What's the main reason you use Firefox?

[aysiu]

I hear a lot of hype these days about other browsers, and I see a lot of discontent about Firefox. A lot of people think Opera is a much better browser (faster, more fully featured) or that Epiphany is better (integrated into Gnome, also faster).

Then, there seem to be people who are "stuck" using Firefox because they're hooked on certain extensions or don't have time to experiment with and get used to other browsers.

Others like how Firefox used to be but don't like the direction Firefox is headed in.

What is the main reason you're sticking with Firefox...? Or are you?

Further Reading:
Opera 9.21 review (http://hari.literaryforums.org/2007/07/04/opera-921-review/)
Opera 9.22...Simply awesome...anybody else using Opera 9.22 in Linux? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=505858)
Concerned criticism : firefox (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=481703)
Has Firefox fallen from best browser to the worst? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=439280)
Linux not a priority for FireFox development? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=413374)

[kamaboko]

To watch it crash my Ubuntu install. lol. I need to look into other browsers for this OS.

[Polygon]

Firefox without a lot of extensions is pretty fast.

I tried opera, but i hated how the file browsing windows are ugly and hard to navigate, and flash is HORRIBLE with opera, its buggy and the flash plugin crashes all the time while im using opera. And its closed source =/

Epiphany is good but its not as full featured as i want.

Soooo yeah its firefox :D

[Kingsley]

I mainly use Firefox because of the extensions. Say I just installed a new OS or reinstalled Ubuntu. It wouldn't take me more than 5 minutes to restore my favorite extensions, my bookmarks, and all my website passwords. I used Opera for a while ever since Firefox was really slow on my old computer. Then a few months ago I realized I could get my favorite Opera features on Firefox and not have to deal with videos that wouldn't embed.

[ghandi69_]

I still use firefox on my windows machine at work..

But I have switched to opera on my home computer.

The ONLY reason I have switched, is because firefox would crash on me, at least 2 to 3 times every hour..

I do not know why, it wouldn't lock up or anything, but it just quickly crash and disappear.

Opera doesn't

[xubu_caapn]

It seems to have the lowest memory footprint for me. I tried Opera, but it would use around 100+ ram! Firefox stays around 60, which is acceptable. I tried Iceweasel, and all the Firefox knock offs, or ones that use the ff engine, but i don't define these as alternatives. They don't really implement anything new, and swiftweasel caused my cpu usage to spike horribly. I would try Epiphany or Galeon, but they're gnome based, and I have no KDE or gnome libraries and intend to keep it that way. So I'm basically left with Firefox or Opera (open to suggestions!). I don't use any firefox extensions except adblock and videodownloader.

I too experience firefox crashes, very regularly, when watching flash videos, however ONLY when watching flash videos. never crashed any other time.

[mrgnash]

I'm using Epiphany as my primary browser at the moment, because I'm mostly on my little Acer Travelmate 4200 these days, and it doesn't quite handle FF as well as my E6600.

[aysiu]

It was kind of a tough call for me voting on my own poll. I don't know if I can say Firefox is the "best" browser, but it mostly behaves the way I want it to. I don't currently have that many extensions I'm addicted to (I did before). There's always something a little weird in other browsers that sends me back to Firefox. Culture shock. Unfamiliarity. Something.

Sometimes it can be the smallest thing.

Opera
* When I post on the forums, I use the Quick Reply button and then hit the Tab key once to select Post Quick Reply. In Opera, though, the Tab key goes straight to Go Advanced. Weird.
* I sometimes keep one tab open that I'll get back to later and then browse through the other tabs. In Firefox, I can do that. In Opera, every time I close one of the other tabs, it will keep going back to that first tab that I kept open for later. I don't want to get to that tab until... later, much later sometimes.
* Even though I'm a keyboard shortcut fiend generally, I don't know how to make a new search engine for searching in the search bar for Opera, and I don't want to bother to research how to do that.
* I don't like how it is a QT app. Now that I'm back on Gnome, it looks a little ugly, and the web browser is my main application on Ubuntu. I would like it to integrate at least a little bit.

