a) I do not get any of the problems you mentioned.

b) I use FF as only browser now, others only for compatibility checking. I have almost no issues whatsoever, except when encountering some non-DOM-compatible javascript (I ignore those sites anyway). Forums? No probs. Maybe you should check your caching options.

c) I use FF as main development tool (with the help of a handful of excellent extensions), and it enables me to code almost error-free, cross-browser-compatible pages from scratch (I code by hand). I can't even think how I could ever live without that - it speeds up development by lightyears (just kidding but it is fast - ask ctabuk ...)

d) If you code valid xhtml strict (and employ the corresponding DTD!!), there will be almost no cross-browser issues, as long as you feed IE 5 the distorted values it needs (a.k.a. "broken box model"). Problems will arise if you code for non-compliant browsers or compliant browsers in "quirks mode", so take care of your DTDs. Cross-browser issues are - in most cases - the result of non-standard or broken code or, as mentioned, wrong DTDs.

Alex