Why You Should Be Using Firefox As Your Web Browser
Because anything is better than Internet Explorer. No, really. But in my opinion, Firefox is the best web browser out there, and I am not alone.
For starters, Internet Explorer is weak. It's a part of the Windows operating system, so if something affects Explorer, there's a good chance other things will be affected as well. That's why you have to have a bunch of different anti-spyware and and anti-virus programs (well, it's part of the reason). Anyone who has had to fix (or more likely, recover from) a serious spyware infestation knows that Internet Explorer is usually the first thing effected. Firefox is not part of Windows, so it may not have any problems, even from existing spyware. If you don't already know, spyware is a serious threat. Some spyware actively looks for your personal information, which later may be used by identity thieves. Firefox is not the answer to spyware, but it is a means to better protect yourself and your computer.
Most of my friends don't think too much about how they browse. I can't say I blame them; it's boring. But there are certain things Explorer (in versions previous to 7) does that make web browsing much more difficult than it should be. Firefox is the answer. Let's say that you are looking at a page with lots of links on it (like, say this one). You can either:
Click a link, which will then open in the same window, and then click Back to get back to the page with the links
or
Right click a link and open it in a new window, which then covers up the original page. It's a better method because you don't have to leave the original page, but if you want to see a bunch of links, you keep having to click on the original page to get back to the links.
Firefox solves this problem with Tabs (Internet Explorer 7 now has tabs too, as well as Safari, the default Mac web browser). Rather than opening links in a new window, they open in new tabs, and you can browse them at your leisure.
It's much easier than anything in older browsers. You can open links in a new tab by holding the Command (Apple) key while clicking (on a Mac), or by clicking with the scroll wheel button (in Windows). You can also choose to have new windows open in new tabs. Check Firefox's Preferences. Tabs are my most-used feature of Firefox, but there is something else. If you want to know why Firefox is better than Internet Explorer 7, well, I'll let the tech gods at Cnet answer that one.
Extensions are add-ons to Firefox. I already mentioned one in the How to Find Shows in Your Area (and Remember Them) post. But there are tons of different ones available, for almost every conceivable purpose. I use Down Them All to quickly download all the links of one (or multiple types) at once and put them all in the same place on my computer. This is really handy with mp3 blogs. I can download every mp3 on the page with two clicks. UnPlug is another handy download tool, but all I use it for is YouTube videos and the like. Firefox has pages and pages of extensions free for download.
There are lots of ways to customize Firefox. Use the link in the right column to download Firefox and let me know what you think in the comments. Also, if you use any extensions, leave a comment and let me know. Thanks.
For starters, Internet Explorer is weak. It's a part of the Windows operating system, so if something affects Explorer, there's a good chance other things will be affected as well. That's why you have to have a bunch of different anti-spyware and and anti-virus programs (well, it's part of the reason). Anyone who has had to fix (or more likely, recover from) a serious spyware infestation knows that Internet Explorer is usually the first thing effected. Firefox is not part of Windows, so it may not have any problems, even from existing spyware. If you don't already know, spyware is a serious threat. Some spyware actively looks for your personal information, which later may be used by identity thieves. Firefox is not the answer to spyware, but it is a means to better protect yourself and your computer.
Browsing
Most of my friends don't think too much about how they browse. I can't say I blame them; it's boring. But there are certain things Explorer (in versions previous to 7) does that make web browsing much more difficult than it should be. Firefox is the answer. Let's say that you are looking at a page with lots of links on it (like, say this one). You can either:
or
Firefox solves this problem with Tabs (Internet Explorer 7 now has tabs too, as well as Safari, the default Mac web browser). Rather than opening links in a new window, they open in new tabs, and you can browse them at your leisure.
It's much easier than anything in older browsers. You can open links in a new tab by holding the Command (Apple) key while clicking (on a Mac), or by clicking with the scroll wheel button (in Windows). You can also choose to have new windows open in new tabs. Check Firefox's Preferences. Tabs are my most-used feature of Firefox, but there is something else. If you want to know why Firefox is better than Internet Explorer 7, well, I'll let the tech gods at Cnet answer that one.
Extensions
Extensions are add-ons to Firefox. I already mentioned one in the How to Find Shows in Your Area (and Remember Them) post. But there are tons of different ones available, for almost every conceivable purpose. I use Down Them All to quickly download all the links of one (or multiple types) at once and put them all in the same place on my computer. This is really handy with mp3 blogs. I can download every mp3 on the page with two clicks. UnPlug is another handy download tool, but all I use it for is YouTube videos and the like. Firefox has pages and pages of extensions free for download.
There are lots of ways to customize Firefox. Use the link in the right column to download Firefox and let me know what you think in the comments. Also, if you use any extensions, leave a comment and let me know. Thanks.
Labels: Tutorials
This entry was posted by Power Rambling, on
Thursday, March 1, 2007.
You can leave your response.
March 7, 2007 at 8:52 PM
Great idea. But do you think a link to get firefox or some direction in where you might recommend getting it may be useful?
March 12, 2007 at 5:12 PM
Oprah is a better browser.