Firefox Should Have a Warning Label

[Amie]

Originally Posted by Veljo

To be honest I don't really like Firefox. It isn't really built into the interface properly, and it feels sloppy and wrong.

Themes! Themes!

[Mikuro]

Themes can only change the look, though. If it were just the looks that bothered me, then...well, it wouldn't really bother me. The problem is that Firefox doesn't act or feel like a Mac program. And so far all the themes I've tried only make it even less Mac-like.

Just to give one example, look at the popup menus anywhere in Firefox (e.g., control-click, or use a menu in your personal toolbar). They're complete hacks, and don't look or act the way Mac menus should. Appearance-wise, I don't really care; I don't like OS X's menu transparency anyway. But working with these menus, especially when they have sub-menus, is a pain in the kiester, because it doesn't work the way every other program does. Using Firefox, I feel like I might as well be running Windows-in-a-Box. Applications should not invent their own basic UI controls. That's what we have OSes for.

Most other controls in Firefox have similar problems. It's a big turnoff.

Firefox also doesn't get some of OS X's goodies like the floating dictionary (Tiger only), built-in spell checker, etc.

I really want to like Firefox. It's so flexible, and it makes the geek in me happy. But it makes the Mac user in me very, very sad.

Firefox is still my second browser, though, and has earned a place in my Dock, right below Safari. It's by no means a bad browser. But it has an awful lot of rough edges.


By the way: I just recently tried OmniWeb again. It really doesn't get the attention it deserves. Of course, that's probably because it's not freeware like every other popular browser. I recommend checking it out.

[fryke]

I like my browser _without_ visible interface besides a titlebar and scrollbar(s). OmniWeb therefore has been my default choice since the days of Rhapsody DR 2 and Mac OS X DP 4/Public Beta, back then because there _wasn't_ anything else (IE5 in Public Beta was s.l.o.w.!) and later on because it was simply too good.

And wow, Amie: You seem to be on a roll... :P

[powermac]

Safari is my default browser. Although I hope that Leopard brings some well needed improvements.
Camino is my second choice, I enjoy the speed of the browser. I don't use it often because of no spell check.
FireFox, is a great browser, very robust. Like everyone has mentioned, it is not Mac enough to capture my daily use. The themes are fun, and I do play around with them. In the end I still prefer the basic buttons, etc.

[symphonix]

Originally Posted by Mikuro

By the way: I just recently tried OmniWeb again. It really doesn't get the attention it deserves. Of course, that's probably because it's not freeware like every other popular browser. I recommend checking it out.

Yes, OmniWeb does do some things really well, especially archiving an entire page and all its links. It also seems to have one of the best download managers you'l find. It seems to have way too many configuration options for my taste, though, and because it is the last browser on the market that isn't actually free, I only try it out every so often, when they release a major update.

Originally Posted by Amie

I don't use any ad blocker (free or otherwise), because I don't see any ads, anyway. Explain that.

Err, you live under a rock in some sort of desert and post messages on the forums by passing them to a mysterious stranger who takes them to the Internet Cafe for you in exchange for your advice on religious matters?

Seriously, Amie, I know Safari blocks pop-up ads. But AdBlock, SafariBlock and PithHelmet block *ALL* the ads on the pages themselves. With the GoogleExtensions and YahooExtensions tools, you won't even see Google or Yahoo text advertisements on the page, and when you run Google searches you'll only see results based on Page-Rank, and not sponsored links.

Just as well, I couldn't tolerate Google once more coming back with top results like "You can save money on all kinds of MEDIEVAL CHIVALRY on eBay! Click here" or "Books and DVDs about THE PHONE NUMBER FOR YOUR LOCAL PIZZA PLACE available now on Amazon.com!"

[Amie]

Originally Posted by Mikuro

Themes can only change the look, though. If it were just the looks that bothered me, then...well, it wouldn't really bother me. The problem is that Firefox doesn't act or feel like a Mac program. And so far all the themes I've tried only make it even less Mac-like.

Just to give one example, look at the popup menus anywhere in Firefox (e.g., control-click, or use a menu in your personal toolbar). They're complete hacks, and don't look or act the way Mac menus should. Appearance-wise, I don't really care; I don't like OS X's menu transparency anyway. But working with these menus, especially when they have sub-menus, is a pain in the kiester, because it doesn't work the way every other program does. Using Firefox, I feel like I might as well be running Windows-in-a-Box. Applications should not invent their own basic UI controls. That's what we have OSes for.

Most other controls in Firefox have similar problems. It's a big turnoff.

Firefox also doesn't get some of OS X's goodies like the floating dictionary (Tiger only), built-in spell checker, etc.

I really want to like Firefox. It's so flexible, and it makes the geek in me happy. But it makes the Mac user in me very, very sad.

Firefox is still my second browser, though, and has earned a place in my Dock, right below Safari. It's by no means a bad browser. But it has an awful lot of rough edges.


By the way: I just recently tried OmniWeb again. It really doesn't get the attention it deserves. Of course, that's probably because it's not freeware like every other popular browser. I recommend checking it out.

You know too much. LOL

Seriously, I see what you mean now, though I hadn't really noticed it until you mentioned it. I just enjoy the functions and appearance. I don't really think about whether it's "Mac-like" or not.

Two features that I really do like in Safari that Firefox is lacking: 1) The check-spelling-as-you-type option. Not sure why FF developers left that out. Copy editors/designers like myself sure would appreciate the added feature. 2) The single tab close button for each individual tab. Fortunately, FF has a feature to alert you if you're about to close multiple tabs, so I'm not too hung up about the missing tab buttons on each tab. Still, it would be nice.

[Amie]

Originally Posted by fryke

I like my browser _without_ visible interface besides a titlebar and scrollbar(s). OmniWeb therefore has been my default choice since the days of Rhapsody DR 2 and Mac OS X DP 4/Public Beta, back then because there _wasn't_ anything else (IE5 in Public Beta was s.l.o.w.!) and later on because it was simply too good.

And wow, Amie: You seem to be on a roll... :P

B-o-r-i-n-g!

Yeah, I'm on a roll. Wanna slather some butter all over me?

[Amie]

Originally Posted by symphonix

Err, you live under a rock in some sort of desert and post messages on the forums by passing them to a mysterious stranger who takes them to the Internet Cafe for you in exchange for your advice on religious matters?

How did you know?!

Originally Posted by symphonix

Seriously, Amie, I know Safari blocks pop-up ads. But AdBlock, SafariBlock and PithHelmet block *ALL* the ads on the pages themselves. With the GoogleExtensions and YahooExtensions tools, you won't even see Google or Yahoo text advertisements on the page, and when you run Google searches you'll only see results based on Page-Rank, and not sponsored links.

Ah ... yes, OK. I see what you mean. I was thinking of pop-up ads. Gee, I don't even notice those ads in Google or Yahoo anymore. Been using them for so long, it doesn't even phase me. Truth be told, I don't mind 'em at all ... and sometimes ... I even read 'em.