Firefox helps you be strict with wayward plug-ins
Weary am I when I have to set up another browser in my house. The browser of choice, Firefox, is very easy to install and I have little complaint. It’s the extra add-ons and plug-ins that take work. The score: Sun’s Java gets an A, Adobe’s Acrobat gets a C, Shockwave and Flash gets a D. Yes, they now function, but what a hassle. Most come with extra stuff you not only do not want but do not need. Simpler software leads to a simpler, more reliable computer, a bonus for anyone.
Sun’s Java is required on some web sites, so if the site is important to you, you’ll need to download it. It is a one button download and is pretty easy to install. Load a java test page right after and it won’t work, so close down Firefox, reload it, and all should be well. There are no instructions to tell you to close your web browser. Once you get java tested, cut the fat. Go to “Control Panel”, select “Java”, “Advanced”, “Miscellaneous”, and uncheck the options to place a Java icon on your system tray, and for the Java Quick Starter. These are unnecessary. If you do need it, you’ll know how to get it. For most people, it is fat.
Adobe has some great products, but their support for plugins is piss poor. Many sites use Flash and Shockwave, so most people want these plugins. Personally I usually disable the Shockwave plugin and enable it when I need it, then reload the page. To each his own.
Flash and Shockwave will not install and run properly unless well matched to your browser and operating system. It will install, and often not give you an error message, but will not run. When you try to install another version it will run the install, but the old version will still be present. Should they not tell you that you need to run the Flash uninstaller first, then rerun the new version? They do not. Shockwae also needs an uninstaller. Here is an Adobe page to test both Flash and Shockwave. Remember to close down Firefox and restart before testing.
The latest and greatest Adobe Flash and Shockwave plugin often will screw up, so I opt for safety and install an old version. This safety has paid off in spades. Once in a while I get the latest version only to have it blow up. If the latest version does not work, then uninstall it, and get an older version. Typical for Adobe, older versions are unavailable from them, so go to OldApps.com, which gives you version numbers and system requirements. While not complete, the information here is better than anywhere else. Once you install a version it will tell you if there are other prerequisites. If it does not work, uninstall and go down a version. An advantage of an older version is that it is usually smaller, thus reducing the fat or bloatware prevalent in much software today.
Of all plug-ins, Acrobat is by far the fattest. New versions seem to be double the size of previous versions, but with little added functionality. It also loads much slower. Is not that the definition of bloatware?
My install of Adobe Acrobat was a little easier but again not smooth. I got an error message stating that I need to upgrade my Internet Explorer. Lovely. I don’t even use Internet Explorer, opting for the so much better Firefox. At least the installer aborted and I did not have to use an uninstaller. Downgrade 2 versions of Reader, and all works.
Then I notice I have a couple of extra plug-ins I did not install. Adobe feels it is Ok to install their download manager (getplus) without my permission. It is not, and I am offended that I was not asked first. I research and find instructions on how to remove it: Flash and Acrobat without getplus. Nice. More importantly, it works.
My heart grieves for those who are not computer savvy because with all the idiotic moves done by software companies that mess up their browsers. These companies are selfish and short sighted. There’s no way your typical computer user can keep their computer simple, clean and therefore reliable. I should know as I keep cleaning up their mess on mine and other people’s computers.
If your Windows computer was a piece of medical equipment, you’d be dead. Save yourself as best you can.
October 7th, 2009 at 13:58
Unlike most people, I prefer to use multiple browsers, each with different features (and plugins).
I use Flock for reading all social media, and have a <a href="http://cocomment.comCocomment plugin activated only on this browser (tracking responses such as this one.
I use Firefox as my main browser. Unlike your behaviour, I never load Acrobat in a window, and have the browser prompt me on what I want to do with the PDF link. I download it to a directory I call “Read and Delete”, which is the first place that I go when I need to clean up disk space.
I still have the original Internet Explorer 6 on XP installed, and use this whenever ActiveX is required (which is turning out to be less and less).
Finally, I have Opera installed on this computer, and fire it up when ever I need to check a web site without the memory of a cache or a previous password. On Flock and Firefox, it’s convenient to have the browser remember some web site passwords (protected by a Master Password when starting the browser up), but there’s lot of occasions when the history gets in the way.
Yes, having multiple browsers — normally only two, Flock and Firefox — working simultaneously takes RAM, but I haven’t noticed it to be much of a problem. Yes, the browsers are slow to start up, but once they’ve been launched, they seem pretty snappy to use.