Firefox Continues to Gain Market Share
By the Betanews Staff | Published December 18, 2006, 4:42 PM
Mozilla's Firefox browser continues to gain market share. However, the launch of Internet Explorer 7 by Microsoft may have acted to temper some of the alternative browser's gains. According to research firm WebSideStory, Firefox had a 10.7 percent share at the beginning of December, up from 9.84 percent in mid-October. IE, on the other hand, dropped from 89.1 percent to 88.2 percent during the same period.
It still appears that Internet Explorer is more commonly used in the workplace, as the firm noted Firefox's share often increases during the weekends. This likely means that a higher percentage of Web users have chosen Mozilla's offering for use at home. In addition, the company's research shows that nearly one out of every five web users have upgraded their browsers since IE7 and Firefox 2.0 were released over the past two months.
By the way, FireFox 2.0.0.1 update is now out....
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The problem that I have is the source of the market share (How many time FF has-been downloaded) I have FF on 3 computers and my laptop but I never use it. ( I did a little at first but now never) Bad stats lead to bad numbers
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This is how software should be developed.
My compliments to the Firefox team.
Manuele
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unpatched flaw in Firefox 2.0.0.1 allows to steal passwords
test here: http://www.info-svc.com/news/11-21-2006/rcsr1/
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"Flaw" doesn't work in Firefox 2.0
[Edit: Ah, it's because I didn't save the password.]
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and what ignorant shmuck lets a browser save passwords.
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perhaps your uneducated home user who thinks its perfectly fine? Oh wait, does firefox and its users not want them as users?
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I don't really care which browser is the best or has more share. All I know is that by having alternative web browsers like Firefox and Opera, it is making the web a safer place for everyone for 2 reasons.
Reasons:
1.By having more browsers it makes all browser makers compete to have the most secure browser. (Microsoft would have never updated IE6 if not for Firefox and Opera and all the features and security they were including)
2.Hackers have to divide there time up on the different browsers, therefore exploiting less flaws per browser.
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Firefox has become it's own security nightmare, with swiss cheese security... Infact it's less secure than IE these days, since Microsoft got their sh1t together with IE7.
The latest highly critical hole:
http://secunia.com/advisories/23282/
50% of Firefox 2 security issues unpatched:
http://secunia.com/product/12434/
10% of Firefox 1 security issues still remain unpatched:
http://secunia.com/product/4227/
Opera 9, 0% unpatched security issues:
http://secunia.com/product/10615/
Opera 8, 0% unpatched security issues:
http://secunia.com/product/4932/
Opera7, 0% unpatched security issues:
http://secunia.com/product/761/
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wo wo wo....less secure then IE7??? did you bother to look at the IE security issues while you were at secunia.....well here is the link since you didn't http://secunia.com/product/12366/?task=advisories
It has 3 security issues and none are patched, firefox has 2 issues and 1 is patched.
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IE7 3 isues are nowehere near as critical as the unpatched Firefox holes.
Personally, I don't like IE7, I use it, only when I have trouble with a poorly coded site that does not display in Opera.
You can defent Firefox all you like, but it's obvious to everyone, it's getting slower by the week, and to get anywhere near the functionality that Opera provides, you have install lots of extensions to bloat it even further. Mozilla browsers are fast becoming a security nightmare....
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unpatched flaw in Firefox 2.0.0.1 allows to steal passwords
test here: http://www.info-svc.com/news/11-21-2006/rcsr1/
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hole, not holes.
all software has holes, its all about how fast the vendor provides a patch. according to secunia the one flaw that firefox has is rated less critical and IE7 has 3 flaws, 2 are the same less critical rating and one is rated critical. I would rather use a browser that has one less critical flaw, then a browser with 2 less critical and 1 critical. I know for a fact that there will be another firefox patch before microsoft has any of the 3 flaws in IE7 patched.
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Really, once is enough. Repeating it only makes yourself more inclined to believe it, but not anyone else.
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Shouldn't the title be:
"Firefox Continues to Gain Security Holes"....
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IE7 has more, typical MS fanboy
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unpatched flaw in Firefox 2.0.0.1 allows to steal passwords
test here: http://www.info-svc.com/news/11-21-2006/rcsr1/
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(sigh) why not just do a DOS attack posting 150 of these per article?
Seriously, get a life.
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You're all losers!
OffByOne RULEZ0RZ!!!!11oneoneone
http://offbyone.com/offbyone/
Your silly little browsers with all their silly little features will never compare to the speed, accuracy, and standards of THE BEST BROWSER IN THE WORLD!!!!!111oneone
Heh....
