Re: Alternative browsers -- PCTECH

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Bale" <dbale@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <pctech@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 6:08 PM
Subject: [PCTECH] Alternative browsers


> Multi-faceted post:
>
> 1) Does the mere presence of IE make it "hazardous" or do you actually
have
> to use it to be vulnerable?

Typically if you use it, it is your security risk because some websites can
exploit the holes to get in.  If you browse with another browser, it should
keep you safer (you would have to set it to your default browser as well, of
course).

>
> 2) Is anyone using Firefox?  I'm wondering how stable it is (it's beta)
and
> how soon it will shed the beta tag.

It is a wonderful browser.  I use it.  It is extremly stable. As people
mentioned, you still bneed to use IE at times.  Why?  Because bad
programmers still design sites to be IE specific.  IE, they use vbscript or
require you to download VB based programs through it.  It isn't a limitation
of mozilla.  It is a choice of the programemr to design soemthign that only
one browser can use.  Those type of programmers need to be lined up after
the lawyers.

>
> 3) Does Firefox have an email client (yet)?

honestly, I don't know.  I am sure you can fidn that out by goign to their
website and reading? ;)  If they did have one, I didn't download it.

>
> 4) If an email client is important to me, should I hold off on Firefox and
> use the latest Mozilla (which has an email client)?  If you're using
> Firefox, what email client are you using?  (free is good!)

Who says the email client has to coem from the same package as the browser?
There are a lot of free options out there.

>
> 5) Don't laugh, but I just upgraded my Win95 box to Win98SE last week.
The
> box is only 233MHz & 128MB ram, so my choices are very limited.  The Win95
> was originally loaded back in '97 over a Win3.11 install, and I've never
> done a scratch install until I did the Win98SE upgrade last week.  All of
a
> sudden my PC is a lot faster!  Anyway, it seems as though I was somewhat
> protected by using Win95 because all of the vulnerabilities that were
being
> exploited were "newer" technology that MS added in after Win95, i.e. the
> Sasser virus only affected XP (& 2000?), so my trusty Win95 box was
largely
> unaffected.  I am connected to the internet via cable with a Gigafast
> router/firewall, and I use Norton AV and Spybot.  Is it a fair question to
> ask whether I am in good shape?

I have come to the conclusion that Norton sucks.  I have had three people
that have had problems with their computer.  It old them to run the free
anti-virus check at pandasoftware and they have found multiple viruses.
WHILE norton was running with the most current updates.

>
> TIA, db
>
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