FireFox or PaleMoon?

Topic

New Reply

I am setting up my new computer and need to choose between FireFox with addon to make it like the old FF or PaleMoon. I am unsure about the security of PaleMoon, security updates must be slower than in FF which has a larger support staff. of course I am on 35 :p

Is there any chance that FireFox and PaleMoon can share a profile directory??

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

Reply | Quote

Replies

I use Pale Moon almost exclusively, have done for years, I’m also a beta tester.

At a base level, PM is mostly safer than FX, many of FX’s vulnerabilities are not applicable to PM. Yes, it’s usually a few days later in implementing the latest Mozilla patches that are applicable, that’s because Mozilla don’t release the full details to the PM dev. in good time. PM can also be ahead of FX in patching, any vulns. are dealt with as and when they become known, rather than waiting for a 6 weekly slot.

No, they cannot share the same profile, PM can import an existing FX profile, anything else needs to be manually copied over.

Reply | Quote

Ok now I got the zip packed version do I really want the installer DL ?

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

Reply | Quote

Satrow

Ok sounds good, 1 more q. Can it save bookmarks that can be imported into FF ? I will be DLing it momentarily. Both on one system should not be a problem correct ??

How is the portable version ? I like programs that do not do an install 😮

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

Reply | Quote

Bookmarks can be imported the same as they can into Firefox, I don’t often test the portable version so I’m not very good on the current capabilities. If you use the zip version, you don’t need the installer.

Checkout Pale Moon Commander for fine controls (saves using about:config for many settings), http://www.palemoon.org/ > Tools.

Reply | Quote

Checkout Pale Moon Commander for fine controls (saves using about:config for many settings), http://www.palemoon.org/ > Tools.

Will do! The zip version is running, Now I am wondering What the difference is between the zipped version and the portable….
:cheers:

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

Reply | Quote

Try reading this: http://www.palemoon.org/palemoon-portable.shtml the 2nd para. is especially relevant.

Reply | Quote

Ok looks like I made to right choice.

I will be trying FEBE to transfer my settings.

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

Reply | Quote

I like and prefer the Portable version of Palemoon.

Regrettably Windows File Associations have a major limitation –
Windows only allows as a “Default Browser” one that is installed,
so I also need to have an installed Palemoon for such purposes.
I believe there are ways of making Windows associate with Portable Palemoon,
but I have been to busy with other work to try this.

Reply | Quote

After years of using Firefox as my main browser, I switched several years ago to Pale Moon and have been delighted with my decision. I no longer have to worry about features that I like suddenly disappearing, nor add-ons no longer working after an upgrade. One of the things I like best about Pale Moon is the terrific tech support. Instead of a forum made all but useless thanks to fanboys and trolls, I found a sane, civilized forum where questions receive prompt and informed responses from other knowledgeable Pale Moon users and from the Pale Moon developer. What a pleasure!

Reply | Quote

+++1 for PM!

Glad I switched to Pale Moon,
over a year ago.

Stable, fast
and all my critical FF addons
run fine in PM.

I still keep my FF updated,
(as a backup browser option),
but I almost never use FF anymore.

– Pale Moon 25.5.0 and FF 39
– Ubuntu Linux 12.04 (32-bit)
– Samsung Tablet Galaxy Tab3 / Android 4.2.2

Reply | Quote

Stable, fast
and all my critical FF addons
run fine in PM.

Well I wish I could say it was stable. I have,with minimal use, had it just shut down,disappear just like that Pow with no warning several times. I had great hopes for it but I am now unsure.

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

Reply | Quote

Well I wish I could say it was stable. I have,with minimal use, had it just shut down,disappear just like that Pow with no warning several times. I had great hopes for it but I am now unsure.

David, it’s possible that your security products are triggering this, or that a website you were visiting had a bug. It’s behaviour that is incredibly rare in my experience, I really only see it when I test sites/pages that others have reported.

Reply | Quote

David, it’s possible that your security products are triggering this, or that a website you were visiting had a bug. It’s behaviour that is incredibly rare in my experience, I really only see it when I test sites/pages that others have reported.

I plan to install AVG again when I know things are stable. I am using the built-in MS Fire wall and MSE. No heavy duty programs yet. Is there a PM log that might be of help.

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

Reply | Quote

I plan to install AVG again when I know things are stable. I am using the built-in MS Fire wall and MSE. No heavy duty programs yet. Is there a PM log that might be of help.

Wavy,

You may want to know PaleMoon states that AVG and Norton are detecting this browser as malware. I have not had this problem with AVAST and MBAM.

Charles

Reply | Quote

Thanks for the many comments about Pale Moon. Like many of the other contributors, I have used FF for years; however, the recent “improvements” have made it virtually unusable for me.

Charles 😀

Reply | Quote

I am liking it too. Used FEBE to transfer everything. Still wondering what Plugins I will. That Cisco video codec is absent, don’t really remember what it was for anyway..