Epiphany
Just doesn't have enough options. I like being able to do an "I'm Feeling Lucky" search from the search bar or configure tab behavior more precisely (yes, I use Tab Mix Plus as an extension in Firefox). I've tried installing the Epiphany extensions in the repos, but the only useful one for me is Adblock.

Galeon
I love Galeon. This is probably the closest replacement I could get for Firefox. I like its ability (like Konqueror and Opera) to ask for cookies as they're being set. I like its speed. I like its Gnome integration. I like how it offers more configuration options than Epiphany. I like that it offers image previews for image uploads (unlike Opera, Firefox, and Epiphany on Ubuntu). The big problem is image blocking. I like to block individual images sometimes, not necessarily whole sites. And I don't want to have to learn how to do the userChrome.css to do that. I like an easy interface for blocking images.

Konqueror
Konqueror... kind of the same deal as Opera. It's QT, and I want my main app to integrate better (if not fully) with Gnome. I tried it out a few minutes ago, and it seemed fine, but, for some strange reason (perhaps because I'm using Gnome?), the keyboard shortcuts weren't working (Control-W to close the tab, Control-L to clear the location bar, etc.).

So I like Firefox. I like my extensions. I don't really care that much about speed. But when it really boils down to it, it's about familiarity. I'm used to the way Firefox does things, and it's too much trouble psychologically to adjust to another browser.

[Jonq]

I am a firefox user since it was 0.4 (phoenix), I love everything about it :)

[OoooMatron]

I am happy with firefox. It works fine, looks nice and the small amount of extensions I use work great.

I like it because it's dead easy to copy your profile from machine to machine or platform to platform and everything is retained.

The problem i have with so many other browsers (and it can go across the board with linux software) is that people seem to keep reinventing the wheel and lack so many features and only provide the basics that there's never a complete browser out there that performs everything they way it should be.

[tashmooclam]

I like Firefox as opposed to Explorer, and like the whole idea of it not being a Microsoft product.
I use googledocs frequently, and this works with Firefox. I think Google and Firefox are in cahoots somehow, but I don't mind.
I used Opera and liked it, but it didn't work with googledocs, too bad.
I like the Firefox Adblock plus too.

[RedNikon]

1) It's Open Source
2) It has a large community behind it and with it many extenstions and add-ons
3) It's functional
4) It's cross-platform, so I can take it to anycomputer
5) It's a slap on Microsoft's hand

[TheFoe92]

Here is why I love Firefox:

1 ) It is so customizable (skins, etc)
2 )Reliable
3 ) Awesome extensions
4 ) Efficient Tabbed browsing (IE7 is horrible at this)
5 ) Password Manager
7 ) Nice, sleek design
8 ) Built-in Google Search bar
9 )Safe
10 ) And, of course, it is open source!

Way to go, creators of Firefox! And way to go Firefox!!

[arashiko28]

I love it, discovered it on it's 1.0 version, foud it a lot safer than IE when had windows, and now on ubuntu, don't need anything else. Been trying epiphani, but seems a bit lack of something...

[DC@DR]

Firefox is the best browser for me. Stable, fast, secure and extension-rich (at least for me), so what else do I wanna ask for? :-)

[Spr0k3t]

My primary is Firefox for the extensions. Epiphany is my backup for when I have problems with firefox... not often. The other backup is links2 for terminal based issues. Firefox has been first since 1.5. I used to use Opera, but I'm hooked.

[diskotek]

i use firefox, because it's best for me...why?

1. i got used to it (i immigrate from explorer), tabbing became an addiction, bookmark management is cool, extensions and plug-ins are great.
2. i love that fox
3. i couldn't get used to opera (if i did spend lots of time, may be i can turn into opera)
4. it's crossplatform (like opera), and i can synch my bookmarks with 3 computer.. (foxmark)

[pyros]

other: links is a pain to navigate.

