Is Firefox losing the plot?

[Ray]

Am I alone in getting the impression that Firefox is not as good as it used to be? I seem to be getting more problems recently with some web sites, particularly on line shopping sites when you get to the checkout/payment stage. I am getting invalid url messages or transaction failures and yet switching to IE8 I can make the transaction with no problem.

I think I'm going to have to investigate using a different browser soon.

[Steve]

Its a worry if you have to switch to IE to solve one's problem. I moved away from FF when I got the Mac. I used to think that the amount of adds on possibly didn't help, surely they can't all be completely compatible. If I use it these days its an unadulterated version.

[Gary]

I dont have any problems with it Ray, I like Safari but its not as good at antiphishing as FF, also apart from installing glimmerblocker, the other ways to stop ads in Safari are hacks really. Have you got some URL's  I could try. I use it for buying from most sites and have no issue whatsoever with those messages you have stated.

[Rik]

I've not had any problems, Ray.

[Ray]

I hadn't until the last week or so, Rik, but I have a suspicion that it has something to do with the Noscript addin and it's handling/blocking of cross site scripting which some of the Bank payment sites seem to use. My problems always seem to occur at the stage where you are re directed to the payment site or the final stage of the payment.

[Rik]

I don't use Noscript, so that could well be the issue, Ray.

[Ray]

I've disabled it now to see if the problem disappears. 

[Gary]

No script can be a pain Ray as most pages need scripts I tried it and it was just to much of a niggle. It could be the cause of the issue.

[Simon]

I've never had any problems with Sea Monkey.

[Rik]

We should get Clive over here to give us an opinion. 

[Gary]

I wonder who will bring out Air Badger as a browser  

[Steve]

  h...y

[Simon]

I wonder when Wet Beaver will come out? 

[Rik]

Not till later in the season, or so I'm told.

[Gary]

I wonder when Wet Beaver will come out? 

At least I was sticking to a theme, Simon. You are a very naughty man 

[Simon]

Moi? 

[zappaDPJ]

I was an IE user but recently switched to FF after trying Chrome for a while. I didn't like the minimal approach taken by chrome but it did have a speed advantage and it also rendered web pages correctly, something IE is not capable of doing. I like FF and will continue to use it because of the features it has to offer including the one click skin feature and the plug-in spell checker. I've not yet encountered the problems Ray is reporting but I have encountered other issues that I find quite annoying.

FF is slow to render, very slow in fact. As an example if I click above for [more] smilies above I can see the the BBCode populate the window before the graphics appear. FF is also a pain in the backside as far as installing a plug-in is concerned. I've often ended up chasing my tail before finally having to google to find an FF specific install procedure. The other thing I don't like is the arbitrary way FF handles downloads. Sometimes it asks if it should associate a file extension with a particular application and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it allows you to set that extension permanently but often the option is greyed out. That whole area needs to be looked at because it clearly doesn't remember previous settings.

I don't use NoScript because all of my websites contain content that NoScript would block. I don't know how it works but I suspect everything is blocked until you add a site to the list. If it was the other way around I certainly have a use for it but I do want to see all the content a site has to offer and then have the choice to block it after the event which probably makes its primary function redundant! However I suspect NoScript might be the source of Ray's problems.

[Rik]

You can set the file handling options, Zap: Tools > Options > Applications.

[zappaDPJ]

I've checked that out Rik and I have multiple listings for the same file type and associated application all of which are causing the problem mentioned above. I need to investigate further but thanks for the tip 

[Ray]

I don't use NoScript because all of my websites contain content that NoScript would block. I don't know how it works but I suspect everything is blocked until you add a site to the list. If it was the other way around I certainly have a use for it but I do want to see all the content a site has to offer and then have the choice to block it after the event which probably makes its primary function redundant! However I suspect NoScript might be the source of Ray's problems.

That is basically how it works, Zap, you have to unblock sites, and it can be a pain on shopping sites when you are making payments because when you unblock a script it resends the data, which isn't a good idea when you're making a payment, quite likely to end up with a duplicated charge!

I'm 99% certain now that it was the cause of original problems.

[Rik]

It's OK when ordering from DR, Ray, you get twice the meat.

[Ray]

It's OK when ordering from DR, Ray, you get twice the meat.

Wouldn't mind that, Rik, it's twice the cost I don't like. 

[Rik]

I've checked that out Rik and I have multiple listings for the same file type and associated application all of which are causing the problem mentioned above. I need to investigate further but thanks for the tip  

You will have, often things like Quicktime and WMP for an MP3, say, depending on which was updated last. Watch out for the 'Use other' at the bottom of the drop down list. I missed that the first time and couldn't  work out how to change the settings.  

[Rik]

It's usually twice the freezer space requirement too.

[zappaDPJ]

You will have, often things like Quicktime and WMP for an MP3, say, depending on which was updated last. Watch out for the 'Use other' at the bottom of the drop down list. I missed that the first time and couldn't  work out how to change the settings.  

