New Firefox 1.5 Release Candidate

it's odd that people still use internet exploder.

Nothing wrong with IE...

nothing wrong with with it...but there isn't too much right with it either

IE 7 looks pretty good

What is wrong with you guys? Come on, now.

Internet Explorer works fine as-is.

The problem is not in IE, Firefox, Netscape, not even the OS or Hardware...

Its in the users....

I thought web pages loaded pretty darn fast with my 1.2 Mbps connection with a very low ping rate, but with this new 1.5 RC it is significantly faster. The new Firefox beats out all the previous versions, along with IE and Netscape in terms of web page load time.

If people really think "Internet Explorer works fine as-is" that's just shear ignorance. I don't mean to seem as an IE basher, nor making someone feel foolish, but I think people that believe IE to be just fine as it is out of the box aren't looking into security and privacy issues today. There are plenty of things to list why IE isn't safe, this doesn't mean you can't make it safer, and still use it. Just google about it.

I run 600 computers in 11 states. All of them run Firefox and we have not had near the problems we had with IE. IE was very problematic and I will never switch back. I have looked at IE7 but it really hasn't fixed what the problem was, security and speed.

I agree, Firefox has really done a great job of giving people and users what they need. MIcrosoft is too concerned with profits. Go Firefox!

As for "there's nothing wrong with IE", there is something wrong it's called ActiveX. Other reasons for swithing are faster rendering, tabbed browsing, mouse gestures and customization. Not to push Firefox, there are lots of good browsers. If you really want security try one running in OSX or Linux.

Well, to me, I'm security-savvy and I don't ever show ignorance. The problem to me isn't ActiveX. It's about "surfing habits." And yes, I take security and privacy very seriously, but that doesn't mean Firefox is for me, or that I should be moving to Firefox.

I would move to Firefox but that means more patching to keep Firefox up-to-date. So Internet Explorer is my primary browser that I'm using.

So I hate it when Firefox fanboys think I'm an ignorant person.

"I would move to Firefox but that means more patching to keep Firefox up-to-date. So Internet Explorer is my primary browser that I'm using."

But that means that all flaws get fixed ASAP. With IE, they might just fix it in a monthly update, leaving you unsafe for a month.

And I use Firefox mainly because of the features, like tabbed-browsing, adblock, and more customizability. I know you can do all that with IE, but then you have to have plugins and keep those up-to-date too (but maybe to a lesser extent).

I almost stuck with IE after trying Maxthon. It is like Firefox, but it is an IE shell. I finally switched to firefox because of security.

I have noticed one downside of Firefox - It is a little slow. It takes longer than IE to open and takes up a lot of memory when it is open, but maybe that's because I have 30 tabs open at once.

I could use favorites in IE, but then pages don't stay open, and I never even use them. I could leave many IE windows open, but then it clutters my already crowded taskbar (which mimics my usage of Firefox with so may windows). I could let XP group all IE instances, but that's annoying and I can't find things.

I don't understand why anyone that has used Firefox wouldn't use it, especially if they are computer-savvy. If you haven't tried Firefox, why not??? It is easy to install, easy to use, and better out-of-the-box than IE.

"and I never even use them"
favorites (or bookmarks in Firefox).

Check out one man's fight against a major corporation:
http://canoncon.blogspot.com/

"I'm security-savvy and I don't ever show ignorance. "

Ya just did! You'd rather have something remain unfixed?! Is locking your door at night too much trouble as well? "Aw i just gotta unlock again in the morning when i leave for work..."

Firefox is worth the switch just for the tabbed browsing -- and the AdBlock and BlogThis plugins.

i'm sorry but the biggest downside for me on using firefox is incompatiblility with some programs not to mention weird site rendering (and not just firefox blocking sites either). besides you can get all the same exact benefits of firefox (/w a better interface imo) with maxthon. and i can live with having the same security flaws as IE since i use spyware blaster, kliksafe (which firefox doesn't have), common sense, etc.

no browser is really more secure than the other, the most used one is just the one usually prone for more focused attacks. anyway, I use Firefox mainly because of its cleanliness in look and the fact that it's extremely customizability with the extensions.

I have tried IE, Netscape, Maxthon and IE look a likes, Opera. I keep coming back to Firefox. Yes there are a few pages that do not work but that is their problem, maybe one day they will upgrade their sites. Firefox 1.5 is fast and for me with the extensions and themes jsut a great browser..

The reason for this is as Firefox gains popularity, hackers and virus writers will start to draw attention to Firefox and Mozilla will start forcing to patch Firefox. I don't want to be patching Firefox often and a monthly patching is adaquate for me.

AND IT IS TRUE I DID NEVER SHOW IGNORANCE!!! Sorry to use all caps but I would have to take back that you are showing yourself an ignorance. Take that.

And I CAN deal with security flaws. It is ALL about COMMON SENSE.

I hate to attack any of those Firefox fanboys but I hate to do this...

To bad Firefox has twice the vulnerabilities as I.E., and being that it is open source contributes to why it is more hackable. Once it gains popularity which it is, let's see how long it last when people are using it's structure against it (open source).

as a random aside... you can tweak the page-load times of Firefox super easy.. about:config... a few changes, an added line, et voila! a browser that rivals opera for speed...

as a random aside... you can tweak the page-load times of Firefox super easy.. about:config... a few changes, an added line, et voila! a browser that rivals opera for speed...

oh.. and firefox adheres to a lot of the W3C's standards... microsoft and their proprietariness is to blame for weird loading of sites...

The only thing I don't like about ffox is that I can't do inline autocomplete.........I love that feature about IE. Other than that, I'm definitely a firefox convert.

