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Jim Clark
09-07-2004, 01:21 PM
After running Sbybot after a long spell without I was dismayed at the amount of crap that had piled up. I've about had enough. Seeking alternatives I recalled some discussion of Mozilla so I downloaded and installed the Mozilla Firefox browser. The difference in speed is unreal. Now rather than waiting an interminably long time for page loads it's almost instantaneous. Not being the programming sort I have no idea why IE would take 10 times longer to load a page than this piece of code. Currently I'm not aware of any security risks posed by my choice of browser. Given the improved speed I can whole heartedly recomend it to others on cable modems who still find this site painfully slow especially in the later hours of the day.

jc

tentoze
09-07-2004, 02:06 PM
Dang, you weren't joking- I just d/led it and it DOES speed this sloooooow joint up. Thanks fer the tip, jc.

Jim Clark
09-07-2004, 02:35 PM
Dang, you weren't joking- I just d/led it and it DOES speed this sloooooow joint up. Thanks fer the tip, jc.

This place is useable again. I wish I knew what the deal was but there seems to be a serious problem with IE.

jc

MindGoneHaywire
09-07-2004, 02:54 PM
Security issue? It's amazing, the amount of spyware I was removing from my system with Ad-Aware every couple of days for several weeks prior to installing Firefox, which I did a couple of months ago. You can't compare it to IE. BTW I heartily recommend downloading a couple of extensions--the feature that zooms photos is fun, and the ad-block is great, too. But the drag'n'drop mouse gesture is unbelievable. Super Drag N Go, I think it's called. It makes tabbed browsing make sense. If you're only going to bother with one extension, get that one. You'll wonder how you ever managed with IE.

It was only a few months ago that Jack70 gave us the advice to right-click on links in IE & go with 'open in a new window.' This takes that to a new level, and with much less of a drain on yr system resources. Plus now I run Ad-Aware maybe once a week & I haven't had more than one piece of spyware on my system in weeks--and that's even taking into account that there is one site I do have to use IE to perform a particular task with.

I have a firewall & I'm almost never using IE. I haven't downloaded the Windows XP SP2 yet. Wondering if it's even necessary, actually.

Swish
09-07-2004, 04:37 PM
After running Sbybot after a long spell without I was dismayed at the amount of crap that had piled up. I've about had enough. Seeking alternatives I recalled some discussion of Mozilla so I downloaded and installed the Mozilla Firefox browser. The difference in speed is unreal. Now rather than waiting an interminably long time for page loads it's almost instantaneous. Not being the programming sort I have no idea why IE would take 10 times longer to load a page than this piece of code. Currently I'm not aware of any security risks posed by my choice of browser. Given the improved speed I can whole heartedly recomend it to others on cable modems who still find this site painfully slow especially in the later hours of the day.

jc
I have SpyBot and Ad-Aware, but both fail to get rid of some pesky POS called Message Mates every freakin' time I run them. The pop-ups have subsided to a tolerable level, but they're still there so I have to run those two programs at least every 3 or 4 days. I assume this Mozilla Firefox is a freebie? I suppose I can Google it and do the download and it's that simple, eh Jimbo?

I do have broadband cable but you'd hardly know it when I try to connect to this board. Like you mention, late in the day is the worst and sometimes I can't even connect so I come back later. I made a particularly long post one day (not as long as someone like J's mind you, but for me it was very long) and waited forever after hitting "submit" only to find out that it never took, so my post was gone. I was so pissed off I didn't bother doing it again.

Swish

MindGoneHaywire
09-07-2004, 04:53 PM
Go to www.mozilla.org. You'll see a link to the Firefox page. It's still in beta, but there's a release date in a few weeks. It's mostly been used by web developers & other computer geek types, but, like other alternatives to IE, it is catching on. How could it not? It's a superior browser. I believe I've read that it's an open-source version of Netscape's browser; I suppose that's the one that all the hullabaloo took place over a few years ago w/the MS Justice Dept. problems. Yes, it's free, and there's support, good forums, the whole bit. I've never tried Opera or anything else, but I see no need to look elsewhere at this point. Allegedly one of IE's new features in Windows Longhorn will be tabbed browsing, but who knows, and when's that going to hit the market, anyway?

