posted
My computer's been throwing up a lot of pop-ups lately and I don't know why. I got on Hatrack and got an ad for a porn site. I don't visit the sites this stuff comes from, so I don't understand. And NortonAnti-virus says I have some sort of Trojan virus but it can't remove it.
I'm using Windows Internet Explorer. If anyone could, just to start, tell me how I can possibly block pop-ups at least, that would be great. I know Bellsouth has a function that lets you automatically do that--does Windows?
Posts: 550 | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
Which virus, specifically, does Norton say you have? Your symptoms are typical of a number of them.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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The best way I've found to get rid of popups is not to use IE. I'm using Firefox right now (I think it works better than IE and you don't get all those annoying popups). If you do want to stick with IE, I know there are some pop-blocker programs you can use (I just don't know what they are, because I don't use it).
You should definately get rid of the virus though. NortonAV should tell you what virus it is. Then, once you know which one it is, you should be able to find removal instruction on their website.
#1 - AdAware, run this atleast once a month. Be sure to use the "Update" button. This will take care of those nasty popups, keep your Internet Explorer nice and clean.
#2 - Stinger, this is a quick disinfectant. Get rid of the most dominant and wide spread worms and viruses.
#3 - HouseCall, a complete and thorough check and clean of your system for any viruses.
If that doesn't solve your problem, look into Hijack This -- It's a lot harder to use, but it's very powerful, and you can see exactly what is going on with Internet Explorer.
Blocking popups is pretty easy. You could download the Google Toolbar for IE. Or you could grab an alternative browser (Firefox, Opera, Avantbrowser). Or you could download The Proxomitron, which filters web content before it gets to your browser (also blocking in-page ads), but it is somewhat complicated to use.
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posted
The biggest problems I have with IE unfortunately carry over to AvantBrowser -- generally abysmal standards support, particularly with PNG transparency (my kingdom for an alpha channel!) and CSS (child elements? nobody needs no stinkin' child elements).
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posted
I've got to second the recommendation for Firefox. I don't use ID nor outlook nor outlook express, so 95% of the virii/worms can't touch me. Besides that, Firefox is just a better browser.
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posted
Question: will any of these anti-adware programs remove adware currently on my computer, or do they just block new stuff?
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Hey, John. Why do you find AvantBrowser to be the best solution to malicious Internet software? Doesn't it still have Active X enabled?
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Because it blocks unwanted images, flash, scripts (java, activex, etc.), and off-server images, almost completely from a toggable interface on the front of the app (in the window instead of menus). It has the tabbed browsing that other browsers have, as well as "group favorites," which no browser has.
It's not just the best browser to surf safely, it has more features than anything else. And it runs on the fastest browsing engine on Windows (IE). It's not perfect, as nothing can stop a person from running with wide-open settings and downloading malicious sripts, but there is nothing better.
The hosts file thing, however, is a good thing to look at for any platform. By not connecting to bad servers, you keep yourself from risking even confirming your existence on the net to these bastards who love spamming, scamming, and otherwise taking advantage of people.
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posted
And there is no "best solution to malicious internet software." There are best solutions to avoid putting yourself in a position to be taken advantage of. The best security solutions in the world can be turned off, avoided, or just plain not bothered with by someone and be turned useless. Most spyware, scammers, and spammers count on people either turning such measures off or not having them on to begin with.
Anyone claiming to have something to stop malicious software is fooling themselves, no matter what OS, what platform, or what hardware. The biggest factor in security and flaws now is the user base.
Posts: 779 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
*checks Avantbrowser feature list vs Firefox*
Looks like it's fairly matched for each of them, but I don't like having ActiveX controls on my browser (some sites I visit try to run exploits on my machine), so I'll stay with Firefox.
I've got plugins to block Flash ("click to start Flash animation"), as well as plugins to block ads from domains (they're still there, but I don't see them at least). I've also got a plug in to remove objects.