Noted 

[mrapoc]

I was having quite a few FF issues mainly regarding startup time and also the scrolling giving me a headache due to it being choppy.

Switched to chrome, nice and fast and good for plain old browsing

[pdu]

Give Opera a try I switch between FF and Opera quite a lot, in pretty much every respect Opera is a technically superior browser, I just happen to like firefox for some unknown reason, but whenever something doesn't work in FF or it grinds to a halt, opera is where i run to.

[Rik]

I've regularly tried Opera, but never been able to get on with it. Something about it just doesn't gel with me.

[Glenn]

It's the high notes, I just can't hold them.

[Rik]

I C.

[pdu]

  I do know what you mean though, despite the fact it beats FF hands down at actually being a browser, I still load FF first.  IE is the only one I don't touch, and the last couple of web projects I've done I haven't even tested with IE, I simply can't be bothered hacking code for it any more, still test everything else for all platforms though.

[Rik]

Same here. IE is on my machine because it has to be, it's never used though.

[Gary]

Its such an odd thing though as IE8 is statistically the safest browser there is out there now, less patches for it, and its better at finding malware and phishing sites as well.

[pdu]

Indeed, they have been making massive improvements since v7 came out towards the standards laid down by the w3c.  If it ever became good enough in that respect, I'd have no issue using it, i'm not anti microsoft (i run windows as well as linux) but, I am anti rubbish (which is why I dont use ubuntu either!).

[esh]

Firefox was fantastic around the 0.8 mark (I used it since 0.5 when it wasn't even called Firefox). I transitioned away at 1.5 because it was just becoming huge and getting slower to start. These days IE8 is actually quite tolerable which makes me less and less likely to make the effort of transitioning back again.

That said I do have Opera 10 and Safari on this machine as well. Each browser has its little quirks and annoyances... still looking for the perfect one

[Gary]

I skip between Safari and FF but tbh I am at this time quite happy with FF on OSX 10.6 Opera, like Rik I have just never really got on with having tried it many times, Google Chrome I would not touch with a barge pole as its a Google product, but there are better versions of it out there now thankfully with better privacy.

[mrapoc]

I too decided against chrome until i realised, i use google all the time anyway, plus im not doing anything that i would care about anybody knowing about even if it were gathering everything.

I aim to get a google android based phone too at the end of the year

Chrome is too much of a good browser for me to ignore it - so fast and simple - i dont use addons

[Gary]

I too decided against chrome until i realised, i use google all the time anyway, plus im not doing anything that i would care about anybody knowing about even if it were gathering everything.

I aim to get a google android based phone too at the end of the year

Chrome is too much of a good browser for me to ignore it - so fast and simple - i dont use addons

I care that anyone knows where I browse we give up enough of our privacy as it is these days, its really a matter of principle, that's why other builds of Chrome are more promising, also its the worst browser for safety and that counts a lot in this day and age, speed is not everything. 

[Rik]

It is when you're Sam's age, Gary.

[Gary]

It is when you're Sam's age, Gary.

[quandam]

I too decided against chrome until i realised, i use google all the time anyway, plus im not doing anything that i would care about anybody knowing about even if it were gathering everything.

I aim to get a google android based phone too at the end of the year

Chrome is too much of a good browser for me to ignore it - so fast and simple - i dont use addons

I agree with every word (not interested in the phone though ) Like Google a lot, in particular Gmail

[Gary]

I agree with every word (not interested in the phone though ) Like Google a lot, in particular Gmail

How can anyone like what google does with your information, especially after  Google streetview was found logging private WLANS 

[Rik]

Each to his own, Gary. We make the choice to use their services or not. Like you, I prefer not.

[Gary]

Each to his own, Gary. We make the choice to use their services or not. Like you, I prefer not.

True, very true.

[mrapoc]

It is a bit strange to log Wlans but i cant really see how this will benefits anyone other than google saying how many wlans are present in the area for comparison or something  lol

Maybe in future builds they will look more into privacy

on a side note - does chrome plus have the same problems or as its third party developed is this better?

[trophymick]

I have a annoying problem with Firefox (version 3.6.3).  When I click on "photos" on Autotraders site, another window opens and the photos should be there, but they are not, I have to "open link in new tab".

Try this link and try to open the "photos" with the little camera icon next to it.
http://tinyurl.com/25ku3lf

[Rik]

Works fine for me, Mick, what addons are you running?

[Ray]

Not using Adblock Plus addin are you? Mick, as this seem to block the images but if I disable it for the current page the image displays ok.

[trophymick]

Not using Adblock Plus addin are you? Mick, as this seem to block the images but if I disable it for the current page the image displays ok.

Thanks Ray, that did the trick.

[Technical Ben]

**blocks Mics Sigpic**

[Rik]

 

[JB]

**blocks Mics Sigpic**

LOL!