Dave_G
09-07-2004, 04:53 PM
I hate the bad side of the internet with a passion, what a frikking hassle it is.

Dave

DarrenH
09-07-2004, 05:30 PM
I have SpyBot and Ad-Aware, but both fail to get rid of some pesky POS called Message Mates every freakin' time I run them. The pop-ups have subsided to a tolerable level, but they're still there so I have to run those two programs at least every 3 or 4 days. I assume this Mozilla Firefox is a freebie? I suppose I can Google it and do the download and it's that simple, eh Jimbo?

I do have broadband cable but you'd hardly know it when I try to connect to this board. Like you mention, late in the day is the worst and sometimes I can't even connect so I come back later. I made a particularly long post one day (not as long as someone like J's mind you, but for me it was very long) and waited forever after hitting "submit" only to find out that it never took, so my post was gone. I was so pissed off I didn't bother doing it again.

Swish

They got ya good Swish. Whatever that Message Mate software program was/is it has unleashed something else.

Here's some more info:

http://cexx.org/msgmates.htm

Doesn't sound good.

I've never had a problem visiting this site with my cable modem connection. However, while using my laptop at work, on dial-up and running Win2000, I have to disable the java scripting for this site to load properly. Otherwise, it takes forever and a day.

Darren

DarrenH
09-07-2004, 06:17 PM
I have a firewall & I'm almost never using IE. I haven't downloaded the Windows XP SP2 yet. Wondering if it's even necessary, actually.

I downloaded XP SP2. Better have a cable modem or lots of patience. Even with the cable modem connection it took nearly 45 minutes to complete. Not because of the download mind you. That was relatively fast. It took a bunch of time to install everything.

One thing I've noticed, no more pop-ups. Visiting this site always generated a pop-up add and now I get nothing. In fact, I don't get any more pop-up adds at all. After installing WinXP SP2 I was given the option to hide pop-up adds in a new window or ignore them. I ignored them. Bingo, no more popup adds. I'm liking this feature. Beyond that, I've noticed nothing else. It obviously updated any security issues. Updated the Windows Media Player and most likely ensured me of many more years of downloading Windows security updates through Windows Update.

Darren

MindGoneHaywire
09-07-2004, 08:10 PM
I do have a cable modem, but I'm just a bit wary as everything I've read about XP SP2 seems to revolve around IE. I downloaded a service pack a few years ago when I had 98 & it was a disaster. I remember the tech support from Gateway talking about the service packs & how they were known to cause problems. Of course things change over time so that may no longer be valid, but they did make a distinction between a service pack & a critical update. Now I'm not sure there really is a distinction.

I had managed to defeat most (not all) pop-ups by installing the Google pop-up blocker. That killed most of them, but not all of them. Still it was refreshing after having to deal with that for so long. I only had my new computer a few weeks before I went with Firefox, so the impact of Firefox was a little blunted as I'd already gotten past the popup problem to a large extent. But I have not seen one--not one--since installing Firefox. I wasn't sure I wanted to go with it as my default browser right away. It took me about a day to decide that was a move worth making, too.

There are a couple of bugs, like most any other software. They're minor. It crashes occasionally, though nowhere near as often as IE did. It's still in beta, which is worth noting. And, to be fair to Microsoft, their products are constantly under attack. But the problem is that they're not secure to begin with, and people have a lot to say as to how they respond to security issues & the like. With Mozilla, apparently there's a site dedicated to bug info on all their products. The people who use these products are committed to making sure that bugs are reported immediately, and that solutions & patches are made available ASAP. I don't know how soon I would look into this, but after the experience I've had with Firefox, I'm seriously considering dumping Outlook Express in favor of Mozilla's email program.

