# Firefox browser? Attraction? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352 "2004-10-21T05:13:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/41 "2004-10-24T21:42:52Z")
> [@emekthian](#): > > The major problem I have with Firefox and Mozilla is the lack of a way to customize the tab bar. In Opera, I often have 20-30 pages open in the windows panel, which I have set to the left of the screen. But in Firefox, the only way to manage seperate pages is with the tab bar on the top of the screen. That, and the lack of Opera’s ability to add bookmarked pages directly to a subfolder were the biggest reasons why I didn’t continue using Firefox. > > Also, Opera looks more slick than Firefox. If you get the Tabbrowser Extension you can manage your tabs in many different ways. But nothing beats managing them with mouse gestures. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/42 "2004-10-25T01:17:03Z")
> [@Keapon Laffin](#): > > The reasons that you mention for liking Firefox are not the true advantage of Firefox, its the “layman’s” explanation for why Firefox is better. The real advantage of using Firefox lies in its open-source coding, customizable modules and page rendering software, something that most Firefox users **do not know**. What makes one explanation more real than another? Why is the “layman” not allowed to have a valid opinion? I’m not a layman – I’m an Internet professional – and I’m well aware of the technical advantages underpinning Mozilla (of which Firefox is simply one incarnation). But the direct consumer/layperson benefits are real advantages as well. Also, your repeated claim that Firefox is just as vulnerable as IE lacks backup. I offer that, since Firefox is not integrated into the operating system, it offers fewer points of vulnerability for hackers to attack. The security advantage lies in that lack of integration, not in the smaller audience. Further, I managed to pick up browser parasites using IE **at work**. In a managed corporate environment (Fortune 100), behind a firewall, with acccess to the latest MS patches. And no, I was not surfing porn at work. It’s not all about where you surf, it **is** at least in part about the browser you use. ---
**Author:** ![Keapon\_Laffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@Keapon\_Laffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keapon_Laffin)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/43 "2004-10-25T02:07:42Z")
> [@Brainiac4](#): > > What makes one explanation more real than another? Why is the “layman” not allowed to have a valid opinion? A layman can have whatever opinion he wants. As long as its educated. If he goes around touting the virtues of something which isn’t true, then we should be fighting to stop this ignorance, no? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/44 "2004-10-25T02:46:48Z")
> [@Boscibo](#): > > I take that back. I am still having problems viewing [NFL.com](http://NFL.com) with Firefox. I’m using Forefox 0.9.2, and i have no problem at all with [nfl.com](http://nfl.com). ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/45 "2004-10-25T03:40:28Z")
I’m a power user, not a techie, though I can install memory chips and video boards and configure my home network as needed, but I’m not that much into the programming. I’m posting via Mozilla. Why? It’s simple: IE =popups and scumware. Mozilla =No popups, no scumware. I keep IE around but disabled for the odd site that’s IE only, but I haven’t found many. This is why people are getting into Firefox despite the fact that it doesn’t come with the OS. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/46 "2004-10-25T17:11:08Z")
> [@Keapon Laffin](#): > > A layman can have whatever opinion he wants. As long as its educated. > > If he goes around touting the virtues of something which isn’t true, then we should be fighting to stop this ignorance, no? But your statement was: > [@Keapon Laffin](#): > > The reasons that you mention for liking Firefox are not the true advantage of Firefox, its the “layman’s” explanation for why Firefox is better. The real advantage of using Firefox lies in its open-source coding, customizable modules and page rendering software, something that most Firefox users do not know. I’m all for fighting ignorance, but my point was that the layperson’s opinion – that the consumer benefits s/he actually experiences are the key advantages – is valid. You seem to feel that it’s not. I do understand the frustration, though. I can understand that you object to someone claiming that Firefox is faster, but you’re painting all subjective claims re: Firefox with the same broad brush, which is rarely a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/47 "2004-10-26T13:18:48Z")
> [@Brainiac4](#): > > I’m all for fighting ignorance, but my point was that the layperson’s opinion – that the consumer benefits s/he actually experiences are the key advantages – is valid. You seem to feel that it’s not. It’s not just valid, the end user’s (the “layman’s”) opinions and experience of the software are the **only** things that matter. Everything else are just details and a means to that end. And the average end user couldn’t give the tiniest hoot if the software is open source, closed source, tomato sauce, or just sorcery. > [@](#): > > I do understand the frustration, though. I can understand that you object to someone claiming that Firefox is faster, but you’re painting all subjective claims re: Firefox with the same broad brush, which is rarely a good idea. I haven’t noticed any discernable difference between the speed of Firefox and IE. And even if it was slightly slower, Firefox would still be a better application. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/48 "2004-10-27T00:58:56Z")
> [@Futile Gesture](#): > > It’s not just valid, the end user’s (the “layman’s”) opinions and experience of the software are the **only** things that matter. Everything else are just details and a means to that end. And the average end user couldn’t give the tiniest hoot if the software is open source, closed source, tomato sauce, or just sorcery. Amen. > [@Futile Gesture](#): > > I haven’t noticed any discernable difference between the speed of Firefox and IE. And even if it was slightly slower, Firefox would still be a better application. To the extent that I have noticed a speed difference, I find that IE renders a bit faster. It’s not much of a difference, though, and aside from the occasional Firefox-incompatible site (like the web-based tools I support), I use Firefox wherever I can. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/49 "2004-10-27T04:37:00Z")
Firefox, [Microsoft’s Worst Nightmare](http://www.business2.com/b2/web/articles/0,17863,714129,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/50 "2004-10-27T05:56:49Z")
Firefox allows me to wheel-click SDMB thread open in the background, and doesn’t go back to the last tab when I close a tab. I hate that about Opera. Plus if you browse the plugins, you can find all kinds of cool stuff. I MUST have the mouse gestures. I even now get irritated when Windows Explorer won’t obey mouse gestures. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/51 "2004-10-27T06:13:58Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > […]not because I’m a sheep, mindlessly following the rest of the flock. That’s exactly the reason I use it. And you know what? I’m okay with that. YAY! for tabbed browsing! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/52 "2004-10-27T17:44:18Z")
I’ve actually moved back to IE since installing SP2. Call me crazy, but I like it better than Firefox. I set IE to “block everything” and I get 0 popups. Ctrl-Click allows a popup when you want it. Keep in mind that things like Flash can create popups, which is where IE’s add-on manager really shines. I can leave Flash disabled, then quickly enable it when I visit a site where I want it. It’s also easy to see any other activex things that I don’t want. I haven’t been able to find a way to turn on/off flash in Firefox. I do miss the tabbed browsing, but the taskbar is almost as good. I think Microsoft took a step in the right direction with this. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352/53 "2004-10-28T00:52:12Z")
> [@c\_goat](#): > > I haven’t been able to find a way to turn on/off flash in Firefox. I do miss the tabbed browsing, but the taskbar is almost as good. Try [FlashBlock](http://flashblock.mozdev.org/). You can find a firefox extension to do just about anything nowadays. Lots of good stuff [here](http://www.mozdev.org). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-browser-attraction/270352.md?page=2)