Future of Fifefox.

[vivandorron]

Ed appears to have had his techies slaving away and has now put matters right with FF12. However FF13 is being released in two days time (June5th) and it is possible that there could be further problems for folk who like to keep up-to-date with their FF Browser..... Actually, I think things should be OK because, for the past few weeks, I have been using FF Beta13 which is, as I understand the position, a trial run of FF13 and can report that there has not been any problems within AB, as have been experienced with FF 12.( Postings etc .)

Ron.

[commoner]

Thanks for that vivan....noticed FF12 was now ok and we now can relax for when FF13 arrives....:-)

[commoner]

lol.....how long has the green bar with the message answer was added been there? Just noticed it....

[ABerrant]

"how long has the green bar with the message answer was added been there? Just noticed it...."

At least 2 and a half years.

http://www.theanswerb...9.html#answer-4410013

[vivandorron]

Good answer AB...Time now to test your Browser with a Question. :-)

http://www.theanswerb....uk/members/aberrant/

Ron.

[HowardKennitby]

I stayed with FF11 and will go straight to FF13.

[bazwillrun]

Bu I've never had a FF problem on here with any version, so surely the "real" problem is a conflict with FF and your O/s

[ttfn]

Howard, same here. Please say what you think of FF13 and I may well follow you :)

[vivandorron]

baz.....Are you sure that you are using FF12?. If you are then it is really strange because the Ed has acknowledged that there was a problem which his Techies have sorted-out.

http://www.theanswerb.../Question1139104.html

Ron.

[beso]

The interminable major version upgrades is a change in development strategy for Firefox. A major version upgrade means major changes to the programming interface and those who develop plugins are required to evaluate their programming again. The frequent major versioning is really beginning to annoy those developers

Previously Firefox released minor upgrades with major upgrades after a long time which meant that the plugins remained compatible. However this limited what could be done in an upgrade which is why they now radically change it every release. It is desperation stuff and it is wrong thinking.

Firefox users are heading in droves to Chrome and are unlikely to come back. Windows XP users are also choosing Chrome because IE8 is becoming very flaky and they don't have the option to run IE9. An Vista/7 users are trying it out too and finding it quite agreeable.

Essentially Microsoft has lost interest in XP and it is becoming unstable on site that are designed for IE9/FireFox/Chrome. They will pay the price for this negligence. I believe they cut the umbilical too early with an expectation that everyone should be getting onto Windows 7. Sure users are moving but Microsoft's disinterest in the lingering is a mistake.

Once people begin to realise the security foundations of Firefox are vastly inferior to what can be achieved in Vista and 7 and used by IE8/9 and Chrome they will abandon Firefox even faster as they move onto Windows 7.

Firefox is heading for oblivion. (Anyone remember Netscape?) After taking years to get traction Chrome is now headed for the same kind of domination we see with Google.

[Mobius1]

I have to agree with Beso. I was a stalwart supporter of Firefox for years up until about 2 years ago. Since then and probably for quite some time before I felt that Mozilla was losing it's way. This has continued unabated as has FF's usage share as a frontline browser. Its main strength was always its customisability with add-ons. Now though, since the routine update structure as emerged it's core developers no longer seem to be catering to the people that matter i.e. the developers of those add-ons who now have to deal with a mighty pain in the rear in that the newest versions break functionality.

I can't say I think Chrome's update frequency is any better but it doesn't seem to cause many compatibility problems with its add-ons. Moreover it is far and away much faster than FF and is more standards compliant to boot. It loads up quicker and is just generally less intrusive and a smoother experience.

[vivandorron]

beso and Mobius1....You are now making me think about the advantages of Google Chrome. It certainly does appear to be faster than FF, which is my default Browser. In fact I do have Google Chrome on my computer and at the moment I am using it to post my further comments.

Ron.

[beso]

Moreover Chrome and IE8/9 are the only browsers to use the facility in Windows Vista/7 that isolates the file system from the browser.

As I have stated on here before, the status of FireFox as having superior security to IE is a complete myth once we move beyond Windows XP.

[beso]

Until recently I had been using IE8 on XP. However after several lockups at the moment of posting and losing the post I abandoned it. It isn't just AB either. The same thing has started happening at other boards.

My wife has started having trouble in IE where pages won't post and a bizarre problem where some sections of a page won't bring up a context menu on selected text. No such problems in Chrome.

[beso]

BTW. One reason Chrome loads a page faster is the lack of any sophisticated text rendering. This is why the text looks like it was produced on a dot matrix printer when compared to IE or Firefox.

It is ugly but compared to losing a post? I can live with it.

[Mobius1]

Katie - FF's open source nature is great, but it is pretty much the only thing it's got going for it at the moment. If you look at performance figures FF lags behind, so it's no longer the kind of speed. Nor is it the king of compatibility. A great many of the add ons for it have either adapted versions or carbon copies which are functionally identical for Chrome with the added benefit that they don't suddenly stop working when you update to the latest version. My main desktop uses an SSD as its system drive and Chrome boots up instantly yet Firefox still seems to take significantly longer by comparison.

If you're a fan of Firefox there's nothing wrong with continuing to use it. I just think that when you're looking at a personal 'how it feels to use' experience it doesn't match up to Chrome, which used to be far inferior to it.

Chrome isn't open like Firefox but there's only so much kudos being an open source project can bring to the table and it doesn't necessarily mean that much to the vast majority of people who use browsers. It's important for there to be competition in order to stop any browser getting itself into an IE-esque rut, but what has FF bought to the table in the last few years? What innovation has it bought and what stand-out feature does it have over any other browser. Other than quoting its open source nature I think you'll find it difficult to point to any material qualities to prove a point which is ultimately subjective.

[hc4361]

After being an ardent FF supporter for many years, I too switched to chrome a couple of months ago.

[vivandorron]

I have spent a few hours today in an endeavour to programme Google Chrome to my requirements and am posting again via it.

Everything is not going as I would wish but I am resting in the knowledge that, if I can't sort-out matters for myself, I can always post a question into AB for expert advice.

Tomorrow I shall download FF13 and, as I have become accustomed to Firefox, perhaps will continue to use it as my default Browser. However there is no doubt that Chrome has put itself into 'top of the charts'.

http://internet-brows...ew.toptenreviews.com/

Ron.

[Mobius1]

Ron - what's not to your liking in your Chrome setup?

[whiskeryron]

Ron, how very strange. I have recently been having probs with Google Chrome (see Computers May 18th) so I deleted it & reverted back to Firefox ( when I checked my version I appear to have version 13 with no mention of Beta) & you mention that 13 is being launched tomorrow) so I am a little puzzled. I would have liked to have kept Chrome but could not sort the problem I was experiencing. I await your comments with interest.

W Ron.