Warning: Potentially Stupid Computer Question Enclosed!

[sheath]

Hey, all.

I know this might be really silly, but I can't find the answer anywhere.

For years, I have used Internet Explorer. Now I'm wanting to try out one of the others...specifically, Mozilla. I've heard only good things about it. My questions, though:

If I download this and start to run it, how hard would it be to convert back to Internet Explorer if I decided I didn't like it?

Has anyone noticed certain things they can't do with Mozilla that they CAN do with I.E.?

Does it make much change in the way my web pages are laid out? Does it give popups?

And any other information you might have about switching over would be helpful. I ask all these things because I.E. came with this computer (the computer was built for me by an individual), and I don't have the software to replace I.E. if something goes wrong. So...another question, I guess...can I have both I.E. and Mozilla on the same computer and CHOOSE which one to use? Is that possible?

As you can see, I'm uncertain about a lot of things.

Thanks in advance!

S.

 

[curious2c]

Hmmm...not being very much more knowledgeable than you I will say this much...you can have both on one pc...just have to start with one or the other...or so I have been told. Kind of like when you get a new pc and it has netscape navigator and IE on it at the same time too. I have mozilla...just haven't loaded it and run it yet.

 

[sheath]

Hmmm...not being very much more knowledgeable than you I will say this much...you can have both on one pc...just have to start with one or the other...or so I have been told. Kind of like when you get a new pc and it has netscape navigator and IE on it at the same time too. I have mozilla...just haven't loaded it and run it yet.

That makes sense to me...I just wasn't sure if Mozilla had a function in it that made I.E. disappear. If that makes sense? That assumption comes from the fact that when I upgrade certain programs, it erases the old one and replaces it with the new...

Jeez, just when I think I have this computer thing down, a new question pops up. I admire you techies out there...I could NOT handle doing this stuff all the time.

S.

 

[Bluesboy2]

You can you either one independently of the other. I use Mozilla exclusively and won't even opne IE. The reason is that IE is a gateway to your OS for all sorts of viruses ect...It is so closely tied to your OS that it is an easy way to hack into your computer.
I have found that on my comp Mozilla is much faster. I also like it's interface better. In short I will never use IE again.
Another tip. Get Netscape too. Just in case. If On browser gets corrupted ect you still have a back-up so you can get on the net.

 

[linuxgeek]

With the spyware infection potential via IE, I only use it when absolutly necessary. Mozilla is a good alternative. If you are still searching for possible alternatives, I'd also take a look at Opera (http://www.opera.com).

The free version does have an advertizing bar, but it is much less obtrusive than it use to be. Also, you can configure it to show ads based on what you are currently browsing. Actually had a couple useful ones show up.

You can have all 3 on the same machine. It is how I configure my machines. I have had cases where a webpage was designed specifically for one of the 3 browers, so having the specific browers it was for made viewing&navigation much easier.

 

[manofsteel52]

That makes sense to me...I just wasn't sure if Mozilla had a function in it that made I.E. disappear. If that makes sense? That assumption comes from the fact that when I upgrade certain programs, it erases the old one and replaces it with the new...

Jeez, just when I think I have this computer thing down, a new question pops up. I admire you techies out there...I could NOT handle doing this stuff all the time.

S.

I've been using Netscape 7.1(Netscape in general for years), and I like it much better than IE.

I've also used Mozilla Firefox, and that is very good also. I've heard opera is good, but the free version sucks, and I refuse to pay for a web browser.

They all have strengths & weaknesses, but generally speaking, because of security issues and the annoying popups, I refuse to us IE.

BTW, you can install all of these browsers on one machine, and use them as you like. I've had windows open in IE and Netscape at the same time. Try them out and see for yourself. My only advice is, that they are all a bit different, so don't be too judgemental because one isn't exactly what you're used to until you've given it an honest chance.
If you have any questions, feel free to just ask.

 

[midwestyankee]

Sheath, I tried out both Mozilla and Opera for the same reasons you're probably considering.

I found both to be a touch faster than IE but I did find one very odd occurrence in Mozilla that set me up to use Opera. When I tried to post to Literotica in Mozilla, the composing window was very narrow and I found that quite annoying.

In Opera I have set up buttons in a personal tool bar for my favorite threads and places in Lit - it's like having a super bookmark. This is a feature that I particularly like about Opera.

YMMV, of course.

 

[incognito989]

I found both to be a touch faster than IE but I did find one very odd occurrence in Mozilla that set me up to use Opera. When I tried to post to Literotica in Mozilla, the composing window was very narrow and I found that quite annoying.

As someone who uses mozilla exclusively, as well as runs several other vbulletin boards (the software that lit runs on) - I can say that the reason why it's narrow is because of the way the author coded it. It can be (and is) changed. Just a modification that the owners have to make to fix it.