[Spike-X]

I started using Firefox on Windows and fell in love with it. It was superior to IE in every way.

Then when I switched to Ubuntu and found that FF came preinstalled, I was happy as Larry! I've yet to try any other browser on Ubuntu.

I did try Opera on a friend's Windows machine a while back. didn't like it. Everything was in the wrong place.

[starcraft.man]

Does everything I need, is OSS and has great extensions I like. No reason to change.

[RAV TUX]

For those Happy with Firefox like myself, who like extensions remember to
List your TOP FIVE Firefox extensions. (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=505885)
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=3066124#post3066124

I use both Firefox and Opera, I prefer Firefox usually but there are times that I choose Opera.

As far as Browsers go they are just as good as the other.

I do use Opera for its built in Torrent client, and built in IRC chat client...

Firefox has always been and will always be my favorite, the full customization with extensions is a primary reason I stay with Firefox, also I have been using it the longest out of any browser.

I do enjoy all browsers, Konqueror, Epiphany(The GNOME Browser) and Galeon, to name a few...I love all browsers....

The Browser I use most often is Firefox, Opera is the second most used. ;)

[Eggnog]

I started using Firefox about 5 years ago or so when it was called Phoenix. I seem to recall it was version .4 or .5, I believe. I've been using it in all its incarnations since and wouldn't trade it for anything. I've gotten used to it, I love it, and I can't imagine another browser luring me away. I think of Opera as merely a backup. IE doesn't even register in my radar.

[ceelo]

FF just works the best for me. Opera seems to lag in opening tabs. Epiphany is okay, but lacks a lot of the features that Firefox has, meanwhile using about the same amount of memory. Konqueror just feels very flaky. Overall, FF is the best Linux browser to me, and will likely remain that way for some time.

[gabhla]

I just prefer Opera. There's nothing wrong with Firefox, I use it from time to time and like it. If not for Opera, I'd gladly use Firefox. As always in these comparitive discussions, it comes down to personal preference.

[23meg]

- Free
- Extensions (=unmatched functionality)
- Gecko (=best rendering of all browsers)
- Compliance with standards
- Scores high on usability (esp. with a few extensions)
- Great community of contributors

[Tmi]

I just have not had any reason to change since everything works just fine with the few extensions I have. And since it's OSS I don't feel like trying any other even though they might be just as usable as firefox.

[kcirbmab]

I use Opera, mainly. It's really all of the little things (ie - right click + scroll wheel let you switch through tabs). Whenever I have problems in Opera I just press the little "Open in Firefox" custom-button so I get the best of both worlds.

[Nikron]

I use it because I'm lazy, and don't want to switch to something els. And the I'm currently using Firefox 3.0apre7, and it seems like they've made some pretty cool improvements so far.

[blueturtl]

Firefox is mostly super. I would probably use Opera though if it had better plug-in support under Ubuntu. Opera simply is faster. Last I checked Opera was also the most standards compliant browser on the market. Might not be true since Firefox 2/3 but I'm too lazy to keep up anymore.

[Sayers]

I use Konquerer for normal web and when I need plugin features etc, I use Swift Weasel . And it works great :)

[B0rsuk]

I really, really like Konqueror. It's lightweight (like Firefox used to be), and feels much more Linux-y. Incremental search by pressing /, just like in less or man commands. I can type
man:chmod into location bar to get neatly formated man pages. I can use blazingly fast commandline locate with konqueror. For example
locate:jpg will instantly find all files containing 'jpg' in their filenames. It's basically the same as locate, except it looks better for media files because of preview.
There are much more interesting tricks in konqueror.

The only reason I haven't switched to Konqueror yet is del.icio.us extension. There's no official extension for this, so far.

[Sayers]

I didn't know I could man:stuff with konquer! Thank you!

[DoktorSeven]

Firefox for one reason: NoScript.

[AndyCooll]

I like Firefox.

