Mozilla Firefox

UPDATED 10/11/2004 - The full version (1.0) of Firefox [web browser] has been released.  If you haven't yet, check out the little article on the Stuff page about it.  If you have already installed 1.0PR as suggested in that article, there is a very simple upgrade process you can follow - I have just done it here at work and I haven't lost any of my bookmarks, history or cache.  Three simple steps to follow:

  1. Visit Mozilla.org and download Firefox 1.0 (4.7MB)

  2. Uninstall your current version of Firefox from Control Panel --> Add/Remove Programs

  3. Run the setup file you downloaded in step 1; refer to the install steps in the article below this update as a guide

When you run the new version of Firefox for the first time, it will detect that you have certain themes and extensions that may be out of date; there is an option to allow Firefox to search for updates for you, you should choose that.  Super Bonus Time: the new installer will automatically install some of the plug-ins that you would normally have had to discover you were missing and install manually.  Lovely!  These include Java and Apple QuickTime (Windows Media Player will already be detected through your Windows install) - basically the things that make the Internet entertaining with music, movies and animations.  You will still have to install Macromedia's Flash and Shockwave manually however.

And that's it for the nerd talk.  Enjoy better, safer surfing folks.

SABH

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03/11/2004

Bit of tech talk today: lets discuss surfing the net and optimising your browsing experience, while not leaving your system's security vulnerable in the process.

Glossary of terms:
IE = Internet Explorer
Browser = software you use to surf the net with
Operating System = the first thing loaded onto a computer when it starts - without the operating system, a PC is useless
Windows = type of operating system

First things first, if you are running Windows, doesn't matter which version, it is highly recommended that you use the Windows Update feature.  This feature can be accessed at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and it detects and installs (at your request) the critical updates and patches that your machine is missing.  We can bitch about Microsoft all we want, but if you're using one of their operating systems, this is a key process to keeping it healthy.  Moan groan, there goes your bandwidth that you'd normally use to download mp3's - as I say to everyone [that is on an unlimited account], just kick it off before you go to bed and when you wake up it'll be asking you to reboot.  Job done.

*For people that don't use Windows - like Unix, Linux and Apple's OS - they have their own brand of automatic updates, but I'm not going there as I know nothing about them.

Now if you're not on an unlimited account or are hindered by minimal bandwidth, you're probably wondering how to get a hold of these updates.  One of the best things you can do is hit your local PC reseller and just pop the question: "If I give you a CD, can you put the latest service packs/patches onto it for me?  I'll buy a mouse if you do."  There aren't too many computer shops out there that will begrudge you that, particularly if you pick up a catalogue and point at things on the shelf and rub your chin in a thoughtful and potential manner.  But I digress.  Another great source are those nerdy computer mags that you get in the news agencies; PC Connection and APC Mag are two of the better Australian ones.  These mags come with a sample CD and they showcase the latest and greatest in application software, tools and games, but what they also provide are the latest service packs and rollup patches for most operating systems.  Its eight bucks that you're loathed to spend on a mag that you probably won't read, but the option's there if you need it.

So that's Windows taken care of.  So what about the browser?  Well browsers are browsers for the most part, but IE is the most widely accepted and used.  Despite this it falls down in a couple of very vital areas.  The first are its security flaws; patched by Windows Update as above, and the second is popup blocking.  Google have created a fantastic little add-on for IE simply called the Google Toolbar.  One of its features is a popup blocker, I recommend downloading and installing that.  It is free and can be downloaded from http://toolbar.google.com.  Install tip; install it without the Advanced features, and change your Google Home to Google's Australian site.  Job done.

Now, much as I'm a fan of IE (Internet Explorer), it is flawed and unfortunately there is no way of getting rid of it.  Without drowning you in vernacular, IE is part of the operating system and there is no "uninstall" feature available from Windows 98 Second Edition (Trace, that's you) onwards.  You can turn off the access points to it, but at the end of the day we can't live without IE and I'll explain that briefly: (1) IE is an integral part of the Windows operating system, so Windows can't run without it; (2) 99% or more of the websites in the ether are designed with IE in mind, so whenever you hit a site using IE, it displays perfectly.

* You can check what version of Windows you have by going START + RUN, then type "winver" (without the quotes) and hit ok.
 
The question I asked myself for a long time is "can I live happily with an alternate browser without compromising my functionality?"  Well I've finally come to the conclusion that yes, this can be achieved, and the longer I use an alternate browser, the happier I am.  So what's available and what works best?  Well I can't go too much into that because there's at least ten "major" browsers out there - most of which I am not familiar with - that can surf the net more than adequately.  Some of the better examples include Mozilla, Netscape and Opera, but the one I'm going to recommend to you is Mozilla Firefox.  The Mozilla Organization have been developing browsers since the internet was invented and in fact before Microsoft came along with Internet Explorer, Netscape was the wonder to behold, and it was based on the Mozilla engine.  Lets not get bogged in history, what can Firefox do for you that IE can't?
 