Unfortunately, I can't view everything in FF, so I've got another handy plug in that lets me right click on a link, and I can open it in IE directly.
Posts: 851 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
With Mozilla/FireFox/Whatevernametheythinkofnext, you have to install the main thing, then extra stuff, to get almost the same functionality as Avant. FireFox cannot do group favorites, for instance, and there is no add-on to give it that ability. With Avant, it's as simple as double-click, hit "okay" a few times, and everything is already installed.
"Hands on computing" is not A Good Thing, especially with the room for error with it. Not only that, but Avant has no restrictions for sites like FireFox.
I'd say that the two might have a similar feature list... as long as you took out ease of install, ease of use (you can't turn off flash/images/popups with the push of a button sitting next to the print icon on Moz/FF), and browser compatibility. Most people don't (or don't want to constantly) give a crap about settings and security and making sure they can navigate menus to handle different things in browsing—if it isn't point-click, then it gets frustrating. Avant, even though it uses IE's engine, humiliates IE right along with every other browser out there in ease-of-use.
Oh, and I should mention that every single viewable button on the browser controls is configurable by just checking and un-checking on a list that doesn't require a whole new options pane or window to be opened.
[ March 24, 2004, 12:43 AM: Message edited by: John L ]
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Thanks for the Avant Browser info. I was about to install Firefox, but I'll take a look at this, too.
Posts: 1862 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Actually, I come from the other "School" of thought on browsers (and apps in general). I like a solid base, that can be added to with discrete modules. I don't like added cruft (which is implicitly added complexity, which works against your "ease of use" argument).
posted
I'd add that FireFiox is as easy as any other Windows app to install, and while the add-ons are an extra step, they are sublimely simple to install.
posted
Group favorites: you have three pages you view regularly, like three different forums. You don't want to have to open a new tab for each and use normal favorites to go to each page. In Avant, you can save all three (or more) as a "group favorite," and have them all open together. Invaluable when you have related addresses that you use together regularly. Also, because of this, when you shut down the program, you can save the links you had open at the time, to open automagically next time you start the app. This is helpful when you have a site that crashes your browser.
Oh, and those add-ons may be simple to install, but understanding which ones you need, finding them on the site, and downloading them is a lot more unnecessary steps.
[ March 24, 2004, 07:45 PM: Message edited by: John L ]
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posted
I don't see how it's any more difficult to install the plugins than it is to install the millions of updates to try to protect IE (and to install the apps and plugins to get rid of/prevent spyware on your machine).
All you do is click on Tools --> Options --> Extensions (you don't even have to click on Extensions if you were on that window last) --> Get More Plugins. There's a listing of plugins, grouped by category, and there's also a description as to what exactly it does. From there, you just tell it to install the plugin, and it does so.
There is an option to open up "groups" of links in a method similar to yours. In my menus, I break apart my links by topic (ie: comics, games, forums, etc). I have the option to load them all in tabs. By default, that option isn't there, but with the aforementioned plugins, you can do so.
Posts: 851 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Leto: you can open all the bookmarks in a given folder all at once, in tabs, in Firefox. Open In Tabs, at the bottom of each bookmark folder's menu.
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posted
But you can't save many of them in an accessible pane like your favorites, can you, fugu? If FF were to crash, it doesn't save the sites you were last on to go right back to them when you restart the program, does it?
And saying the add-ons are easy to build does not make it as easy and simple as Avant. They're still separate, and still must be separately downloaded and installed to work. I can make other programs as good as, say, Outlook's many capabilities (calendaring, scheduling, e-mail, business/personal contacts, and task management) as well as Outlook does, but it's not the same as having them all installed with one single install. The point of good software is to remove all the hard work for the user, to make it easier for them to do what they want to do, not a bunch of things they have to do first to be able to get their task done.
