Someone sent me a link to this site. It's a good read. The Mozilla guys have done a very nice job with Firefox, no doubt, but the mythology around the thing has become epic. The Mozilla guys have been been mostly good about not spreading these too much from what I can tell, so it's really the fanboys and the press.
I haven't verified everything on the site nor have I read it completely even, but a quick pass seems consistent with things I know.
Anyway, read it and judge for yourself.
David Hammond Reply
Hi, I'm one of the sources this article cites, and I will tell you this page's contents are misleading at best.
The author is known to lie about his identity, he has gotten banned from many sites including digg for rampant spamming, and he deliberately misquotes many people on his page. Look down at the "Fanboy Quotes" section in the sidebar. Every single one of those people vocally criticized the Firefox Myths page, and the author's response was to take parts of phrases they said out of context, manipulate them, and pass them off as if they support his page.
Just search for "firefox myths" on Google and check out the responses to his page. The truth is that Mastertech (a.k.a. Andrew K., David Dobsen, FFeLEET, GeneralAres, Jim, Joe Somebody, Mike G., MT, NewsHound, Realist, TheHardTruth, Thor, Vincent, and other aliases that have been confirmed to be the same person) is spreading new myths on his page.
Many people have asked that he make corrections to his page, but he simply ignores them, saying something like "the sources speak for themselves." Well, he says his page only deals with Firefox on Windows, but Secunia (his source for security vulnerabilities) doesn't list a single "extremely critical" vulnerability that affects Windows, unlike what his page claims. His source for browser speed is the website of an Opera employee. And there's my site, which he attempted to misrepresent until he was forced to more or less correct it -- although it's still worded in a deliberately misleading way -- and to get back at me he added lies about actions I have taken on my site (I never redirected anyone coming from his site to a different page).
Please take a look at the author's history and the responses to this page before you make a decision. If you want a similar article that presents the facts in a more balanced manner, I have created a page with the same name (search for "firefox myths web devout") to do just that.
Kevin Reply
awww... a monopolysoft employee tags onto the nearest fud without "getting the facts"... how cutely characteristic!!
Tony Reply
Thanks, David for the fair response. As I recommended, read it and judge for yourself.
Kevin, it's ironic to me that you're generalizing me with 60,000 other people without knowing anything about me. How characteristic of the anti-Microsoft crowd.
natmaster Reply
"Kevin, it's ironic to me that you're generalizing me with 60,000 other people without knowing anything about me. How characteristic of the anti-Microsoft crowd."
Oh look, both sides are guilty of the same thing. Whatdayaknow.
Andrew Reply
Another blog spammed by one of the fanboys who goes around spreading lies about me and my site.
Many fanboys have DEMANDED I include IE bashing material so they can make excuses for the facts. That will NEVER happen.
And David was caught red handed redirecting visitors to specially created warning pages from my page. Oh he can cry all he wants and try to manipulate what happened but it cannot happen any more.
Tony if you don't think Firefox is the almighty and Microsoft is Satan you have already been labeled.
Tony Reply
Well, since I'm the Group Program Manager of IE, I think I've already been labeled a long time ago...
-- Tony
Mr F.Fox Reply
Firefox Fables is also worth a read:
http://nanobox.chipx86.com/FirefoxFables/
Andrew K Reply
Tony, please take a look at David's page in IE and tell me who is being fair:
http://nanobox.chipx86.com/
Nothing is more fair then a big fat warning for only IE visitors telling them there is a problem with their web browser. The only problem being that the page is set to check the Browser ID for IE users.
FirefoxFables Reply
Here's the real FirefoxFables
www.FirefoxFables.com