:clapping::cheers:

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

Reply | Quote

My mini-Feedback about PM vs FF:
I’ve “always” been a fanatic User/Supporter of FF (and before of Maxthon, until “they” stupidly changed the name to “MyIE2”) but I switched to PM about 1.5 years ago, and for the best…!

Advantages:
-All FF Add-ons work on PM. (May have to deactivate Add-on Compatibility…, but they work…)
– Can export/copy/use existing FF Profile with all Passwords, Bookmarks, etc…
– Performance: = +30/40% (Based on JavaScript and iMacros Scripts running 24h/7d, in 3 different Profiles. Comparison is at a fresh Start of FF/PM of course, FF doesn’t hold 24h with what I do with my Scripts…)
– No Memory Leaks. (Well I need to restart PM / reboot my PC once every 3-6 weeks… (on Win7-x64), with FF it was/is at least once a day…)
– Can have 500+ Tabs open, no problem… (Well not all of them loaded (at Startup), but after 3 weeks, 150+ is normal…)

Drawbacks:
– First time Install of PM with existing FF Profile: PM needs to restart (and cannot be stopped) for nearly every single FF Add-on, one by one as they get “discovered”…
– Mitigating factor, only related to one specific Add-on (I heavily rely on…):
I’m a Web-Automation Specialist (using iMacros), and since some big Changes in FF29/30/31, I have to stick to an older Version of iMacros (v8.8.2, very stable, that’s not the Pb, but newer Version simply don’t work at all anymore on PM and every time some new interesting Features are added to that iMacros Add-on, I have to decompile it and add myself the new Changes, which is a bit cumbersome, and always a bit risky…!

(Currently using PM v24.6.2 on Win7-x64.) Latest Version is PM v25.x.

Reply | Quote

My mini-Feedback about PM vs FF:
I’ve “always” been a fanatic User/Supporter of FF (and before of Maxthon, until “they” stupidly changed the name to “MyIE2”) but I switched to PM about 1.5 years ago, and for the best…!

Advantages:
-All FF Add-ons work on PM. (May have to deactivate Add-on Compatibility…, but they work…)
– Can export/copy/use existing FF Profile with all Passwords, Bookmarks, etc…
– Performance: = +30/40% (Based on JavaScript and iMacros Scripts running 24h/7d, in 3 different Profiles. Comparison is at a fresh Start of FF/PM of course, FF doesn’t hold 24h with what I do with my Scripts…)
– No Memory Leaks. (Well I need to restart PM / reboot my PC once every 3-6 weeks… (on Win7-x64), with FF it was/is at least once a day…)
– Can have 500+ Tabs open, no problem… (Well not all of them loaded (at Startup), but after 3 weeks, 150+ is normal…)

Drawbacks:
– First time Install of PM with existing FF Profile: PM needs to restart (and cannot be stopped) for nearly every single FF Add-on, one by one as they get “discovered”…
– Mitigating factor, only related to one specific Add-on (I heavily rely on…):
I’m a Web-Automation Specialist (using iMacros), and since some big Changes in FF29/30/31, I have to stick to an older Version of iMacros (v8.8.2, very stable, that’s not the Pb, but newer Versions simply don’t work at all anymore on PM and every time some new interesting Features are added to that iMacros Add-on, I have to decompile it and add myself the new Changes, which is a bit cumbersome, and always a bit risky…!

(Currently using PM v24.6.2 on Win7-x64. (+46 Add-ons and 14 Plug-ins)) Latest Version is PM v25.x.

Reply | Quote

chivracq
Thanks for that break down!
I have migrated FF settings and extensions to PM. I have about 2 dozen extensions migrated w/ FEBE. Went fast once I learned how to get over a couple of FEBE hurdles. Saving a profile was stalling w/ a stopped script message, selecting continue several times eventually got results. duh !
Other choices will yield a partial backup, beware! I did not use to PM tool because I keep my profiles in non standard locations.

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

Reply | Quote

@chivracq:
Why not email the iMacros author,
and ask/plead to have a Palemoon version?

FEBE and many other addon authors
have gladly made PM versions,
as the PM base grows.
(apparently, it’s a minor task to do a PM-specific version…).
In response to:
“Mitigating factor, only related to one specific Add-on (I heavily rely on…):
I’m a Web-Automation Specialist (using iMacros), and since some big Changes in FF29/30/31, I have to stick to an older Version of iMacros (v8.8.2, very stable, that’s not the Pb, but newer Versions simply don’t work at all anymore on PM and every time some new interesting Features are added to that iMacros Add-on, I have to decompile it and add myself the new Changes, which is a bit cumbersome, and always a bit risky…!”

