I recently downloaded Mozilla and i was expecting a new browser but I noticed its basically an open source Netscape browser. Did Netscape go bankrupt?
Printable View
I recently downloaded Mozilla and i was expecting a new browser but I noticed its basically an open source Netscape browser. Did Netscape go bankrupt?
Actually, recent versions of Netscape (at least from version 6 on) are Mozilla on the inside. In many ways it's superior to the older Netscape browser, but I still keep Netscape v4.7 installed on my computer for a couple of features which aren't the same in the Mozilla-powered Netscape. I find that Mozilla is actually a bit better than the equivalent version of Mozilla-powered Netscape.
I beleive that AOL bought out Netscape, and intended to use it as their primary browser. However since AOL and Microsoft have kissed and made up recently AOL aren't really bothering much with Netscape in any of it's incarnations.
I quite regularly use Mozilla Firebird - http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/ - which is the browser only version of Mozilla, and it's a really nice browser - the tabbed interface is superb to use, and it has a pretty light footprint in memory and on your hard drive!
Mozilla is essentially an opensource outgrowth of Netscape, however it is a much different animal, and for one thing it's activelly supported and improved on weekly - and unlike some browsers you can't hack into someone's computer through a bug or a back door in it :)
Could somebody please explain to me why it is considered much more difficult to hack Mozilla than Internet Explorer, after all, Mozilla is open source, so it should be easier to look for weaknesses. Isn't it more likely that, since probably over 80% of all internet surfers use IE, it makes more sense, from a hacker's point of view, to search for weak spots in the Microsoft browser?Quote:
Originally posted by Tobian
... - and unlike some browsers you can't hack into someone's computer through a bug or a back door in it :)
Besides, Mozilla doesn't support all options available for the IE users, like e.g. CSS.
Ok well there are many reasons why Mozilla is less hackable than IE.
1) it's less popular - it's the same reason you don't get hardly any viruses on the Mac
2) it's geeky - Geeks respect the work of other geeks, and they do not respect corporations - hence they will always go for the browser of choice!
3) it's not connected to your system! this is the most important one - I.E. hooks into your system, something which the uropean union has complained about, much like it's media software, it's an irreperably connected part of the operating system - ergo if you hack into I.e. you are hacking WINDOWS - if you crash / hack / destroy Mozilla - you do those things to MOZILLA - people CANNOT get into your operating system through it.
With regards to CSS - I'll displl that myth right now - Mozilla is *THE* most standards compliant browser available - it is ALLOT more compliant (with respects to the WC3 authority) than Internet Explorer. However it doesn't support some of the elements I.E. does because they are MICROSOFT only components.
Mozilla isn't perfect by any means, it's still in Beta, and it doesn't support all plugins so well, but with respect to trust - I think I trust it more than the full version of I.e. - for one it has popup suppression THAT WORKS! :D
Tobian didn't mention one other thing:
Mozilla/Firefox doesn't support COM add-ins. Such add-ins as embedded controls can enhance the browsing experience -- but like anything that adds power, they add danger. It's possible to exploit, for example, Brower Helper Objects to perform malicious tasks.
One reason why I like Firefox is that it *doesn't* support all these fancy features, which IMO aren't necessary for 99.9999...% of browsing experiences; i.e. their risk/reward tradeoff is skewed the wrong way.
Yes i forgot about those, but then I wasn't getting too technical! :D
Yes basically put - this means that people can run commands on your computer from a remote workstation or by the use of a trojan / Virus - without you being able to do anything!
Microsoft is often adding in features to 'help' it's users out - great lets enhance the users experience by opening them up to internet attack :)
There are proprietry reasons why Microsoft has had to ditch the support for Plugins and use Active X plugins for the latter versions of it's browsers, but these complex instructions are rife for abuse, and there are many huge holes in the system.
That is what I was partially refering to when I mentioned system connections. The problem is that most of the time Microsoft security holes are specifically because they have allot of the safety features turned off (and obscure to turn on) - in the interests of making a smooth internet experience... Your granny won't be able to cope if she is given a security warning telling her that a page might breach accepted internet conventions - so they simply turn off the warning - and let you walk in - Mozilla is PURELLY a web browser - you can't run software within it - all you can run is runtime plugins - which in and of themselves are sandboxed within the system (and anyone stupid enough to download and run a plugin from a warez site or P**N site deserves what they get LOL)
While I recognise that Microsoft (and hats off to them for it) have gone a long way in trying to rectify this by fixing alot of these security loopholes in recent programes, the problem is that they are faced with the problem that the very reason why people bought their machines - because they were percieved to be 'easy and simple and secure' etc - is the reason why many people don't upload the latest security patch... untill they are struck with a dreaded worm / virus / spyware attack etc (and spyware can be AS pernitious as any virus - I had a friend of mine who had a programe run at startup which caused internet popups to appear on his screen even when he wasn't browsing gah! and that was a B**CH to get rid of!)
There comes a point with I.E. that despite it's greater support of websites (if not actual WC3 features - say hello to correct CSS and PNG transparency anyone!) because so man of them are simply targeted at the shortfalls of I.E> rather than making them web-standard-compatible - were it's not worth it anymore..
I feel like I am evangelising here, but you guys should seriously try Frebird - it might take you a while to realise what's different, but the differences are subtle and briliant!
yeah i downloaded FireFox a couple days ago and its great. The other Mozilla browser was definitly a resource hog.