Firefox gets better, but...
With the latest version 0.9.3 of Firefox, released today, it looks like Mozilla is on the way to winning the contest of best browser.
I've been using Firefox exclusively during today, and I'm really impressed with the improvements since the previous version I had, 0.9.1. Things like better bookmark management; much easier to import favorites, cookies, passwords, etc, from your existing browser; new extensions/theme manager. A smaller install file download, too.
Overall, it seems much more polished in how it runs and quicker in rendering web pages. But - and it's a niggling but - there are some very rough edges still, which are enough to make me continue using my current browser rather than make Firefox my default browser.
The first issue I encountered was going to a secure web page (beginning 'https'). Actually it was my Typepad log in page. Up popped a dialog saying I couldn't get to it because SSL was disabled. Not true - it was enabled according to the options setting. Clearly a bug, as the workaround is to really disable the SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0 settings, go to the secure page again, get the dialog, cancel, go back to options and re-enable the SSL settings. Then, go to the secure page again - and access works.
The second (and relatively minor) issue is that the program doesn't remember your settings if you have the bookmarks enabled as a sidebar. If I do that, exit, restart, I don't have my sidebar. A bit annoying.
The worst issue for me is that if I compose a blog post in Typepad, some of the little formatting icons you see just above the text compose area don't work. For instance, clicking the link icon does nothing. That's just not good.
So I will stay with Maxthon as my default browser until such issues are all resolved. (See 16 July post about Maxthon)
Nevertheless, Firefox is very good indeed and worth a try.
It should be:
Go to the option page, disable SLL, OK
Then enable it (go to the option page, enable SSL, OK)
Just had the issue today. Never had it with my desktop version.
Thnks for the clues! :)
Posted by: toni | 02 October 2004 at 20:08
Thanks, Toni. That bug (that's what it is) is still present in the 1.0 Preview Release. Same workaround to fix it.
All the other issues about Firefox I've commented on since this post have been resolved in 1.0PR.
Posted by: Neville Hobson | 03 October 2004 at 12:43
One of my readers said they had a similar problem but it went away after they ran Ad-Aware.
Scott
(Firefox Help, Tips and Tricks http://tinyurl.com/5csxt)
Posted by: Scott Kingery | 03 February 2005 at 20:10