Solved Best Browser to Replace Internet Explorer With?

[woodbine]

It seems it's not just Windows 7 that has had the plug pulled on it. I'm still using IE11, and finding more and more websites being problematic when using it. Youtube won't be watchable for much longer with IE.


Being lazy and no good with computers, I would like to replace it with something that appears and operates as closely to IE as is possible. I've looked at the choices and I'm bot sure which is best to go for. Edge seems good. Any recommendations appreciated.

 

[Megahertz07]

For what I know, Edge is only available on Win 10.
I use Firefox with some Add on. Download the Firefox Browser in English (US) and more than 90 other languages
Many people like Google Chrome. I don't like it as it is memory resident (starts on the background when Windows starts) and spy everything you do, online and off line. Google Chrome - The New Chrome & Most Secure Web Browser
There is also Opera Opera Web Browser | Faster, Safer, Smarter | Opera

 

[Bree]

For what I know, Edge is only available on Win 10.

The new Edge based on Chromium is available across multiple platforms, including Windows 7. FWIW I use Firefox as my main browser.


https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge

 

[Megahertz07]

Edge will also spy everything you do but is good to know that is one more option.

 

[Bree]

Edge will also spy everything you do but is good to know that is one more option.

I thought Google's Chrome was the worst offender in that respect

 

[Struggling7]

Another vote here for FireFox.

 

[Golden]

If you are after stability and security, Chrome is good option.

 

[file3456]

Check out Brave which is "supposed" to be privacy friendly. It is Chromium based.

If you're in for a niche browser and liked what Firefox looked like years ago, then check out Pale Moon.

Now Brave uses Webextensions while Pale Moon uses XUL. Webextensions are rife with hacking potential. Any browser that is Chromium based like Chorme or Brave will use Webextensions. Same is true for Firefox now.

I run Pale Moon as my main browser and if a website or the God awful Recaptcha doesn't work I use my plain vanilla Firefox install.

In addition to a browser, You should also check out the now free program Sandboxie which will help keep malware at bay. Read about it, learn about it, love it.

 

[woodbine]

Thanks to everyone for their views and advice. Looked at the recommendations and liked Brave. However, when I looked at videos on Youtube reviewing Brave, the screen/dashboard seems to have so many things on it - and to make it all fit on everything seems very small. Are there any less cluttered browsers that would be less of a strain on my bad eyesight?

 

[woodbine]

Just had a look at Pale Moon on some Youtube review videos. The screen seems to be very clearly laid out and uncluttered with all the necessary functions close to hand. It doesn't seem to be overburdened with unnecessary clutter. The font seems a sensible size. I also like that the layout doesn't seem a million miles away from my old IE11.

Can I ask current PM users what the pros and cons are? For something that seems quite niche, will it be a suitable everyday replacement for IE and be suitable for use as the only browser?

 

[file3456]

As I said already in post #8.

I run Pale Moon as my main browser and if a website or the God awful Recaptcha doesn't work I use my plain vanilla Firefox install.

Also read what I said about Sandboxie for your browser.

 

[file3456]

Pale Moon is sometimes discriminated upon by websites that sniff the UA (User Agent). So these bastard websites are looking for Chrome or Firefox and if they don't see that they give you trouble. I avoid most of this with the UAContol add-on and make it look like my browser Pale Moon is actually the latest Firefox and Windows 10.

Pale Moon's website has a bunch of add-ons and you can add the Classic Archive add-on to get the old tried and true XUL-based add-ons that used to run in Firefox until they jumped ship and went the way of asinine Chrome. Find this add-on here: Releases . JustOff/ca-archive . GitHub

If you are really wanting to try Pale Moon, you can download it as a portable, no installation required and take it for a spin. Pale Moon for Windows downloads

I highly recommend you sign up for their forum if you have any questions, concerns or need help. That's the go to place for help with Pale Moon since they all know the inter workings of the browser.

 

[file3456]

If you chose to roll the way I do with the UAControl add-on and make it look like Pale Moon is the latest Firefox under Win 10, then this is the UA string you want:

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; WOW64; rv:72.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/72.0

This is for the default sites not listed option in the UAControl add-on settings.

To stay abreast of new Firefox releases go here: Directory Listing: /pub/firefox/releases/

Scroll all the way down to the last version that is not denoted with a B that is beta and you
you'll see version 73 is now out.

So just change the UA I gave above from 72 to 73.

Note, you don't use 73.2 or 73.3, etc. Just 73, or 74, or 75, etc. Whole numbers.

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; WOW64; rv:73.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/73.0

See the difference?

Note that Pale Moon does ship with an option in the Preferences settings to use one of three different UAs. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes some websites (not all) require or want to see a certain UA. That's why I use the UAControl add-on because I can tell one site to see this UA while another site will see another UA. And with all websites not listed they see me as using the latest Firefox with Win 10. LOL



Also note that Pale Moon, unlike today's Firefox or Chrome has a very low RAM footprint unless you have a billion tabs open. Here's mine right now and no multiple processes like Chrome or Firefox.

 

[woodbine]

Thanks for your replies F22. Sounds a great browser with a few tweaks. I'm afraid some of what you wrote went over my head though. What is a string, and how would I use the code you gave? Is it something I would be able to do as someone with basic computer skills?

 

[file3456]

Is it something I would be able to do as someone with basic computer skills?

Yes, it's just an add-on for the browser called UAControl.

I used the word "string" to describe the User Agent (UA). See that there decribing Windows 10 and Firefox 73?

You'd use that in the UAControl add-on.

 

[woodbine]

Would I get the UAControl add-on from the Pale Moon browser itself, or from the Pale Moon website? Or do I download it from somewhere?

Should I download Pale Moon, then do the UA add on after?

Apologies for the basic questions, but computers aren't really something I know a lot about. Would have been happy in my comfort zone staying with IE, but not really an option now.

 

[file3456]

Read post #12 again. In fact, read everything I said very, very carefully.

 

[woodbine]

OK, thanks F22. I missed the vital info.

So, download Pale Moon browser, then select Classic Archive add-on and also select UAControl add-on - but change the code to the one you quoted? If I understand correctly.

I may be back with a few basic questions when I am starting the process of add-ons.

 

[NoN]

Check also Opera browser that have a nice add-on ad blocker call Ghostery:Ghostery Makes the Web Cleaner, Faster and Safer! I find it easy to use and quite reliable in his parameters. Got the same problems with IE11 not loading properly some sites.

 

[file3456]

Check also Opera browser that have a nice add-on ad blocker call Ghostery:Ghostery Makes the Web Cleaner, Faster and Safer! I find it easy to use and quite reliable in his parameters. Got the same problems with IE11 not loading properly some sites.

Opera is infected with the coronavirus, i.e owned by the not so trustworthy Chinese. I wouldn't touch it with a 20' poll and their so-called "VPN" is probably sniffed and it's really a proxy.