Hi, Rita wrote: "BTW, when you choose to use the Firefox add on that allows it to work like Internet Explorer you are actually using Internet Explorer." I'm no expert here, but I *think* you may be speaking of the WindowsUpdate extension (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/195) rather than the extension I mentioned that links to the WindizUpdate site. In fact, the Windiz site's "Why Use W.U. ?" link at the right of its homepage (http://www.windizupdate.com/) notes sarcastically in the list of advantages of using the product: "No more unwanted spyware -- Microsoft Internet Explorer can finally be removed from your computer (if that were possible)." So, the WindizUpdate extension apparently is 'free' of all dependence on IE. And as I noted previously, for me, WindizUpdate is very fast. When I would go to the MS site and manually scan the computer for updates, it would take 10-15 minutes for IE to complete that task alone !! Windiz takes less than a minute !! :-) I don't know if that would be the case if I were still really using IE for the (manual) update I do when I use FF and Windiz. Scott My apologies, Rita, if I have misunderstood and you weren't commenting on the Windiz extension at all, but were *intending* to address the 'embedded IE' type of extensions for FF !

I wish that I could find the picture where a designer handled a situation like this. She actually installed something like a bamboo Roman shade at the same height as the curtain rood, and had the shade pulled own just to the top of the window glass. Then the curtain panels hung at either side of the window. It made it look like the entire window was that tall, as you couldn't see through the bamboo shade to see that there was wall behind it. FOUND IT! All of the below is from here - https://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2009/08/top-ten-design-elements-4.html"A word about this curtain installation job. What looks like an easy job of hanging curtains was actually quite difficult. Suzanne Kasler’s thought process: The windows are short in this room. In order to camouflage the problem windows – Kasler places the rods as close to the molding as possible – yet the beam prohibits her from bringing them to the very top. The tops of curtains should always, if possible, all be at the same height. Therefore, all the rods are placed about 6 inches from the ceiling to be uniform. Then in order to make the windows appear taller, she brings the blinds to the top of the rods – hiding the wall space between the short windows and the curtain rod – making it appear the windows are taller and more elegant. Kasler thus creates a vertical line to the room by raising the eye up to the higher rods. Perfection! Hanging curtains is never an easy job and a good installer is worth his weight in gold. He is as important as the workroom." BELOW - DON’T: Real house: this is a problem window – the arched transom really adds nothing to the design of the window – I would have ordered just one long blind and put it right under the ceiling rod – and raised it just to the top of the door for access in and out. Instead, there is too much going on in this window. Too many different window sizes, too many little shades, and the curtains are just a tad too short – this should have been fixed during the installation – the drapery pins could have been moved up just a bit. It’s not easy folks! An open question to mass builders of Mac Mansions: Why do you install lots of little windows like these? What’s with the arched windows everywhere? I understand Palladian windows, but these sir, are no Palladian windows. Why bother pretending they are? Wouldn’t just a taller French door been so much prettier here than the short door given the Palladian treatment? Just a question. DON’T: Real house: the same designer as above almost gets it right this time. The blinds and drapes are placed perfectly – but, but, but – if you are going to lower your textured shades – add a lining to them so you don’t get the invisible shade look from the glare! And don’t put the shades down at all different heights. The designer could have bought just one long shade with a blackout lining – why buy three, unless it was to save the money of a custom shade. If possible – one shade is better than three little ones. And one more detail that should drive a good interior designer to distraction – notice how the two middle panels “break” at the floor – yet the right panel just barely meets the floor. Which was the intended length – the breaking length or the just barely touching length? A good installer might have been able to correct this. If not – it should have gone back to the workroom for correcting. I wonder, did the designer not notice this? And just one other detail – notice that the panel widths are not uniform – the width of the middle panels are doubled, yet the right and left are single. Why? The panels really should be the same width if at all possible otherwise it might look unbalanced.