Take that, fanboys.
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Off By One Browser Limitations:
* No JavaScript support (so no pop-up ad windows).
* No applet, plug-in or Flash support.
Freaking awesome. And to think Firefox users have to install extensions to get the same result. Losers.
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And they call them limitations...talk about selling themselves short.... :p
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Congrats Firefox. =)
Keep up the good work.
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Hey I like FF and IE7. Both are great and much more secure than IE6. I think as Vista takes hold in peoples' homes you will see FF's growth grow at a much slower pace and eventually taper off.
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Long live Lynx! :)
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FF by itself make no different to IE. I used FF because all those extensions out there. If FF has no extensions, I would never use it.
I use FF for 1 reason because it's able to configurate the way I like it with extensions. So call security doesn't make a damn different to me because I only visit a handful of sites, and most of them a big legit sites. Porn or "hookup" sites are not part of my list. If I need them, there are better alternative.
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Firefox To all exclusively. Lets all get together and burn FF2 on cd's and sell them at wal-mart, circuit city. best buy and the like for like a dime with big advertising like "WAY better then IE7 Get it while it's still cheap!"
I would Buy it just cause, if it was a dime and I already have it!
Just a thought
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Legally you cannot sell it.
However I don't think there is anything stopping you from burning 100 CD's of it and handing them out for free.
I mean you can get 100 CD's these days for like what..... $30 or less?
Do it.
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And if you do it as part of a "charitable" effort, you may be able to deduct (from your tax filing) the cost of the CD's the burning software, and the gas used to drive to each Wal-Mart. Check with your accountant.
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This is not charity.
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You're right a true charity would be erasing IE from existence.
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Summary of the last 27 comments:
Blah blah blah, same old argument, blah blah.
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Blah blah blah, hypocritical fanboys calling other people fanboys as some kind of derogatory remark all the while labeling themselves fanboy in the same sentence, blah fanboy blah.
Fanboy's use the term fanboy as an attack, I love it.
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Unpatched flaw in Firefox 2.0.0.1: http://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/ffoxdie_orig.html
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No offense, but having not even checked the url yet, I can say foul--if there is an unpatched flaw that is of any significance, Mozilla will mention it and promptly fix the issue. I may not use Firefox myself, but I have to say that they are somewhat more prompt in addressing security flaws than Microsoft.
So I'd take that report with a grain of salt--maybe it's right, but if so, we will find out for certain soon enough.
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Why do you idiots keep positing links to that web site? If you took the time to actually use FF and had the NoScript extension installed you would find that the damn thing does not affect FF. As for market share, who cares? I use FF because it is chock full of (and has had for years) innovations that Microsoft finally made an attempt to catch up with in IE 7, and to be honest didn't quite make the mark. And before you IE 7 fan boys start whining about what innovations, start with customizable extensions and tabbed browsing, then work your way down a very long list from there.
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Every time a new version of FF comes out, someone posts a link to that site here. And every time they do I take them to task for it. Personally I don't believe any of them are actually using FF or visiting the site, they are simply repeating old news ad nauseum.
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Doesnt that sound like the same thing people whine at microsoft for? The fact that you have to use 3rd party code to secure a product? hmmm.
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it could have something to do with the fact that IE7 can only be installed on a WGA (genuine Windows) PC
it seems crazy (imho) that Microsoft release a 'more secure' browser then wont allow ANYONE to use it ... meaning that all them non-WGA PCs may be taken over by bots
still ... FF is better then IE
:-)
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Say it however you want to...I have yet to witness any major problems with WGA myself, and for me it takes less than 2 seconds to complete. Whoopie doo...
Non-WGA PCs still have critical updates for IE6 SP2 as well, so they aren't just screwed without a paddle. Sure, the pirates hate that Microsoft is using WGA, but theives always hate it when authorities/businesses implement changes that make it significantly more difficult to steal. So should we just leave it the way it was, just because all of the criminals are upset over it?
If you are having difficulty with that last statement, please continue reading. If not, there is no reason to read on here, I'm just preaching to the choir per se:
Yes, I did say 'criminals'--e.g., one who commits crimes, a.k.a. breaks the law. Like it or hate it, illegal copies of Windows are just that--illegal under current law. If you want that to change, write your local elected officials/Congress person. Change the law and then I'll quit claiming it is illegal. That simple.
