# Whats your favourite OS and browser?



## Dude111 (Aug 6, 2010)

My favourite is Win98se and IE6 (Although i use MyIE2 as my browser as i like having tabs (MyIE2 accesses the IE engine))

I dont use IE6 directly very often but sometimes i do


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

Dude111 said:


> My favourite is Win98se and IE6 (Although i use MyIE2 as my browser as i like having tabs (MyIE2 accesses the IE engine))
> 
> I dont use IE6 directly very often but sometimes i do


I hope it's just your favorite OS and not what you actually use.

Personally, my favorite OS is Linux Mint. My favorite MS OS is DOS. For Windows, its 7.


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## BubblePuppy (Nov 3, 2006)

Laptop browser: Chrome
Nexus 1 browser: Dolphin HD
Laptop 1 OS: Vista
Laptop 2 OS: Expired W7 Beta (that I can't seem to make go away)
Nexus 1 OS: Cyanogen custom test rom of Froyo (Nightly Builds)


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## bidger (Nov 19, 2005)

dpeters11 said:


> I hope it's just your favorite OS and not what you actually use.


Seriously.

W7, especially from the Media Center aspect of the OS, and Google Chrome.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

All my computers have Win7 and I use Chrome


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

I still use Firefox a lot, but mostly out of habit. I'll likely use Chrome a lot more in the future.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

My favorite OS was and always will be VMS. The damn thing measured it's uptime in YEARS.

Favorite browser? Whichever one isn't hanging and crashing. When it does, I try another until IT does, then I move on.


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## Marlin Guy (Apr 8, 2009)

Android 2.2 and Dolphin


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## Cholly (Mar 22, 2004)

At present, Windows 7 Premium and Firefox. My old HT computer uses Windows XP Media Center edition (SP3) and Firefox. My laptop is old in the tooth and uses Windows XP (SP3) and Firefox.

I've used Opera in the past, but haven't tried the newest version, which I understand is very good. Haven't tried Chrome either.


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## ncxcstud (Apr 22, 2007)

Favorite OS - Windows 7 Professional (Media Center is awesome)
Favorite browser - Firefox


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

Mac OS X 10.6.4
Firefox


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## jerry downing (Mar 7, 2004)

I use Win7 Home Premium and Firefox.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Dude111 said:


> My favourite is Win98se and IE6 (Although i use MyIE2 as my browser as i like having tabs (MyIE2 accesses the IE engine))
> 
> I dont use IE6 directly very often but sometimes i do


I sincerely hope you are not serious....


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## koji68 (Jun 21, 2004)

I think Windows 7 is excellent. For browser Firefox.

I also use openSUSE with Firefox but it is not as complete as Windows 7.


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## R0am3r (Sep 20, 2008)

Windows 7 Ultimate x64 and Firefox.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

Mac OS X 10.6.4
Safari
Chrome
Firefox

Yes I really do have 3 browsers installed on my laptop.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Win7Pro & FireFox


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

Win 7, 64-bit Home Premium and Chrome.


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## Grentz (Jan 10, 2007)

Win7 and Chrome. I change often though, that is the flavor of the current times.

I jump between Chrome, Firefox, and IE8 though for testing and ADD purposes


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

Win7 32 bit, and Firefox


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## Dude111 (Aug 6, 2010)

LarryFlowers said:


> I sincerely hope you are not serious....


I most certainly am my friend 

Win98se is a good OS and IE6 looks MUCH NICER than the newer ones for sure!!

Any browser can be SECURE if the user knows how to lock stuff down,etc....


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## barryb (Aug 27, 2007)

7 Ultimate/Chrome


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

Dude111,
You're setting yourself up for a quite unpleasant future. Staying on Win98 isn't good for you, and it's not good for us. Your PC is a breeding ground for malware.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

Dude111 said:


> My favourite is Win98se and IE6 (Although i use MyIE2 as my browser as i like having tabs (MyIE2 accesses the IE engine))
> 
> I dont use IE6 directly very often but sometimes i do


I thought Microsoft donated Windows98 to the Smithsonian.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

Dude111 said:


> I most certainly am my friend
> 
> Win98se is a good OS and IE6 looks MUCH NICER than the newer ones for sure!!
> 
> Any browser can be SECURE if the user knows how to lock stuff down,etc....


