Member Avatar for Adfaw

Okay, I guess this is my question for all you internet gurus out there. Which is better? Firefox or the new Internet Explorer v7.0?

I dont' want anyone posting about the older versions of IE, because I think we wall know they don't compare to firefox, but I must admit I've been impressed with the flexibility and speed of the new updated IE.

For example, the images on my firefox browser load slower than when I load the same site on IE7.0. Furthermore everything seems to be clearer and it seems like a lot of the options that I thought were unique to Firefox have been added to IE. Like the "open a tab" feature and such. So feel free to post your comments.

Which do you think is the better browser?
Firefox or Internet Explorer 7.0?

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Several people in this thread raised useful first impressions (performance vs. security). The most practical next step is an objective, repeatable test and a small set of safe practices so the choice is based on facts and your needs rather than a single page load.

Start by reproducing the problem in a controlled way. Use a fresh profile or private/incognito window in each browser, clear caches, and disable extensions. Test the same URL from the same network and machine so the server and connection are constant. Capture a network waterfall with each browser’s devtools (Network tab) or an external tracer to see where time is spent (DNS, TCP/TLS handshake, server response, or image decode). A simple command-line check gives a baseline, for example:

curl -o /dev/null -s -w "time_total: %{time_total}s\n" https://example.com/path/to/image

Likely causes for an image speed gap include cache state (304 vs 200), CDN routing, per-host connection limits, TLS handshake delays, antivirus/proxy scanning, or client-side image decoding/resizing. To isolate client rendering time, copy the image locally and open it in each browser; to isolate network, download it with a tool like curl.

Security is a separate axis. Based on the discussion by , and , use a conservative setup for sensitive tasks: keep browsers and OS updated, minimize plugins, use script-blocking for unknown sites, and dedicate a browser/profile for banking. ’s cautious approach — letting early releases settle — is reasonable if you prefer stability.

Bottom line: measure first, then choose the browser that matches your priorities (compatibility, extensions, developer tooling, or a segregated workflow for sensitive activities).

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Member Avatar for extofer

Here is my take on it: it is very clear that Microsoft likes to dabble with Open Source Software, they even hired a Linux Guru, presented him a lot of money and took him to work on projects to understand the open source community. Read about it in my blog, Daniel Robbins and the Microsoft Memo. But as you can tell, IE 7.0 have similar feel and tools to FireFox. I have experience many bugs with IE already. FireFox is still more stable than IE in it's current state, plus, it's pioneered and much more experienced that IE 7. IE is catching up to what FireFox has already released. The flaws and patches are still found more and more on IE. IE is still a vulnerability in Windows while FireFox is a secure, trustworthy Web Browser.

Member Avatar for Xpenetrator

Which do you think is the better browser?
Firefox or Internet Explorer 7.0?

Opera 9.01! (Sorry could not resist) :cheesy:

Totally agreed with extofer, deep integration into the system is a security risk by design and for me, the safer browser is the better choice. Traditionally, MS doesn't distinguish between system and application and this has brought us many woes. In addition, AFAIK IE7 has no features or functions that a) are new or b) don't exist in Firefox (or Opera) or c) are implemented in a more elegant way.
Someone here has a nice phrase in his signature: "Friends don't let friends use IE" and when you browse through the "Viruses, Spyware and other Nasties" forum here, you know why. I don't see that IE7 will improve that much. But that's only my 1.5 cents.

Member Avatar for DavidRyan

My take on it is this, the most recent version of IE (how long has it been since IE 6, how long till IE8?) has just about caught up to the previous FireFox version. Well done Microsoft, but I'll stay with FF for now thanks.

Member Avatar for Adfaw

My take on it is this, the most recent version of IE (how long has it been since IE 6, how long till IE8?) has just about caught up to the previous FireFox version. Well done Microsoft, but I'll stay with FF for now thanks.

I think I agree with you. Let them work out the kinks in the system before we jump in and embrace IE again. Opera huh? I've heard of that browser, but not actually tried it. Maybe I'll give it a shot. Although three browsers on my CPU might be overhaul I think... Still I'm not quite sure I like firefox as much as IE7.0 if just for the faster imaging service that IE has. Everything loads lighting quick. Maybe I'm just seeing things... Of course, security is still an issue like you guys said. So I guess that quesiton we're asking here is the security worth the lost miliseconds of wait time? lol... :rolleyes:

Member Avatar for 'Stein

Agreed with the rest of the guys, etc.. :cheesy:

So I guess that quesiton we're asking here is the security worth the lost miliseconds of wait time? lol...

I guess it all depends on what ya do on the computer. If you EVER use it for banking, or stock trading, or anything dealing with money or personal data (SSN, etc) I would DEFINITEly use Firefox the entire time. Some bugs that IE can produce can even read data in FF streams.

Thanks.

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