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Post by Jack Teems on May 20, 2013 11:44:52 GMT -5
Lately Firefox seems to be too buggy. It has ceased to open and navigate to a Web site when I click on a hyperlink in my email (Windows Live Mail). Half the time I can't view any videos embedded in email.
I can, of course, copy and paste the links into my Internet Explorer address line. I can open IE whenever a video doesn't open and it doesn't seem to have the same problems displaying the action. But this is an unnecessary inconvenience/nuisance. So I've made IE my default browser once again.
That doesn't mean I have totally removed FF from my system. I'll try FF once again on some future update and use it when IE doesn't work for something (and that will inevitably happen). Perhaps that's why we are given so many options for browsers,
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Post by drmark on May 20, 2013 12:39:48 GMT -5
You might want to give the new Avant Browser a try. Like the Luna browser it uses all three engines (Chrome, Firefox, IE). Opera is my default browser but I have been using Avast as a backup or secondary browser and it works well: very fast, no freeze-ups, and full featured. www.avantbrowser.com/ |
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Peter
Software Review Panel
Posts: 174
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Post by Peter on May 21, 2013 15:53:32 GMT -5
I tend to hang on to FF because of the add-ons that I use so often, in particular, Roboform and Linkman. Though perhaps, more honestly, more because of laziness than anything else. I have played with a few of the browsers that have appeared in the Mini-Reviews, like Pale Moon and BlackHawk. Although they are fun, I usually come back to Opera and FF. This posting will spur me to try out Avant. Thanks for the suggestion. Peter PS: Thanks to Jack for pointing me to this rather cool avatar.  |
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Post by blueboxer on May 21, 2013 22:22:27 GMT -5
Just to solicit opinion - is Mozilla getting entirely to wrapped up in "improving" Firefox and Thunderbird with continuous patches or new versions, whether they need it or not? Could they be suffering from a need to rush the latest bright shiny new toy out to meet some self-imposed schedule, instead of proceeding at all deliberate speed and releasing nothing till its time is ripe?
I'm now in the habit of just hitting "close window" whenever a new Mozilla update announcement intrudes on my screen, in the middle of my serious "work". I now skip whole new version numbers.
my jaundiced view stems partly from doing an upgrade only to find many of my extensions no longer worked, or losing my whole email file or complete list of bookmarks, to a revision that did nothing visibly useful anyway. I continue to use them but on my schedule, not Mozilla's.
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Post by drmark on May 22, 2013 3:23:50 GMT -5
I think much of what blueboxer says is correct. What I have found, however, is that people load up the browser with so many plug-ins and extensions that the browser itself suffers. Every time I am asked to troubleshoot a browser problem (and this is true in other browsers as well but worse in Firefox)as soon as I start disabling extensions and/or plug-ins the problem is solved. When the browser is left to do what it was designed to do, i.e., browse the Internet and not be a "toy," it almost always does fine.I have only one extension on both Firefox and Opera (other than Adobe Flash/Shockwave), AdBlock, and I have no problems with either browser. The same is true with those fancy themes which do nothing but slow down your browser, use unnecessary memory, and often cause conflicts. If you want art, buy a painting and hang it over your desk. |
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Post by cyberdiva on May 29, 2013 18:23:44 GMT -5
my jaundiced view stems partly from doing an upgrade only to find many of my extensions no longer worked, or losing my whole email file or complete list of bookmarks, to a revision that did nothing visibly useful anyway. I continue to use them but on my schedule, not Mozilla's. Sorry to come so late to the party, but I thought I'd mention that I used to have the same complaint about Firefox's all-too-frequent updates. I finally prevented Firefox from even telling me about new versions. Like you, blueboxer, I decided I'd update only if and when I wanted to do so. However, I've noticed that the last few times I've allowed Firefox to install an updated version, all my extensions remained unaffected. Nothing broke. I don't know whether Firefox has finally listened to the ton of complaints it got about the way updates broke extensions, or whether I've just been lucky, but I'm now on FF 21.0, and it's been quite a while since one of my 14 extensions was done in by an update (knock on wood, salt over my shoulder). |
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thai
Full Member
Posts: 164
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Post by thai on May 30, 2013 16:48:54 GMT -5
It seems I must have updates disabled or something!
