IE addon for Firefox!?

[Why Syzygy]

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419

IE Tab 1.5.20090207
by PCMan (Hong Jen Yee), yuoo2k

Categories
Web Development Appearance
IE Tab - an extension from Taiwan, features: Embedding Internet Explorer in tabs of Mozilla/Firefox...

Updated February 6, 2009

Long Description
This is a great tool for web developers, since you can easily see how your web page displayed in IE with just one click and then switch back to Firefox.

Works with:
Firefox: 3.0 – 3.6a1pre

*** Today was the first time I noticed this link at
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/article/firefox.htm
I still have FF 3.06. Wonder if it works with the newer versions? And is it 'safe'?

[charlie]

1. It'll work

I don't know where he gets that 3.6a1pre, the current preview release is 3.1. In any case, the range is inclusive, so your 3.06 and the current 3.08 should be fine.

It's as safe as IE is safe. That is, if you've got your Internet Zone set to disallow ActiveX, javascript, etc, and it's fully updated with security patches, yadda-yadda, the usual. I've had my firewall blocking IE from connecting to the net for years, since I don't use it except for page testing.

[charlie]

3. Oh, wait

'Safe' refers to the second link.

You couldn't pay me enough. I've been locking down ActiveX since IE4, I certainly see no reason to glue it onto Firefox.

[Why Syzygy]

2. More opinions? nt

[RoyGBiv]

4. IE Tab and IE View

They've been around for awhile, the latter longer than the former. The View version, IIRC, forces a link you click to open in an IE window. The Tab version just opens it in a tab. You can set up lists of sites that always open in IE if you want. This was almost a requirement when Firefox first came out and there were so many websites, especially banks, that wouldn't work in Firefox at all because of an ActiveX requirement.

All it really does is invoke IE either in its own window or within a tab in the larger Firefox window.

The ability to use OneCare with Firefox I didn't know about. It's safe in the sense it in and of itself won't hurt anything. However, when you're rendering things using the IE engine with ActiveX allowed, you're open to problems that can be caused by ActiveX. It's doubtful you'd have any problems with Microsoft's website, but I personally wouldn't use it anywhere else you didn't absolutely have to. OneCare is fine as far as it goes, but it's not any better than other things you already have. I'm not generally real keen on these online scan things anyway.

As far as what it works with, it's apparently developed to work with up to the 3.6a1pre version, which is an alpha version of a future release. There's the 3.0.x versions, which is what you have, and there's an upcoming version that increments the "0," e.g. 3.5 or 3.6. That strikes me as a bit odd, but then I haven't been keeping up with Firefox's development schedule recently. For those that use this, it's a good thing, though since it means the extension won't be broken the day the new incremental is released like so many extensions are.

[Why Syzygy]

5. I should have asked a more precise question.

I really meant is it safe for my Firefox.

I like OneCare. It fixes things in Windows that other tools don't. I've just always run it in IE, and in fact that's about the only reason I ever launch IE. However, last week, someone introduced me to a new site that won't allow posting from Firefox. It seems the validation code window doesn't launch in Firefox, even with pop-ups allowed. And, if I could run OneCare from Firefox, so much the better.

Are y'all saying that FF doesn't use Active-X? I don't know much about all the codes, rendering tools, etc.

[RoyGBiv]

6. Right ...

ActiveX is a Microsoft/IE specific thing. (It's used in more than IE, but that's where it's famous.) An ActiveX control is akin to a Java applet. They're like little programs, and they can be embedded in a website so that when a compatible browser is used to load the site, assuming permissions are set to allow for it, that applet will load and run.

Microsoft uses it a lot on their website to add various functionality.

The problem with it is the same as problems with Java applets. You can hit a website that has a malicious ActiveX applet, and if your browser runs it, there you are with a nasty.

But as to your original question, yes, the extension itself is safe for Firefox. The only trouble would be caused by what I just described, i.e. you're using IE Tab with ActiveX allowed, and you hit a site with a malicious ActiveX object.

[BattyDem]

7. I love IE Tab!

I've been using it for quite a while and I haven't had any problems. I currently use Firefox 3.0.7 and it works fine. :-)


edited: typo :blush:

[Why Syzygy]

8. Thanks for your personal endorsement!

I still haven't decided, but your experience is helpful.

[BattyDem]

9. It really comes in handy when I visit certain sites.

There are some sites that don't display correctly in Firefox. They're designed specifically for IE and the text gets messed up or the menus don't work. All I have to do is right-click on the page, select "View Page in IE Tab" and it opens with no problem.

I also find it very useful when viewing video on the CNN site. For some reason, I could never get CNN's plugin for Firefox to work correctly, so when a DUer posts a link to a CNN video, I simply right-click on the link to open it in IE Tab and the page the new tab uses IE and its plugins.

:-)

[BattyDem]

11. Forgot to mention ...

If you know a site needs to be viewed in IE (like www.windowsupdate.com), you can add the site's URL to IE Tab's filter. Whenever you type the site's URL in your address bar (or if you click on a link to the site), the page will automatically open up in IE Tab. It's very convenient. :-)

[Jazzgirl]

10. What Battydem said.

I have been using IE Tab for quite a while and it makes it easy to visit IE friendly sites without having to open up a whole new browser (IE) window. I can just open a tab as IE and browse to the site. It is very convenient.

[Why Syzygy]

12. Me too!

Finally upgrade to Firefox 3.0.8 tonight and installed the IE tab. Smooth. Too bad IE doesn't run like that in its native environment. Can't use the dictionary tool though. It launches an independent IE window. :thumbsdown: The Firefox spell check doesn't work on the IE tab. Misspells R Me without it. Do you have a way around that?