Firefox is easy to install, has some great little features, is super fast, and above all, has less security "holes" in it than IE.  Best of all its free, and their latest version "Firefox Preview Release" is now available to download from Mozilla.org.  The best feature Firefox provides (that I've found so far) is tabbed browsing.  Ever opened multiple web sites at the same time and you end up with half a dozen different IE sessions cluttering your task bar and slowing each other down when flicking from page to page?  That's because of IE's dependence on the operating system and vice versa, that's valuable CPU time that could be better utilised elsewhere.  Tabbed browsing is just that, it provides the facility to run multiple web sites within the one Firefox session, and you just flick between them.  One window to rule them all, we love it!  The other really cool feature is the multiple search engines in the toolbar.  If you're familiar with the Google Toolbar then you'll know how the Google search works on that, well imagine if you had the same facility but for Dictionary.com, or Amazon, or IMDB, the list goes on.  Well imagine no longer, its all right here, right now.  Tops!
 
Travel here for a full spiel on what it can do, but the short of it includes:
 
bulletPopup blocking
bulletTabbed Browsing
bulletSecurity
bulletIntelligent searching

Its a big list, and you will find that while IE does a lot of this, it won't do it as well.  "But you just told me I couldn't live without IE, why shouldn't I make the switch completely?"  The few sites that you will find exclusive to IE - in other words the sites were built to be used with, and only with, IE - are commonly banking sites.  The 128-bit encryption that IE has built into it is the strongest available, and that means secure transactions for you.  If you keep your IE up-to-date as I mentioned above with Windows Update, then I recommend only using IE on these sites.

Recommended installation options for Firefox:

bulletAfter downloading it (its 4.5MB so over a modem you're looking around 20 mins to half an hour), run the Firefox Installer; double-clicking on it is the easiest way
bulletSome behind the scenes stuff goes on, then you get to the welcome screen, click Next
bulletAccept the license agreement, then click Next
bulletYou are now presented with two types of Setup to choose from, choose Custom, then click Next
bulletLeave the install location at its default, click Next
bulletTwo check-boxes are now on-screen, make sure both of these check-boxes are un-ticked, click Next
bulletChoose which shortcuts to install, then click Next, click Next again and you're done

Once Firefox has completed installing, it will ask you if you wish to launch it when you click Finish.  You may as well do this and finalise the "end user" part of the Setup so you're set forever from herein.  It will ask you if you wish to import your IE options, favourites, history and passwords.  Click on "Microsoft Internet Explorer", then click Next.  It runs off and does just this and then launches Firefox proper.  At this point you should be asked if you wish to make Firefox your default browser, I recommend un-ticking the check box "Always perform this check when starting Firefox" and clicking "Yes".  Not quite done yet, there's one more feature I'd like you to install before you're finished.

As stated before, 99% of web pages work in IE - if not close to 100% - so you will inevitably run across web sites in Firefox that don't look right or simply require IE to work.  The Windows Update site is a classic example of this, and ironically, this site is another that won't look quite right in anything other than IE - don't ask, lol.  So what do you do if you don't want to faff about cutting and pasting the URL addresses from on browser to the other?  You add a context menu option in Firefox that simple tells Windows to "View this page in Internet Explorer".  One right-click, one left-click, nice.  To do this you must install what's called an Extension.  Really easy:

bulletIn Firefox, click on the Tools menu, and then Extensions, an empty "Extensions" dialogue box will appear with a link at the bottom saying "Get More Extensions".  Click this link.
bulletA new Firefox session is launched and should bring you to the Extensions page at Mozilla.org.  Check the "Most Popular" list and you should see "IE View".  Click that link.
bulletRead what you need if you want, then click the "Install Now" link
bulletA "Software Installation" dialogue box will appear, wait until the "Install Now" button becomes available, then click it
bulletThe extension will install for you automatically and you'll be taken back to the "Extensions" dialogue box, simply click the X to close it and then close all Firefox windows as well.
bulletTo test the extension, restart Firefox and go visit any old page, then when its finished loading, right-click on the page somewhere and the context menu will popup, you should get an option [at the bottom] that says "View this page in IE", click it and IE will launch with the page.  One thing to note here is that IE may ask you if you wish to make it the default browser, again, make sure you take the tick out of "Always perform this check when starting Internet Explorer" and click "No".  You're done.

And there are a ton of these extensions available.  Sit down one day and read over a few of them, some are just plain crappy and useless, but some [like IE View], you'll wonder how you could've lived without them.

Firefox can't do it all, but it does the best of what's available very well.  IE will not be replaced, nor completely replaceable, but times are moving on and Firefox that'll do everything else for you.  And did I mention its fast?  Yeah, you'll dig it, especially those of you on modems.

SABH