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posted
Oh, and MyIE2 came out on top on that comparison because it included stuff that had nothing to do with web browsing, which is nice for people who like things like weather reports and little things like that, but ultimately useless if you don't use them. In other words, it's a bit too much, in my opinion. I know a few who would like that, but most of my customers would have that stuff turned off.
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posted
Well, After reading all the comments in this thread, I'd like to take a moment to defend my favorite browser. Now, I love Firefox. I have been a supporter of Open Source for years, and I enjoy using open source software for anything I can. In reading this thread, I have found that several statements have been made which I disagree with or believe to be misleading. These comments primarily have come from John L, so I'll address most of these replies to posts he has made in this thread.
Disclaimer: I do NOT work for Firefox, Mozilla or any other Open source company or website. I have been a website developer for nearly a decade, and yes I am not the worlds biggest fan of Microsoft. All my comments are mine alone, I do not represent any software company or project. Also, I have tried to provide backup data and information to posts earlier in this thread, so where I rehash what others have mentioned, its usually only for clarity or to add a link.
Also, This is all based on my interpretation of the avantbrowser website, as I do not use Avantbrowser personally
referring to AvantBrowser:
quote:And it runs on the fastest browsing engine on Windows (IE).
I would like to reference two articles coming from ArsTechnica. The articles are here and here. The first article is interesting because it compares version of internet browsers without the influence of Microsoft Windows. The comparison chart located about halfway down the page shows that as a browser, Internet Explorer is one of the slower web browsers available. This does not indicate its speed when related to internal computer related actions when MS Windows uses the integrated portions of IE to access data. The second article I mention is simply to clarify the information available in the chart from the first article. In several places on several browsers (IE, Opera, Safari) load times are marked with an asterisk, indicating that the page did not render (display) properly. The second article discusses the standards compliance of the Gecko rendering engine. The Gecko rendering engine (the heart of the Firefox browser) is one of the most standards compliant engines available (see the last page of the article, under the section titled 'The Bottom Line').
Again, referring to AvantBrowser
quote:It's not just the best browser to surf safely
The implication in this statement is that AvantBrowser is safer than other browsers available for free. Now, AvantBrowser is built as a front end to Internet Explorer, according to the AvantBroswer FAQ available at avantbrowser.com, the avantbrowser is secure:
quote:Since it's based on Internet Explorer, Avant Browser is as secure as Internet Explorer.
To respond to this, I would simply like to show this Microsoft web page. This page lists only the 'Critical Updates' for Internet Explorer over the last 4 years (the oldest download is from 2000). The majority of these Updates are due to the ability of web sites to install or run executables without the intervention of the user.
Firefox security is supported by five basic items as listed in the Firefox FAQ from that FAQ:
quote: * It is not integrated with Windows, which helps prevent viruses and hackers from causing damage if they somehow manage to compromise Firefox. * There is no support for VBScript and ActiveX, two technologies which are the reasons for many IE security holes. * No spyware/adware software can automatically install in Firefox just by visiting a web site. * Firefox doesn't use Microsoft's Java VM, which has a history of more flaws than other Java VMs. * You have complete control over cookies.
Next, referring to the feature sets of Firefox and AvantBrowser:
quote:With ...FireFox..., you have to install the main thing, then extra stuff, to get almost the same functionality as Avant....
Firefox was originally designed as a branch of the Mozilla project. Mozilla was an open source project dedicated to providing a Netscape Communicator like environment, providing browsing, email, and news reader programs into one. Firefox branched off of the Mozilla Core to provide a small, lightweight, fast web browser only. This allows users to use whatever programs they feel like using to access any information. The firefox branch was adapted to allow for the easy and simple installation of "Extensions" (a name for the Firefox plugins top add other features). This design allows a user to have a perfectly functioning web browser, and add any feature they need, without building up a large, unused feature set.
Referring to the Extensions system (plugin system)
quote:Oh, and those add-ons may be simple to install, but understanding which ones you need, finding them on the site, and downloading them is a lot more unnecessary steps. .... And saying the add-ons are easy to build does not make it as easy and simple as Avant. They're still separate, and still must be separately downloaded and installed to work.