I voted that I like it because its cross platform and open-source, but really I could have easily placed my vote under a number of options. I like it because it is cross-platform, so I can use it at work under XP. I don't think I can do this with Epiphany, Galeon or Konqueror (please correct me if I'm wrong).

I also like the fact that it is open-source, hence one of the reasons I've never bothered with Opera.

I like the flexibility of it too ...and the extensions. I only use a few, but I use them all the time.

I like Epiphany but it's just a bit too basic. And I like Konqueror too, however there are just a couple of things I've never figured out. Like how to hide the status bar, and an equivalent to Bookmarks Toolbar Folder (and I don't mean the Bookmarks bar which puts them all on display). in truth I haven't really spent too much time on them since I don't really use Konqueror very often.

I guess I just like the whole Firefox experience.

:cool

[init1]

I hear a lot of hype these days about other browsers, and I see a lot of discontent about Firefox. A lot of people think Opera is a much better browser (faster, more fully featured) or that Epiphany is better (integrated into Gnome, also faster).

Then, there seem to be people who are "stuck" using Firefox because they're hooked on certain extensions or don't have time to experiment with and get used to other browsers.

Others like how Firefox used to be but don't like the direction Firefox is headed in.

What is the main reason you're sticking with Firefox...? Or are you?

Further Reading:
Opera 9.21 review (http://hari.literaryforums.org/2007/07/04/opera-921-review/)
Opera 9.22...Simply awesome...anybody else using Opera 9.22 in Linux? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=505858)
Concerned criticism : firefox (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=481703)
Has Firefox fallen from best browser to the worst? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=439280)
Linux not a priority for FireFox development? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=413374)
I use it because it works and it has spell check. I can't live without that.

[crimesaucer]

Other Reason:

I use Swiftweasel...but I still consider it Firefox on these browser polls...as well as all of the other browsers like Swiftfox, Iceweasel, Iceape....


The reason I use Swiftweasel is because it's way faster than Firefox is, and I feel as fast as Epiphany and Opera when configured correctly in the about:config settings....plus, I don't lose my extensions that I love in Firefox.


I also love how easy it is to customize your Firefox/Swiftweasel/Swiftfox, this is my recent gtk-2.0 theme for xfce, using the icons from UbuntuStudio in a brown color:

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r161/crimesaucer/Screenshot-4b.png


I also love the extensions like Media Player, Forecast Fox Enhanced, and the Gmail Manager, as well as all of the necessary add-ons like Ad-Block+, Better Search Thumbnails, GreaseMonkey, CuteMenus....and a few other useful ones.

[xpod]

I stumbled across firefox by accident during the first month i used Windows,not knowing any better at the time though i un-installed the thing again thinking i prefered the one i already had........:-?

Of course, a few weeks later i`d read a little more here & there and it eventually dawned on me that removing that strange looking broswer again had`nt been such a good idea after all possibly.

It was then that i really began using firefox(& thunderbird) so the only unfamilarity by time i landed here a couple of months later was the preferences option having moved over to the edit menu:)

The others are great in their own right,especially opera but i`ll stick with my firefox i think.....or Swiftfox, as it is just now.

[Ubunted]

AdBlock Plus, ForecastFox and CookieCuller. Mostly Adblock Plus.

[yogo]

I am a firefox user since it was 0.4 (phoenix), I love everything about it :)

You go back before me, been using it since Firebird, does not crash for me in U.

[Depressed Man]

Dear god I almost forgotten that it was named Phoenix lol. Anyway, I use it because of extensions.

[mgoblue]

Slightly off topic, but does anyone else have problems with automatically updating firefox in windows?

[songo]

I don't use ff anymore, just swiftfox ;)

[Alexander2007]

Firefox has been and still is the best web browser in my opinion.

