Netscape is based off the Mozilla codebase; *not* the other way around.

Okay...well, where do I go to download it. I'm so frigging sick of having to have multiple instances of IE open to have multiple pages to which I'm referring (like when I'm fact checking on The Cellar before posting a reply), I'd be willing to try this.

http://www.mozilla.org

Firebird is the lightweight browser-only deal. It's still in development and isn't as complete as Mozilla, but it's still really good. Many thousands of people use this every day as their only browser.

Mozilla is the big beast, containing everything you need (and probably a lot that you don't). It's slower, but it's a more polished product. Get a stable milestone (latest is 1.4) and you'll be happy.

I can recommend either of the browsers; Firebird is what we've been talking about here, but they basically have feature parity between the two (Firebird is based on the Mozilla code). Firebird is just snappier and smaller. The screenshots I posted are of Firebird.

Firebird and Mozilla straight out of the box are very usable. People only have problems when they try to customize it exactly the way they want, which isn't always straightforward. But <B>at least you can</B> customize them, unlike IE.

I'm assuming you have IE as your default browser. How many times have you clicked a link in another program (i.e. email) and it re-used a browser window you already had and didn't want to lose? That <B>never</B> happens to me anymore now that I use Firebird. With IE, the behavior seems to be completely random. I've even had it re-use File Explorer windows before.

All because Microsoft integrated IE tightly into their OS, so they could claim they were inseparable in court. Now that they "won" the browser wars, innovation in IE has come to a screeching halt.

I also use the mouse gestures extension, just one example of a great way to customize it to do what I want. Instead of having to click the back button, I "rock" my right then left moust buttons. It's amazing what a timesaver that is for someone who browses as much as I do.

And about ad blocking: Microsoft will never integrate popup blocking into IE. It's not in their interest to do so, because they want to sell ads on MSN and their other services. So you can get whatever ad-blocking IE plugins you want, but it's still a workaround. Mozilla/Firebird have ad-blocking <I>built-in</I>, which means I can say "don't open <I>any</i> unrequested windows, period", and it doesn't. I have never had to play one single game of whack-a-mole since switching to Firebird, while it was almost a daily occurence with IE.

And in case you're wondering what the difference is between Mozilla and Firebird: Mozilla is the full "suite" of browser, email, calendar, etc., while Firebird is just the standalone browser. Firebird isn't at 1.0 release level yet, but many people (including me) like it better than Mozilla because it's lighter, faster, and has some better features.

I've been using the Google search bar in IE, which now features a great popup killer, so I've been happy with that, but I am still going to try Firebird, based on all the praise you guys are giving it. I'll let you know how it works out for me!

Okay, next question. Surely, Mozilla doesn't require me to re-download all the plugins that IE uses (cookies, Flash, stuff like that). So how do I get Mozilla Firebird to import all that shit, rather than doubling up on the stuff and chewing up more drivespace?

Cookies aren't plugins; they're browser-specific and you'll need to re-login to the sites you have cookies set at so that the cookies can be re-set.

As far as Flash, I think that should all be set up. It is on my Linux install and I'm pretty sure it is at home as well (I use a Linux workstation at work for a lot of stuff, but Windows at home 'cause I only like Linux if I'm getting paid for it). If it's not, you'll need to download the plugin from http://www.macromedia.com/go/gnavtray_dl_flashpl

Installation is pretty easy, and it's only a few hundred K, or a fraction of an MP3. So don't worry about it.

Next problem for the experienced. I'm using Logitech Marbleman. None of the features that work everywhere else (like holding down two side buttons simultaneously for universal scrolling) work in Mozilla. I seem to be forced to use the damn scroll bar. Basically, I can't get any functions that are equivalent to mouse wheel functions to work. Ideas?

Also, Mouse Gestures extension appears not to work at all.

Ok Techie help line...
I'm using Mozilla as a browser and would love to ditch my netscape mail and use mozilla mail if its workin' But I'm Really dumb about this and will want to move some messages, boxes, and not lose my address book. Anyone willing to coach me via PMs? :)

Yes, except my requirement is that we set up a time in PM that I can call you, because I can't stand typing tech support. It's much easier to just talk through.

Ha! I dont blame you dave, thanks.

I'm surprised I haven't heard Opera mentioned much...it supports tabbed browsing, mouse gestures, an annoying "Wand" feature that some might like, especially pr0n browsers, mail, lotsa skins to make it look purty and a customizable desktop. Except for an occaisional runtime error that doesn't tell me anything and closes my browser when I'm in the middle of something, there haven't been any problems with it.

I will put up the Opera version for x386 when I get my computer up and running next month.

Brian

Els, you will unfortunately have to re-download Flash and other such plugins. They aren't included with the Windows version, and I'm not so sure the executable is the same for Mozilla as it is IE. They really aren't that big, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

I'm not sure why your mouse's universal-scrolling shortcut isn't working. As far as mouse gestures, did you restart Firebird after installing it? Which gestures are you trying to get to work?

Paying for a browser is so ten years ago.

The reason I don't use Opera is "What's CSS?"