But yeah, kinda annoying.

Anything's better than IE though. And once you've experienced tabbed browsing (ctrl-t when you open mozilla for the first time, it's neat) you'll never go back..

 

[someplace]

Sheath,

I picked up an annoying piece of mal-ware by using IE. BB installed Mozilla on my computer and I hated it. It made my computer much slower AND it (how can I describe this?) ...it "took over" all the photographic images on my harddrive so in order to look at them, Mozilla automatically opens up. I hate that and am looking at ways to pull off all my 3 years of digital photographs at every family event etc. onto a flash drive. It will be interesting to see whether I will still have to have Mozilla in order to view those pictures.

Call me a creature of habit, but I like the way things open and look in IE. I KNOW all the bad stuff about it and how careful I am. I have to run Ad-aware every time I reboot my computer and that's a PITA.

I vote "no" for Mozilla. Everyone who has mentioned Opera though, has had good things to say. Good luck with it!

 

[TaintedB]

I tried Firefox recently. It was slower than IE for me, but that could have to do with the way this old piece o junk (my pc) is configured.

The first problem I had with it were file downloads. Not only were they much slower for me in Firefox than in IE, but they were done in background (no little box telling me how long I had to go) so I did things all the time like overload my system with downloads or try to play files that weren't completely downloaded, etc. Little thing maybe, but that invisible background downloading really annoyed me.

Bookmarks took some getting used to as well. I didn't actually count, but it seemed as if I had to click two or three times more to get to a bookmarked link in Firefox than I did in IE. Could be I just wasn't used to their system, but their dumping a list of "recently used" folders in front of me while making the whole list of link folders one step removed was no help for an obsessive cataloger of webpages with hundreds of categories and sub-categories for links.

But I knew the security advantages of staying with a non-IE browser, and tried to live with the irritations. I only gave Firefox up completely when it decided to not load certain webpages I had to see. Not sure what that was all about (maybe something in the security settings?) but those pages loaded fine for me in IE. You know how some anti-spyware programs load these huge equivelents of hosts files in your registery? (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you're very lucky :/ ) Well, that's how some webpages acted under Firefox: as if there was some sort of hidden censor--other than my official hosts file--blocking those sites from my view. I didn't get any sort of page not found error--just a blank page. And when I retried the sites using IE I could get to them fine.

So I'm back to using my crappy unsafe browser and running several spyware and virus catchers several times a week to clean up after it.

Taint

 

[sheath]

Thank you for the advice!

I just downloaded netscape and I'm playing around a bit with that. One thing I noticed immediately was something yankee mentioned, that the screen to type in is rather narrow...and of course, I have no idea how to change it. Something else that gets me...the buttons at the top of the screen. I know the little arrows on the left click to hide the toolbars. How do I reduce the toolbar with the back, forward, refresh and all that on it?

I'm going to have fun exploring these new browsers. Obviously my first question was answered very roundly, thanks for that. Now I'm going to have dozens MORE questions! I should have entitled this "The Browser Information Thread"!

You guys are always so helpful. Thank you.

S.

 

[incognito989]

One thing I noticed immediately was something yankee mentioned, that the screen to type in is rather narrow...and of course, I have no idea how to change it.

This is not something that you change. It'd have to be something the owners of LIT change on the back-end, to make code that works better for alternative browsers.

Something else that gets me...the buttons at the top of the screen. I know the little arrows on the left click to hide the toolbars. How do I reduce the toolbar with the back, forward, refresh and all that on it?

Do you mean how do you make them smaller? There may be other skins that you can use, but since I'm not using netscape it's gonna be a lil different than what I have. I use mozilla firefox (a 'speedier' version of mozilla, without the email thingy, the kitchen sink, and all that). That's this browser here:
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

Won't hurt to try it too, you can have as many as you like while testing it out.

Themes for that browser can be found here:

http://update.mozilla.org/themes/

Regards,
Incognito

 

[Bluesboy2]

Thank you for the advice!

I just downloaded netscape and I'm playing around a bit with that. One thing I noticed immediately was something yankee mentioned, that the screen to type in is rather narrow...and of course, I have no idea how to change it. Something else that gets me...the buttons at the top of the screen. I know the little arrows on the left click to hide the toolbars. How do I reduce the toolbar with the back, forward, refresh and all that on it?

I'm going to have fun exploring these new browsers. Obviously my first question was answered very roundly, thanks for that. Now I'm going to have dozens MORE questions! I should have entitled this "The Browser Information Thread"!

You guys are always so helpful. Thank you.

S.

My question to you is "What are you doing home on a Sat night?"

 

[sheath]

My question to you is "What are you doing home on a Sat night?"

