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Why Firefox Has Jumped the Shark

pcworld.com

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Re: Why Firefox Has Jumped the Shark

#11

Post by MoeDrippins »

jasonkester wrote: post #9

This guy sums up my sentiments on the issue quite nicely. Firefox just can't hang anymore in the presence of Chrome, and Safari (and arguably even IE). I dig plugins as much as the next guy, but it's not enough to make me open Firefox for anything more than testing these days.

> I dig plugins as much as the next guy, but it's not enough to make me open Firefox...

Then you don't, in fact, dig the plugins as much as THIS next guy. Mind you, it's the only thing that brings me back to FF, but if Chrome supported even just adblock, I'd jump in a second. But the plugins are its killer feature, ^2.

Re: Why Firefox Has Jumped the Shark

#12

Post by Tichy »

listic wrote: post #10
Tichy wrote: post #3

"the stupid URL bar that explodes into a list of sites whenever I type even a single letter there" Um, that feature is brilliant, it's the only way I can still handle my bookmarks. Haven't tried Google Chrome, so I don't know if they have come up with a better solution. Have they?

I still can't get used to the "stupid" URL bar (I'd call it too smart for my liking). It's a pity it is a pervasive trend amongst modern browsers. I have a copy of Opera 9.27 that doesn't yet have it, it's a pity it cannot render more and more sites properly. Can I switch to the classic URL bar?

You can switch off the feature in the settings, afaik.

Re: Why Firefox Has Jumped the Shark

#13

Post by jauco »

jasonkester wrote: post #9

This guy sums up my sentiments on the issue quite nicely. Firefox just can't hang anymore in the presence of Chrome, and Safari (and arguably even IE). I dig plugins as much as the next guy, but it's not enough to make me open Firefox for anything more than testing these days.

Tried the 3.5 beta? It made me switch back from chrome. They fixed the speed and it's got all the plugins :)

Re: Why Firefox Has Jumped the Shark

#14

Post by hsuresh »

andyking wrote: post #7
Tichy wrote: post #3

"the stupid URL bar that explodes into a list of sites whenever I type even a single letter there" Um, that feature is brilliant, it's the only way I can still handle my bookmarks. Haven't tried Google Chrome, so I don't know if they have come up with a better solution. Have they?

I love that bar, I don't even need to bookmark pages I visit a lot any more. All I need to do is type, say, "yc" and up pops this site. "tv" will show me tonight's TV listings. "gu" brings up the Guardian. If I wanted to come back to this story, "yc firefox" would most likely bring me here and to any other HN stories I'd read with Firefox in the title. And so on. I didn't really like it when it was first brought in (…

i love it too. Another great advantage: you don't have to remember the exact url/domain name, which is getting difficult to spell these days.

Re: Why Firefox Has Jumped the Shark

#15

Post by trapper »

bmj wrote: post #4
Tichy wrote: post #3

"the stupid URL bar that explodes into a list of sites whenever I type even a single letter there" Um, that feature is brilliant, it's the only way I can still handle my bookmarks. Haven't tried Google Chrome, so I don't know if they have come up with a better solution. Have they?

I believe Chrome does the same sort of thing, and it includes "Search for..." for the the tokens you have already entered.

Plus, chrome has the added advantage of not hanging when a js/flash intensive app is cranking away. So overall its faster.

Re: Why Firefox Has Jumped the Shark

#16

Post by quoderat »

I use (actually use) about 35 plug-ins, around 50 user styles, and a few Greasemonkey scripts. Until Chrome gets all those, no way I can use Chrome.

I've customized my Firefox experience so much, most people can't even recognize it. No way I can do that on Chrome.

And in Linux, I run Firefox totally in a ramdisk, so it's ridiculously fast:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1120475

Re: Why Firefox Has Jumped the Shark

#17

Post by j_baker »

I like Chrome much better. The only thing that I use Firefox for is Firebug. Other than that, I try to avoid most of the plugins Firefox is famous for anyway. I find that they just make it slower. Maybe 3.5 will change that though.

Re: Why Firefox Has Jumped the Shark

#18

Post by j_baker »

miguelpais wrote: post #5

I just know I never used Firefox again after Safari 4 Beta...

+1 - At first I was kinda angry because Safari 4 is essentially Google Chrome by apple (at least in terms of user interface). But then I was happy because there isn't a Google Chrome for the Mac.

Re: Why Firefox Has Jumped the Shark

#19

Post by j_baker »

andyking wrote: post #7
Tichy wrote: post #3

"the stupid URL bar that explodes into a list of sites whenever I type even a single letter there" Um, that feature is brilliant, it's the only way I can still handle my bookmarks. Haven't tried Google Chrome, so I don't know if they have come up with a better solution. Have they?

I love that bar, I don't even need to bookmark pages I visit a lot any more. All I need to do is type, say, "yc" and up pops this site. "tv" will show me tonight's TV listings. "gu" brings up the Guardian. If I wanted to come back to this story, "yc firefox" would most likely bring me here and to any other HN stories I'd read with Firefox in the title. And so on. I didn't really like it when it was first brought in (…

Out of all the reasons a person could dislike Firefox 3, I never understood why this one is so important.

Re: Why Firefox Has Jumped the Shark

#20

Post by j_baker »

MoeDrippins wrote: post #11
jasonkester wrote: post #9

This guy sums up my sentiments on the issue quite nicely. Firefox just can't hang anymore in the presence of Chrome, and Safari (and arguably even IE). I dig plugins as much as the next guy, but it's not enough to make me open Firefox for anything more than testing these days.

> I dig plugins as much as the next guy, but it's not enough to make me open Firefox... Then you don't, in fact, dig the plugins as much as THIS next guy. Mind you, it's the only thing that brings me back to FF, but if Chrome supported even just adblock, I'd jump in a second. But the plugins are its killer feature, ^2.

You can kinda get adblock with Privoxy (http://www.privoxy.org/). Notice that I said "kinda." :-)
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