Firefox Vs. I.E.

[Lord Nepenthean]

I redownloaded Firefox yesterday to test a bug in the collection script that Mark found, and while there are still a few things I dislike about it, this version has some great improvements over the last one.  The main thing is that the download manager is a lot better.  It's not the same as IE, but at least I can choose where I want the file downloaded and can elect to open the folder the file is in rather than just opening the file directly.

This version also does a much better job of handling images than the last one I used, which is a big plus on a message board that has lots of itsy bitsy images.  The browser is pretty fast overall, but it's goofy how it loads pages on a site like this: cell by cell.  What's weird is rather than loading them cell by cell formatted as they should be, it first sizes one cell to 100% width, then resizes it when the next cell comes up, then resizes it again.  Strange, but not really a problem.  It does display websites slightly differently than IE, but for some reason it feels a little cleaner.

The options menus in this version are also VASTLY improved over the last one I used.  The other one was just impossible to navigate.  This one is a lot closer to the IE options, and even an improvement over those (though more settings would be nice).  Having an options menu similar to IE will make this browser a lot more attractive.  Sure, you can say that IE sucks and Firefox shouldn't have to mimic it, but if IE users can switch and easily make adjustments in just a few seconds, it's going to go over a lot better than if it takes ten minutes and the download manager still sucks.

So, I haven't really made a decision on what browser I'll be using, but this version of Firefox is a LOT better than the last one I used.  I'm going to be testing it out some more for at least a week or two before I decide.

[Arrrhalomynn]

it's goofy how it loads pages on a site like this: cell by cell.

The advantage of that is that you can already read what's in those cells, instead of having to wait for them all to load, like in IE.

[Izret101]

If i have enough free time this weekend i will give it a try.

[Izret101]

I am using firefox right now. I like it  so far only thing i don't like is that  i am going to have to get all my favorites from IE and  get them on here.

[Lord Nepenthean]

I was given the option to have them automatically imported when I first started up Firefox.

I've been using this a lot more, and while the download manager is greatly improved, I still hate it more than Barbra Streisand.  Okay, maybe not that much.  It's still really annoying though.

[Arrrhalomynn]

I am using firefox right now. I like it  so far only thing i don't like is that  i am going to have to get all my favorites from IE and  get them on here.

Go to manage bookmarks -> file -> import.

[Izret101]

Arrr is the man! You have no clue how much time you saved me.

[Lord Nepenthean]

More problems with Firefox:  It may handle images more quickly than IE, but it does NOT handle most scripts and tables faster - quite the contrary in fact.  So, the supposed speed increases end up not really coming through.  The two are about the same.

Also, Firefox does a horrendous job displaying Ohio State's sports web site.  I have to refresh every single page every single time I load them to get them to a point where I can even view them.  Some of the advanced features just don't work on it.

Firefox doesn't display the NFL GameChannel feature at all.  This is important to me since I want to be able to folow lots of games easily and see instant stats.

Back to the way Firefox handles tables slowly - it also handles them downright improperly a lot of the time.  Most of the sizing is right, but all of the borders and colors get screwed up in Firefox.  On this site, OSU's site, and many others that I have gone to in the last few weeks.

[Izret101]

What are these color differences you speak of?

I took the most colorful picture i could think of off the  top of my head.

[Lord Nepenthean]

As how Firefox handles images better?  I didn't mean how it displays them, but how it handles them in web pages more efficiently.  On these boards, for instance, IE sometimes leaves one or two of the images not loaded.  Firefox on the other hand always gets them all, and gets them more quickly.  As for displaying them like in the example you have there...  sure they're the same then.

[Izret101]

I misunder stood what you were saying ok i got you now though.

When i opened up IE to get that shot i had about 4 other things also reqeust acces to the internet. 3 of them called ABetterInternet.com another was Rebates01 and Rebates02.

[Lord Nepenthean]

It also doesn't work well with eMusic.  I use this site on a weekly basis since I am a paid subscriber, so this is a big problem.  I have also clicked on the "Install Plugin" link for Quicktime about fifteen times, and all of those times it tells me it is already installed.....  but Quicktime features won't work and it always prompts me to install Quicktime.  This version is greatly improved over the last one, but after using it as my default browser for just a couple days and having lots of problems with it, I think I might have to go back to IE again.

[Odonadon]

The problems you are having are not with the browser.  Uninstall Quicktime, then re-install it.  It probably didn't install the Mozilla plugins when you did the initial install.  Quicktime works beautifully with Firefox.

There is a plugin out there that masks the browser's identity.  Some web pages (good example being Windows Update) will only work when it detects an IE browser.  Simply tell the plugin to use an IE identity, and it'll work fine.  This could be the problem you are having with these sites you noted.

I suspect the reload problems you are having are due to Frontpage's extraneous code it users in html documents.  $20 says the Ohio State sport page was made by somebody using Frontpage.

OD

[Lord Nepenthean]

No, the Ohio State sports page was NOT made with Frontpage.  It is made and run by these people:

http://www.collegesports.com/

They are a rather large company that run a very, very extensive web of other sites, including Ohio State's.  It is a browser problem if the browser can't display the pages of major companies.

The problems with eMusic are also the fault of Firefox.  I tell the stupid download manager to automatically open .m3u files, and yet the popup box comes up EVERY single time I click on an m3u link.  The checkbox to automatically open these files in WinAmp is already checked, so the browser isn't even following its own settings.  It also does the same thing with .emu files when I try to download an album via eMusic.  This stuff has nothing to do with how the browser is identifying itself.

The problems with speed and table display are also browser problems.  IE displays them just fine and much more quickly.  "border=2" is pretty straightforward HTML.  If Firefox can't read that, it has problems.

[Arrrhalomynn]

I think you're pretty harsh about firefox.  I can open files automatically and tables are displayed just fine.
Not all sites work, but that's the fault of the people that made that site, they didn't stick to the 'rules'. Of course that won't suddenly make firefox display them correctly, but I don't think it's fair to blame firefox for the incompetence of certain webmasters.