Engineering News

Competition is almost always a good thing. In cases like this where the product is pretty much free, it just forces the competitors to come out with something better. Firefox is definately the browser of choice for me.

The only thing I worry about being a web designer, with all these new browsers popping up is it can make page creation a nightmare with each browser displaying the code a little differently.

There are other internet browsers besides FireFox?

Well, what do you know? But really, why bother?

Hi to all,

This is my reasoning why people are going for other OS/Browsers.

I think mostly it is a safety one. Microsoft can do all it wants and can but, because it has the biggest market share spammers and..................well, other naughty people know that they will get 'hits' by invading a Microsoft system. Where a system has maybe less than 10% of market share, why put the effort into breaking into those browsers when you are more likely to succeed going for XP, Vista etc.

I actually do not understand why, if these people who write 'Mal-ware' are so good, why do they not use their talent to write pukka programs?

I know I spend maybe two hours a day, perhaps more, trying to check things, setups, and run Anti this and that to stop any inroads into my computer, and perhaps my private life as well. I have XP and, to start with it was very good. But as most programs are aimed at it, the nasties of this world would have to put all effort into invading other software that was going to be used on Microsoft.

If and when the thing turns full circle and Fire-fox is the market leader then know doubt the same thing will happen to them.

As I said though, I cannot understand why there is so much brain power invested in developing software that is an anti-virus or similar which just infects a computer. It has no other reason for being other than to cause problems. Now, if those people were to band together I think there is a real chance something like the next new OS would emerge.

It will be nice to see other peoples views on this as well..............

stay safe

babybear

Its theft, you can make money by invading other people's computers, and the fact you have to spend two hours a day safeguarding your MS equipment is the fact that makes other people use completely different OS'es, plus their certain knowledge that after all that time has been spent they have still no security on an MS machine because it was deliberately designed to allow for open insecure working. And no, there are much more secure systems, it isn't just a question of MS being attacked because its most popular, its attacked because its far and away the soft target. As usual people beat up the weak. And please, in an engineering publication, attributing MS changes to market pressure from Firefox? At the very least the story begins with Opera embarassing the free software movement into trying to produce something a bit better than Mozilla, and it took them long enough. Without that we'd still be stuck with Netscape/Explorer duopoly. But of course Opera is "Not Invented Here", ie by an englishman and then maintained in Norway. And its still better than Firefox. And _ its_ new edition is coming out shortly - already in beta release for some time............sorry to bore.

Hello Guest,

I just put my opinion forward for what it is worth.

As have you. I think you make some interesting points. And I would welcome more input from you. Why don't you join?

Personally, I have had no end of trouble with XP. Entirely due to keeping up to date anti virus and anti spyware. I am on the computer for at least 12 hours a day. And take at least 3.5 hours 'cleaning', 'house-keeping' my computer.

There will alway be someone out there who gets a 'kick' from fu, screwing up peoples lives, entertainment, and knowing they are getting more frustrated by the day.

By its nature software is designed to let a computer accept and give information and, I do think Firefox or any 'open source' software is going to be substantially different, assuming the same connectivity. I know, with the things I did to 'protect' my personal computer from virus etc, there has been times when I have had to configure my anti virus so stringently to prevent unwanted incomers, it takes so long to work round the 'protection' I often wonder if I would be better with no computer. However, a simple modem breakdown, and no on0line work, gives me 'cold turkey' big time! Actually, the last couple of viruses were in the first start-up part of my anti virus! And that was a bought anti virus as is all my protection.

The two OS's I am looking into are Firefox, which I have downloaded but not used yet, and Opera.

To be honest I have not trusted 'open sourced products. What is stopping anyone from writing virus' and inserting them?

Having said that, it seems to me Firefox and most open sourced free-ware are very much smaller and perhaps that makes them less easy or inviting for virus writers to aim the stuff at?

I am no expert. And can go only on the 'write-ups' the Firefox and other products get in computer Mags and on-line.

I will leave it there.

babybear