Why do I love Firefox? Let me count the ways…
Okay, so maybe this isn’t worthy of a Shakespearean sonnet, but if I could write haiku, I’m sure it would be worthy of one of those. Firefox is an excellent browser that surpasses Internet Explorer in many aspects. Here is my top five list of reason why I love Firefox:
1) Security. Firefox was built to be more secure than Internet Explorer from the ground floor up. Add that to the fact that when a hacker decides he wants to write a worm or trojan horse for a browser to cause lots of damage, he is going to focus on the browser with more users (Internet Explorer) instead of the one with a lot less users (Firefox.) More bang for your buck sort of thing. Not that people don’t get viruses and things from using Firefox, but it is less common. I’m going to go more in-depth on this subject tomorrow, but suffice it to say, Firefox is the way to go if you’re concerned about viruses.
2) Customization. Firefox has open-source code, which means people can read the programming code used to build Firefox and write their own program that will plug right into the browser seamlessly, allowing you to customize how your browser works. More on this in my next blog, but I couldn’t write a top five list without mentioning this huge bonus.
3) Freedom from Microsoft. I have already made my feelings known about Microsoft, but I’ll say it again: I really don’t like how Microsoft controls so much of the marketplace. Have to use their operating system (Windows.) Have to use their programs (Word, Excel, etc.) Have to use their browser (Internet Explorer.) I may not be smart enough with computers to use Linux instead of Windows, but I can use Open Office instead of Word and Excel, and I can use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer.
4) Control over what I see. Many websites use script to make their websites run, which script can be both annoying (think those horrible flashing ads that say “Click here to win a new computer!”) and scary–it’s through those scripts that many of the viruses are sent to your computer. Firefox gives you the option to only read the plain text on the page, leaving the script to those who want to have it. Not to mention, the page loads a lot faster when it doesn’t have to load all of the ads and other junk.
5) Tabbed browsing. I know that in the last release, Internet Explorer finally added tabs to their browser, but I have used that, and it isn’t nearly as smooth of an experience as it is with Firefox, at least to me. Firefox has been using tabs in their browser for years, so it has a lot of experience in making it work well. Internet Explorer is brand new to the game, and it shows.
At my old job, before I left the company, I went through the computers in the office and made some changes. No one in the office knew much about computers (I would often hear, “Havilah, you’ve got to come help me! My computer has done something and I don’t know how to make it go back!”) so I knew none of them were very attached to their browsers. Some of them weren’t even sure what a browser was. I was also considering the fact that I had tried to talk the owner into getting virus protection, but she said it interfered too much with stuff (I have no clue) and she didn’t want it on any computers in the office. That was very scary to me, so I did best I could: I installed Firefox on each computer, made it the default browser, pinned it to the start menu, put it on the desktop, and put it in the Quick Start area in the lower left hand corner. I buried Internet Explorer in the menus–it was still there, just not easily accessible. I then told everyone to use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer. They all just nodded–I could tell they weren’t entirely sure of what I was talking about. Oh well, I did my best.
So whether you are working at home or in an office, whether you’re a complete newbie to the Internet or an old hand, you can use Firefox and have a much better browsing experience–safer, faster, and better. You won’t regret it!