Here's a link to the Firefox forums. Great stuff here, a lot of bantering back & forth about IE vs. Firefox, and so on. I'm no computer geek, but while most of the people using Firefox at this point seem to be programmers, they keep a lot of it fairly simple & easy to understand on these boards.

http://forums.mozillazine.org/index.php?c=4

MindGoneHaywire
09-07-2004, 10:06 PM
Here's links to two good pieces, one pro & one con. Overall I'm with the pro. I've been looking at some blog entries...it's amazing, you read one & link to another & so on and so on and so on. The guy who wrote the con piece responds directly to some people who didn't agree with him on their blogs, the links aren't hard to find, they're in the comments sections for anyone who's interested in reading this stuff. I actually find it pretty interesting. There's a guy named Chris Beach who, unlike Adam Kalsey, seems to hate Firefox & everything about it, but I'm finding it difficult to take him seriously as he comes off like a paid shill for Microsoft; I've not seen anyone criticize Firefox so fiercely, and most criticism I have seen has been careful to mention the good stuff, too. Anyway, enough.

Adam Kalsey: con

http://kalsey.com/2004/09/why_i_dont_recommend_firefox/



Paul Boutin: pro (writes for Microsoft-owned Slate)

http://slate.msn.com/id/2103152/

Hyfi
09-08-2004, 06:07 AM
Be careful with XP service pack 2. It has lots of known problems that they are trying to address. It renders some other programs useless as well as open up security problems that did not previously exist. They have published a list of at least 50 programs that it breaks.

The main thing it does is makes Windows Firewall active by default. If you don't know how to use or configure it properly and have a home network, have fun. You may have to open certain ports for some software. If you use a webcam, you will probably have to open TCP port 5100, ect. You must be logged on with an account with administrator privelages in order to configure things.

The reason it takes so long to download is that it is over 300 MB in size. It pretty much overwrites your whole installation with a new one.

Check here for lots of info on SP2.

http://www.eweek.com/search_results/0%2C2426%2C%2C00.asp?qry=sp2&filterapp=&site=7

jack70
09-08-2004, 07:43 AM
Jim, I'd guess it (speed problems) may have to do with the many ad-links that are in the code of these pages. Mozilla simply ignores many of em... everything from cookies and other types of such pings. IE may respond differently, and the more of em (embedded ad links) there are on a page, the more "traffic" you have to wait for. I edit my own "HOST" file (it's in your Windows system folder), and that eliviates many of those problems (if an embedded ad address is in your HOST file, your browser ignors it... it looks there first).

I have my own bitc_s though... One reason I only viewed this site (very) occasionally during the summer was the awful way the code wrapper of this site is written. I'll leave it at that. But I never saw a "speed" issue, but that's likely because I have cable and often surf in the early AM (2-5). And the web is not much different than the highways... traffic-wise. Back when I used dial-up, it could be painfully slow, and that was before they switched the format.

I've used both Mozilla and IE for quite a while. The truth is, they each have pros... and each have cons. I actually prefer Firebird, which a slightly older (a month or 2) build of Mozilla's stand-alone browser (Firebird). I won't go into my (too geeky) reasons, but both are open source Gecko software, an on-going project. The primary good thing about Mozilla is that it's NOT part of Windows OS (like IE is). So you don't have to worry about certain holes & code being executed... active-x being one of the most dangerous today... their new XP service pack is supposed to change this, I think?, but I still run Win98SE and have active-x "prompt" me from the security settings. Mozilla has it's own built-in pop-up blocker, although I use google's bar with IE, and it works good. I also like their "tabbed" browsing option (scroll button), which allows reading pages while others load (which would be even better for those with dial-ups).