Reply | Quote

I am setting up my new computer and need to choose between FireFox with addon to make it like the old FF or PaleMoon. I am unsure about the security of PaleMoon, security updates must be slower than in FF which has a larger support staff. of course I am on 35 :p

I switched to Pale Moon a bit over a year ago when FireFox sprung Australis on us without warning and then scrambled to make a “classic theme restorer” available so you could almost have what you did before. The arrogance of that move and their response to criticism sent me looking. If I’d wanted a Chrome lookalike I would have just used Chrome or Opera, I have them but rarely use them. Pale Moon is secure, they’ve promised to never do what FF did, they update regularly and you can use FF extensions and addons with it. I have still what I did once with FF. I’ve got no issues, no complaints. I did put together a new computer a few months ago in preparation for the inevitable move to Win10 and FEBE was able to import all of my bookmarks without any problems at all. It is a stable system – never crashes, and is still as customizable as FF used to be. I’ve never looked back. :^)

Reply | Quote

Basic info needed for analysing several problem types: https://forum.palemoon.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=49

Best to ask for help in the PM forum 😉

Reply | Quote

Thanks Satrow
I am trouble shooting a couple of printers today, if I get done early(or give up early :o:)I will give it a look

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

Reply | Quote

Thanks I will I think eventually be installing my paid for AVG and I will keep an eye on it.

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

Reply | Quote

I’d like to add my $.02 to all the comments re: Pale Moon vs. Firefox. I’d been a Firefox fan since its inception, but their recent slide into a dark place kept bugging me until I couldn’t stand it any longer. Recently switched to Pale Moon and migrated all my Firefox stuff over to it, and couldn’t be more pleased. I’ve added several extensions from both the Pale Moon and Mozilla sites, and all went well and works very well. I still use Thunderbird for email, as the malaise that killed Firefox doesn’t seem to have migrated over to Thunderbird, as yet. I have no idea as to what caused Firefox’s disintegration, I just got tired of dealing with it.

What impresses me most is that Pale Moon seems to work like the “old” versions of Firefox (prior to about version 20). Since they both use the same framework to build their browsers, I wouldn’t expect too much difference in their operation, but it’s definitely there. Freezes, crashes, lockups, unexpected reboots, all have disappeared, and my carefully assembled library of extensions doesn’t become roadkill with each “update”. I don’t need any more convincing that Pale Moon is my new primary browser. I’m recommending it to anyone who asks.

Reply | Quote

I use both Firefox and Pale Moon.

My problem with palemoon is that it will not accept AdBlockPlus as they claim it is not safe. I have to switch to AdBlock Latitude to shield from numerous ads.

Also, frequently when I try to refresh the Yahoo Finance webpage, palemoon will grey out and display (Not Responding) in the title bar. After about 30 seconds it recovers, but this is a real annoyance.

Firefox has none of these problems (of course you need to fix up the UI with Classic Theme Restorer extension).

Reply | Quote

“I use both Firefox and Pale Moon.

My problem with palemoon is that it will not accept AdBlockPlus as they claim it is not safe. I have to switch to AdBlock Latitude to shield from numerous ads”.
END QUOTE ———————-

REPLY @JC: I used AdBlocker+ in the past,
but then switched
to:
ublock-origin
in both FF and PaleMoon. Lighter and better.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/

Just try it and see!…
SF99

My config:
– Pale Moon 25.8.0 (my main browser, love it!) and FF 41 (sometimes…)
– Ubuntu Linux 12.04 (32-bit)
– Samsung Tablet Galaxy Tab3 / Android 4.2.2

Reply | Quote

JC who says AdBlockPlus is not safe? Use noscript myself. I am liking PM, I may go back and install the 32 bit version as I may be the source of an occasional (seldom) problem. I upgraded my Spare W7 w/ the new FF. and it just keeps getting worse.

edit install was the wrong word as I am on portable version

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

Reply | Quote

It was Pale Moon that said AddBlock Plus was not safe.

I opened the Add-On management choice under the Tools menu and Pale moon had shaded out the AddBlock Plus line and added the comment that it was not safe.

So I searched their Add-On choices and found AddBlock Latitude to use as a replacement.

Are you or anyone else currently using AdBlock Plus on Pale Moon without any problems? Maybe something has changed in the past few months.

Reply | Quote

Adblock Plus and Adblock Edge upon Pale Moon 25.0 became partly inoperative. Namely the toolbar button. While it still functioned and options could be accessed from the add-on manager a temporary solution had to be devised. This came in the form of the Pseudo-Static versions (modified to work) of them while we tried to work out a solution with the developers.

https://forum.palemoon.org/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6732#p43635

That solution ended up as AdBlock Latitude.

Reply | Quote

I use 64-bit Palemoon for several months now per satrow’s recommendation of it and couldn’t be happier. I have the Commander plug-in.

It doesn’t seem to have the memory leak that FF has had since forever.

Reply | Quote

Only firefox is better. I prefer to use firefox. No other way

Reply | Quote