The only fairly secure Win98 system is one with no network card, no usb ports, no keyboard, no CD drive,, serial or parallel ports.

Security updates ended 4 years ago. Seriously, it's time to put 98 out to pasture. There can be vulnerabilities that could get past lock downs. Privilege escalations, buffer overflows etc.


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## TXD16 (Oct 30, 2008)

Windows 3.11 and Netscape Navigator. It just doesn't get any better.


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## ncxcstud (Apr 22, 2007)

zkc16 said:


> Windows 3.11 and Netscape Navigator. It just doesn't get any better.


Does Netscape even work on Windows 3.11? Lol...I know you're joking, but thought that was funny.

I couldn't possibly use Win98 after using Windows 7.... Heck, I can barely stomach Windows Vista (and I NEVER had a problem with Vista) after using Win7....

Windows 7 is just LEAP YEARS (and literal years) better than Win98....

OS's are not like cars...they do not become 'classics' and 'get better with age.'

They are more akin to baby furniture, when the newer models come out, you buy those because they are safer and you won't inadvertently injure/seriously harm your child/computer when you look away for a brief second.

If you have a .edu address (or no anyone who does) you can get Win7 for 29.99...Do it dude...


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## wingrider01 (Sep 9, 2005)

dpeters11 said:


> The only fairly secure Win98 system is one with no network card, no usb ports, no keyboard, no CD drive,, serial or parallel ports.
> 
> Security updates ended 4 years ago. Seriously, it's time to put 98 out to pasture. There can be vulnerabilities that could get past lock downs. Privilege escalations, buffer overflows etc.


this is also true for ANY operating system


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## lotboy16 (Apr 26, 2009)

Windows 3.11 on my 93 Toshiba Satellite  just good old program manager and MS DOS. I do like Windows 7 on my new 2010 Satellite but nothing beats that old 3.11


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> Staying on Win98 isn't good for you, and it's not good for us. Your PC is a breeding ground for malware.


That may be the Microsoft party line, but I can't say I've ever seen a Win98SE machine that contracted any kind of trojan or rootkit.

In the fleet of computers that I maintain, XP seems to be the worst for malware but it is also the best for installing and running modern software packages and most often recommended by applications vendors for use with their products. If you order a business desktop or workstation machine from Dell, HP, Lenovo or similar, there's a good chance it will come installed with a XP Professional downgrade from Windows 7.

I don't even bother with antivirus protection on 98SE or W2K anymore. I would imagine that W2K is susceptible but I'm pretty sure that 98SE is largely immune to rootkits that seem to be the basis of most modern malware. I've spent many days over the last couple of years delousing XP installations and in all cases, the machines have been "protected" by modern security software and measures but have failed at the hands of IE7 or Firefox 2 and an unwitting/witless user. From my own perspective, the single feature that has given me the most trouble is Microsoft's insistence on un-hiding Internet Explorer "critical" version changes aperiodically.

I had a conversation with my boss yesterday about the local real estate multiple listing service and how they once demanded, as was the edict from Redmond, that everyone change to IE 6. Recently they announced that users should _not_ change to subsequent versions. Apparently their webspinners can't keep up with the constant and, for the most part, pointless changing of most favored technologies (MVM, Java, Ajax, .net).


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

ncxcstud said:


> Does Netscape even work on Windows 3.11?


Netscape Navigator was (and I suppose, still is) the go-to browser for Windows 3.11. Javascript was brain damaged in Microsoft's wholesale rip-off of Mosaic.


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## FHSPSU67 (Jan 12, 2007)

Win 7 Pro & IE9.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

dpeters11 said:


> Security updates ended 4 years ago.


I think that if you look closely, the security updates for Win98SE ceased much earlier. The latter updates were to address numerous flaws introduced/facilitated by IE and Microsoft Office.


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## clueless (Dec 6, 2004)

IBM OS/2 Warp - best OS name ever.


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## JcT21 (Nov 30, 2004)

no one liked windows ME? lol

i loved windows 98 and ie 6. used it for years. i remember when xp came out i said that i would use win98 and ie6 forever. well forever ended soon enough and xp soon became my favorite.

used vista for about a year and went back to xp. now i use win 7 pro x64 with firefox. i dont like how ie 7-8 looks / layout.