But even Firebird has had security holes found in it in the past couple of months. It's still better than IE (security-wise) especially if you're an average dope about such things (most are). Although I think those security issues makes those of us who are more tech-geeky even angrier than the average dopes are. It reminds me a bit like 9-11... we had billions invested in the CIA, intelligence gathering, FBI, etc etc, but it took a disaster to put the fear of God in us. (not that I think it put the fear of God into enough beaurocrats). Seems like the internet is also waiting for some disaster as well. You listening MS? Same with the current e-mail spam and virus problems, most of which COULD be solved if only the geeks in charge really wanted to.

As for the other Mozilla's problems... most are the result of web coding that's written with IE (OS) in mind, and since 95% of computers run Windows, that's understandable. But it means many sites won't format or interact with Mozilla browsers properly. Maybe one day we'll have web standards. Jeffrey Zeldman is still a voice in the wilderness... LOL.



I haven't downloaded the Windows XP SP2 yet. Wondering if it's even necessary, actually.I don't run XP (Win98SE), but there are well over 100 "official" listed interface problems with certain programs with the new update. Most experts say to wait until more bugs are worked out, but others say it's OK. I'd also say that the new firewall in Windows XP is still a joke, so go into the control panel, turn it off and use Zonealarm instead. I really wish Billy Gates would get his sh_t together... this wouldn't be tolerated by a high school teacher during a science project. And they've been trying to buy out one of the virus co's to add in their OS too... just what we need, MS in charge of even more "security" issues.



It was only a few months ago that Jack70 gave us the advice to right-click on links in IE & go with 'open in a new window.' This takes that to a new level, and with much less of a drain on yr system resources.Jay, there's another even easier way to surf with IE to open pages in their own windows... just click links holding down the Shift & Ctrl buttons (together). It seems a bit awkward at first, but it's very easy to do, and becomes second nature quickly. I use Firebird & IE each about 50%... they each have their pro's and cons. BTW, I have an e-mail for ya, if I ever get time for it...

Troy
09-08-2004, 08:07 AM
(pssssst, hey buddy) buy a mac. No viruses, no spyware, nothing gets downloaded without you knowing it (except cookies which can be removed with a click) and the web runs really smooth and consistent (depending on your ISP of course) all the time. It never gets clogged and bogged with all this crap you guys are dealing with.

Honestly, I don't know why more people don't know this . . .

Hyfi
09-08-2004, 12:07 PM
I edit my own "HOST" file (it's in your Windows system folder), and that eliviates many of those problems (if an embedded ad address is in your HOST file, your browser ignors it... it looks there first).

...

Jack how do you edit it? Pointing each addy towards the loopback? 127.0.0.1


OT: I just became an MCP in Windows 2000 Pro today. Couple more certs and I will be an MCSA.

skewiff
09-08-2004, 03:18 PM
I have cable modem, I use the XP firewall, Norton Anti-virus, Ads-gone( I get NO pop -up ads) I also have the google toolbar which also has a pop-up blocker.

Jury is still out whether to install SP2.

Tony

jack70
09-08-2004, 03:51 PM
Jack how do you edit it? Pointing each addy towards the loopback? 127.0.0.1

OT: I just became an MCP in Windows 2000 Pro today. Couple more certs and I will be an MCSA.
Congrats Brian, I remember a guy I worked with who wanted to do that... it was 7-8 years ago, many years before I first got a computer. It (books) didn't look very easy to my untrained eyes, even though I'm into electronics, math, & physics.... LOL.

The easiest way to edit it is with your text editor... I use Editpad as my default txt editor... it's freeware. I also use NoteTab when I want to edit HTML or do more involved things... it's a great program I tested, liked, and paid $15 for (the middle ver) (money well spent). I don't use the 3 txt programs Windows gives you for free... Word, WordPad, & Notepad.

Anyway, there are places out there (search em) that have up-to-date txt lists of universally known address's that are from ads and junk sites. You can just copy the txt (of those IP addys) and paste it into your own HOST file (using editpad, etc), and just re-save the new version you made. When you surf many commercial sites, you'll just see blank white places where the adverts should be.

