A Funny Thing Happened To Me Recently - Mozilla Firebird

[Vin DSL]

I'll keep this short. I know ppl don't like change and this is basically a waste of time, but I'm bored, so...

A few weeks ago, I decided to install a browser, for my own use, at work. It's a shared machine - the 'public terminal' you 'hear' me talk about from time-to-time - and, I was getting tired of sharing the same browser with others. If you've ever shared a computer with several ppl, you know what I mean. The person that 'owns' the machine likes mountains, so guess what I had to look at all day? Mountains in Nepal. Mountains in Chile. Mountains in Alaska. Mountains in... you get the idea. GawD! Gag me with a spoon...

I installed Netscape on it. I haven't seen a stable version since (like) 4.5. So, I was curious if it would crash W2K Pro. Hey, it ain't my machine anyway! Netscape 7 works fine, but !OMG!, talk about bloat! So, I erased it and installed Mozilla 1.5.

Mozilla 1.5 was a little better, I guess, but slow as hell. However, I liked the new features it has, so I decided it was a keeper. Okay, that's at work. Now, on to the house...

Since this is the first successful/stable install of Mozilla/Netscape I've done in years, I started reading the history. Bottomline is, they are a house divided now. What peaked (that's a pun, son) my interest was a stripped down version of Mozilla, i.e. a standalone browser, e.g. Mozilla Firebird 0.7.

After playing with it for a week or so, and I truly hate to say this, I think I'm starting to like Firebird (gulp) better than (cough) Internet Explorer.

At this point I will stop. If you are interested in trying something new and possibly better than boring old Internet Explorer, I recommend that you take a look at Mozilla Firebird.

It's not my default browser yet, but it's got me asking myself, "Why not?"

Mozilla Firebird Web Site:
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firebird/

Why You Should Switch to the Mozilla Firebird browser:
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firebird/why/

EDIT: BTW, I don't know how you guys like your browsers setup, but I run a theme called 'Pinball' in Mozilla Firebird. Plus, I can't live without a Google Toolbar, so I have the Google Toolbar Extension installed in Firebird. Works for me!

EDIT II: LoL! Did I mention that the friggin' Favicons work in Firebird, just like they are supposed to? Haven't had one disappear on me yet and, yes, I've cleared the history/cache several times. That alone might be enough reason for some of you to switch.

[Sara]

The only thing I'm using IE for is testing my websites, to make sure they can be viewed. My current day to day browser are Mozilla version something or other. I'm testing Firebird, but I can't quite decide whether or not I want to make the jump from Moz to Firebird, eventhough they're quite close.

[Still Shady]

I like Firebird better than IE or Moz... I'll wait until the final version is out! I like Safari too... it's pretty good!

[mattsiegman]

/me has been using Firebird since it was version .3

Now I run Konqueror though, which seems to use Mozilla's rendering engine and is integrated with all the stuff I'll ever need. (Konqueror is a Linux/KDE thing http://www.kde.org )

[Vin DSL]

~Cool~

I got good company. I don't feel so lonely now...

[Still Shady]

Safari is using khtml engine right matt?

[Connie]

Originally posted by Vin DSL
I'll keep this short. I know ppl don't like change and this is basically a waste of time, but I'm bored, so...

I'm one of them. I have read quite a bit about Fire bird in
the last couple of months in a couple of security forums I
check frequently. There has been nothing but good reports.

Most of the users in those forums would advocate throwing
IE away.

Anyway I guess I will try Fire bird, if I can stay connected to the
Internet long enough to down load.

Change is difficult but sometimes inevitable.

[mattsiegman]

Originally posted by Still Shady
Safari is using khtml engine right matt?

I dunno Never looked at Safari (Isn't it for Macs?)

[Still Shady]

Link: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6565

[Vin DSL]

Well, I guess I can start adding to this thread, since I'm not alone in this, as I originally thought.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.



Some quick highlights:

• This is a screenshot saved in PNG format - 1.5 meg original size - 256 colors - 50% dithering - 36k final size. PNG rocks!
  
• Microsoft W2K Pro OP skinned with WindowBlinds 3.4 - WindowsMAX theme.
  
• Mozilla Firebird browser - Pinball theme - Google Toolbar extension - History icon added to Firebird toolbar, next to Home icon.
  
• Favicons all working.
  
• Seven web sites 'tabbed' in a single browser window, instead of seven browser windows open as Internet Explorer would require.
  
• Linux Journal in main browser window. Firebird 'Page Info' feature showing LJ site is running under PHP-Nuke 5.0! Heh, smart ppl!
  
• Outlook 2000 in background showing 'Spam Folder' is getting ready to overflow. I get about 25,000 spams a month now. Outlook folders overflow at 13,550 mails.

Am I missing anything? Pretty nice looking package, no?

[rifrafs]

Vin DSL, Get back to work would you haa haa haa

[Vin DSL]

Tis' the season to be jolly!

[mattsiegman]

nice Vin, 12k is only a couple spams

[Connie]

Finally got Fire bird downloaded last night. Installed today.
Looks promising.

[Vin DSL]

Originally posted by clssam
Looks promising...

Yeah, exactly! Sometimes less is more, and I think that's the case here. At first you are a little underwhelmed by it all, but after you use it for a week or so, it grows on you.

I'm still discovering things, like when you 'mark' something and right-click on it, it gives you the option of seeing the source code. Try it on this message. Mark some text, right-click it and "View selection source." Try it on a link too...

Firebird defeats all those little code tricks webmaster use too, like when they try to hide a link in the status bar.

Anyway, 'promising' is the word for Firebird...