Firefox fan mail

[David Gillaspey]

(All: the posts that follow started out in another thread that was unrelated to a discussion about the merits of Firefox. I've moved them here.

David Gillaspey
Forum admin)


[David, where did the spell checker go?Hi Carol,

A special spell checker is no longer necessary for the forum. Firefox has a built-in spell checker, that underlines in dotted red lines any misspelled words. That's a good reason to use Firefox, if you are not already. If you are, you may need to turn on spell checker in Firefox's preference settings.

Sincerely,

David Gillaspey
President
Great Church Websites

[flutem3]

[David, where did the spell checker go?Hi Carol,

A special spell checker is no longer necessary for the forum. Firefox has a built-in spell checker, that underlines in dotted red lines any misspelled words. That's a good reason to use Firefox, if you are not already. If you are, you may need to turn on spell checker in Firefox's preference settings.

Sincerely,

David Gillaspey
President
Great Church Websites

Hi, David,

I do not understand why people are so crazy about Firefox. I have it downloaded, but the only reason is to double-check the website. I see no advantages of it over Internet Explorer, and it loads much more slowly.

Other than check our website, I never use it so I did not know about the spell-check feature.

I guess you are forcing me to use Firefox whether I want to or not if I want a spell checker. :D What happened to the one which was on here? It just seemed to vanish when you worked on the forum the last time.

Please illuminate me about Firefox. I don't want to be the only person on the internet who does not understand why it is preferred by so many people. That would be a sorry state of events!

Carol

[JackWolfgang]

Please illuminate me about Firefox. I don't want to be the only person on the internet who does not understand why it is preferred by so many people. That would be a sorry state of events!

Illumination:


Firefox is not tied as tightly to Windows as Internet Explorer is which means it is safer to use. Because Internet Explorer is tied into the Windows the way it is, security breaches are much more serious in IE.
Firefox does a better job of rendering (X)HTML/CSS. Most of the time you hear about hacks for CSS, they are aimed at Internet Explorer. For the ACID 2 Test (http://webstandards.org/files/acid2/test.html#top) put out by the Web Standards Project (http://webstandards.org/), neither IE nor Firefox pass the test, but Firefox's rendering is a lot better than IE's. (You can actually make out the yellow circle of the smiley face in Firefox, where as IE gives you red screen.)
Firefox is available for the MacIntosh and Linux, IE is not. Which means that developing for the MacIntosh and Linux is easier in Firefox.
The Web Developer Toolbar (http://chrispederick.com/work/web-developer/) is available for Firefox, not for IE. Microsoft's knockoff is a nice try, but not as polished as the original.
Firebug (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1843) is available for Firefox, not for IE. Very nice debugging tool.
Firefox has integrated spell checking, and IE does not.

[flutem3]

Illumination:

WOW, Jack,

Thank you. I have asked that question a number of times without a satisfactory explanation. Now, you have given me several reasons to change over. It is going to be a difficult change and will take all the discipline I can muster, but I will join the Firefox Fans. :D

By the way, that reminds me of another related question. When I get the email from the forum, it is IE which brings me to the forum. Is there a way in the settings that I can change that? I am certain that IE must be the default setting on my computer so there has to be a way to change it.

My goodness, that is almost an ignorant question. Of course there has to be a way to change it. Otherwise people would be using IE which was installed with most computers, I think.

Thanks for such a good explanation. I appreciate it.

Carol

PS It is good to be back. I was sick for some time and then my computer was sick too. I really need to learn how to back up stuff efficiently. I lost almost everything I had on my computer...but not the website. I also had a sermon I am working on. All the pieces of it are there as well. Amazing!!

[David Gillaspey]

Reasons that non developers would want to use Firefox:

The tabs. I've been unemployed most of the past three years. I keep one Firefox browser window open at all times, with 10 to 12 tabs. Each tab is for a different job (hunting) site. I search for jobs by a number of keywords and other criteria. I got tired of repeatedly entering these criteria, so I finally figured out that I could save a search with all the criteria as a bookmark, and move that bookmark to the Bookmarks Toolbar. Every few hours, all day long, I check each tab in turn, and upon switching to a tab (that is, a different job site), I click the bookmark associated with it to redo the search. Saves me tons of time.

In addition, I keep other Firefox browser windows open, each with one or more tabs, for the work I'm doing on Great Church Websites, for my online art classes, or for other purposes.

Yesterday, Firefox crashed. When I launch Firefox after a crash, it asks me if I want to "restore the session." What that means is, do I want it to open the same number of windows as was open before the crash, each with the original number of tabs, and reload all the pages that were showing in the tabs before the crash?

You bet I do. Saves me tons of time.

