Mozilla Firefox - October 2005
Better security and more useful features make it a cinch to add this browser to your online tools
Looking for a way to search the Internet faster, with more useful features, and without many of those annoying pop-up ads? Besides the ever-present Microsoft Internet Explorer that comes packaged with virtually all Windows-based computers, there are now several other options to help you explore the Internet.
We found an excellent alternative to Internet Explorer in Mozilla's Firefox. It is quickly becoming the most popular of the alternative browsers because it is free, faster, more secure, and has superior tools for managing and organizing your online browsing experience.
What Is Firefox?
Most people never think about the software operations that control their access to the Internet, but they should. Depending on its version, settings, and options, your browser can make your connection to the Internet either fast, pleasant and effective or slow, frustrating, and inefficient. Nearly 80% of all computers use Internet Explorer, which is integrated and packaged with Microsoft's Windows operating system. Besides Internet Explorer, people often have problems with other proprietary browsers provided by their Internet service provider (ISP). Hackers and unscrupulous marketing companies have exploited the many weaknesses of Internet Explorer to pop up unwanted advertisements or load clandestine programs onto your computer that can track what you do and send personal information to advertisers without your knowledge or permission. Besides making you susceptible to identity theft, this tends to slow down the entire operation of your computer and can often lead to significant operational difficulties over time.Firefox was developed as a simple, easy to operate, more secure alternative to Internet Explorer. If you are tired of unwanted advertising, slow operation, antiquated features, poor security, and complicated management, then Firefox is well worth a try.
How Does It Work?
Listed below are some of the major features that can make Firefox a worthwhile addition to your computer's software tools:
Downloading and Installing: As we've already mentioned, Firefox is free, no cost involved. There is also no risk, since Firefox is completely compatible with Internet Explorer and both can be available to you to use on your desktop. Just open Internet Explorer, go to http://getfirefox.com and select “Free Download”. Open the installation file and follow the onscreen instructions. Be sure to have Firefox transfer your bookmarks and passwords from Internet Explorer and make Firefox your preferred browser. You will notice that except for the Firefox logo the basic look and feel will be very similar to Internet Explorer. With this installation, which takes but a few minutes, you will also have all of your saved sites and passwords loaded and ready to go, and you can always revert back to Internet Explorer if you decide to do so.
Improved Security: Firefox automatically blocks Active X applications, which can carry damaging computer viruses. It also blocks a majority of pop-up advertisements. To change the pop-up controls, click on Tools, then Options, and then Web Features, where the privacy and security controls are located. Note that you can change the settings for specific websites, so you can always allow pop-ups on an individual website if necessary.
Improved Speed: The speed of your Internet sessions should noticeably improve. If you use the tabbed browsing described below instead of opening separate windows, you'll find browsing will be faster, and if you clean out the history, cache and cookies regularly you will add additional speed. Maintenance is done through Tools, Options, and Privacy.
Tabbed Browsing and Bookmarking: Tabbed browsing is a superb feature not available with Internet Explorer. Firefox's tabs can be used to open related links, cluster related websites, or explore multiple search results simultaneously without loosing your place on an initial website. By not having to open multiple windows your processor can operate more smoothly, increasing overall speed. Simply click on the "tab" icon in the toolbar or right-click on a link to open a new tab. Then try book-marking your tabbed links or sites in one folder. When you want to retrieve your set of links or sites, click on "Bookmarks" and you will be given the option to open one or all of them with their original tabs in one window. This is a fantastic feature that can help you organize and find your regularly accessed sites.
Customizing: There are a number of personalized settings you can change to make Firefox fit your particular needs. Taking a few minutes to create a look you enjoy, add features you use on a regular basis, and add specialized applications that help you search and use the Internet will have a positive outcome on your productivity.
To change the look and feel of Firefox, go to Tools, Themes, and then Additional Themes. You can choose one of many options for customizing the overall layout of the Firefox program. You'll find a handy index that groups the different styles together. Choose the one that uses symbols that you like and which makes the whole experience more fun.
To add or delete shortcut icons on the Firefox toolbar, right-click on the toolbar and select "Customize" to bring up a menu of additional shortcuts that can be added. Drag the ones you want to the toolbar, and remove any unused icons by dragging them from the toolbar to the menu. If you use web material as content for reports then adding a number of editing shortcuts can save you considerable time.
One of the best features of Firefox is the ability to add extensions -- small programs that can give Firefox any number of additional functions. Since Mozilla Firefox is an open source browser, many software developers have written specific applications that cover a wide variety of uses. To find new extensions, click on Tools, then Extensions, then Get More Extensions. You will find a great variety of applications that can help speed up your use of the Internet. You can add an additional toolbar that contains a collection of some alternate search engines that can help you find material the Google can't (search the extension list for GROOWE). If you're annoyed by animated advertisements or other elements of webpages, try the NUKE ANYTHING extension to temporarily remove the offending objects from a displayed page. Try COPY PLAIN TEXT if you want to transfer text-only information to Word or an e-mail message. There are literally hundreds of specialized applications that can help you be more efficient.
Drawbacks
Nothing is perfect, so you need to be aware of some of Firefox's shortcomings. Some webpages use Active X to display their information. Since Firefox blocks these applications you may need to add an extension that will allow you to open pages in Internet Explorer so that you can read them. The reverse is also true. You may have pages on your site written in Active X that will not be viewable to the growing numbers of Firefox users. It may be worthwhile to have someone rewrite these pages so that they are compatible with the growing number of alternative browsers. Due to the popularity of Firefox more hackers are taking notice of it and you may start to see some problems start to surface. One weakness recently identified is that it is fairly easy to make bogus sites appear to have legitimate e-mail addresses in Firefox. Although Firefox is faster and more secure, you should always be wary of sites that ask for sensitive information. One of the positives of Firefox's open source architecture is that you will have a large pool of programmers working on immediate fixes, unlike Microsoft's infrequent patches for long-term severe problems.
Potential Uses & Impacts on the Real Estate Industry
REALTORS® and anyone else who uses the Internet should try this alternative browser, for the simple reason that it will save you time and make your computer more secure. Even if you are computer-challenged, this is an easy way to make searching for information more efficient and more thorough. Also, more alternatives to Internet Explorer are being made available; in addition to Firefox, browsers such as Opera and Safari are gaining in popularity. It is imperative that brokerage firms, associations, and individual REALTORS® make sure their websites are compatible with alternative browsers, since not all websites display correctly in different browsers. Approximately 20% of all Internet users are using these alternative browsers and you would not want to loose them as potential customers. Remember, the cost is free, and the potential upside is great.
- John Krukoff
NAR's Web Wizard Report - No. 72 (October 2005)
For Further Reading
Mozilla Update (for Firefox themes and extensions)
Browser News (directory of Web browsers)
Mozilla Firefox, (Wikipedia, 2005)
Browser wars: You've heard Internet Explorer is no longer the only game in town. But is an alternative Web browser really in your 2005 plans?, (PC World.com, Dec. 15, 2004)
The Firefox Explosion: It's fast, secure, open source - and super popular. The hot new browser called Firefox is rocking the software world. (Watch your back, Bill Gates.), (Wired, Feb. 2005)
Questions or Comments?
Send an e-mail to NAR's Web Wizards.
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