Strange quote on getfirefox.com website..


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Here's what I get from that quote:

"Beware of spyware." -- Makes me want to be more careful of the nasties out there.

"If you can, use the FireFox browser." -- If your business will allow you, or if you are able to use it, they recommend using Firefox.

Firefox is only more secure because it's newer, but it's still more secure, even if only slightly, and only for now.

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I think what they are trying to say is that not everyone will be able to download and install Firefox to their computers. Some businesses/corporations don't allow for users to install programs at all.

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On the official firefox website (getfirefox.com) you can see this:

Why Use Firefox?

?Beware of spywar If you canb>, use the Firefox browser.? - USA Today

?Better than Internet Explorer by leaps and bounds.? - FORBES

What does USA Today mean? That If i know how to protect myself from spyware using 3-rd party software such as ad-aware lets say, then using Firefox would be ok?

Does that mean that firefox doesn't protect me good enough from spyware?

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What does USA Today mean?

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They mean that some environments (such as a couple of jobs I've had) won't let you install extra software (such as Firefox). They set Active Directory restrictions on software installation so you can't install crap like Comet Cursor, Gator, etc., but at the same time they prevent you from installing stuff like Firefox and Thunderbird. It's a catch-22 really.

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What i get from it is that you should use firefox if you are enabled to. Certain things, such as businesses or if you need to use ie or some other browser for something specific, and you can't use firefox. Otherwise, it would be a smart decision to use firefox.

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Does that mean that firefox doesn't protect me good enough from spyware?

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that's not what they are referring to. the point is, that no browser can "protect you from spyware".

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Simply put, they are saying that one of the ways you can help protect yourself from spyware is to use Firefox. Use it if you are in an environment where you can, for example, your home computer or any computer where you have the right to install new software.

Firefox is only more secure because it's newer, but it's still more secure, even if only slightly, and only for now.

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Incidentally, this statement is not entirely true. There are 3 other good reasons why Firefox is more secure.

1. Most importantly, Firefox does not allow the use of Active X components (Internet Explorer does), which is one of the major tools used to put spyware on your computer. That is not to say that all applications of Active X are bad, but its use does pose a risk.

2. The amount of programming code used to create Firefox is much smaller than that used to create Internet Explorer. Any programmer will tell you that the number of errors in a program increases proportionately with the amount of code. More errors can lead to more vulnerabilities. Thus a program with fewer lines of code will statistically have fewer security holes.

3. Firefox has a smaller share of the Web browser market. If you were going to write code to exploit a web browser, odds are you would write code that would affect the greatest number of users. Since most people use Internet Explorer, most of the malware is written for it, rather than for Firefox.

It is true that over time more problems will be found in Firefox, and as more people begin to use it, more malware will be written for it. That said, it is still an inherently more secure browser, and will remain so until drastic changes are made to Internet Explorer

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They mean that some environments (such as a couple of jobs I've had) won't let you install extra software (such as Firefox).  They set Active Directory restrictions on software installation so you can't install crap like Comet Cursor, Gator, etc., but at the same time they prevent you from installing stuff like Firefox and Thunderbird.  It's a catch-22 really.

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Might it be possible to bypass the restrictions by using the portable USB key version of Firefox?

http://johnhaller.com/jh/mozilla/portable_firefox/

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