and Firefox. I dont like the very different style of opera (and i hate the MDI style interface).

My 2c

Surur

[Jacob]

Mozilla - Firefox is my browser of choice.

Every time I use IE now, I cringe.

[pivaska]

I am not sure how to stop this poll and then start it again with more options. There seems to be a real interest in browsers and the reasons for the different types. The most interest that I have is security issues seeing that IE has holes that you can drive a truck through. I do like the pop up stoppes that Foxfire has.

[dean_shan]

Firefox. You must go with Firefox. Everyone I've had try it has loved it and wondered how they delt with IE for so long. Switch to Firefox and you'll be glad you did.

[Stephen Beesley]

This poll is perfectly timed for me. I have just had my first experience with an alternative browser since way back in the early days of Netscape (if you could call that an alternative browser back then). I was having difficulty downloading from the HP drivers page and loaded up Opera just for a try. Got my downloads and then decided to continue giving Opera a run to see how I like it.

So far I quite like the GUI, but it seems slower than IE. Maybe I will give some of the other browsers mentioned here a go.

[Pat Logsdon]

Opera. I've tried Firefox and most of the flavors of IE and I keep coming back. It's fast, I get 0 pop-ups, and the tabbed interface is easier to use than Firefox's implementation.

[Janak Parekh]

The only thing is that we have and Exchange server and it does not have a pop account for security reasons. So I am not sure if I can use the mail client with a work around or not.
I don't quite understand your sysadmin's "security concern" explanation for turning off POP/IMAP, but if that's the case, you're going to have to use Outlook for mail. Firefox will happily coexist with that decision, though -- mailto links in Firefox will launch Outlook, and http links in Outlook will launch Firefox. Firefox even supports NTLM auth for IIS nowadays. 8)

--janak

[Kevin C. Tofel]

I voted for IE, because I use Avant Browser (http://www.avantbrowser.com) which sits atop IE. Avant meets my very basic criteria of:

Blocking pop ups
Allowing for multi tab views
Multiple home pages upon opening

It has bunches of other great functionality and is freeware. The developer updates the builds on average of once every 2 weeks (just my estimate based on experience) so it's constantly maturing as well. If you haven't tried it...take a look.... :)

Thanks!
KCT

[aliensub]

So far I quite like the GUI, but it seems slower than IE. Maybe I will give some of the other browsers mentioned here a go.

The reason is that IE is preloaded when windows starts up, which you can´t avoid because it´s binded to windows.

For myself i use Firefox.

[Kowalski]

i use mozilla firefox because firefox is fast and uses very little system resources.
plus i use avant browser because IE comes with XP and there is no way to remove it. so i upgrade and rarely i use IE(when i need a working flash plugin)

[Janak Parekh]

I voted for IE, because I use Avant Browser (http://www.avantbrowser.com) which sits atop IE.
It is indeed very good, except for the fact that IE vulnerabilities, such as the latest one, aren't mitigated by it as it just uses the IE control. :( I really hope MS gets up to speed faster on future vulnerabilities, as this reduces consumers' confidence in using it in any of its forms. :| In fact, my officemate, a hardcore Avant Browser user, just switched to Firefox last week for this very reason.

--janak

[Kati Compton]

I like Firefox. There's also a plugin that adds a right-click menu item that says "open link in IE" or "open page in IE" that helps if I ever encounter compatibility issues (which is VERY rare). What happens more often is that the HTML browser detection code is lame and tells me I need to upgrade my version of Netscape to the most recent version. :roll:

There's an awful lot of nice extensions for Firefox.

[Falstaff]

It is indeed very good, except for the fact that IE vulnerabilities, such as the latest one, aren't mitigated by it as it just uses the IE control. :( I really hope MS gets up to speed faster on future vulnerabilities, as this reduces consumers' confidence in using it in any of its forms. :| In fact, my officemate, a hardcore Avant Browser user, just switched to Firefox last week for this very reason.

Microsoft has realized that and is working more on the IE development team (ZDNet UK (http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,39020369,39158292,00.htm) and Dave Massy's WebLog (http://blogs.msdn.com/dmassy/archive/2004/06/16/157263.aspx)) and MS says they will include the new version of IE in the next OS, Longhorn I'm assuming, so it will be a while before we see it, but hopefully that means it will be completely overhauled to compete with the other browsers better. I still use IE most of the time, sometimes I switch over to Mozilla, but until I can get a better plug-in for tabbing and other features, I'm sticking with IE. In Linux though, I use Mozilla exclusively.

[yslee]

Opera! Best browser I've ever used. Firefox doesn't come close IMHO.

[Weyoun6]

Firefox. I dont like Opera's interface - and it puts annoying ads on the top unless you shell out $30. Believe me I've tried them all (Opera multiple times) and the shells over IE won't give you security.

Becuase IE is loaded with windows - It might seem faster, but IE will bring down your system just as fast if it crashes. Firefox won't do that.

