Thinking of going back to IE7 (from FF2.0)

I'm just thinking about going back...with Vista Firefox has a few stuttering issues and for some reason I cannot get the Adobe Flash Player to install properly.

I'm currently running FF 2.0.0.2, but I was wondering: am I alone in my FF issues and/or how would I fix them (if possible)? I don't exactly want to switch but FF is really ticking me off right now (I'll switch back if/when FF get's back in the game like it should).

 

cannot duplicate ur experiences on my system (ultimate with ff2 and minefield 3.03a.pre, both java 1.5.11 and java 6 installed)

cheers ...

 

What type of stuttering?

I had one problem with FF2.0 in Vista, the bookmark toolbar bouncing bug, and fixed it pretty quickly. No other problems since.

Also, I gave IE7 a shot, I really did. But some of the clunkiness of the browser, as well as the absence of an integrated spellchecker basically ruled IE7 out as my default browser.

 

Did you trying reinstalling FF 2.0 or reading the mozilla knowledge base?

The Mozilla forums are usually very helpful as well.

 

Could you send us some links to the sites you are experiencing issues with (as in, the sites that need flash or whatever)?

 

I am so inbred toward IE that I almost cannot function in other browsers. I like FF but it really was too much effort for me anymore.

Both have their share of rendering issues that drive developers to distraction. Open Source does not equate to standards compliance any more then closed apps like IE.

 

Same, i can't duplicate the issue on my computer either. I've used FF2 on both 32 and 64bit Ultimate without issue for a bit over a month now. I would work towards getting the issue fixed before trying to mask it with IE

 

I like both explorers, but I like how FF has a lot of addons and themes that accommodate my needs.

 

It would kill me to go back to IE. Actual browser differences aside, I need all my addons and extensions...

Apart from that, I'd

Very true. But developing your browser with the sole goal of dominating the internet, killing competing browsers and overruling the standards committees *does* equate to really bad standards compliance. IE7 is a big step forward, but still held back by having to be reasonably compatible with the pile of junk called IE6.
IE's lack of standards compliance has nothing to do with open- vs closed source though.

 

True indeed. And Firefox's errors too, have nothing to do with the license it's released under.

 

I actually like IE7 better on Vista. I only use FF2 on Vista for any extension purposes like save a flash vid.

IE7 on XP is a differ story, it hangs alot when I have my cookies settings to block 3rd party cookies and Prompt for site cookies. This doesn't happen on Vista. Also IE7 on XP crashes at least once every 3-4 days because of flash.

IE7 < FF2 ON XP
IE7 = FF2 ON VISTA (minus the plugins)

 

Wow...I didn't think this would be such a hot topic but okay!

I've reinstalled Vista already (see my dual-booting thread on why I had to reload it all), and I'm getting ready to install FF again. UAC is staying off until I know all my software is up and running. I'm starting to wonder if UAC was causing issues.

This is what happens, I open a site that needs a flash player...FF would ask to install the add-on. Download add-on, add-on always gives an error message but never a reason. Rinse and repeat.

Well, if it was related to my slow internet connection (read my 'unacceptable T1 performance thread) that will be a moot issue...I just got cable internet yesterday.

What I did have pre-reinstall of Vista was that FF would hang during every 1 in 5 or so page loads. 30 seconds later it's back...but was annoying the heck out of me. The window would white out (Vista likes to white out the hanging app windows I guess) and I'd have to wait.

Re-install is on the way...I'll let you know if that helps. I didn't even think about the knowledge base for the simple reason that (1) Vista is too new, and (2) I quite frankly have never explored it because I never needed it. This is the first actual FF problem I've ever had...can't say the same with IE.

Perfect example...the flash based ads on NBR. It always happened when on NBR. I'll try YouTube and see if the problem repeats.

To all you who cannot duplicate it: you're lucky .

I know...if I do end up switching I'll be going back to FF as soon as my problem disappears.

Well said.

Alright, back to installing everything...I'll let you guys know what happens.

 

WOW...you're going to love this. Reboot with UAC turned off, and FF managed to install my Flash Player no problem.

Still not too sure about the stuttering issue, but it hasn't happened since I switched over to my cable modem.

 

Mine doesn't stutter. In fact it runs perfectly fine. The problem i did have, however, was with UAC always asking me if it's okay to run Firefox. I disabled UAC.

