Why Is Firefox Stilll Way Behind IE?

Is FF more popular among a certain demographic?

[walrus]

Is FF more popular among a certain demographic or is it just gaining popularity slowly?

When i was checking analytics i noticed under browsers that FF was still only 15 % compared to IE at 80 %. I expected FF to be a lot more popular by now, just wondering what others are experiencing.

[walrus]

Sometimes if you get together with other people who have bought the same package, and provide legal information about why they need to conform to standards, you can apply pressure more effectively!

Are there many class action suits against software makers?

IE is a solid family car which will take you more or less everywhere. FF is great on a well-maintained highway, but it can't handle bumpy roads.

Netscape would be the old VW.

[gettopreacherman]

I have found several issues with FF and why I don't use it more than just checking my site layouts and such:

1) ActiveX - I do a lot of windows development and web apps in Asp.net don't work very well with the ActiveX Plugin FF has.

2) Unfortunately there are still many that don't get websdesign, and ultimately to an end user if they use a browser and the site is "broken" or it looks bad in a browser and then they swap to IE and it looks fine, which would you use?

I don't think we will see FF gain ground until we see more sites code appropriately and some of the plugins become more readily available and actually work...

[Gibble]

I don't know what you're doing in ASP.NET, but it generates pages that render fine in FF. I use FF all the time, and I honestly don't know the last time I had to switch to IE to view a page properly.

[gettopreacherman]

No, i'm not saying Asp.net...ActiveX controls with Asp.net...the ActiveX plugin for FF doesn't work half the time or it doesn't install correctly half the time...

[Gibble]

But...what do you need ActiveX for?

[gettopreacherman]

Then you really don't get Asp.net. It's not that I need it for one or the other, it's that web applications developed in Asp.net use ActiveX as control objects for additional functionality, things javascript-like...it's a MicroSoft thing. So, when using advanced controls within the Asp.net realm, activex is used heavily, and in order to use the web app correctly, activex needs to be downloaded and installed on the computer for browsing...something FF has a hard time with.

[Gibble]

I don't think it's I that's using .NET incorrectly.

What exactly are you referring too that requires an ActiveX component?

[gettopreacherman]

Dude, i'm not the one developing the .net controls...i'm not the one using the ActiveX in my development...I'm saying that sites that Require the ActiveX component, a lot of times are .net, don't work in FF...don't ask me what I need activex for, ask those that develop with it...i develop in .net and thus know that activex is used in a lot of .net controls and setups, if you go to a site with activex being using with FF it don't work half the time, that's the point of my post...not whether I'm developing in .net correctly or not.

[Gibble]

You just said "that web applications developed in Asp.net use ActiveX as control objects for additional functionality, things javascript-like...it's a MicroSoft thing"...I don't know of anything in .NET that requires ActiveX? ActiveX has nothing specifically to do with .NET that I have come across.

That's why I had asked what .NET control you've used that requires ActiveX...because I haven't seen one, and I've been using .NET to develop for years, without problems creating sites for FF and IE.

If you're going to assert that .NET uses ActiveX...show me...as I'm apparently missing something.

[gettopreacherman]

The first off the top of my head are Infragistics controls. I was doing a web app using the Infragistics controls, and some of those used activex...of course that could have changed since they are always updating those versions.

Another example: Small Business Server 2003, if you have a small business and use sbs2003 for your server, they use activex for security controls. Had a user that had a Mac and needed to connect to the network from home, worked on FF and the activex plugin for hours and couldn't get it to work properly.

Those are a couple, usually activex is in addition to some sort of control, not an integral part. Activex is not used as much as Microsoft would like, but when it is used it pretty much limits the application to IE and IE only...unless you have a plugin.

[Gibble]

Neither of those are ".NET" though, both are third party add ons to .NET.

Well, SBS, is still M$, but it's not a direct component of .NET.

ActiveX is virtually dead.

It's insecure, and like you said, M$ proprietary.

[walrus]

If you are using Frontpage there may be some issues.