Firefox - Free, and it becomes more powerful as you dig into it and find its features, letting you adapt slowly. Mail Program available in seperate download.
Opera - $30 and everything is presented to you all at once, and you have to figure out how to tone it down to your needs. Also comes with a mail program

Edit: Oh and by the way - I hated the Mozilla Suite, because its big and clunky due to its coming with everything. All I need is a browser.

[Janak Parekh]

Microsoft has realized that and is working more on the IE development team (ZDNet UK (http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,39020369,39158292,00.htm) and Dave Massy's WebLog (http://blogs.msdn.com/dmassy/archive/2004/06/16/157263.aspx)) and MS says they will include the new version of IE in the next OS
I know. XP SP2 also has a ton of security improvements for IE. I'm not switching back, though.

yslee - I've gotta agree with weyoun6. I tried Opera about 5 times and could never get comfortable with its interface. ;) But hey, whatever works for you. That said, nothing comes close to Firefox + Tabbrowser Extensions (http://white.sakura.ne.jp/~piro/xul/_tabextensions.html.en) IMO...

--janak

[yslee]

No problem with the UI here.. It just feels less clunky compared to Mozilla/Firefox.

[pocketdoc]

I like MYIE2, which is now Maxthon. Like Avant Browser, it wraps itself around IE.

It is free and adds tons of features to IE including popup killer, tabbed interface and skins.

It is now www.maxthon.com (myie2.com no longer works).

[skewline]

couldn't access page.

[MacBriar]

The recernt fiasco with IE has made me jump ship to Firefox as I do all my bank stuff online. I tried Mozilla but it was slower and to me a bit clunkier. The tabbed interface is excellent now I can set more than one page as my home page.

Ewan

[CTSLICK]

Firefox on my Home PC, Camino on my Apple. Like them both... a lot.

Still forced to use IE at work...thought IT says they may use me as a test case for Firefox. :)

[Kai920]

Mozilla 95% of the time, and 5% IE for the sites that Firefox will not open.

[saturnian]

Just changed to latest Firefox from IE, don't think I'll be going back, unless it gets so popular the virus geezers start on it.... :roll:

[Pat Logsdon]

yslee - I've gotta agree with weyoun6. I tried Opera about 5 times and could never get comfortable with its interface. ;) But hey, whatever works for you. That said, nothing comes close to Firefox + Tabbrowser Extensions (http://white.sakura.ne.jp/~piro/xul/_tabextensions.html.en) IMO...
Thanks for the link, Janak! Makes the tabs in Firefox almost as easy to use as Opera's! :mrgreen: Seriously, it's cool - I can't use Opera at work, so this makes the next best thing that much better. :wink:

[Janak Parekh]

Thanks for the link, Janak! Makes the tabs in Firefox almost as easy to use as Opera's!
Now I'm curious. What does Opera do tabwise that Firefox+TBE can't handle? That extension has about a bazillion options.

--janak

[kosmicki]

I use Mozilla (Mozilla Mozilla that is) I like firefox, but its just not quite there for me yet. In a few versions I have no doubt I'll be switching. As far as IE goes, only for those weird sites that won't work with Moz. That is, a very small number of them.

[Pat Logsdon]

Now I'm curious. What does Opera do tabwise that Firefox+TBE can't handle? That extension has about a bazillion options.
Ok, I switched. Happy now? :wink: Seriously, after trying Firefox with all the fixin's for a week or two, I like it better than Opera. The numerous cool extensions tipped the scales for me. And you're right - the tabs extension DOES indeed have a bajillion options. :mrgreen:

So yeah, I'm impressed. :D

[Kati Compton]

Now I'm curious. What does Opera do tabwise that Firefox+TBE can't handle? That extension has about a bazillion options.
Ok, I switched. Happy now? :wink: Seriously, after trying Firefox with all the fixin's for a week or two, I like it better than Opera. The numerous cool extensions tipped the scales for me. And you're right - the tabs extension DOES indeed have a bajillion options. :mrgreen:
I use Clone Window, ViewIE, BugMeNot, AllowRightClick, Image Zoom, Bookmark Backup, Googlebar (though I haven't yet decided if I'm going to keep it), Compact Menu (I collapse File/Edit/Etc into a single menu that goes on the same bar as my Personal Toolbar Folder items. Oh, and I finally got a spell checker working. Spellbound seems to be pretty good so far.

[dean_shan]

These are my extentions for Firefox.
Tab X (http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/clav/#tabx)
Tab Scroller (http://www.krickelkrackel.de/tabscroller/tabscrollerhelp.htm)
Translation Panel (http://texturizer.net/firefox/extensions/#translationpanel)
Sage (http://sage.mozdev.org/) (a RSS aggregator, a must have)
Dictionary Search (http://dictionarysearch.mozdev.org/) (another must have)
Spellbound (http://www.exchangecode.com/spellbound/) (a must have)

[apanther28]

The newest version of Firefox for me. It's clean, safer, fast and no pop ups.