Browsers (Security/performance ?)

[Yhor]

I'll start off by saying that I've loved and used Firefox for a number of years now. I hope to find a solution to my problem without switching, but I'm prepared to go on a hunt for whatever is better for my needs.

It started back in May (I believe) with Microsoft injecting an addon into my Firefox without permission or notification. I had recently installed XP on a new drive and did an automatic update to save time. I removed the addon(s) via regedit and turned off updates and notifications by microsoft. Since then, I've had to remove this addon approximately 3 addition times... I have a problem with this and find it to be getting old really fast. I updated FF prior to the last removal of that addon (yesterday, 20th May, 2009) and I check updates for FF regularly.

My security, and my browser needs.
I use AVG and Comodo Pro for AV/Firewall-AV

I frequent sites such as YouTube, Hulu, and Fancast. So a stable video support is needed.

I'm a forums junky, and prefer to run adblock and noscript (or equivalent). As you can see to me left, I support sites I trust and frequent.


So, can anyone point me in the right direction? I'm opposed vehemently to Chrome and IE (security). I know there aren't many other choices out there for an XP user, but I wanted some trustworthy and (semi)unbiased advice (hence the reason I posted here, instead of Mozilla or other such sites).

Before I get flamed, lets get this out of the way...
I'm a loser
I need to lrn2interwebz
I kick kittens when confronted with something I need help for.

So, thanks for any helpful advice in advance .

[Petrah]

Opera.

Or, you can keep Firefox and install a custom host file, use OpenDNS, and block the darned thing once and for all from being installed anymore.

[zero-kill]

I use Chrome, live with the ads, and don't mind the occasional software glitch, after all nothing's perfect

[Seerah]

The .NET addon stays disabled for me, though I wish it was gone completely. I actually had forgotten to disable it when I installed Win7, and I got a popup the other day from FF saying that it was an unstable/insecure addon currently causing problems, FF disabled it, and for me to restart the browser.

[Yhor]

Originally Posted by Seerah The .NET addon stays disabled for me, though I wish it was gone completely. I actually had forgotten to disable it when I installed Win7, and I got a popup the other day from FF saying that it was an unstable/insecure addon currently causing problems, FF disabled it, and for me to restart the browser.

Same for me. I should be able to just live with it, but I'm concerned because of the installation process to begin with. Why hide it (the installation), why not ask for permission, and why make it so a regedit is necessary to remove it?

I've been checking out Opera, and so far I like it, even with no adblocking or noscript type features (that I've found yet, only just installed and checked performance). Everything I've read so far places it as #1 for security (browser code itself, without addons) and in the top tier for performance as well. I'm not ready to commit to it, but it looks and performs very well.

I'm looking at the option of keeping FF using the methods Petra described as well, but reading about Opera has me thinking about the bloat of other browsers (and I'm uneducated in regards to pros/cons of bloat, DNS, and custom host files... but I'll attempt to get educated asap).

Thanks again for the advice, comments, and general information. It is very much appreciated.

[TekNoir]

In Opera: Alt+P and go to the advanced tab. Select Content and uncheck all options. This makes Opera act like NoScript; not allowing any sort of script or addon to run on the page unless whitelisted. To selectively enable options for a particular domain, right-click on the page and select Edit Site Preferences. This has been around for quite some time in Opera -- which has been on the bleeding edge of web-browser technology since they began -- and it functions better than NoScript in my opinion, especially when combined with content blocking.

You use content blocking to block ads (or anything else you tire of seeing). Right-click on a page and select Block Content near the bottom. The browser then displays instructions near the top. You can find extensive premade block-lists on the internet if you so desire.

Opera also supports user-javascript (think Greasemonkey) if you are into that sort of thing. It is certainly not necessary and goes above and beyond what the NoScript or AdBlock addons do; in its ability alter the content and layout of the page itself.

For what it is worth, Chrome was the only browser not hacked during the first day (or for the entirety of the event for that matter) in the recent Pwn2Own hacking event, due to its built-in sandbox that isolates the browser from the OS. I don't think Opera was in the mix due to low market share, but that should make it less targeted and therefore more safe (to an extent).

Also, the next release of Firefox is supposed to have a "fix" for situation with the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant addon. It may have already been released by now. *shrug* I don't use Firefox on any of my systems.