Another thing to note is that for some reason there is no more wmp-FF integration with Vista. So in a website that wants to show you a wmv video, you'll have to use IE. But there is a firefox plugin called IEtab, which will render websites the same as IE would.

 

The big advantage of Firefox for me is Adblock Plus, and spellcheck as you go when using web forums like this one, and in almost any language you want. There is no equivalent to this with IE7 except commercial software you have to pay for. Web Developer Toolbar is also an indispensable tool for me. FF can take some thought at times, but support in my opinion is much more available. Just go to Mozillazine forums for all the support you could possibly want (just ignore the occasional holier than thou responses - these usually come for Linux fans). I don't mind IE7, but it just can't provide me with what I need as a more advanced user.

 

Actually the ability to block ads has ALWAYS been in XP. It's the HOSTS file. I update mine on a regular basis and I never get any ads served up from those metrics tracking sites.

BTW, that includes this site. All I see at the top is a white box with no content. Also those "links" that first direct a person through some sort of trcking site? Well, those never work either. It can really help reduce the scumware factor on your system. And the best thing is it should help FF work better too as it is part of XP's netowrking and not specific to a browser.

You can see the HOSTS file stuff here:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Best of all you have total control and it's FREE...but psssst, don't tell the companies that actually CHARGE to help "protect" your system...

 

My IE7 constantly locks up. I'm not sure if it's conflicting with another program or what. At any rate, FF is working with less hassle.

Bill

 

I've used the hosts file method of blocking ads. It seems to slow down the browser, not to mention that it's a much more cumbersome method than the add-ons for Firefox use. With Adblock, I also don't need to keep updating anything. It happens automatically, and I can decided to block or unblock anything at any time while browsing (I just "subscribe" to one of the free lists). Even though I actually like IE7 for some of its features, it's hard to give up some of the things that can easily be done or customized with Firefox.

On the IE7 side, one significant advantage is that it's so much faster to start up. Firefox is positively a drag in comparison.

 

starling:

I understand that add-on's are addictive!! I have a couple in VS05 that I could not live without.

About speed, I have never noticed any slow down using the Hosts file method. But I can see how it might happen but the file is not so large that a modern system should have any issues. I can say using the hosts file is far superior to block at the router for sure. Overall for my needs it's a nice easy method of control. I use an automated update too...very slick!

Also, using a hosts file parents/small business can even use it to block access to sites without the overhead of more advanced routing. The file can be locked for individual user or group accounts very easily and quickly.

I still am on the fence about FF...personally I don't use it because I do not know where anything is anymore. I used Netscape when ti was new and better by far then IE. FF is lousely based in the original NS so I have a small idea where things are but it was so long ago I am just not comfy in the browser is all. Like I say I LOVED NS but that changed and I went over to the dark-side. And now I simply am to set in my ways to change... But every now and then I threated to change...but then I get better.

 

To be honest, I use both IE7 and FF2, depending on what I'm doing. For example, IE7 has that great zoom feature. It zooms the whole page, instead of just the text (which is really indispensable on a wide screen laptop. But it does have one disadvantage. Many websites end up having the text run off the edge of the display, and it's impossible to read such sites without constantly scrolling sideways, which gets old fast! And that happens with only a zoom of 125%. It's almost unusable when reading more text-oriented web pages. There's still the older pre-IE7 method of increasing just the text size, but as you know, this doesn't work with all web pages in IE.

Firefox can't zoom like that. The current version can only increase the size of the actual text, but it does wrap it around appropriately in your window. It makes it much easier to read many websites that are more text-oriented, like research articles, etc. With the NoSquint add-on, you can have all web pages open up with a 120% text zoom automatically (and it's easily changed permanently for any web page you want if necessary). It makes it a lot easier to surf the web on my 15.4 inch wide screen laptop. This is the kind of add-on which makes Firefox so appealing, even though it is slower to start up. Another big advantage, for me anyway, is that I can browser the web all day long and never "catch" any of those data miner or data tracking cookies. When using IE7 even minimally, I always end up with some at the end of the day. Not a big deal, but I prefer not to contribute to the advertising industry in this way.

 

You could always check out the zoom accessibility feature in XP/Vista. Worth a shot if you want to try it.