Sincerely,

David Gillaspey
President
Great Church Websites

[flutem3]

Hi, David,

Thanks for your contribution to this discussion. I had no idea why Firefox is such a "gem," and I appreciate you and Jack taking your time to tell me all the stuff you do with it.

One thing I cannot find on mine that I could fine on IE is "send to desktop." Is that there under a different name or is there a function which basically does the same thing?

When I am doing a search, I frequently send a number of articles to my desktop and read them later. I do not like the "favorite" feature on IE because I discovered that I really wasn't saving favorites, I was saving stuff to read later...and didn't get back to it.

When it is on my desktop, I get to it. Because of this forum I have now switched to Firefox as my default browser. I downloaded Firebug as well, but I have no idea where it went. I cannot find it.

Carol

[JackWolfgang]

One thing I cannot find on mine that I could fine on IE is "send to desktop." Is that there under a different name or is there a function which basically does the same thing?

Firefox defaults to keeping things in the browser. You can also create a new shortcut on the desktop by clicking "New" then "Shortcut" from the context menu (which you get by right-clicking on the desktop), and then putting in an internet address.

I downloaded Firebug as well, but I have no idea where it went. I cannot find it.

Firebug should be appearing as small icon in your status bar. I have Firebug enabled for the two sites I manage, and so the icon appears on most sites as a small grey circle with a slash through it (like the "no" symbol). On those two sites, it often shows as a white checkmark on a green circle that I can click when I need it.

[HansR]

I'm relatively new to Firefox, downloaing it about two months ago only because of the kudos I read about the Firebug app. It's amazing! Turn it on and by simply rolling over your page it will display the code applicable to the highlighed region. Because style sheets cascade, it's not uncommon for a single element to have multiple styles attached to it. Firebug will display all of your .CSS, crossing out that which has been overwritten. It makes it much easier to track down why a page isn't displaying the way you'd like it to. But as Jack pointed out, it also renders your code more accurately than IE does, so there are less suprises. It really behaves much more like a development tool than a browser.

You'll still need another style sheet for Explorer, though. Too bad someone can't create a Firefox plug-in for IE. :)

[flutem3]

Hi, you guys!

I know this is going to sound absurd, but for those people who read and don't participate...what is Firebug for exactly? I have it downloaded. Now that I do and have it on my toolbar, what next?

Jack, you said you used it on a couple of sites. Could you tell me how you use it exactly? By the way, I did find the circle with the line through it. Right now, it is gray with a line through it. I don't have it enabled since I don't know what it is supposed to do or not supposed to do.

I don't want it to surprise me...and then spend hours looking for something wrong that isn't wrong. It is just Firebug doing its thing. :D

Carol

[HansR]

Hi Carol,

I know this was directed to Jack, and he'll likely be able to add to this. But I'll take a stab...when I am in Firefox and right-click the browser window I am given the option to Inspect Element. This opens a frame at the bottom of the Firefox browser. Tabs provide options to Inspect or Edit. (I'm more comfortable jumping back and forth between Dreamweaver, so I only use this for troubleshooting.)

With Inspect selected, you may roll over your page. Upon mouse over, your DIVs and other elements will become highlighted by an outline of the element. As you hover, the bottom frame displays the code related to the selected element. I usually work with .HTML displaying in the bottom left and the .CSS in the bottom right.

For me, reading the .HTML is fairly straightforward and easy to decipher. Simple styles are not too bad, but .CSS can get hard for me to follow when styles overwright each other. That's when Firebug really shines.

Style sheets cascade, which means there is a specific set of rules for which code will display when contradicting styles are applied. For example: Because different elements have different default margins and padding, I find it easier set all margins and padding to zero, adjusting individual elements as needed. So in my case, the first command in every .CSS file is:


* {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}

So, on my pages the above code will display for every element and will have a strike through it when a particular element has a different margin or padding applied.

Also, when you work with the code, thumbnail images and color swatches appear as you hover. This makes it much more simple to see what your code is telling the browser to do.

I'd point you to your favorite website (yours or someone else's) and turn Firebug on. Roll your mouse around and inspect the elements. It’s really a lot more intuitive than I’ve described. If you still have questions, just ask.

Blessings!

[flutem3]

Hi, HansR, (Is your name really Hans?) Your profile is blank. :confused: I am so confused!

Thank you for your explanation. I will indeed do as you directed. That is the wonderful thing about this place. People know the answers to the questions. If one person doesn't, or is busy, another person jumps right in. I appreciate that! It is wonderful to have such resources at hand. I love it. :)

I hope that people who are new to the computer and building websites are at least reading this forum. They will find if they don't understand at the moment, eventually they will. And they will have learned it from the people right here. I have read all kinds of information that I did not understand when I read it. But some of it I understand now and can use. What a gift!!

