ALTERNATE BROWSER: MOZILLA FIREFOX

Firefox is similar to other Internet browsers, and works basically the same way.

Firefox has a top-bar similar to that of the regular Internet Explorer. It has buttons to go forward a page, back a page, refresh a page, and stop traveling to a site. It also has a search bar (of course), and some standard file buttons at the top. It also has the ability to have multiple web pages open on the same window through the magic of tabs. Of course, you can remove or add some of the buttons on the tool bar.

Firefox is extremely safe from hackers and viruses. One reason for Internet Explorer’s security problems is the constant amount of substandard patches they put on security holes in IE to try to keep hackers out. Mozilla Firefox is smaller, and so far, less widespread than Internet Explorer. As such, most hackers feel that their “beautiful” creations are not worth the effort if they release them on such a small browser.

Some of the excellent features of Firefox will now be explained…in detail!

One of the best features is one I’ve already mentioned, tabbed browsing. Basically, when surfing the world web with a extremely insecure browser such as Internet Explorer, you have to open a new Internet window every time you want to view a new site while keeping your previous one open. With multiple sites open, your toolbar shrinks to the millimeter lengths, and your computer lags like molasses running uphill. With Firefox, however, there is a text on the file bar that says “new tab”. Once clicked, a tab appears with the name of the site you are on at the bottom of the top toolbar, along with a tab for your previous site for easy access. You can have a lot of these for every window!!!

Firefox has an excellent pop-up blocking system. Although Internet Explorer also has a pop-up blocker, it was after Firefox put in a pop-up blocker that they put in one to. Coincidence? I think not! Also, Firefox’s pop-up blocker lets you customize what pop-ups you want on a specific site. That way, pop-ups that are useful can still be viewed.

In addition, Firefox is a “cross-platform application”. That means that it can be supported by several different operating systems. For example, Firefox can be supported by Windows 95 (and up), Mac, and Linux.

Firefox has extremely useful extensions that can be installed via their website. These extensions can range from anything like weather forecasts (“forecast fox”) to music (“foxy tunes”). You can add as many of these as you want, and new ones are made extremely often.

Some of the best extensions are forecast fox, foxy tunes, ad block (kind of like the standard pop-up blocker, except customizable), themes (background changer!!! For the web window!!!), and dictionary search (you can find the meaning of any word in any text on any page!).

Other than Firefox not having many users (and thus less hackers and less viruses), it has many different security features as compared to Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer uses several security “zones”. These zones are security areas that are supposed to keep viruses out, but they don’t always work. Also, Internet Explorer uses these things called “digital signatures”. These are pieces of data that can be purchased to give a verification of the user over the Internet. However, these signatures are relatively easy to hack and copy, so they do not always guarantee your safety.

Another safety feature that Firefox employs is something that it doesn’t do. It’s called “Active X”. Employed by Internet Explorer, it allows some sites to automatically download or run things onto your computer. Now why would the absence of this pesky feature be a bad thing? Some sites need Active X to run, so you can’t visit them on Firefox, but it’s worth it.

Strangely enough, Firefox gives all its users access to it’s program code. Although this means that hackers have a direct point of access to the browser, it also means that all the users can fix security holes. With a bounty of five hundred dollars and a t-shirt going to anyone who does so, Firefox literally has the largest security staff of any web browser.

You can get Firefox from www.getfirefox.com