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## larryk (Aug 17, 2006)

Desktop Win 7 Pro 64 bit / Chrome
Laptop Win 7 Pro 32 bit / Chrome
Desktop2 Vista Enterprise 32 bit / Chrome


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## matt (Jan 12, 2010)

harsh said:


> I had a conversation with my boss yesterday about the local real estate multiple listing service and how they once demanded, as was the edict from Redmond, that everyone change to IE 6. Recently they announced that users should _not_ change to subsequent versions. Apparently their webspinners can't keep up with the constant and, for the most part, pointless changing of most favored technologies (MVM, Java, Ajax, .net).


My dad is a broker and the local MLS website is awful. They are stuck in the stoneage, Internet Explorer *only* and God help you if you update it. It is the slowest website I have ever been on in the past *decade*, the webmail is terrible, and if it doesn't like the way you try to do something, you don't get an error message, the thing just hangs for 20 minutes then takes you back to where you started, saying nothing. Must be the same people that need to be fired here as you have there.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Dude111 said:


> I most certainly am my friend
> 
> Win98se is a good OS and IE6 looks MUCH NICER than the newer ones for sure!!
> 
> Any browser can be SECURE if the user knows how to lock stuff down,etc....


No it isn't secure, I don't care how good you are.. If you are connected to the internet and using IE6 with Windows 98, for which no security patches have been issued for years. Today's threats are buried in the ads on web pages and you have no defense against them. Not even Malwarebytes runs properly on Win 98.

I suppose if you were super careful you can get away with it, but I prefer to concentrate on what I am working on, not on my system's safety.


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## TBoneit (Jul 27, 2006)

Safest OS is a Linux Distro or a WinPE running from a CDrom and no hard drive in the machine to get infected. If you have to save something then use a flash drive. Best use is for Online banking/BillPay/Shopping

For the Survey: WinXp/Win7 Pro running XP Pro in its VM and Firefox.


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## TBoneit (Jul 27, 2006)

LarryFlowers said:


> No it isn't secure, I don't care how good you are.. If you are connected to the internet and using IE6 with Windows 98, for which no security patches have been issued for years. Today's threats are buried in the ads on web pages and you have no defense against them. Not even Malwarebytes runs properly on Win 98.
> 
> I suppose if you were super careful you can get away with it, but I prefer to concentrate on what I am working on, not on my system's safety.


OTOH setup your Win98SE and make a image to a DVD and restore it before each use and you are secure enough.

If everybody turned off their computers when they are done with them it would put a big crimp in the Botnets. How many computers I see come in here to work infested with rootkits/Trojans/Viruses and expired Antivirus programs.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

LarryFlowers said:


> If you are connected to the internet and using IE6 with Windows 98, for which no security patches have been issued for years. Today's threats are buried in the ads on web pages and you have no defense against them. Not even Malwarebytes runs properly on Win 98.


I think if you look closely, you'll find that Windows 98SE doesn't have the facilities to support most of the current malware out there and as such, is relatively immune. It is largely the same argument used for Linux and MacOS.


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## bidger (Nov 19, 2005)

Win98SE is an OS whose time has come....and gone...a long time ago. It was my 1st OS and, yeah, for it's time it was good. Running W7 makes me feel XP is a little long in the tooth.


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

To qualify my statement, I use multiple hard drives in mobile drive trays, so swapping between operating systems is a snap. I have the following operating systems installed:
Windows XP (32-bit)
Windows 7-32 bit
Windows 7-64 bit
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS-32 bit
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS-64 bit
In reality, there is no best operating system "ever" because it is subject to change and to technological improvements. Because of improvements in technology, increased RAM, better video cards, USB, etc, older operating systems simply do not support those improvements.

So, what is the best operating systems today? In order of preference:
Windows 7-64 bit - Should also be called "Vista apology" because of the improvements made with UAE, better taskbar, ability to handle the larger RAM, and the newer 64-bit processors.
Windows XP - For a operating system that is long in the tooth, it still does a pretty good job of handling everyday tasks.
(I haven't used Ubuntu enough to give a yes or no from a end user experience.)

Brower:
Firefox - Also known as "The browser that woke Microsoft from it's slumber". It is very customizable in the plug-ins. I use this one with web development.
Chrome - Also known as "The browser that reignited the browser wars". Speedier than Firefox, and help prompt improvements in browser and Javascript speed.
Of course, I recommend the xMarks and AdBlock extensions.