When Firefox is installed, it includes a list of bookmarks related to the Firefox browser, similar to what IE and Opera do when they are installed. Part of this bookmark list is a bookmark toolbar, which by default displays 3 links. These are 'Firefox Help', 'Firefox Support', and 'Plugin FAQ'. In response to the first sentence in the above quote, any user who clicks on the 'plugin FAQ' link will be sent to a page at the Mozilla development website, where the first links under the first section of the page is "Plugins and Mozilla Firefox (Windows)". Clicking on this link takes you to a FAQ page listing where to get and how to install common plugins like Java, Flash, Shockwave and others. Most of these programs make you download the same installer for Firefox as you would need to download for Internet Explorer, but the guys at the Mozilla center have provided a single pages to be able to access these products.
When a user is looking for additional features, they just might try clicking on the "Firefox Help" link provided by the browser. In the menu for this page is the Heading, "Extensions". Clicking this link will send users to a page listing all available add-ons for Firefox, and gives a list of what each of these add-ons does, and sorts them by function (such as advertisement blockers). These add-ons require only that the user click on the link, and Firefox will download and install the software to its default settings. Users then may edit those setting however they wish through the Tools menu. The vast majority of these add-ons also come with web pages that describe how they are used and how to change their configuration.
In general I think the ease to find and install the add-ons and features to Firefox is incredibly simple. In addition the Extension framework in Firefox allows users to add things they want after installing the browser, from what I was able to find on their website, AvantBrowser does not have this ability except with their password saving plugin and their skins to change AvantBrowsers appearance.
referring to AvantBrowser:
quote:Because it blocks unwanted images, flash, scripts (java, activex, etc.), and off-server images
By default, Firefox can block pop-ups and scripts (java, activex, VB, etc) by default. Should you wish to increase the ability to block other things, the extensions list we found earlier at Firefox Help, has AdBlock listed under the Page Display section, or simply as the first Extension listed alphabetically. AdBlock allows the uses to block Ads as well as Macromedia Flash images.
Referring to AdvantBrowser's bookmarking and favorites and tab browsing:
quote:It has the tabbed browsing that other browsers have, as well as "group favorites," which no browser has. .... Group favorites: you have three pages you view regularly, like three different forums. You don't want to have to open a new tab for each and use normal favorites to go to each page. In Avant, you can save all three (or more) as a "group favorite," and have them all open together. Invaluable when you have related addresses that you use together regularly.
...But you can't save many of them [bookmarks] in an accessible pane like your favorites...
Also, because of this, when you shut down the program, you can save the links you had open at the time, to open automagically next time you start the app. This is helpful when you have a site that crashes your browser.
If FF were to crash, it doesn't save the sites you were last on to go right back to them when you restart the program, does it?
In response to these, I would first point out that Firefox by default has a bookmarking function called 'Bookmark All Tabs in Folder'. This function allows you to bookmark all open tabs into a single folder. The bookmark menu will also let you open and entire folder of tabs with one click using the 'Open in tabs' choice in the bookmark list.
In reference to the 'accessible pane', I belive you will find that Firefox has a bookmarks sidebar by default, which allows you to have an open list of your bookmarks displayed next to the viewing window. I think this is what John L is referring to in Avantbrowser.
To answer the last part, yes if Firefox were to crash, you can have to save all your open tabs by default whenever it closes, even if it crashes rather than closes normally. When you reopen the browser, it will attempt to reopen all the tabs you had before, but will allow you to choose NOT to restore those tabs if one of the web sites you attempted to open crashed the browser. This is easily achieved by downloading and installing the aptly named Session Saver
quote:
...as nothing can stop a person from running with wide-open settings and downloading malicious scripts....
The point of good software is to remove all the hard work for the user, to make it easier for them to do what they want to do, not a bunch of things they have to do first to be able to get their task done.
