E.Webscapes Design - specializing in custom blog designs for WordPress, BuddyPress, Movable Type, TypePad, Expression Engine, E-Commerce and more
Recently, I was hired on to do some CSS tweaking at Search Engine RoundTable. They were having some difficutly getting the site to load proper in IE. It looked great in Fire Fox – - but blew apart in IE. This is a common problem in design – and one that is always at the tip of my mind before I apply a design to a client’s site. Cross-browser compatibility is an important aspect …of site design – especially with the emergence and popularity of Mozilla’s Fire Fox.
This got me thinking.. well, wishing is more like it. If I had a genie in a bottle offering to grant me three wishes – one of them would surely be ONE universal browser with ONE set of standards to follow. We all have our dreams, don’t we? In the meantime, I’d like to teach the world to surf . . using Mozilla’s Fire Fox!
Why Fire Fox?
First and foremost are the severe security exploits in Internet Explorer, with the subsequent recommendation from the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) to switch to an alternative browser.
They state:
“Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) does not adequately validate the security context of a frame that has been redirected by a web server. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to evaluate script in different security domains. By causing script to be evaluated in the Local Machine Zone, the attacker could execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running IE.”
This, alone is enough of a reason for me. However, my list goes on . . .
Beware of spyware. If you can, use the Mozilla Firefox browser. If you must use Internet Explorer (IE), set the security settings to high; this will disable multimedia features of many Web sites, but also will block a main path intruders use to plant Web contagions. ~ USA Today
From FireFox’s own site – Rediscover the web, the advantages of FireFox are many. Here’s a list of them – - click on the link above to read more on these advantages of FireFox over Internet Explorer:
Popup Blocking – Stop annoying popup ads in their tracks with Firefox’s built in popup blocker
Tabbed Browsing – View more than one web page in a single window with this time saving feature.
Privacy and Security – Firefox keeps your computer safe from malicious spyware by not loading harmful ActiveX controls
Smarter Search – Google Search is built right into the toolbar, and there is a plethora of other search tools
Live Bookmarks - RSS integration lets you read the latest news headlines and favorite syndicated sites.
Hassle-Free Downloading – Files you download are automatically saved to your Desktop so they’re easy to find. Fewer prompts mean files download quicker.
In addition, FireFox offers a multitude of Themes and Extentions - to suit anyone’s tastes to customize their browser the way YOU want it. The open source community surrounding the development and ongoing updates for FireFox is too numerous to count.
PLUS – the download is free and set up is a snap!
Plus, they offer tips on users who are switching over from Internet Explorer – to make it easier for you!
So what are you waiting for?
Lisa Sabin-Wilson is a creative designer and founder of E.Webscapes. She is the author of WordPress For Dummies and BuddyPress For Dummies, and is a regular speaker at national conferences on the topics of WordPress, blogging and design. Blog | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
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