Firefox

[Loki]

Everytime I've downloaded "Critical Updates", it will tell me I have more "Critical Updates" a couple of weeks later!
Do Firefox release "Critical Updates" that often? Or is my Firefox screwed?!

[curlypaul]

yes they do seem to release them all the while, but I have never noticed any difference between them yet!

[Tina TV]

I use the the linux version and compile from source so my experience may be
different. I see security alerts for Firefox perhaps once every two months,
they may be more frequent under Windows as the underlying OS is less
stable or secure.

Typically a warning of a possible attack will come out one day (Friday) and
a patch will be available a couple of days later (Sunday). Users of binary
distributions may have to wait a few more days for the binary patch to
be made available, in this example I think my wife saw a Fedora update on
the Wednesday.

Beats the pants off M$s 6-8 week update times.

[Loki]

Thank you for the replies.

I think I might leave the updates for a while! I've got 3 anti-spy ware and an anti-virus programme running at the same time, it should be fairy well protected!

[Susan J]

Like Tina, I use the Linux version, recompiled by me.

I have a hardware firewall and not using windows helps with virus proofing even though I do have antivirus for Linux which has never found anything.

I like Firefox as I've mentioned in other fora - enjoy

Susan

[blobrana]

For firefox sake!
Well there is a nasty unpatched vulnerability that can be solved by typing out a few words into the browser console.

See at the bottom of the page here:
http://www.geocities.com/amigarana/firefox.htm

(rather than test the beta version 1.5)

There are a few speed up tips on the page as well

[boingo]

I've been using Firfox, and it's previous ancestors, for a few years now. I can't remember it ever telling me there was a critical update. I used to have it set to load up at the firefox webpage, and sometimes I'd get a message on the screen telling me there was a new version available, but that'd be all.
Perhaps I set it up to do automatic updates. I don't remember.

One little niggling thing with firefox though: I always check the box for it to automatically close the download window once all downloads are complete. It doesn't do it though!!! -With either the latest version of Firefox, or the last version.
Oh, well. It's free, so I shouldn't complain.

[monosodium]

...they may be more frequent under Windows as the underlying OS is less stable or secure.

What an absolute load of rubbish. This is one of those things people who don't like MS say because they feel they don't need to justify it, and people who don't know what they're talking about agree with because they feel like they have some kind of gripe even though their machine hasn't crashed in yonks.

Saying Windows is insecure is like saying apple OSX is secure. It's only secure because nobody has decided it's worth attacking for a while.

You also have to factor in that Windows XP for example is going to have many times the number of researchers, ne'er do wells and other users than any of the other OS's and if you multiply out the fgure of issues found per 1000 users from an independent body like CERT then the numbers don't add up.

You're also comparing features from a browser that is almost 4 years old with one that is essentially new. You'd have hoped in that time they'd have learned a few things, the internet has moved on.

Linux always reminds me of Wikipedia in that for every one person who actually knows what they are talking about there are 10 who don't who shout about it and get their way and for each of those there are 1,000 more who follow and blindly accept it as being great without having a clue as to why.

[frankiegalleywood]

all i can say is i have had less problems with Firefox than with Internet Explorer.
and i've never been asked to update Firefox either.

[newuser]

...they may be more frequent under Windows as the underlying OS is less stable or secure.

What an absolute load of rubbish. This is one of those things people who don't like MS say because they feel they don't need to justify it, and people who don't know what they're talking about agree with because they feel like they have some kind of gripe even though their machine hasn't crashed in yonks.

Saying Windows is insecure is like saying apple OSX is secure. It's only secure because nobody has decided it's worth attacking for a while.

You also have to factor in that Windows XP for example is going to have many times the number of researchers, ne'er do wells and other users than any of the other OS's and if you multiply out the fgure of issues found per 1000 users from an independent body like CERT then the numbers don't add up.

You're also comparing features from a browser that is almost 4 years old with one that is essentially new. You'd have hoped in that time they'd have learned a few things, the internet has moved on.

Linux always reminds me of Wikipedia in that for every one person who actually knows what they are talking about there are 10 who don't who shout about it and get their way and for each of those there are 1,000 more who follow and blindly accept it as being great without having a clue as to why.

triffic

[cosmicB]

Get SeaMonkey instead of Firefox... Same people, much better browser...

[IR1337]

Get SeaMonkey instead of Firefox... Same people, much better browser...

I've never heard of it, before. Do you have it?

http://www.mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey/

[stavpal]

"Seamonkey" is new name of Mozilla browser (after the mozilla 1.7 version, seamonkey came)

"The SeaMonkey project is a community effort to deliver production-quality releases of code derived from the application formerly known as "Mozilla Application Suite". Whereas the main focus of the Mozilla Foundation is on Mozilla Firefox and Mozilla Thunderbird, our group of dedicated volunteers works to ensure that you can have "everything but the kitchen sink" — and have it stable enough for corporate use."

[cosmicB]

And to add to that... SeaMonkey is what will be driving the Communication Age of mankind, far into the future...

The genius and dedication pouring out from the SeaMonkey Community Project is setting precidents in the software industry...

[Bipedal Male]

Firefox under windoze is great...

except...

FOR THE 100% CPU usage glitch that seems to afflict it, not such a problem on my Dual CPU home PC, but a nightmare at work, when I am supposed to be <ahem> working!!!