Here I can agree wholeheartedly. Any browser can be exploited if the flaws are there, Internet Explorer (and as a result AvantBrowser) has had many security failures in the past. This is primarily a result of users running around online with the default internet explorer settings. Its is Microsoft's failure, not the users for these problems.
Good software does make it easy for the user to install, use and get the most out of the application. AvantBrowser is designed for people who want to download a shell to go over Microsofts IE, and give them a few extra features. It does allow them to do what they came to do, browse the web.
Firefox will eventually have some of the same problems as Internet Explorer. The primary difference will be that the defaults on Firefox are much more closed off than IE's. It is harder to find a malicious script that will attack a Firefox browser as hard as IE, simply because the Mozilla project does not have thousands of programmers who hate them as is the case with Microsoft's software.
Firefox has become just as easy as any other program on the average computer. Good documentation and a large user base allow for peer support and a web site that helps the users. The add-ons people want are easy to find and install if you spend 5 minutes looking for them. I will say that Firefox is not for people who want a 'dumb browser'. The user who wants to click and go needs something like Internet Explorer or Avantbrowser simply because it assumes the user is an idiot, and makes all the default choices for them. Firefox asks the user what they want to do when there is a question, and for those who aren't sure there is a default option marked for them.
Overall I still suggest using Firefox over any other browser on any platform for security, correct rendering, and capability.
quote:Well, After reading all the comments in this thread, I'd like to take a moment to defend my favorite browser. Now, I love Firefox. I have been a supporter of Open Source for years, and I enjoy using open source software for anything I can. In reading this thread, I have found that several statements have been made which I disagree with or believe to be misleading.
Translation: I don't like IE, so I will use misleading statements and irrelevant claims to argue that I have the better choice.
Sorry, bub, but I am also a supporter of OSS, but not to the point of being against something that works just fine but is CSS. The reason why is because over 98% of the user base wants Jack and Squat to do with the code itself, and OSS is in no way more secure than CSS by default, despite the very erroneous claims by those who would love to believe it is. Also:
quote:Also, This is all based on my interpretation of the avantbrowser website, as I do not use Avantbrowser personally
So, in other words, you don't even know what you are comparing to, but are instead going to compare your hands-on experience with Moz and FireFox with absolutely no experience with Avant. And you expect anyone to take what you say with anything but a grain of salt why?
quote:I would like to reference two articles coming from ArsTechnica. The articles are here and here.
The first article is irrelevant because it has to do with the Macintosh OS, not Windows. I won't disagree that IE for Mac sucks, but here's the kicker: AvantBrowser does not exist for the Mac.
In other words, your links are useless for anything but to mislead and have people misinterpret what is being discussed for the sake of your wordiness and hope to dazzle the non-geeky with a lot of words. Windows IE != Mac IE.
quote:Again, referring to AvantBrowser
quote:It's not just the best browser to surf safely
The implication in this statement is that AvantBrowser is safer than other browsers available for free. Now, AvantBrowser is built as a front end to Internet Explorer, according to the AvantBroswer FAQ available at avantbrowser.com, the avantbrowser is secure:
quote:Since it's based on Internet Explorer, Avant Browser is as secure as Internet Explorer.
To respond to this, I would simply like to show this Microsoft web page. This page lists only the 'Critical Updates' for Internet Explorer over the last 4 years (the oldest download is from 2000). The majority of these Updates are due to the ability of web sites to install or run executables without the intervention of the user.
Number ONE: DON'T misquote me. Either include everything I say, or just reply without a quote. What you just did there is twist what I said to mean something I did not. I said: "It's not just the best browser to surf safely, it has more features than anything else. And it runs on the fastest browsing engine on Windows (IE). It's not perfect, as nothing can stop a person from running with wide-open settings and downloading malicious sripts, but there is nothing better." And there is nothing better, as I will go on to illuminate for you.