Thanks again!

Carol

[JackWolfgang]

Hi, you guys!

I know this is going to sound absurd, but for those people who read and don't participate...what is Firebug for exactly? I have it downloaded. Now that I do and have it on my toolbar, what next?

Jack, you said you used it on a couple of sites. Could you tell me how you use it exactly? By the way, I did find the circle with the line through it. Right now, it is gray with a line through it. I don't have it enabled since I don't know what it is supposed to do or not supposed to do.

I don't want it to surprise me...and then spend hours looking for something wrong that isn't wrong. It is just Firebug doing its thing. :D

Firebug is designed to help diagnose problems in (X)HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Here is a screen shot of Firebug working with the First Christian Church of Tallahassee web site:

http://images.JackWolfgang.com/GreatChurchWebsites/200807Jul21/FirebugFCCMain.jpg

In the screenshot, I have the list selected that drives the "Accessibility" menu (Skip Menus | Accessibility Features | Access Keys are emphasized). In the left pane of Firebug, the XHTML is shown as a treeview, allowing me to select whatever element I want to examine (this can also be done using the Inspect menu and clicking the desired element). In the right pane, the CSS that applies to that element is shown. In the right pane, I can switch to Layout view, which gives a graphical representation of the size of the element, its margins, its paddings, and its borders (shown below):

http://images.JackWolfgang.com/GreatChurchWebsites/200807Jul21/FirebugFCCLayout.jpg

Firebug can also be used to diagnose problems with JavaScript/ECMAScript, but I am not familar enough with the plugin to discuss that functionality yet.

[flutem3]

Hi, Jack,

Thank you, and thanks for using a screen shot to help me understand. I am not certain if Firebug will be all that useful on a WYSIWYG site. But I am going to check it out to see what I can see. It certainly won't hurt, and who knows, I just might learn something. I normally do from these kinds of things.

I really am grateful for the time that you guys spend in answering my questions. I still am hopeful that other people who are not so experienced as some of you guys will write and ask questions. Of course, if they are like I was, I had no idea a place like this or UMConnect exist. It was only after I had been using a computer for over a year that I discovered both places and then I wouldn't post because I thought I didn't have anything to add.

That is wrong. If nothing else, I can be a cheerleader and most of us need that from time to time. I also can be a part of the welcoming committee. We all have something to offer. Not everyone will need what I can offer, but we can be certain that some people will.

One of the very neat things that has happened because of this forum is my realizing that someone was a true beginner. I contact him/her off-list, and I have been able to offer some extremely basic thoughts and ideas. And it is fun as well. And I meet some neat people. Can't beat that!!!

Thanks again, Jack!

Carol

[JackWolfgang]

Thank you, and thanks for using a screen shot to help me understand. I am not certain if Firebug will be all that useful on a WYSIWYG site. But I am going to check it out to see what I can see. It certainly won't hurt, and who knows, I just might learn something. I normally do from these kinds of things.

That's true. It's a much more helpful tool for people who have control over the HTML and CSS.

I really am grateful for the time that you guys spend in answering my questions. I still am hopeful that other people who are not so experienced as some of you guys will write and ask questions. Of course, if they are like I was, I had no idea a place like this or UMConnect exist. It was only after I had been using a computer for over a year that I discovered both places and then I wouldn't post because I thought I didn't have anything to add.

That's no problem. Thanks for asking questions, it helps us to think about what we are doing and why.

That is wrong. If nothing else, I can be a cheerleader and most of us need that from time to time. I also can be a part of the welcoming committee. We all have something to offer. Not everyone will need what I can offer, but we can be certain that some people will.

This is very true. Hebrews 10:23-24 says the following:

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

Thanks again, Jack!

You're welcome, again, Carol!

[Danny Carlton]

...I want a spell checker. :D What happened to the one which was on here? It just seemed to vanish when you worked on the forum the last time.I'm curious, which spellchecker did the site prevously use?

[Faithhb_lutheran]

vbulletin has a built in spell checker. that was what i used to use for the site, I think that's what carol was talking about.

[flutem3]

Hi, Danny and Kyle,

That is the one I was talking about. It disappeared. Then David said the Firefox has a spellchecker so I changed my default browser to Firefox. I actually spell decently, but I like to have the double-check...and besides that I have become used to having it at my beck and call! I still don't know why some people prefer Firefox over IE. Oh, well. Maybe some day I will.

And when my computer crashed, I discovered that the spellchecker on Outlook Express does not work unless Word is installed. I had no idea they were related. I have learned a lot since my computer crashed!!!

Carol