[OPLINTECH] Firefox and Firefox adm

[Chip Kruthoffer]

For those of you interested in Firefox, see:

http://spaces.msn.com/in-cider/

and

http://www.frontmotion.com/Firefox/fmfirefox.htm

The latter was mentioned on this list some weeks ago. I have installed it on a
test GPO but haven't had the time to go much further with it. It looks good,
though, with hundreds of configurable settings comparable to those available
in the standard MSFT IE adm.

Firefox is my personal preferred browser, and I heartily endorse its use (esp.
w/ AdBlocker, the most wonderful extension existing.) However, IMHO,
implementing FF in a public library setting is problematic because you are
pretty much forced to make IE available to the public, too. Too many sites
still require IE! And much of the value I derive from FF is in the plethora of
TERRIFIC extensions. I probably have 15-20 that I use personally and derive
value from daily. Managing 25, 50, 100+ public computers with one (crummy)
browser is difficult enough. Adding FF compounds the difficulty, and making
all the extensions I'd like to make available (and keeping them updated) is a
management task I don't relish.

I have played with the beta of IE7 extensively, and it does seem better than
IE6, but I still prefer using FF, and by a wide margin at that. See:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/ie7/default.mspx

and

http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/default.aspx

If anyone has abandoned IE in favor of FF on your public computers, I am sure
we'd all benefit from learning about your experience.


Chip Kruthoffer, Head of Systems
Lane Public Library ~ http://www.lanepl.org
1396 University Blvd. (Admin. Center)
Hamilton, Ohio 45011
Phone: (513) 785-2706 ~ Fax: (513) 844-6535
Email: c.kruthoffer at lanepl.org