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MICHAEL SAUTTER
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Member Since: 3/2006Last Seen: 2/09/2010
Member Since: 3/2006Last Seen: 2/09/2010
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Firefox 3 was released one week ago and I have used it since then as my main web browser. I am very satisfied with Firefox 3 despite a few minor flaws.
Downloading and installing Firefox 3
I downloaded and installed Firefox 3 (FF3) on my home-built Windows Vista (SP1) PC and an Apple Mac Book (Tiger). In both instances there was no problem at all, the process was smooth and painless. On both computers my Firefox add-ons and plug-ins from Firefox 2 were carried over to Firefox 3. I have not noticed any significant difference between FF3 on Vista and Mac.
Fast and Stable
I use Netvibes as my internet start page and there is not one problem with FF3. Netvibes uses a lot of JavaScript and sometimes it was slow to load with Firefox 2, not so with FF3. Also Internet Exploxer 7 does not display some Netvibes modules (like the official Dilbert module) but with FF3 this is not an issue.
Firefox 3 has not crashed on me this week. I take this as an indication that FF3 uses memory better than Firefox 2 which would occasionally crash on me (maybe once a week).
Identity Information > More Information
One feature I like is when you left click on the favicon of a web page (next the address bar) a pop-up window presents the Identity Information of the web page that you are on. Also in that window is a button for More Information which brings up more data about the web page that includes Security and Media tabs. Some of this information was available in Firefox 2 but this is a nice and convenient way to access it.
A Few Minor Imperfections
The first little problem that I noticed with FF3 was when I was looking at my Live Space. In the Profile module my interest keywords don't wrap around and are cut off. This is very minor and I suspect that it is happening because Microsoft is not following established web standards with its Live Spaces.
A not so minor problem involves Live Hotmail, Microsoft's web email service. With Firefox 3 you are forced to use the Classic version of Live Hotmail and you cannot set it to open in your inbox (it opens in the Today window). Also with FF3 you cannot change some of the options and settings of Live Hotmail. I noticed this when I went to change my email signature and I could not do it with FF3. Ultimately this is not a big problem for me. My main PC is my Vista desktop and I use Windows Live Mail to access my Live Hotmail account (a very good combination, by the way) and if I need to occasionally access Live Hotmail with the Mac Book then it is not a hardship to do so even limited to the Classic version.
You may have heard that there is already a virus for FF3, but it does not seem to be a great danger so I'm still using FF3. I bet there is an update soon to fix it. Also I hear FF2 has the same vulnerability so not upgrading to FF3 will not protect you.
One last minor complaint that I have heard is that few themes are available right now for FF3. Again this is not a big deal for me, I do not use themes that much if at all. I also expect the number of themes available to increase quite quickly as more people use FF3.
So are you using Firefox 3? What has your experience with it been like?
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 | Open It Online - Firefox Extension for opening docs in Zoho, GDocs, and Thinkfree | ghacks.net | Wed Jun 25 | 0 |
| Firefox 3 - triumph or disaster? | bbc.co.uk | Tue Jun 24 | 0 |
| Firefox 3 Vulnerabilities Could Affect Over 14 Million Computers | news.softpedia.com | Mon Jun 23 | 0 |
- Public Discussion (31)
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15
6.8
3.4
{"commentId":2041461,"authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
Do you like Firefox 3?
{"commentId":2041461,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
- 1 vote
#1 - Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:04 PM EDT{"commentId":2041541,"authorDomain":"paperdragon"}
Yep.
But I've been using it since beta 2, so it's not new for me any more.
{"commentId":2041541,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"paperdragon"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":2046666,"authorDomain":"japark"}
There is one problem I have found with firefox 3 in regards to security settings:
When I go to tnlottery.com and click to go anywhere else on the site other than the main page, I get a red screen saying that this is a reported attack site. Nothing I do will allow me to go anywhere else on the site until I turn off the security setting "Tell me if the site I am visiting is a suspected attack site". I should be able to tell the browser to ignore the warning an proceed. Instead, I must turn off such checking on all sites to gain access to this one.
