Well, everyone else is comparing these browsers so..:
I converted to Firefox a couple of years ago and it rapidly became my default browser. Tabbed browsing, adblock, extensions and all manner of useful features meant I only used IE occasionally, simply because my bank wouldn’t allow anything else. As I don’t like re-installing Windows on a daily basis, I tend to avoid beta versions of software (if they want me to be a software tester, they can pay me), so I waited for the final release versions of both browsers.
Firefox 2 A small download of only 5Mb and no need for a restart meant that I was using FF within minutes of downloading. Thankfully all of my extensions (now called add-ons, like IE7) worked with simple upgrades, and the only outward sign of upgrade was the slightly different ‘skin’ and appearance of some icons. I liked the changes to the tabs, meaning it was easier to close the tab you wanted to (and restore those closed by accident) and the built-in spell checker is brilliant, especially for things like blog entries. Previous versions of FF would crash occasionally (as does virtually all software to be fair) but nothing major. FF2 however seems to crash at least once a session for no apparent reason. I can have 1 tab, or 10 tabs open, there doesn’t seem to be a common factor. On the positive side this does show off an excellent FF2 feature of ‘restore session’. On re-launching after a crash, FF2 gives you the option to try again, opening up all of your tabs at the right place in various websites. Very good, but I hope they sort out the crash issues – a quick browse of some web forums shows I’m not alone.
IE7 I can’t install it. There, that was a quick review wasn’t it? Now, my version of XP is genuine, it has passed all previous WGA checks, I have installed all of the various updates, and I followed the installation instructions to the letter. Each time I tried to install, it reaches the validation part and then crashes. Useful. I’ve tried safe mode, disabling & re-enabling AV, firewalls etc. I can’t find a fix for it. So, screw it I’m sticking with Firefox. I did manage to install IE7 on my sisters computer, and after a 14Mb download & two restarts it launched to reveal what appears to be a hastily (!) put together copy of Firefox.
I’m biased by experience, but I’m sticking with Firefox. Having recently started to get into website creation with CSS etc. I can also see the the number of problems IE causes there, as it is simply not standards compliant. If you haven’t tried Firefox yet, theres a button on the left of my blog-click it, install it & give it a go-It’ll only take minutes & I don’t think you’ll regret it.
Any views on this, or a cure for my IE7 installation problem, please leave a comment.
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