Browsing the Internet? You probably already know this but you need a program called a browser to do just that. Browse. What you probably did not know is that there are many flavors of browsers out there. And some are better at browsing than others. In this issue, I would like to tell you about my new favorite browser: Firefox.
Firefox is very versatile. It’s fast and you can get some great add-ons that will enhance it to be even better. Why am I talking about this now? There are just too many things I want to say about this program. I am so excited that I don’t know where to begin. Please bear with me as I babble a little.
I was a purist with Microsoft. Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) was my training ground into the Internet world. When I started building web pages, I chose an MS product, Front Page. Why not? Microsoft seems to be everywhere. Plus IE is free. But, then, I found something better, Firefox. Also free. I do not want to get into the software politics at all; I just want to spread a little praise to an underdog (for now.) Firefox’ slogan is “Spread Firefox” – so I am.
For starters, Firefox has better security features that IE. Firefox will not allow auto installers to take over your computer. Firefox is great at suppressing pop-ups. Firefox can help you handle your cookies better. You can even see what is in the cookies before you decide to delete or keep them. When you are browsing in a secure area, the address bar turns yellow and a lock clearly shows you are being protected by encryption.
Another cool thing about Firefox is the skins you can apply to it. Some may call them themes; I call them awesome. Download a few themes and personalize your browser. How excellent is that? Not only is a personalized theme pretty to look at, your browsing is optimal. Firefox is one browser that complies better with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) standards than IE. In fact IE is being developed with known deficiencies in CSS.
Apparently no browser complies fully with CSS standards but Firefox does a better job any way. I found this out while trying to develop some websites that required some CSS tricks. Side by side, the same instructions did not work for IE as well as they worked for Firefox. I am sold.