I also like AutoComplete, too. Plus, the ability to enter a hard drive path that switches between folder explorer and Internet Explorer.

For example, I can type: C:\Documents and Settings\ and go there to browse my folders. and then type in a URL that I want to go. That's why Internet Explorer are intergrated into Windows kernel, which is not a bad thing for me. Even though if I use Firefox, to browse folders, I still have to open My Documents or My Computer and switch between Firefox and Folder window. So for that, I use Internet Explorer. I would say that its an innovative program in my opinion because of Internet Explorer's intergration into Widnwos kernel. But don't get me wrong. I found it very innovative and easy to use in my opinion.

I like the built-in RSS reader in Firefox, yes it is safer than IE but that's not much of an issue if you don't poke around the 'darker corners' of the internet - what sort of websites do these people visit ??? maybe they deserve to get ActiveX infected.

IE7 looks good but it's a little too late for the features it will have. the only thing that it has is anti-phishing and that's not that big, i don't fall for phishing attempts.

I am bothered by Microsoft calling IE 7 "innovative" when the new features it adds has been around in other web browsers at least since IE 5 first came out. Copying the several-year-old ideas of other companies is not innovative, but then again Microsoft has done that since day one and there are plenty of people who buy into it.

I'm new here, but I like (love) firefox, it is my default browser. I use IE only to go to MS for updates and to use as a checker when firefox or mozilla hang up, thats it. The only thing I can think of to help firefox is to load new tabs in the background like mozilla does. I haven't tried 1.5 yet but I am going to download and install right now. Firefox 1.0.7 is what I was using, it is slow, but looks a hell of a lot better than IE. Thanks for letting me sound off. I don't hate IE but I don't care for the security issues either.

>> IE7 looks good but it's a little too late for the features it will have. the only thing that it has is anti-phishing and that's not that big, i don't fall for phishing attempts. <<

Me either. I don't get any phishing e-mails at all. Not one claiming to be from Bank Of America since I use SiteKey as a 2-factor authentication mode.

My experience with ffox is much better than that of IE. It is faster and seems to be less porky with the system resources. I like the ability to change the entire thing unlike that of IE. The only reason to even have IE is to get updates from MS, otherwise, I'd wipe it from the drive.

Firefox does autocomplete URL:

http://dougal.gunters.org/blog/2004/12/15/firefox-inline-autocomplete

Works fine over here!

My biggest problem with IE isn't the security holes, the lack of new features, or the speed. I am a web developer and all I know is that because of IE I am unable to do some of the things that I really want to do on my web site. I have to choose to either drop my idea or create a time and resource consuming workaround so it works in IE. Security, features, and speed are all different to different people. All I want is for IE to conform to standards so I can start to write better web sites.

For Firefox incompatible pages, just install the IE View extension - view links in IE, or right-click on page to view in IE, or go into Tools - Extensions - Options to always view some pages in IE.

On all the machines I've run, I have found IE to be a spyware magnet. I don't know how, but the machines that more often use IE will have as many as five times the reported spyware and adware. On top of that, IE often has the annoying problem of not loading a page all the way, after halfway it stops communicating with the website. never have this problem with firefox or netscape.

@Chastity:
I am a huge Mozilla supporter and I love the idea of extensions in Firefox but in all honesty, the IE View extension is just keeping the problem of IE broken standards compliance around. As long as people can view a page in IE, it gives companies and organizations an excuse to not support standards. Not to mention that doesn't help Mac and Linux users at all. All I want to write is a web site with W3C standards that I know will work in all browsers. This is not always the case with IE.

Well I have seen a few references to Opera, but none that roots for it, so I will! Yes I have been using firefox for a year now and it works well...on machines that are not to old (put it on a pent2 of my brother-in-laws and you can twiddle your thumbs for couple min for it comes up) This month however I have installed the lastest offering of Opera and wow is it nice. less the 4mb to download (how much for IE7?) Tabbed browsing has better features, like being able to reorder them the way u like. When click to download something it does so right away even while you are asked where u would like to save it, often done with download by time you chose folder. many other little things. There are some things firefox does in a nicer fashion like newsfeeds. One thing both have over IE is if you run spyware removal software and then open browser and close it without surfing and rerun spyware removal you will have nothing pop up, with IE it almost always finds 1 or 2 items, so IE must be installing it. grrr...

What I hate the most about IE is that I can't remove it from my computer. Plus, I don't like the feeling that some corporation / government is listening to what I do on the Internet. Open source is better because it makes it harder to spy on citizens. I hope Linux gets better with games, so that we can throw out microsoft and its like quickly. Opera is great. Its after all European, but it is not open source either.

What an absolute joke! Firefox isn't any better than IE as far as I'm concerned, and doesn't seem to be any faster either. Yes, I know about pipelining...
As for ActiveX- don't download any dubious ActiveX controls then!! It's called common sense. Learn how to configure IE6 correctly; use Spywareblaster; Spybot S&D; your HOSTS file; and the Restricted Zone in IE6. I know it's all rather too complex for the average Firefox fanboy, but it's very straightforward really (if you're intelligent enough)!

Some people are just lemmings, and buy into any old hype or trend. Get a grip- IE does everything necessary for 90% of Internet users. Tabbed browsing; mouse gestures!? Get a life...

Bill Gates is a multi billionnaire- he couldn't care less about you 'rebels'. LOL

Oh yeah... I have a 10Mbit cable connections- so don't talk to me about speed.

I've been an active Internet user since 1999- not one problem with IE sinve then. Try The Proxomitron too!!