Number two: FireFox has had no huge security problems yet because it's brand-spanking new. And do you want to get into posting patch lists? Afraid to post this one? Also, that list doesn't even contain all of them, because as RUS-CERT has pointed out, Mozilla has been "silently" patching things with their x.x.x upgrades two or more times a year, without ever releasing a patch to the older programs in the interim. And in case you can't read, pal, plenty of those security patches listed had to do with executing arbitrary code.
Chalk another one up to the misleading "facts" and leaving out of information to avoid facing the truth.
Oh, and from that FF FAQ:
quote:There is no support for VBScript and ActiveX, two technologies which are the reasons for many IE security holes.
Yeah, because removing what is actually a useful feature instead of making it operate securely—as it currently does in an updated IE—is better how? "No, sir, your house is safer without windows. Now a burglar can't break in through a window!"
That sounds like a good reason to avoid FireFox, not switch to it.
quote:
quote:With ...FireFox..., you have to install the main thing, then extra stuff, to get almost the same functionality as Avant....
Firefox was originally designed as a branch of the Mozilla project. Mozilla was an open source project dedicated to providing a Netscape Communicator like environment, providing browsing, email, and news reader programs into one. Firefox branched off of the Mozilla Core to provide a small, lightweight, fast web browser only. This allows users to use whatever programs they feel like using to access any information. The firefox branch was adapted to allow for the easy and simple installation of "Extensions" (a name for the Firefox plugins top add other features). This design allows a user to have a perfectly functioning web browser, and add any feature they need, without building up a large, unused feature set.
Stop breaking my quotes up. It's ridiculously annoying and it makes your misinformation even more obvious. Since explaining it seems to be lost on some people, I'll gladly give a visual demonstration:
Well, Mozilla's front is pretty darn sparse, and the menus don't offer near as much easy alteration. Everything must be done through the options windows, which unless you know how to change the settings, things can be... slightly obfuscated. Gee, I thought security through obscurity was a bad thing?
Of course, Mozilla looks like it has more than FireFox does up front. And the menus leave much to be desired. Must be because of all those "unsupported" things that make it more "secure." Riiiiiiiiiight...
So, where are all the features at?
quote:When Firefox is installed, it includes a list of bookmarks related to the Firefox browser, similar to what IE and Opera do when they are installed. Part of this bookmark list is a bookmark toolbar, which by default displays 3 links. These are 'Firefox Help', 'Firefox Support', and 'Plugin FAQ'. In response to the first sentence in the above quote, any user who clicks on the 'plugin FAQ' link will be sent to a page at the Mozilla development website, where the first links under the first section of the page is "Plugins and Mozilla Firefox (Windows)". Clicking on this link takes you to a FAQ page listing where to get and how to install common plugins like Java, Flash, Shockwave and others. Most of these programs make you download the same installer for Firefox as you would need to download for Internet Explorer, but the guys at the Mozilla center have provided a single pages to be able to access these products.
This is just a long-winded way of saying "users need to RTFM or they have little choice to get more use from the browser." That's one of the biggest flaws of OSS to date: user-hostile default environments.
quote:In response to these, I would first point out that Firefox by default has a bookmarking function called 'Bookmark All Tabs in Folder'. This function allows you to bookmark all open tabs into a single folder. The bookmark menu will also let you open and entire folder of tabs with one click using the 'Open in tabs' choice in the bookmark list. In reference to the 'accessible pane', I belive you will find that Firefox has a bookmarks sidebar by default, which allows you to have an open list of your bookmarks displayed next to the viewing window. I think this is what John L is referring to in Avantbrowser.