[Erunno]

I'm one of the users who actually stopped using Firefox. I've been using Mozilla products since the Betas of the old Mozillla suite a couple of years ago and switched to Firefox (when it was still know as Phoenix, around version 0.3 if my memory doesn't fail me). The promise of a light alternative to the Mozilla suite seemed appealing to me at that time as I didn't really need things like calendar and composer.

Switch forward a couple of years and I'm running into Opera 8.5. I've used Opera in the past but I was turned off by the ads in the free version. So here I was discovering a free (as in beer) version of Opera without ads and curiosity persuaded me to give it a try on my Windows machine. And ,lo and behold, I was impressed with it within a couple of minutes. The controls seemed very intuitive and the interface felt very intergrated using tabs for most of the functionality. It also felt faster than Firefox (both UI and HTMK rendering speed). As a huge bonus the download package and memory footprint was smaller than Firefox's although Opera has built-in features for which you'll probably need 2 dozen extensions in Firefox. And since this features where developed by Opera itself I never have to worry about stability, consistency and continued support :-)

I also grew dissatisfied with Mozilla's direction with time. There is nothing left of the premise that Firefox should be a lightwight browser but at the same time it lacks the features of Opera to make up for its ressource consumption. The lack of support from Mozilla for the Free Desktop is another troublesome point. They don't provide native packages for Linux distributions (Opera does!), Linux is on the lowest priority for Firefox 3, Thunderbird is getting abondoned and they do nothing to integrate Firefox into GNOME and KDE.

While on Linux I use Konqueror most of the time due to its tight integration with the rest of the desktop and I use if for all kind of document viewing already so I see little reason why I should use of different application for one specific document type (html) although I'm tempted occasionaly to switch back to Opera on Linux as well.

[Quillz]

The main reason I use Firefox is because it has a lot of very useful extensions. It used to be horrible on Mac OS X, although the latest build of Firefox 3 (Alpha 7) is much better. It now has Growl support, native Aqua widgets and overall better integration.

[Dimitriid]

It has many good features and my hardware is competent enough to not even notice the alleged "slow performance" people claim to experience.

I tried Epiphany and if I had worst hardware and/or was as well equipped as Firefox I would certainly use it right away.

[spacegypsy]

I voted: I use Firefox mainly because it's cross-platform (Linux, Mac, Windows) and open source.

But I think Opera is on this moment the better browser, I didn't move to Opera because Google applications aren't supported; one of the con points of Opera.

[RAV TUX]

But I think Opera is on this moment the better browser, I didn't move to Opera because Google applications aren't supported; one of the con points of Opera.

What specifically do you mean by Google applications?

[spacegypsy]

What specifically do you mean by Google applications?

I meant Google Docs & Spreadsheets

Maybe it's supported now, I didn't tried it out recently.

[spacegypsy]

It still isn't;

[RAV TUX]

I meant Google Docs & Spreadsheets

Maybe it's supported now, I didn't tried it out recently.

Actually I just tested Google Docs & Spreadsheets in Opera and they work great without event, in fact I like Google Docs and Spreadheets so much I have added it to my Opera Speed dial page.


Google Docs & Spreadsheets works great in Opera without fail you just have to ignore the message from Google that says: "Sorry, but this browser does not support web word-processing."

Simply use this URL: http://docs.google.com/?pli=1&browserok=true

As mentioned in the bottom of Google message: "...just add &browserok=true to the end of the Google Docs & Spreadsheets url..."

Even though you get this message:

"Please note that it is a violation of intergalactic law to use this parameter under false pretenses, so don't let us catch you at it.

And, it won't work very well -- really."

Attachments explained:

from left to right as you are viewing the screen:

attachment #1: Google Docs & Spreadsheets in Opera
attachment #2: My new document from Google Docs & Spreadsheets in Opera
attachment #3: Google Docs & Spreadsheets on my Opera Speed Dial page
attachment #4: The standard bogus message from Google That this browser does not support Google Docs & Spreadsheets, you can just ignore this and follow my directions above...(which Google gives you also) ;)

[RAV TUX]

It still isn't;Actually Google Docs & Spreadsheets works great in Opera see my previous post.

