Dravin Posted July 26, 2009 Report Share Posted July 26, 2009 Linky: Microsoft Offers to Add Rival Browsers to Settle Case (Update3) - Bloomberg.comThis would be kinda nice to have on this side of the Atlantic, downloading something other than IE when I have to reinstall windows has become automatic to me by this point, a little help in that endeavor would be pleasant. Also, as somebody who uses Open Office, this little tidbit towards the bottom is welcome:Microsoft also offered to disclose information that would allow competing word-processing and spreadsheet products to function more smoothly with the company’s Word and Excel programs, the commission said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahone Posted July 26, 2009 Report Share Posted July 26, 2009 This is very welcome news, though there have been rumours of it happening for some time now. Like you, the first thing I do on my own computers after an OS reinstall is download another browser (firefox mostly). I truly cannot stand using Internet Explorer. Yet Internet Explorer is so deeply intergrated into the operating system that the processes it uses are running throughout the entire duration the computer is switched on and you have to use internet explorer for some things regardless - the microsoft update website for example. Not to mention some microsoft software opening all links in internet explorer regardless of what the default browser is set to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prodigal_Son Posted July 26, 2009 Report Share Posted July 26, 2009 ...you have to use internet explorer for some things regardless - the microsoft update website for example...There's a greasemonkey script for firefox that allows you to run the IE rendering engine withing firefox. I don't EVER have to use IE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahone Posted July 26, 2009 Report Share Posted July 26, 2009 There's a greasemonkey script for firefox that allows you to run the IE rendering engine withing firefox. I don't EVER have to use IE.That's true, I was aware of ways around it. But I was trying to say that Microsoft have purposely made it difficult to permanently use any browser other than Internet Explorer. To a lot of people, it's not worth the effort of using another browser if they keep having to switch between the two.Then you get websites which have the really annoying message "this webpage was designed for use with internet explorer and will likely not work on other browsers" (which was encouraged by microsoft with their frontpage software - webpages that were designed with frontpage regularly included code that was only compatible with Internet Explorer) though fortunately they are now becoming less and less as Internet Explorer is slowly getting a lower percentage of the market share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted July 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2009 Yep, as a Chrome user I see those warning pages a decent amount but unlike yesteryear Firefox is on the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahone Posted July 26, 2009 Report Share Posted July 26, 2009 Yep, as a Chrome user I see those warning pages a decent amount but unlike yesteryear Firefox is on the list.I tried chrome when it was first released. On the first day I noticed it has a very basic feature missing, and one that I use regularly: "Print Selection". It does not allow you to only print a selection of the webpage like every other browser I have ever used, the option to do so is grayed out. So I uninstalled it and went straight back to firefox. I don't know if they have fixed this in later versions? I never print a full webpage, it's a waste of ink, so the print selection tool is very useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted July 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2009 (edited) Nope, still missing from what I can see. Honestly I have been tempted to switch back to Firefox because of only having a close "x" on each individual tab (as opposed to being able to have one all the way over to the right that just closes the active one), the lack of Adblock (understandable considering this is Google), that and being back in the situation where one has to open another browser on some sites along with a few other niggles. I haven't checked Chrome's plug-ins in a while, it is possible these have been addressed. Also its not quite fair because the Firefox of my memory was themed and plugined out the ying yang, not a clean install.I do like the new tab page (thumbnails of most visited sites), wonder if there is a Firefox plugin for something like that. I've also grown attached to the minimalistic theme (though the lack of a stop loading button is noted), but there is probably a Firefox theme to match. Don't know if Chrome loads faster as I've not used Firefox recently enough to remember load times for a comparison.As an aside, I still use Thunderbird for my email. :) Edited July 26, 2009 by Dravin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubaloth Posted July 26, 2009 Report Share Posted July 26, 2009 Last I heard they were going to take out the Browser. Which didn't realy seem to solve anything, because you need a browser (or Maybe I guess FTP) to download another browser. The main internet person has no idea the difference between IE and Firefox (or why one is better then the other). I didn't like how intagrated IE (and MSN Messanger) is with Windows. So maybe some layers would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanette Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 Dravin, I think you can get a Firefox add-on to do just about everything but the dishes. Try the add-on listing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingnut Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 Pretty much the only time I use IE anymore is if I'm using the "Watch Now" option on Netflix -- Firefox won't work with the Netflix player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanette Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 (edited) Pretty much the only time I use IE anymore is if I'm using the "Watch Now" option on Netflix -- Firefox won't work with the Netflix player.I just checked (since I've used Firefox for that purpose), and the system requirements say Firefox 2.0 or later will work. Edited July 27, 2009 by Seanette fixing punctuation oops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingnut Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 I must just not have tried it with Firefox since finally updating to 3.0. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted July 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Dravin, I think you can get a Firefox add-on to do just about everything but the dishes. Try the add-on listing.I found things to do what I need but Firefox acts slow and its jerky when scrolling. I'm not exactly sure why. For the time being I'm still using Chrome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bytebear Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 20% of my web company traffic is still IE6. It will be a while before Microsoft really loses market share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyando Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Call me a geek goof, but I can't figure out why Microsoft has held on so tight to Internet Explorer. Is it a pride thing or are they really making that much on the advertising? Don't get me wrong, I think Microsoft has the right to do what ever they want, with there product. Over the years I have also seen superior operating systems come and go because of a lot of people who just didn't know how to market there product. I do remember when these company took there problems to the courts here in the US, they ended up with less than what they started with.I like Foxfire, except when I open it and it goes too searching for updates and I just want to go right too LDS.com. And my wife, bless her heart, just hits the e because that all she knows (or wants to know).I don't know if my computer life would improve if Microsoft gave up I.E. in the US, but it is sure fun to talk about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanette Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I found things to do what I need but Firefox acts slow and its jerky when scrolling. I'm not exactly sure why. For the time being I'm still using Chrome.I really don't run into any trouble with that I can't blame on the laptop's touchpad, or a boggy system. Got plenty of RAM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted July 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I really don't run into any trouble with that I can't blame on the laptop's touchpad, or a boggy system. Got plenty of RAM?Its an older system so only 2 gigs of dual channel, no touch pad though, this is my desktop (XP Pro) not a laptop. Even if it is a case of a low power system, Chrome doesn't have the issue. Maybe the ability to print selection takes more system resources than we realize. Note I'm not saying Firefox is a flawed browser, it just isn't playing as well with my machine as does Chrome, what ever the reason may be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahone Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Update on this: Microsoft drops Windows 7 E - Yahoo! News UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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