LOL

I am bound and determined to spend a relaxing weekend at home and not venture out of my yard until Monday morning.

What's YOUR excuse?

S.

 

[sheath]

Do you mean how do you make them smaller? There may be other skins that you can use, but since I'm not using netscape it's gonna be a lil different than what I have. I use mozilla firefox (a 'speedier' version of mozilla, without the email thingy, the kitchen sink, and all that). That's this browser here:
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

Won't hurt to try it too, you can have as many as you like while testing it out.

Themes for that browser can be found here:

http://update.mozilla.org/themes/

Regards,
Incognito

Yes...that is what I meant. Make them smaller. I will try that one next. Thank you!

S.

 

[Bluesboy2]

LOL

I am bound and determined to spend a relaxing weekend at home and not venture out of my yard until Monday morning.

What's YOUR excuse?

S.

In theory I am practicing in between posts. I am old. I don't go out like I used to.

 

[EJFan]

firefox unconditionally

hi sheath...

you've always been so helpful that i had to address your question.

i've used the firefox browser since version .8 and have been in love with it. they're up to .9.2 now and it's only gotten better.

firefox IS much faster than IE by a long shot. the mozilla technology is the same thing that's used for the netscape browser (and opera i think) so you'll see a similar improvement with either of those.

down side: the microsoft site doesn't function well (particularly for windows updates) with mozilla. uncle bill can be such a douche bag sometimes.

up side: firefox has a built in popup blocker, better speed, tabbed browsing, automatic field completion and a truckload of other stuff that make it worth while. plus it's a much safer browser by far.

there are a number of plugins that you can d/l to augment how the firefox operates. many will overcome some of the things people have mentioned that turned them off to the mozilla product.

if you're wanting a totally objective opinion, i'd recommend going to www.pcworld.com and searching their site for mozilla articles. you'll find most all of the good and bad points there... the former definitely outweighs the latter.

edit:
one other thing... you don't need to worry about losing IE. when mozilla installs, it'll ask you if you want it to be your default browser. choosing "yes" will only prompt it to open when you log on to the internet and/or when you click a link from a mail client or IM or whatever. i still have and use IE... but only for the microsoft crap i mentioned before.

 

[Young Knave]

Firefox has been working out pretty nicely for me. Its got a few kinks here and there that need to be worked out , but its worth it. Big improvement over IE, especially when it comes to security. I haven't had a single problem with my home page getting changed on me or pop ups taking over my screen or anything like that.

 

[redfunguy]

one warning if you use mozilla...because of the version of the bulletin board system that is used here you have to tinker with your Moz settings so that you can simply click a link to open a pic otherwise it will open a window and then a dialog and ask you what program to use to open it
if that made any sense???
there is a work around but its a pain
also installing plugins isnt as easy as just clicking on a link sometimes like things for java or flash
other than that its a great program

of course you could also use Lynx

 

[Vixandra]

I'm a solid Mozilla fan- been using it at home and at work for quite some time.
Didn't like firefox- too minimal for me.
Love the tabbing feature- I have all my boards on quick tab- same as clicking the "home" button- instant site access, no menus involved.

Didn't know Mozilla has an issue with microsoft updates... eventually need to get those I suppose. Though I refuse to get SP2... demonic it sounds.

 

[Bystander]

Mozilla is nice but it still has a few glitches to be worked out.
Bookmarks, Donwloading and display of webpages.
Despite those minor annoyances I think its better than IE simply because with IE my PC seems to get infected with some kind of spyware on a routine basis. Since I switched to Firefox its been all good.

I recommend using firefox and if you're having issues with a particualr website just fire up ie for that. For hotmail or anything MS related you'll need to use IE regardless and you really cannot uninstall IE from your system anyway since its built into windows so no worries about losing it.

 

[Vixandra]

Oh you can uninstall IE- but it'll break you entire system. Not a good thing.

I actually like the download manager that Mozilla uses. Easier to keep track and, if you've forgotten where you saved that last pic you downloaded, you can pull up the dl manager and open it that way.

Helpful when one's found a great source image for an AV and can't remember which folder it got shoved into.

 

[manofsteel52]

If every other feature of all the browsers were discounted, just having the popup blocker in Netscape & Firefox is enough to compel me to use them over IE.
I hate fucking popups!

 

[linuxgeek]

oh, another feature of Opera I enjoy that I haven't noticed on other browsers I've used: magnify +/-.

I suspect it tickles me a good bit becuase I run my computers at the maximum resolution the video card & monitor can do.

 

[EJFan]

If every other feature of all the browsers were discounted, just having the popup blocker in Netscape & Firefox is enough to compel me to use them over IE.
I hate fucking popups!

me too. now i only fuck women.