Optimising Firefox

[Steph]

Upgraded to v.3.6.26 without any apparent problems and I'm now being offered v. 10.0 - but no versions in between! I won't upgrade to 10 though until it's a bit clearer that there are no issues.

[DonnaB]

I won't upgrade to 10 though until it's a bit clearer that there are no issues.

Good idea! That's what I'm waiting for, too.

we need a thumbs up smilie..............

[DonnaB]

Au Oh! Almost overlooked this notification in my emails. Thought you would like to read about the pros and cons of Firefox Version 10.

Mozilla Firefox 10 Released, Includes Security Update ~ Security Garden

Think I'll wait to update and check out all the complaints on the web.

[Steph]

Thanks for that Donna - compatibility with most add-ons is an overdue improvement but I think I'll also hang on a bit and see what problems crop up before updating.

Steph

[Steph]

Hi all, just thought I'd update this thread with yet another firefox update query.

I'm currently using v. 3.6.28 with no apparent problems. I've so far avoided further upgrades (can hardly keep up with all the constant offerings) but I'm now being nagged to upgrade to v. 11. I guess I'm far enough behind to really need to upgrade now ... soo ... my usual question really - does anyone have any comments on which version would be OK with the least risk of problems, especially with add-ons? In particular, does anyone have any experience of v.11?

I really hate these constant so-called improvements. Things are working well as they are and although I'm mainly interested in keeping the browser as secure as possible, I'm not brave enough to risk disturbing all my customisation without comments or advice.

Thank you

Steph

[evilfantasy]

v10 and v11 are the only two releases of Firefox that I did not have any compatability issues with. I would go ahead with the update, during the process it will check your add-ons and report any that may not be working with the new release. There were a few with mine but I found alternatives to them that in the end were better than the ones I had. If any add-ons won't work it might be time to find new ones anyway as that means the develpoer has possibly abbandonded them and they are open to security issues and/or stability issues.

Any issues in finding replacement add-ons just let me know and I will help you hunt them down.

You will also find a few graphical differences but those can be tweaked back to what you are used to also. Just let me know on that topic also.

You will also want to look at this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox

Firefox 3 was released on June 17, 2008, by the Mozilla Corporation. Firefox 3 ..... Firefox 3.6.x is currently scheduled for end of life on April 24th, 2012.

Also: Firefox 3.0 approaches end-of-life

[Steph]

Hi EF, thanks for your help, as usual

I've updated to v.11 and most of my addons were ok, apart from the following :

I've lost Colourful Tabs, Fission and Qute as none of them were compatible. Colourful Tabs made browsing nice and clear and it would be nice to have an alternative (grey tabls are a bit boring!) and Fission was particularly useful. Qute hasn't worked for some time now but I'd like to replace it if possible.

Also, Adobe DLM (powered by GetPlus) v. 1.6.2.87 and ZA Security Engine (v. 1.5.350.0) have been disabled as incompatible with FF 11 (although ZA Sec. Eng. wasn't working with my latest update to v. 3.6.28 either - I'm not sure how important this is?)

A few of my favicons are blank but it's not a major problem for now.

I didn't like the new tab positions at the top but I've moved them back to where they used to be (for anyone that wants to do this - right click on a blank part of the Tab Strip and uncheck Tabs on Top).

Otherwise I can't see any major differences just yet but I'll have a play

I take your point about the possible security issues of old addons - any ideas if there are replacements for any of the ones I've lost?

Thank you.

Steph

[evilfantasy]

Glad to hear you went ahead with the update and there were not any big issues.

Colourful Tabs - Installing the latest release from the Official Homepage will get your color back. ColorfulTabs For Firefox {Official Homepage}

Fission will not support Firefox 4.0 or later. Try Status-4-Evar 2012.01.14.17 instead.

Qute - A latest firefox compatible version can be fond here: Qute 4++ (custom mod) 1.1.1

Adobe DLM (powered by GetPlus) - Basically this is un-necessary (bloatware?) and can be removed or left disabled. You may also want to check Add or Remove Programs (on Windows XP) or Programs and Features (on Windows Vista and later) and uninstall it altogether.

ZA Security Engine - Latest version can be found here ( ZoneAlarm User Community - View Single Post - [FIXED] ZoneAlarm 10 Browser security toolbar is Now Compatible with FireFox v10.0.X ) although I don't know if it works as I simply will not use or recommend ZA products.

Hope this helps. Let me know if there is anything else I can help with.

[Steph]

Brilliant, thank you!

Colourful Tabs, Status4Evar and Qute all installed and working well, which is great. The Qute version is 4++ v. 1.1.1 although I removed a separate entry for v. 4.1.1. because it said it was incompatible with FF11. Not sure what that all meant but it seems to be working fine.

I removed Adobe DLM following your instructions but it wasn't listed in Add/Remove.

ZA Security Engine ... I don't know if it works as I simply will not use or recommend ZA products.

That's an interesting comment EF - why? I thought ZA free Firewall was on our recommended software list and it's worked well for me although I honestly don't recall seeing the Security Engine thingy (that's a technical description ) listed until fairly recently. If not ZA, what would you recommend? (I can start a new ZA thread on this if you prefer).

Steph

[evilfantasy]

Brilliant, thank you!

Your welcome.

I removed Adobe DLM following your instructions but it wasn't listed in Add/Remove.

You can also run a HJT scan and remove any Adobe startup entries in there (04's). It's useless and if any of that stuff is needed it will launch when Adobe is opened.

That's an interesting comment EF - why?

The firewall was once (years ago) one of the only free 3rd party firewalls available. Since then it has gone through some changes and at one point was as bad as Norton because of all the extra garbage included was slowing computers to a crawl. I do believe they have improved over the last few years but I still don't recommend it's use because of other shady tactics I have read about.

Example: ZoneAlarm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Scareware virus alert popup

In September 2010, the free version of ZoneAlarm started showing a "Global Virus Alert" popup as a scareware tactic to get users to switch to their paid security suite. The popup was turned off by ZoneAlarm marketing team after an uproar from disgruntled users, many of whom uninstalled the software.

Ultimately though if you are happy with it then there is no real reason to get rid of it because it is trusted software.

If not ZA, what would you recommend?

Do you use the ZoneAlarm Firewall, ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite or the ZoneAlarm Antivirus + Firewall?