Internet Exploder 6? (Choke... gag) At the time that it was introduced in August 27, 2001, Microsoft was dominated the marketplace, with their attitude that "they set the standards" rather than follow established standards. Many companies then built internal websites that ended up being IE6-only compatible, and do not work with later versions of Internet Explorer or non-IE browsers, thus many corporations are now stuck with IE6. As a web programmer, we often have to put in kludges to work with the IE6 browser. Just this week, the UK Government stated that "Upgrading away from IE6 costs too much". Argh!


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

OS X and Firefox

I do like Win7, but don't use is regularly.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

harsh said:


> I think if you look closely, you'll find that Windows 98SE doesn't have the facilities to support most of the current malware out there and as such, is relatively immune. It is largely the same argument used for Linux and MacOS.


Using a lesser used current OS is fine. Using an old OS thinking it makes you safer, I'm sorry, but I don't consider that a valid layer of defense.

My main OS is Linux, but I don't exactly use Warty or Hoary.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Favorite or in current use...

Historically speaking... probably Windows 95 is my favorite of the Windows flavors. It, at that time, represented the biggest leap in Windows O/S features and was the most stable to date. Windows NT 4 is a close 2nd, with the same interface, but it wasn't as good for games.

Windows 2000 was my favorite for a long time... though XP has grown on me the last couple of years.

I didn't really care for Vista, but honestly didn't use it enough to say.

I'm happy right now with my OSX Snow Leopard Mac machine... but admittedly that is at least partially biased because it is running on my most advanced hardware so I can't make a fair comparison to my Windows PC.

I liked the older Netscape the best, I think... but with that no longer an option I've been on Firefox. I would use Safari on my iMac, but they only recently made efforts to support extension/plugins like Firefox and I've yet to find equivalent add-ins for Safari to match ones I use on Firefox.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

I LOVED win2000 - I have an old Dell Precision Workstation that is still running it (PIII 733 MHz). Even so - When I use it - I use Firefox.

My home and work machines (IBM) are XP Pro. I was running 2000 on my home computer until I wanted to start recording HDTV and upgraded the beast. For home use - I use Firefox on 98%+ of my browsing, Off-by-One for a particular site, and IE for Microsoft updates. I'm going to put a new harddrive and reload XP Pro from scratch this weekend on the home beast. At work - well - some things work with Firefox (use it when / where I can), other things I'm forced to use IE.

I would go to Win7 Pro 32 bit on my current CPU (Athlon 64 3700), but with a Dual core or better CPU where virtual machines would run reasonably well - I'd consider 64 bit. Not ready to upgrade computer yet otherwise - I tend to run them for a LONGTIME , even after I buy a replacement. Next home computer could well be a laptop, since USB ATSC tuners are available and reliable enough.


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## BlackHitachi (Jan 1, 2004)

Any Linux distribution and Firefox!


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## Nighthawk68 (Oct 14, 2004)

My all time fovorite is Windows 2000 with Firefox, I have a tower from 2003 that is still running with W2k, its been the most stable one I can think of (for me)
WinXp with IE8 is current main system, looking at getting laptop with Win7 shortly


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

harsh said:


> That may be the Microsoft party line, but I can't say I've ever seen a Win98SE machine that contracted any kind of trojan or rootkit.


I am very freshman when it comes to computer in depth discussion. But I listened to an in depth report on NPR about how malware experts/terrorists use outdated computer operating systems that are connected to the net to act as sleeper, 'zombies', or bot computers to perform denial-of-service attacks against Web sites, host phishing attack Web sites or send out thousands of spam email messages.

I think we are talking about the same issue that comes up about the pros and cons of immunizing your children.


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## 1980ws (Mar 18, 2008)

My favorite OS is NOT VISTA, and for a browser I was a Firefox guy, but lately it's been crashing more then it should. I was using a theme, just took that off to see if that was the problem. Chrome is coming on strong. IE is for the Flintstones.


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## mutelight (Oct 6, 2008)

I use OS X 10.6 on my home computers and Windows 7 Ultimate on my main work computer and OS X 10.6 on my Macs at work.

Browser is Chrome on all of them.


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## Groundhog45 (Nov 10, 2005)

djlong said:


> My favorite OS was and always will be VMS. The damn thing measured it's uptime in YEARS.
> 
> Favorite browser? Whichever one isn't hanging and crashing. When it does, I try another until IT does, then I move on.