You think wrong, and that technique is not equal to AvantBrowser's capabilities. The group favorites part of the feature allows one to save all or selected pages into a group you can open simultaneously or separately, but the feature also includes crash protection, so you don't lose the page you were on if the app crashes, or if you close the app yourself (it can be set to prompt to save or just save automagically). Neither Mozilla nor FireFox has this ability, and only has "almost-the-same" features. However, neither have them as easily useable as AvantBrowser.
quote:To answer the last part, yes if Firefox were to crash, you can have to save all your open tabs by default whenever it closes, even if it crashes rather than closes normally. When you reopen the browser, it will attempt to reopen all the tabs you had before, but will allow you to choose NOT to restore those tabs if one of the web sites you attempted to open crashed the browser. This is easily achieved by downloading and installing the aptly named Session Saver
But it doesn't do it by default, and only with one of those "add-ons" that the user has to RTFM to even know it exists. And even then, it's not as easily accessible and up-front as it is in AvantBrowser. Oh, and where do you think Moz got the idea? They can emulate, but not completely, and not as close as they'd like, I bet.
quote:Here I can agree wholeheartedly. Any browser can be exploited if the flaws are there, Internet Explorer (and as a result AvantBrowser) has had many security failures in the past. This is primarily a result of users running around online with the default internet explorer settings. Its is Microsoft's failure, not the users for these problems.
As I already pointed out, Mozilla has had many security flaws in its passed, and unlike Microsoft, hasn't told its users about all of them, either. And since you are ignorantly assuming: no, Avant is not nearly as susceptible to default internet settings on IE. Of course, you would have known this, had you bothered to understand what you were trying to discredit before trying to discredit it.
quote:Good software does make it easy for the user to install, use and get the most out of the application.
Which, as I showed above, AvantBrowser does over both Mozilla and FireFox hands-down.
quote:Firefox will eventually have some of the same problems as Internet Explorer. The primary difference will be that the defaults on Firefox are much more closed off than IE's. It is harder to find a malicious script that will attack a Firefox browser as hard as IE, simply because the Mozilla project does not have thousands of programmers who hate them as is the case with Microsoft's software.
No, because FireFox is only a few months old, and there have been no patches. Like I already pointed out, they've been using x.x.x releases as their patches. Pretty sly, but misleading to users.
quote:I will say that Firefox is not for people who want a 'dumb browser'. The user who wants to click and go needs something like Internet Explorer or Avantbrowser simply because it assumes the user is an idiot, and makes all the default choices for them. Firefox asks the user what they want to do when there is a question, and for those who aren't sure there is a default option marked for them.
How elitist of you. AvantBrowser offers an easy to access group of options up front, with no obscurity, that enables full control over the browser to be placed firmly in the hands of the user, not a bunch of hobbyist geeks who think that every user must be the equivalent of a power user to be able to surf the web. If anything, judging by the sparse options and hard-to-find menus on Moz and FF, it would seem that they treat the user like an idiot, unless they want to take all the time they could better spend surfing their favorite sites or doing something productive reading over "documentation" that is often questionable at best, and almost always written by programmers for programmers, and if you don't understand the problem with that, then you've never tried to read instructions for working something that treated you like you already knew how to operate it instead of trying to show you how to.
From an end-user perspective, AvantBrowser is a totally superior browser for someone who wants quick, easy, and safe browsing without having to learn how the program works before being able to use it. I don't need to know how my telephone, car, TV, or refrigerator work to use them safely and efficiently, and an internet browser should be no different.
And I say this as someone who uses AvantBrowser, Mozilla, and FireFox, as well as does network security for financial and medical institutions, as well as working on two different development projects (one open-source, one not). FireFox is great to stick on my pen drive and use to surf the web from clients' and other places' computers, but when it comes to full-featured browsing at home, nothing beats AvantBrowser.
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![[Smile]](smile.gif)
If you do want to stick with IE, I know there are some pop-blocker programs you can use (I just don't know what they are, because I don't use it).![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Most people don't (or don't want to constantly) give a crap about settings and security and making sure they can navigate menus to handle different things in browsing—if it isn't point-click, then it gets frustrating. Avant, even though it uses IE's engine, humiliates IE right along with every other browser out there in ease-of-use.![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