{"commentId":2046666,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"japark"}
- 4 votes
{"commentId":2047475,"authorDomain":"tcervo"}
When I go to tnlottery.com and click to go anywhere else on the site other than the main page, I get a red screen saying that this is a reported attack site.
I just visisted tnlottery.com with FF3, and no warning was issued. Perhaps try clearing private data (including cookies) then re-visiting...
{"commentId":2047475,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"tcervo"}
- 4 votes
{"commentId":2047745,"authorDomain":"japark"}
I just noticed that the problem does not present on all links. Try clicking on the Powerball, Lotto Plus or Pick 5 symbols.
(I cleared all cookies and the problem continued. I have the browser set to clear personal data on browser close. The problem appears on two different systems running firefox 3).
{"commentId":2047745,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"japark"}
- 4 votes
{"commentId":2049619,"authorDomain":"paperdragon"}
File a bug report.
{"commentId":2049619,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"paperdragon"}
- 4 votes
{"commentId":2062300,"authorDomain":"dolores"}
My laptop at home is a Mac so I've noticed that Firefox is really good in my PC at work, but not in my mac. The browser takes longer to load and to run than Safari. I hope that Mozilla makes improvements so we mac users get to enjoy firefox like PC users.
{"commentId":2062300,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"dolores"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":2063174,"authorDomain":"tcervo"}
My laptop at home is a Mac so I've noticed that Firefox is really good in my PC at work, but not in my mac. The browser takes longer to load and to run than Safari. I hope that Mozilla makes improvements so we mac users get to enjoy firefox like PC users.
Are you talking about Firefox 2? Because Firefox 3 has been MUCH improved on the Mac (and Windows.) It loads faster, takes less memory, doesn't hang...In all the actual benchmarks that I've seen, it loads and runs faster than Safari at this point...
{"commentId":2063174,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"tcervo"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":2092148,"authorDomain":"akwea"}
I miss the Noia theme, the best theme ever: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/72
Other than that, I like it fine...
{"commentId":2092148,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"akwea"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":2041809,"authorDomain":"eriqalan"}
One last minor complaint that I have heard is that few themes are available right now for FF3. Again this is not a big deal for me, I do not use themes that much if at all. I also expect the number of themes available to increase quite quickly as more people use FF3.
it updated some of mine but - I lost the harley davidson!!!!!
{"commentId":2041809,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"eriqalan"}
- 2 votes
#2 - Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:57 PM EDT{"commentId":2042169,"authorDomain":"tigerblade"}
You lost the Harley-Davidson? Could you... clarify? I'm assuming there was a Harley-Davidson Firefox theme then?
{"commentId":2042169,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"tigerblade"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":2050551,"authorDomain":"eriqalan"}
yes is / was for FF2; doesn't work in 3 yet (apparently) :.(
{"commentId":2050551,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"eriqalan"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":2042190,"authorDomain":"Andimia"}
Does firebug work for firefox yet? I heard that there were some problems. I'll have to look into it.
I had to go and look up the del.icio.us bookmark plugin because firefox3 couldn't find it on it's own. that's the only problem that I've had so far.
{"commentId":2042190,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"Andimia"}
- 1 vote
#3 - Tue Jun 24, 2008 10:02 PM EDT{"commentId":2042824,"authorDomain":"tcervo"}
There's a beta version of Firebug for FF3.
{"commentId":2042824,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"tcervo"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":2044225,"authorDomain":"tigerblade"}
I had to go and look up the del.icio.us bookmark plugin because firefox3 couldn't find it on it's own.
Mine just updated itself when I upgraded Firefox.
{"commentId":2044225,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"tigerblade"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":2046439,"authorDomain":"Andimia"}
ok, I just need to wait for an update for the hbx tracer. damnit.
{"commentId":2046439,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"Andimia"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":2042507,"authorDomain":"soundscape"}
I mentioned some problems I was having in this comment.