Wow. My husband and I are extremely lucky to have the insurance that we do. We are both retired State employees. We both have Medicare Parts A (hospitalization) and B (medical), and we also have a Blue Cross PPO supplemental plan which includes prescription drug coverage so we don't need a separate Medicare Plan D (prescriptions). We both receive a monthly retirement pension from the State as well as Social Security retirement benefits. Our Medicare premiums are deducted from our SS payments. Our Medicare premiums include the Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) for Parts B and D because our income exceeds the maximum to pay only the regular Medicare premium. Our Retirement Health Benefit reimburses us in full for our Medicare & IRMAA premiums and also reimburses us in full for the monthly premium for the Blue Cross PPO supplemental policy. The reimbursements are included in our monthly retirement pension payments. (Well, the reimbursements for the Medicare & IRMAA premiums are included. They don't deduct anything for the supplemental policy because it's covered by the Retirement Health Benefit.) The supplemental policy covers the Medicare deductible, and it also pays the portion of the Medicare-approved amount for services that Medicare doesn't pay (the portion that the individual would normally have to pay). And if Medicare doesn't cover something (hearing aids, for example), the supplemental policy covers it. We will never hit the "donut hole" on prescription costs because the supplemental policy would pick up the costs (but neither of us currently takes enough meds to ever hit the donut hole). So, we pay no premiums, and we pay no deductibles or co-pays. For medications, we pay $5 (or less) for a one-time prescription, and $10 for a 90-day supply of a continuing medication (like my blood pressure medication. If a medication is only available as a brand-name drug but it is on the formulary, we would pay $40 for a 90-day supply. For dental insurance, we each pay a $12.91 per month premium, which is not reimbursed by the Retirement Health Benefit. We each have an annual deductible of $50, and the maximum payout per year is $2,000. We also both have vision insurance through our employment with the State, and it pays for new (gas permeable) contacts for me each year and new glasses for Hubs. It costs me $35 each year for the contacts (and I wear true bifocal contacts), and for $60 Hubs gets a new pair of prescription sunglasses and a new pair of "clear" prescription glasses each year.

Good insight above... There are many reasons and some have been touched on. While in a vacuum it would be nice to say that manufacturers would love to sell as many windows as they possibly can, there are several other factors involved.. Manufacturing capacity: Certainly these companies would like to grow, but you can't go from 0 to 100 either. Say you have the ability to produce 250,000 windows per year, and could reasonably grow that by X%. Would it make more sense for that capacity to be filled by anyone that may or may not pay their bills, may or may not do a poor job installing and then blame the product, or to fill that capacity with dealers that are vetted financially and for quality, and will be long term stable accounts? Reputation: As alluded to above, if I'm manufacturing a great product, I want to make sure that there are good installers putting it in. The VAST majority of issues in the window replacement industry are installation related. Conversely, the majority of complaints are directed incorrectly at the product. Given that, I would not want a guy that was a garbage man, a bartender, or a sales guy that decides to start his own contracting business (there are virtually no barriers to start a home improvement business with no qualifications at all) installing my windows, and then blaming the product when he botches the installs. Financial: For the same reasons as reputation, a company wouldn't be in business for very long if they sell to companies that don't pay their bills. The VAST majority of contractors fail within the first few years, even more at 5, and very few make it past 10. Once again, anybody can start a contracting or window installation company tomorrow with no experience, no qualifications, no business acumen. Many do just that, and then they fail. If I were a manufacturer that sold to any old "contractor", I'd need to have my prices and volume set to compensate for a bunch of guys that stiff me on their bills when they go under. Service: When you sell windows to all those goofballs that go out of business, who is there to replace a seal failure or a broken tilt latch a few years down the road? Most manufacturers don't have a fleet a service techs running around, they depend on their dealers to service the products that they install. Dealer demand: From the other side of the coin, if I am a dealer operating in this environment where pickup truck contractors come and go, and they generally price jobs at a completely unsustainable level where they are not actually covering their expenses or making money, why would I want to sell a product that a bunch of these guys can come in and undercut me on? Low price is a VERY compelling factor for consumers, and most folks think that the higher price contractors are just "gouging". That can exist in some cases, but that is going away more and more everyday with the ability of consumers to research their purchase on sites such as this. In most cases, the higher price reflects a business that is sustainable more than it does a greedy sleazeball, and those tantalizingly low prices that people choose everyday are offered by here today, gone tomorrow contractors. I read an article recently (Remodeling magazine May/June issue) stating that 30% of window replacements are done on windows "around 7 years old". As similarly large percentage of work completed in this industry and home remodeling in general, is "rework" of jobs done poorly or left incomplete by these small contractors. Coming back around to the topic at hand though, as a window dealer, I'd want to sell and install a great product with a great reputation, few services issues, will be around for a long time because they don't have other dealers not paying their bills, and not have to deal daily with being undercut by countless schmucks that will go out of business in a year. As a matter fact, those guys typically only sell that product because its easier for them to undercut and steal business from a larger company with an established reputation than it is to build your own reputation. Lastly, while there are some markets where there may truly only be one exclusive dealer of a product, most areas have a small handful of guys to choose from. There's not only ONE great window available, there are several that are recommended and have great performance, so even if you are in an area that on has one dealer of a particular product, you should have a few others with comparable products. My advice: do the research (as you are), narrow down your choices to a few great options (something like Softlite Elements, Okna, Sunrise Restorations), and then find a dealer or two that serve your area that DO have a stellar reputation. There are not too many places that won't have a reputable, local window install company that sells a great, high performance window. Again, most markets have at least a few to choose from.