[spacegypsy]

Actually Google Docs & Spreadsheets works great in Opera so my previous post.

Strange :confused:

Why isn't working with me?:(:(

[RAV TUX]

Strange :confused:

Why isn't working with me?:(:(

Maybe it's your OS? :)

EDIT: joking

just try using this URL:
http://docs.google.com/?pli=1&browserok=true

[spacegypsy]

Maybe it's your OS? :)

EDIT: joking

just try using this URL:
http://docs.google.com/?pli=1&browserok=true

Thanx man;

it working but I still get this message;

"You are currently viewing Google Docs in basic HTML, switch to a supported browser to edit and share Google Docs in real time."

[RAV TUX]

Thanx man;

it working but I still get this message;

"You are currently viewing Google Docs in basic HTML, switch to a supported browser to edit and share Google Docs in real time."hmm I don't get that message, what version of Opera are you using?

I'm able to edit and share Google Docs in real time.

[Erunno]

How about changing the browser identification to some "supported" browser like Firefox?

[spacegypsy]

hmm I don't get that message, what version of Opera are you using?

I'm able to edit and share Google Docs in real time.

9.22

[RAV TUX]

How about changing the browser identification to some "supported" browser like Firefox?

I use Google Docs & Spreadsheets in both Opera and Firefox and they both work equally as well in both browsers.


9.22

Interesting...works great for me maybe it is your OS.

LOL...joking again. ;)

[spacegypsy]

I use Google Docs & Spreadsheets in both Opera and Firefox and they both work equally as well in both browsers.



Interesting...works great for me maybe it is your OS.

LOL...joking again. ;)

:lolflag:

[Hex_Mandos]

I use Firefox because it's the only free (as in speech) browser supported by TinyMCE fields, which I use intensively for blogging.

[dada1958]

My opinion about Firefox changed from 'nothing special' to 'excellent software.' The first one was made in the times when I used the Mac, I was charmed by Safari and later even more by OmniWeb, I even paid for it because I thought its features made it a revolutionary product. But I was wrong, it appeared to be buggy and slow ...
When I changed platforms I avoided Firefox and sticked for awhile with Opera which I liked very much but I missed the inline spellchecker I liked so much in Safari and OmniWeb so I gave Firefox 2 a serious chance when it was released and now I'm enjoying the features which I loved in OmniWeb and even more because Firefox is pretty fast and stable. I can live with one crash a day, the app is back within a few seconds where I was. Excellent software :cool:

[RAV TUX]

My opinion about Firefox changed from 'nothing special' to 'excellent software.' The first one was made in the times when I used the Mac, I was charmed by Safari and later even more by OmniWeb, I even paid for it because I thought its features made it a revolutionary product. But I was wrong, it appeared to be buggy and slow ...
When I changed platforms I avoided Firefox and sticked for awhile with Opera which I liked very much but I missed the inline spellchecker I liked so much in Safari and OmniWeb so I gave Firefox 2 a serious chance when it was released and now I'm enjoying the features which I loved in OmniWeb and even more because Firefox is pretty fast and stable. I can live with one crash a day, the app is back within a few seconds where I was. Excellent software :cool:funny Firefox has never crashed on me.

[dada1958]

funny Firefox has never crashed on me.

I assume you can live with that :)

[Dimitriid]

funny Firefox has never crashed on me.

Is fairly easy to crash it just open and close many tabs with flash on them at the same time and you will eventually crash it on Feisty.

[RAV TUX]

Is fairly easy to crash it just open and close many tabs with flash on them at the same time and you will eventually crash it on Feisty.

I usually have about 20 plus tabs open....but I avoid flash when I can, but I don't actively use Ubuntu on my primary computer.

[cmat]

Firefox cashes a lot for me on sites like Youtube.

[markusf21]

Same here Firefox crashes a lot on youtube but its not really a huge deal. Doesn't crash any other time just youtube