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it seems crazy (imho) that Microsoft release a 'more secure' browser then wont allow ANYONE to use it
Must seem crazy because you'd have to be to actually fall for that BS.
By "ANYONE", I am assuming you mean the pirates?
Please understand, doorknob, that the millions of legit users out there will have *zero* problems installing IE7. As a matter of fact, it's already installed flawlessly on many thousands of them with little to no effort by the user at all.
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I love FF. I think because it is so customizable. It also has a very clean interface . I just can't tweak IE like I want to, plus the lack of plug ins bugs me. Everyone should switch to FF, you can even get IE Tab when you need to switch rendering engines.
I also wanted to post something I found on digg.com the other day. It supposedly speeds up FF. Anyway here is what it said...
- Open FF and type "about:config" in the addressbar.
- Filter "network.http.pi"
- Set Network.http.pipelining to "True"
- Set Network.http.pipelining.maxrequests from "4" to "10"
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...or download the fasterfox extension....
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I use new IE7 with Windows Vista and I'm very happy.
IE7 is the best browser
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we all have been kids some times ago... nothing to forgive you, you'll just grow up as we have.
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I don't use new IE7 with Windows XP and I'm very happy too.
Firefox is the best browser. Opera is excellent option too!
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So do I, but IE7 on Vista is significantly slower than running on XP with many sites. I've reported this during the Vista beta program and supposedly a patch is forthcoming to resolve that. One patch was released for the anti-phishing CPU drag on Vista.
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Only kids are subject to trouble with IE and go to FF for false sense of security.
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I'm a web developer myself so I know at least how to run IE, and then maybe 1 or 2 of its bugs.. ehm, features ;)
I won't go with you into debate which is better, in a dark, creepy and mystical world of web developers it goes a rumour about IE being faaar inferior to Firefox, but to explain you why you would need to be more educated ;p
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I am a web developer, I use and develop for them both, however I prefer IE7.
Of my education you have no idea. If we want to sling mud about things we don't know I would say you were a 20 year old kid riding the FF bandwagon.
But then, I don't know that, so I wont.
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People are like sheep. Don't follow the masses, try Opera, it's faster, lower memory footprint, and more secure than Firefox and IE7.
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Yeah... and as added bonus Opera DOESN'T support PKCS#11 and you CAN'T use your security devices. :(
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Many sites that require IE don't work with FF or Opera either. Even with Opera's IE emulation. That's not really the browser's fault, it's the stupid web developer's fault.
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baaah.
If they do, your 'Security by obscurity" falls out. ;)
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So if we follow your comment, then we would still be sheeps because if everyone used opera then wouldn't your advice contradict your comment.
I agree with the comment made that you should use whatever browser your heart desires. If you are satisfied with ie then use ie, if you like firefox's extensions then use firefox, and if you like opera then use opera.
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I'm an old hand that's been using browsers since the first days of Netscape.
I started using Firefox for three very simple reasons and until something else beats it in those areas it remains my browser of choice: it is significantly more responsive than IE in everything it has to do for me (it may just be my perception but hey, that's very real to me), it has some great extensions that satisfy needs like weather forecasting or displaying RSS feeds in a direct, non-bloated (low overhead) way, and it just uses the IE rendering engine automatically where needed.
Now and then I test other browsers but although they can do some specific things really well, they just don't beat Firefox in the overall everyday browsing experience.
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I would like to see where these companies come up with their figures. My stats from my multiple web sites, Education to sports to technology show Firefox with 31%, 23 & 6 browser share. IE with 66%, 52 & 92 browser share. All other browsers being negligible.
On an interesting note, a Linux browser, Konqueror got 13% on my education blog, along with 10 percent for Safari.
On all my sites, Opera, for all the fanatical users that rant and flame in posts never has more than 1 percent of the share.
I've used them all, have installed and uninstalled IE7 and only use IE6 for my banking because thats the only browser supported by most financial institutions. Firefox is my browser of choice because of the extensions, not because of the base browser engine.
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Germany and France government offices are expected to be fully open source in a few years.
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Whooptie friggin do. They've already tried that and gone back to MS. And who cares? In 3 years, something else will be along that tops both IE and FF.
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Hope it doesn't take *that* long. We need a browser designed form the ground up to handle AJAX.
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I'll have you know that's already in the works. Adobe just donated some 150,000 lines of source code a few weeks back which will greatly boost the speed of javascript and AJAX web applications, since Firefox is written partially in Javascript you could say AJAX will be native to the browser by then, certainly faster.