Overall though I'm very pleased with FF3. Even on fast connections, web pages just seem to load a lot quicker. Plus, it looks cooler. ;)
{"commentId":2042507,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"soundscape"}
- 2 votes
#4 - Tue Jun 24, 2008 10:47 PM EDT{"commentId":2042815,"authorDomain":"tcervo"}
Very pleased so far. Still waiting on a couple plugins to get updated, but it's been more and more updated every day.
As for Live Hotmail...my totally smartass response is to switch to Gmail, which eats Live Hotmail for breakfast. ;-)
{"commentId":2042815,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"tcervo"}
- 6 votes
#5 - Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:44 PM EDT{"commentId":2045862,"authorDomain":"Andimia"}
As for Live Hotmail...my totally smartass response is to switch to Gmail, which eats Live Hotmail for breakfast. ;-)
Hell yeah
{"commentId":2045862,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"Andimia"}
- 5 votes
{"commentId":2046793,"authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
{"commentId":2047508,"authorDomain":"tcervo"}
Correct: don't like WLM either.
For a Gmail desktop client, I use MailPlane. Not sure if there's a Windows equivalent, though. When I was on Windows, I just used Gmail in my browser. Personally, I'll take Gmail in a browser over any Windows Live anything...desktop or browser.
Thunderbird can be set up to use Gmail, but I don't really see the point.
{"commentId":2047508,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"tcervo"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":2049633,"authorDomain":"paperdragon"}
I use Thunderbird to read Gmail, but only because I use it to read a bunch of email accounts all in one place.
{"commentId":2049633,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"paperdragon"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":2043233,"authorDomain":"greenguy"}
I'm using the old one but am taking everyone's recommendations to heart and intend to update soon
{"commentId":2043233,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"greenguy"}
- 5 votes
#6 - Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:19 AM EDT{"commentId":2043689,"authorDomain":"paperdragon"}
{"commentId":2043933,"authorDomain":"quixiotic"}
{"commentId":2044303,"authorDomain":"tigerblade"}
I've noticed some really weird character-encoding issues. Like, headlines on a few sites look really fracked up.
Probably related are things like list points, showing up like NK, PK, CK, etc instead of 1, 2, 3. Weird little stuff.
{"commentId":2044303,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"tigerblade"}
- 2 votes
#9 - Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:32 AM EDT{"commentId":2044928,"authorDomain":"onlineapps"}
I love FF3, though I've been using it for a while.
By the way, you forgot one feature. The address awesome bar.
{"commentId":2044928,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"onlineapps"}
- 4 votes
#10 - Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:07 AM EDT{"commentId":2044948,"authorDomain":"jyuma"}
Overall, I'm liking FF3 just fine and dandy. I've been having some problems with Flash stuff (youtube,panda)but it comes and goes.
{"commentId":2044948,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"jyuma"}
- 4 votes
#11 - Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:10 AM EDT{"commentId":2046477,"authorDomain":"onlineapps"}
You should try reinstalling Flash if you're having problems. It's probably a Flash issue rather than a Firefox issue.
{"commentId":2046477,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"onlineapps"}
- 4 votes
{"commentId":2046581,"authorDomain":"jyuma"}
I have tried that...no luck. It's a odd problem. Things will work fine for awhile,then stuff starts freezing up. A reboot seems to fix things for awhile, then it will start over again.
{"commentId":2046581,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"jyuma"}
- 4 votes
{"commentId":2047040,"authorDomain":"bobo2854"}
I agree the Hotmail thing is a pain. One other bug I have noticed is with the speed dial add-on is that at times when booting up the speed dial page opens and most of the toolbars are missing in the browser and it tends to freeze up. Closing and reopening cures this.
The only other dis I have is that most of the themes ready for version 3 remove the new style tool bar that 3 added? I like the new look and would like to change the flavor of it but retain its snappier appearance.
{"commentId":2047040,"threadId":"298077","contentId":"1606727","authorDomain":"bobo2854"}
- 2 votes
#12 - Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:59 PM EDT{"canLink":false,"threadId":"298077","isPrivate":false}
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