I wholeheartedly agree. The VAX VMS systems I managed were superstars. Almost no downtime due to the OS, only for hardware problems or system updates. Several sites had systems that had years of uptime (the Irish Railroad was one, if I remember correctly)

I use Windows 7, Ultimate 64, Home Premium 64 and 32 and Pr0 64. I like Win7 better than Vista and even my old XP Pro.

I often use Firefox, but not 3.5 or 3.6. Too many crashes. I use 3.0.19. I also use IE8. Didn't like Chrome or Opera.


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## Dude111 (Aug 6, 2010)

JcT21 said:


> i loved windows 98 and ie 6. used it for years. i remember when xp came out i said that i would use win98 and ie6 forever. well forever ended soon enough and xp soon became my favorite.


I have used XP and i dont like it as much as 98se..

The user customisations are not as good,the icons dont look as nice,etc... And i can honestly say I TRUST MY OS!! (Where having a newer OS you dont know what data it may be sending to who knows who)

I think having an OLDER OS (If you use Windows) that came out before microsoft started thier intrusive phase (which started with Win2000 SP4) is a must for those who value thier privacy.. After all *YOUR COMPUTER IS YOURS*,not Microsofts,etc who can look,etc anytime they want.....


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## Mavrick (Feb 1, 2006)

Windows 7 & Safari


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit & IE8...I guess. I can't say I really have a "favorite" but it's what I currently use and I like it so I'll say it's my favorite. :grin:

Mike


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## AttiTech (Feb 21, 2011)

Ubuntu and Firefox


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## houskamp (Sep 14, 2006)

win7 and ie8.. it just works.. I'm not picky just want one that works..


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## bobukcat (Dec 20, 2005)

XP Pro and Chrome
Android and Android Browser for Mobile


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Chrome 11 on both my XP SP3 laptops is lightning fast. I run it on my Win7 SP1 desktop as well, but I swear it's faster on the laptops. It puzzles me, because both laptops are 1.8 ghz Intel dual-cores, and my desktop is a 2.4 ghz Intel dual core. One laptop has 2 gigs memory, the other 2.5 gigs and the desktop 3 gigs.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

Windows 7 and Firefox, although I've also got Chrome and IE8 installed on my desktop.

My iPod Touch runs Safari.


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## ncxcstud (Apr 22, 2007)

Windows 7 FTW!

I've been switching back and forth between Firefox and IE9RC, and suprisingly IE9 is holding its own at the moment. Very impressed with its speed...


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## YtseJammer1977 (Oct 29, 2010)

Ubuntu 10.04 (although 10.10 is growing on me) and Firefox 4 Beta 12


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## jerry downing (Mar 7, 2004)

I have been having trouble with Firefox 4 not responding. I use Windows Vista. Does anyone else have this problem?


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

jerry downing said:


> I have been having trouble with Firefox 4 not responding. I use Windows Vista. Does anyone else have this problem?


No, but printing text is broken pretty badly.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

jerry downing said:


> I have been having trouble with Firefox 4 not responding. I use Windows Vista. Does anyone else have this problem?


This this on beta 12?


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## barryb (Aug 27, 2007)

Win7 64 / Chrome


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

SmiddyOS  I haven't worked on it since 2006 though.


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## machavez00 (Nov 2, 2006)

Snow Leopard and Safari


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## AttiTech (Feb 21, 2011)

smiddy said:


> SmiddyOS  I haven't worked on it since 2006 though.


The name intrigues me. Did you use open source codes from Linux to build your own system?


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

AttiTech said:


> The name intrigues me. Did you use a source codes from Linux to build your own system?


I'm thinking the "O" in SmiddyOS stands for "ogre".


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## jerry downing (Mar 7, 2004)

dpeters11 said:


> This this on beta 12?


Beta 9 through 11. I just downloaded Beta 12. So far, so good. (Knock on particle board.)


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

OS X 10.6.6 / FireFox 3.6.15


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## Kevin F (May 9, 2010)

Mac OS X 10.6.6 Snow Leopard and Safari


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## B Newt (Aug 12, 2007)

Win 7 64bit and Seamonky.


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## SPACEMAKER (Dec 11, 2007)

barryb said:


> Win7 64 / Chrome


Same.


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