I too come to the party late, and in looking to find my version, I am amazed to discover it is 12.0.
Can this be true?
You guys are all talking about 21....am I that far behind?
And....where do i go to find what extensions/add ons I have?
Gosh I love this place...you guys are great!
Thai
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Post by cyberdiva on May 30, 2013 17:21:30 GMT -5
Hi Thai. If version 12 of Firefox works well for you, I'm not sure it's really necessary to update. But if you want to update, or if there are valid security reasons for doing so, you can do it easily by clicking on Help in the menu at the top, then choose About. In the box that appears, you'll see a place to Check for Updates. Click on it.
As for extensions/add-ons, you'll find that under the Tools menu (to the left of Help). Click on Tools and you'll see Add-ons. Click on that, and you'll see what Add-ons/extensions you have. I might note that when Firefox checks for updates and offers to install version whatever, somewhere in that process it will also check to see whether updating will do in any of your extensions. You can back out of the update at that point, as I recall. However, it's been quite a while since FF told me that any extension would be affected.
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Post by blueboxer on Jun 9, 2013 23:21:50 GMT -5
And for those who don't like losing "decades" of tweaks and adjustments to a rogue update, there is an independent program called MozBackup that makes a copy of your Thunderbird or Firefox profile on request. Since I found it I have never had a problem caused by an update that I couldn't recover from. I recommend it.
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Post by BeeTee-Ess on Jul 6, 2013 23:29:59 GMT -5
I have been using Firefox for some years now, and have 20 addons, which, at first, sounds like a lot (it surprised me when I counted them  ), but when you consider the jobs they are doing, it makes some sense. For example, AdBlock Plus, Australian English Dictionary, Avast, DoNotTrackMe, RoboForm, Tab Mix Plus: these are certainly tools, not toys. Until I get the functionality of Tab Mix Plus offered in an alternative browser, I shall not be abandoning FF. I did experience the problems with addons not being up-to-date that blueboxer refers to, and it really was annoying. But since FF 21 , and now FF 22, since they each became available, I have found that problem has gone away. I cannot recall having experienced Jack's problem with email links working in IE, while not working in FF. One of my addons, IE Tab 2, I installed because it seemed a good idea. It allows me to toggle FF quickly between its native renderer and the IE one. For a while it was useful. I have used it so rarely in the last year or so, that I am starting to question my need for it. BTW, I use Thunderbird for my email. |
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Post by carmpri on Jul 11, 2013 8:31:23 GMT -5
Avant is now giving problems
It wants to be default.
When I change another browser to default, Avant stops working.
Therefore there is always something wrong with any browser
CP
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Post by blueboxer on Jul 15, 2013 22:44:13 GMT -5
My wife's latest bout of of computer cussin' was provoked by an "upgrade" to FF22. Since she and I use and handle our computers completely differently, her "Favourites" and my "Bookmarks" soon become wildly divergent in their content. But occasionally for exotic reasons we may have to borrow each others computers and the lack of common tools becomes a real pain. Adding the extension "Plain Old Favourites" to Firefox let us import the IE files and set up a Favourites column beside Bookmarks in the menu bar. It fulfilled our weird needs admirably for a score of revisions.
Now the add-on has been changed. It still will import the IE Favourites, but instead of giving them their own menu heading, they just stick one line in "Bookmarks" that says "From Internet Explorer". Once you click on it the whole Favourites list is there, but an extra display column is needed and when your sub-menus have submenus, the page gets awfully cluttered.
Yes, the job still gets done, just in a more awkward, messy and inconvenient fashion. It wasn't broken. Why fix it? But they keep on doing ths sort of thing.... And why complicate a process that still remain crash-prone anyway?
In another context, we're advised to trust the merchant but count our change. I'll also (eventually) install each Mozilla update on all five of our active computers - but not until I've got an up to date MozBackup profile backup for the crash experience tells me is sooner or later inevitable.
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), but when you consider the jobs they are doing, it makes some sense. For example, AdBlock Plus, Australian English Dictionary, Avast, DoNotTrackMe, RoboForm, Tab Mix Plus: these are certainly tools, not toys. Until I get the functionality of Tab Mix Plus offered in an alternative browser, I shall not be abandoning FF.