Firefox?

bryanb

I have used Firefox for a couple of years now, I have had no problems with it. However I was convinced to use it by the argument that it was used by far less people than Internet Explorer, so therefore people who spread viruses etc aimed them at IE in order to affect the greatest number of computers. I don't know if this is true but with the rising popularity of Firefox; is it now time to look for a more obscure system? any thoughts or reccomendations?

MercilessKiller

Firefox is a more complete browser in terms of security as well as functionality.

Not only are viruses aimed at Internet explorer, but the are generally aimed at "Windows" exploits. As this includes by default IE, they kind of come together, thus if you don't use IE, any windows exploits which effects IE are not relevant to firefox users....

There's a load more marketing babble, BUT the simple fact is, I don't know one person who has downloaded firefox, got used to it, and then said "Wait, I much prefer IE" and moved back. Not one

You use firefox yourself! Version 3 was released last night which is much faster and safer. They are quick at updating exploits, and so even with the rising in popularity it is still a safe browser.

Does this answer your question as I must admit, I was slightly confused by specifically what you wanted to know hehe

penrhyn

You could try safari for windows, I guarantee you will be back to Firefox within the hour though its awful.(IMHO)
PS I hope you are not just relying on your browser to keep you safe on line, you need firewall, antivirus, antispyware and a good crap cleaner as well.

Farway

You could try Opera, which is free

I use firefox at times but opera is my browser of choice

It is a bit obscure & some web sites do not function with it, I found banks are the worst for this IME, which is whyfirefox is my second choice

MercilessKiller

Although you didn't mention why Opera is your first choice....

isofa

Just keep FireFox up to date and use excellent security add-ons such as No-Script, AdBlock Plus and FlashBlock and you'll have one of the most secure browsing experiences. Nothing beats FF in my experience.

bryanb

Thanks for all the info, I was just considering changing as I thought maybe Firefox would be targgetted more, as it becomes more widely used

CHR15

Opera is my first choice, then Firefox

Reasons

Magic Wand
Speed Dial
Goto URL
Paste and Go

all of these can be made to work in Firefox through plugins/addons (but for some reason don't feel as good)

BUT... I do find Opera the least compatible of the two with some sites as Farway mentioned so firefox (and IE) are still used.


Version 9.50 of Opera is buggy (rushed out to beat FF3??). I have cookie problems where it keeps logging me out of forums (Magic Wand helps).

chris667

A couple of thoughts about security:

Firefox has a massive advantage, because it is open source. If I were so inclined, I could look at the source code, and see exactly what it does before compiling it and using it to go online. I can't say the same about IE or Opera, so really I have no idea what any of them actually do. In fact, if I tried looking at the source code for either of those, I'd probably go to prison.:eek:

Firefox will always be free. Opera is free for now, but gives you no such guarantee for the future (some of their products cost money to use now).
With IE, you need a licensed copy of Windows, which you have to pay for.

Even then, what you say is true. As the user base of any computer product expands, so does the incentive for people to write malicious code to attack them. You just have to react when it happens.

If you are really serious about security, the best thing you can do is make sure your browser and copy of windows is up to date. Use a script blocker, a good hosts file, antivirus, and antispyware. But most of all, use common sense. Don't go downloading videos from !!!!!! sites, or visit somewhere that is offering serial numbers for commercial software. Don't install anything unless you know exactly what it is. Definitely don't mess around with Bittorrent or P2P applications.

I just wanted to say, that thinking of product X or Y as being secure is inherently dangerous.

Just a thought.

esuhl

The reason that Firefox isn't as vulnerable is not so much because fewer people use it, but because Internet Explorer uses ActiveX, which seems to have a number of vulnerabilities. Firefox does not use ActiveX at all. As Chris667 says, Firefox is also open-source.

If you use SpywareBlaster, you will notice that virtually every update is to block IE sites. Occasionally the "restricted site" list is updated (i.e. sites that can cause problems in both IE and Firefox), but rarely are there any updates to the sites that affect Firefox alone.

Use Firefox with the Noscript add-on, only allow top-level (or well-know) domains and you're *so* much less likely to install any malevolent monkeybusiness than with IE.

pulliptears

I converted my OH to firefox

Being on a Mac, my backup is Safari, but I dont like it at all really. Plus, it doesnt seem to work well with some of the sites I use for Uni.