It depends how anal you want to be as to how "complete" and how much time you want to devote to it. I only update it every 6 months or so. Only takes 2 minutes. It' not a BIG thing, but your browser checks your HOST file anytime you click a URL anyway, so you may as well use it.

Oh, you want to keep your own IP # (127.0.0.1) in there too... which SHOULD be the only thing in there (for most people).

Just found this in my file cab here:
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
Hope that's right...

Hyfi
09-09-2004, 06:02 AM
Congrats Brian, I remember a guy I worked with who wanted to do that... it was 7-8 years ago, many years before I first got a computer. It (books) didn't look very easy to my untrained eyes, even though I'm into electronics, math, & physics.... LOL.

The easiest way to edit it is with your text editor... I use Editpad as my default txt editor... it's freeware. I also use NoteTab when I want to edit HTML or do more involved things... it's a great program I tested, liked, and paid $15 for (the middle ver) (money well spent). I don't use the 3 txt programs Windows gives you for free... Word, WordPad, & Notepad.

Anyway, there are places out there (search em) that have up-to-date txt lists of universally known address's that are from ads and junk sites. You can just copy the txt (of those IP addys) and paste it into your own HOST file (using editpad, etc), and just re-save the new version you made. When you surf many commercial sites, you'll just see blank white places where the adverts should be.

It depends how anal you want to be as to how "complete" and how much time you want to devote to it. I only update it every 6 months or so. Only takes 2 minutes. It' not a BIG thing, but your browser checks your HOST file anytime you click a URL anyway, so you may as well use it.

Oh, you want to keep your own IP # (127.0.0.1) in there too... which SHOULD be the only thing in there (for most people).

Just found this in my file cab here:
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
Hope that's right...

Thanks,

I knew but wanted you to tell all these other folks in your words. My teacher gave us some lists of known sites like you were saying exept he showed us to point them all at the loopback, that way it never goes anywhere on the web and just wont go to that page or advert.

jack70
09-09-2004, 11:03 AM
Thanks,
I knew but wanted you to tell all these other folks in your words. My teacher gave us some lists of known sites like you were saying exept he showed us to point them all at the loopback, that way it never goes anywhere on the web and just wont go to that page or advert.
Yeah, I figured you knew the deal. I wasn't familiar with the term "loopback"... my computer knowledge is very limited... I know a little programming (most languages are pretty similar, in theory), I know enough html & css, I know far less when it comes to how the diff chipsets and tasks actually run & communicate withing a PC, and equally little about SQL, servers and web/internet communications, which SHOULD be pretty easy but I've never quite absorbed all the minutia (haven't really tried...LOL). There was a 2hr PBS show that "explained" how the web works.... but I only ended up with many more questions & confusion in the end.

Have you read Cliff Stoll's book The Cuckoo's Egg? You'd enjoy it even more than I did because much of the tech stuff would make more sense to you. It's a cool Tom Clancy-like (but TRUE) crime story of hackers/espionage on the web.

Yeah, using your hosts file, you can put IPs of sites you don't want your kids going to simply by putting them in there... I'm sure there are other places that assemble such data too.

Swish
09-09-2004, 03:06 PM
Ok, so I downloaded this new browser and put it to the test right here on Rave Recordings before trying anyhere else, and it worked like a charm. No pop-ups, the page loaded nearly instantly, and I'm a happy camper. Having broadband has been really sweet, but with all the crappy pop-ups now employed by so many sites, page loading has been pretty slow most days. Not as bad as dial-up of course, but I'm a very busy and impatient guy, so anything beyond 5-10 seconds seems like an eternity. Anyway, I'll be using Mozilla for most of my web surfing from now on.

I wish to thank everyone who had a hand in this, but I guess mostly Jack, J and Jimbo I guess.

Regards,
Swisheroo