As several subscribers to this list have said, I am seeing no pop-ups since
installing XP service pack 2, so I expect to stay with Internet explorer
since I'm used to it.  However, it will be interesting to see if there will
be screen reader support for Firefox.

-----Original Message-----
From: VICUG-L: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Gordan Wahl
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 12:25 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: FIREFOX 0.1


Hi Readers,  Yesterday I asked if any of you were familiar with
"Firefox".  Today, this article was sent ot me, and I wanted to share it
with you all.  Any personal opinions or experiences are welcome.
Gordon
####

FIREFOX 0.1

PRODUCT REVIEW.

Internet Explorer has new foe
Firefox 1.0 beats Microsoft browser in several areas

Verne Kopytoff
San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, November 15, 2004

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file==/c/a/2004/11/15/BROWSER.TMP&nl==
top

Microsoft should start worrying about a new challenger to its dominant
Web browser, Internet Explorer.

Firefox 1.0, a free, open-source descendant of Netscape, was unveiled
last week. It turns out to be equal to, if not slightly better than
Explorer in some key areas.

The Chronicle tested Firefox, developed by the nonprofit Mozilla
Foundation in Mountain View and a group of volunteers, to see whether it
lived up to the praise being heaped on it in some corners of the
Internet community. It did, with some exceptions.

To recap, browsers help Internet users view and navigate the Web. Most
people know them for the gray bars they put at the top of their computer
screens featuring the "Back" button, a favorites list and a box to enter
Web domains such as www.yahoo.com.

Internet users typically give browsers little thought. But a minority,
especially hardcore Internet users, are as demanding of their browsers
as they are of their computer hardware.

Installing Firefox from www.mozilla.org was easy. In a huge time saver,
users can choose to automatically transfer their settings, bookmarks and
passwords from Internet Explorer.

I tested the browser on Windows, but there also are versions for Linux
and Mac computers.

Firefox 1.0 shares many of the same basic features as Microsoft's
Internet Explorer. There are the usual buttons and pull down menus that
allow users to navigate the Web, copy and paste text, and print.

The default home page for the browser is a slightly modified version of
Google, a minor coup for the Mountain View search engine. A small Google
search box also appears on the browser bar itself.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer has no such search box. Users must
download another company's tool bar to get one.

I loved Firefox's pop-up blocker, which eliminates annoying ads.
Microsoft should also consider offering one with its browser.

Another big plus was Firefox's embrace of news feeds. Users can
automatically get the latest headlines and Web journal entries in their
bookmarks.

Users can choose from any Web site that offers RSS feeds, short for
Really Simple Syndication. All it takes is to click on an orange button
in the bottom right corner of the computer screen.

Firefox does have its shortcomings. For one, it doesn't have content
controls to block sites that feature profanity, violence and nudity, as
Internet Explorer does.

More importantly, though, some Web sites don't download properly with
Firefox. The creators pegged the total at about 1 percent.

The problem is by design, though no less irritating. The creators made
their browser incompatible with ActiveX software, used on some Web
sites, to eliminate what they saw as a potential hole for malicious
computer viruses and spyware to get in.

I quickly found a Web site that was stripped of its graphics at
www.battellemedia.com. Downloading movies at Movielink and CinemaNow is
impossible.

Firefox's creators bill their browser as more secure than Internet
Explorer, partly because of the open-source software they used. While
not necessarily safer, the software is public and -- the theory goes --
can be quickly fixed by any one of the thousands of volunteers who help
the project.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer controls 93 percent of the browser market,
according to WebSideStory. The rest is divided between Netscape
Navigator, Opera and Apple's Safari.

Whether Firefox, downloaded 2 million times last week, according to
Mozilla, will make even a small dent in Microsoft's dominance remains to
be seen. But it definitely deserves a look.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Frequently asked questions about Firefox
Q: How much does it cost?

A: Nothing. Firefox is the collective product of volunteer programmers
in what is known as the open-source community. That means anyone is free
to add features and fix flaws. Any improvements go back to the
programmers and are made available for free.

Q: Who's behind it?

A: America Online Inc., which owns the Netscape browser, contributed $2
million to set up the Mozilla Foundation. About a dozen staffers
coordinate the project and rely primarily on about 60 full-time
engineers on the payroll of such Microsoft Corp. rivals as IBM Corp. and
Sun Microsystems Inc. About 1,000 other volunteers, including college
professors and high school students, contribute tweaks and test the
product.

Q: What is Firefox's relationship with Mozilla and Netscape?

A: As Netscape lost market share to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, the
then-independent Netscape Communications Corp. opted to release its
software blueprint to the public and encourage developers to offer
improvements. The product, which includes e-mail and chat, is known as
Mozilla, and subsequent versions of Netscape share the underlying code.
Firefox is the browser component of Mozilla with added features.

Q: Why do we need another browser?

A: Open-source programmers are generally upset with Microsoft's lock on
technology. Internet Explorer has features that depart from published
Web standards, forcing users to rely on that browser to avoid
misbehaving Web pages. Having enough users of alternative browsers could
help persuade Web developers to adhere to standards. Open-source
programmers also believe Microsoft technology is fundamentally insecure
because of its closed nature. The blueprint for Firefox is open for
inspection and correction.

Q: Will it make a dent?

A: Firefox is not likely to displace Internet Explorer as the world's
dominant browser, but it could gain enough users to influence Web
developers and prod Microsoft to add features.

Q: How do I get Firefox?

A: Go to www.mozilla.org.

E-mail Verne Kopytoff at [log in to unmask]
©2004 San Francisco Chronicle

End of Message
####


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