thoughts for the sick-of-IE

[prathapml]

About the articles that recommend moving to a different browser instead:

If you are REALLY done and tired of IE, its understandable that you'd want to move to some other browser. But before you do that, evaluate your options:

1. IE is pretty much receding now after having had its day (its too widely used for its own good).

2. Firefox is modelled a lot after Netscape Navigator - and that's a bad architecture indeed in this day.

3. I accept that firefox has its advantages, but I've seriously not found it to be THAT MUCH better than IE. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. The reason its looking attractive today is that it doesn't have as many exploits as IE, and that's because it doesn't have as many FEATURES as IE, lol. As more ppl start using it, the mozilla/firefox inadequacies will become all too obvious, and you'd want to change browsers once again.

4. Opera (the browser) is on far more solid ground. It was built from ground up 3 times. And its latest version is very compatible with 99% of sites - for the rest you have the inevitable IE (and firefox isn't 100% compatible either). Opera is TRULY standards compliant.

5. Opera bundles a good e-mail client, a very good UI design, an amazing degree of control over what you want (which other browser allows you to "show only cached images", or the action of "undo closing last tab" ?).

6. The latest version has integrated voice command ability, and its compatibility with keyboard-only browsing with keyboard shortcuts for everything (for "keyboard warriors) is legendary. Its suitability for quick browsing is proven too - its the fastest in most (not 'ALL' - I hate generalisations) real-world conditions. (who has ever believed the results obtained "under test conditions" anyway? They are doctored to suit whoever is paying for it)

7. It is a paid-for software. Not that free software are in any way short on motivation, but reality has proved that people who are paid to do something are far more interested in seeing benefits for their customers. Those of you in the IT-services field can see the merit in this argument - What level of support do you (expecting to be viable) give a friendly neighbour who calls you, vis-a-vis what you give your clients?

8. Opera has unlimited trial on their browser, if you don't want to pay for it. Just a single line ad, far smaller than the google "Ad-Sense" syndicated Ads - they gotta have revenue inflows to keep the operations running you know.... And all indications are that they won't stop offering that free-to-use option anytime in the near future.

The same time it takes you to get accustomed to firefox, put it in with Opera Browser. Supporting a well-meaning and competent alternative is ultimately beneficial as it keeps options open for you.

STATUTORY WARNING : This is not a proxy advertisement by Opera Software ASA. Just an enunciation of facts by a long-time user.

Note for firefox fans: Please don't get me wrong, I like firefox and that's what I use on platforms that don't have a browser as good as firefox. I have a lot of respect for the mozilla foundation and the selfless service they are providing the community since many years. I don't say they are bad - a firefox user is every bit entitled to exercise his/her choice (and use what he/she wants) as is anybody else. Let's not make this thread a flaming bait for any group - Mature discussion expected.

[gabriel_buc]

I've never used Firefox until now though I heard a lot of comments about.

I'm an Opera fan. Since I first use it I loved it.

It was the first browser to use mouse gesture.

And it will be the first browser to use voice commands (v7.6-still preview)

[prathapml]

The voice commands feature was already mentioned above....

Clarification to moderators:

Please don't move this thread to the poll center. The poll being attached in this topic is only incidental, and a secondary feature. The main topic content is more "non-Poll related".

[DakotaSunRunner]

I use firefox and am completely satisfied with it, when I cannot use it, then I use IE such as for updates and all. I have not found any problems with firefox at all, but I am sure I will as I did opera, netscape and many others.

Everyone has a opinion and everyone thinks he or she is correct..such as it is, the world goes on.

Dakota SunRunner

[XtremeMaC]

I use opera

my main reason:

I open more than 1 window and being able to open links in the background saves a lot of time and I don't have to click that many buttons to get the other screen in front of me. b4 I found about opera I had assigned "minimize" to 1 of my mouse's buttons, that way when I opened a link to read later, and wanted to continue reading the main window I wouldn't have to go click minimize. this may seem stupid but after having to do this for billions of times I got sick of it. and I also view pictures and I dunno how many of u look at pics on the web but launching them 1 by 1 kills me. I open few of them at the same time on the background and just cycle through the already loaded pages. and it doesn't keep my taskbar full of ie windows

2nd reason. even if opera crashes it saves the pages that u had opened so next time u open opera it asks u whether u want to resume from last time or not. also u can do this on purpose (not crash) it has ability to save session for later use.

as said it has nice email interface though I love outlook

cacheing of images, the ability to "don't show images", "show only from cache" are also the functions that I use very often.

and 1 other thing. when I post something on the forum and when I'm dying to get an answer I just right click on the page and set the timer for it to refresh, for example refresh every 1 min. so I don't have to do it manually..

bookmarking is also nicely done, it has built in skin support

ow and since it keeps a "transfer window" u easily track what u're dling, dled, or sometimes when I dl something it stops bc the server is dead or something and in IE it'd show this as "download complete" but in opera it just shows that there is an error.

the fact that the sites that I frequently visit are ie based just kills me. so I have to use ie for some things.

ow and since my IE has gone wierd (when I click on exe's and zip's it just dled it to temp and doesn't ask me where to save it or it doesn't even show u the progress bar) --> will be gone after a format which I couldn't do as of yet ( (waiting for my frigging 2.5" hitachi 7200rpm hdd) (don't want to format twice in 2 weeks (though I've done it b4 many times ) erm time to stop. opera ROCKS!

ow b4 I forget 2 more things

1. when u surf on the same window, the ability of going back on opera is just awesome. it caches it so that u can go back to anything in a sec. where in ie it'd have to reload the page over again when u go back

2. (this usually happens on the forums and emails) when u say open a new topic and start typing b4 the page fully loads and u don't want ie to continue loading the pictures on the site u'd press ESC to stop it from loading right? (at least what I do) now ie, when u press esc erases all your nice efforts when u type opera doesn't do this..

I've tried other browsers (I don't like netscape and any interface that looks like it) and after useing them for a while I just kept opera

also I think only thing that opera lack is a little bit more support on scripting and I believe much of those problems will be solved when they try to be compatible with gmail yiey!

Edited September 4, 2004 by XtremeMaC

[DarkPhoenix]

Yeah, Opera rocks. I still use Firefox instead though. Mostly because I know that Mozilla/Firefox is even more updated according to this one:

Opera is TRULY standards compliant

Moz/FF supports newer CSS than Opera does, at least as far as I know, and since I love the latest, newest, I switched to FF. Maybe I'll return to Opera one day. Maybe I won't..

Oh yeah, and just to mention, since Opera is the topic here: Who of you have ever been to the Opera Software building, eh? And who of you have had a chat (read: interview) with the Opera CEO? I have!

[Kyliefan001]

No browser is 100% perfect!

I left IE because of the almost weekly disclosure of securety holes and the time taken to patch it and you can't radically change the functionallity or look of IE. I've even left OE for the same reasons.

After looking around the net for a week I decided on Firefox. There were a few reasons why.

- vastly more secure than IE with security patches available within days instead of weeks.

- Extentions to change the functionality of Firefox.

- Tabbed browsing.

- Themes to change the look of Firefox.

- Built in Ad, spyware and Active X blockers.

- A great email client in Thunderbird.

- Users, who unlike MS, care about their browser by making their own improvements and sharing them with other Firefox users.

Now no matter which browser you pick there will always be hackers out there trying to find holes in it, they live for the challange. You go with the browser that is right for you and for now Firefox is right for me

[CoffeeFiend]

Firefox is best for me as well. Best CSS support and popup blocker, lots of very very good addons like the web developper toolbar, checky, adblock, ... Otherwise, I'd use just about anything over IE