Firefox still meets standards better than IE, and actually renders properly(*cough*OPERA!). Not one single browser is perfect in security, Opera has holes but due to its lower user count people don't target it as much. It's just like MacOSX, as more users adopted the OS they found more holes, they've patched more holes in the last 4 months than Microsoft has had to in the last two years.
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FF & Opera Rarely do I use IE. Only when forced to by specific apps...Did I hear IE7 Sp??...comming to a windows platform near you
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IE7 Spanish?
IE7 Service Pack?
If you mean service pack, oh well. That's their way of updating. Firefox updates its browser too, just so you know.
Get used to it. It means things are getting better.
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Just an FYI. At this rate, it will be over 25 years before Firefox meets IE's share. This assumes the past 4 years path continues along the same scale.
No flaming, just reality. I use FF fairly exclusively and will never go back to IE.
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LOL?
Thats because IE is the DEFAULT browser with Windows, duh.
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Yes, there is definately a connection there, gcoder. Why do you find that funny?
Seriously, it is a !@#$%$@ web browser--if the world rejects FireFox and they all switch to IE 7, will the world explode? Will we start a nuclear war? What is the worst thing that could happen? I'm asking only because it is such a huge deal to you people that people use one browser or the other--why?
I personally use IE pretty much exclusively right now, but if FireFox wins more market share, I will not hate them for it, nor will I imply that anyone who uses it is stupid.
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No, the world won't explode if everyone adopted IE7 tomorrow. But the web would once again stagnate, as it did after IE6's release _six years ago_. The IE team was effectively disbanded and all development ceased after Netscape was beaten. Until Firefox came along.
It doesn't take a psychic to see that the day MS "beats" Firefox is the day the IE team is mothballed once again, to be resurrected when the next challenger steps up. If you are passionate about technology, if you believe we're only seeing the beginnings of what the web could do, of course you care about Firefox. And if you make your living working with the web, well, it's just basic self preservation to be rooting for the 'Fox.
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I could swear IE6 came out well after Netscape was beaten, and some its best features came out with SP2.
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"world explode"
Depends on the hacker..
heh
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Which features would those be? The Spyware, or the Adware? :p
Sorry, couldn't resist taking at least a little bash.
*grins*
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Firefox To all exclusively. Lets all get together and burn FF2 on cd's and sell them at wal-mart, circuit city. best buy and the like for like a dime with big advertising like "WAY better then IE7 Get it while it's still cheap!"
I would Buy it just cause, if it was a dime and I already have it!
Just a thought
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I will make a guess that you are either a really lazy fanboy, or more likely, you're just the same person as FFAdvocate (note his message is 100% the same, as of the time of this post at least, with the comment FFAdvocate makes a few dozen posts above here).
FYI people: Having duplicate usernames in forums, etc., is a huge pet peeve of mine. Pretending to be more than one person is willfully deceptive and ethically wrong. While 95% of the world could care less about 'ethical issues', there are those 5% who will no longer take your words seriously. If you are willing to mislead us in the little areas, you are more than willing to lie about anything and everything else to get your point accross.
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do you even know where that whole argument started? IE started with code stolen from Mosaic,; Netscape came out with the early and faster gecko engine which took IE years to catch up on.
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Note: I didn't say I was under the impression IE came out after Netscape was beaten. I said I thought IE6 came out after Netscape was beaten. Has it really been 6 years now? How time flies.
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Pop up blocker comes to mind...not that it works that well against flash.
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IE didn't steal it, they actually licensed it. Look in the about dialog in IE, it says it right there...
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Bah...just another feature added to remain competitive, nothing innovative there. :p
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I guess alot of people just started liking FireFox and got used to it, just like they once got used to IE6, and now when IE7 comes they don't see a reason to start using something else when they already got a nice working browser.
Personally i couldn't care less what people use unless you are one of the users i support and i find you using IE6, then there will be hell to pay if i need to go on spyware/adware hunt again.
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Let the flaming begin...
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That didn't take too long...
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I use Safari! ;-D
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IE Sucks. Go for FireFox and Opera. They're the BEST!!!
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Firefox is too slow and it has a lot of memory leaks.
IE7 is very fast and very good.
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Vote Pedro for President 2008! (Oh wait, wrong thread)
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I use FF and IE, and I see no difference in anything.. who cares about Opera anyway.. just a load of rubbish. I will never again have that thing on my computer.. I tested it, and I despise it. I love IE7.. so much better than 99.9% of the browsers out there.
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