Disclaimer: I have a theme on my version of Firefox 3, so your version of Firefox will look a bit different
If you like it: the theme is called GrApple Yummy (blue)
If you have an internet connection (and I’m assuming you do; since you’re reading this), you’ve most likely heard about the new Firefox 3. I was amazed at how many people had jumped on the “beta” bandwagon with this upcoming release.
So what exactly is all of this excitement about it, and is it something you should be interested in? Well thats exactly what I’m going to cover in this article.
So, what does Firefox have to offer? Well a lot actually. First of all, Firefox excells when it comes to the navigation. Newly incorporated in Firefox 3 is what the folks at Mozilla call the “Smart Location Bar,” which is an amazing tool. It works like anormal URL bar would work, however, its not as specific (in a good way). For example, it searches all parts of the url. So if you were going to go to apple.com/iPhone, you could just type iPhone, and youll see your various results (whether it be a page with the title iPhone, or an article with iPhone in it or a /iPhone).
The URL bar also features, one click bookmarking, you’ll see a star on every webpage you visit. If this isn’t bookmarked, the star will be just the outline of a star (not filled in), and if the page is bookmarked, the star will be solid blue. Honestly, I’m not sure how much people will use this, I didn’t even realize it until I was reading Mozilla’s site. Another new feature, Smart Folders, are another one of the features that I don’t really think I’ll use. They work like iTunes’ Smart Playlists work, except with your websites, stuff like “most visited” and stuff. It can be interesting to read, but besides that it’s pretty pointless. And finally, a feature that’s not so new but still important, is the “suggested results” in the search engine bar. It’s nothing amazing, but it can be extremely useful.
If there’s one area where Firefox really has “bragging” rights over the other browsers, its the browsers’ security features. First off, a feature that’s not so new, password management: a feature that’s quickly being integrated into every browser (if it hasn’t been already). If you don’t know what it is yet, basically it lets you save and store your passwords for the websites you use, so that you don’t have to re-enter them every single time you go to a website. However, Mozilla has given it a bit of a face lift, now instead of saving your password as it logs you in, it waits till after you’ve logged in, so that you can cancel the save if you’ve typed in your password wrong. Even though it seems like such a small detail, it saves a lot of headaches in the longrun. Also, Firefox greatly protects against pshing and malware, basically in the url, you can now check if the site is valid or not, which is great for doing online banking and stuff, so that you can make sure your information is secure. Something that is growing more and more important as hackers continue to figure out how to hack into secure websites and systems. Mozilla states that Firefox will constantly update its list of web-forgery sites 48 times a day, so you’ll always know what’s secure and whats not. Firefox also automatically downloads its updates, so you don’t have to worry about it, not only keeping you constantly secure, but you’ll always have the latest stuff.
Firefox also incorporates a feature called “Session restore” which is exactly what it sounds like, basically if Firefox were to crash for some reason, you’ll pick right back up were you left off (Mozilla says it’s word for word, I find this hard to believe, because I’ve lost work before in firefox..) Firefox also sports a new feature, that you can save your tabs when you quit out (I’m pretty sure this was in earlier versions; just not as apparent). This is really awesome, because a lot of times I’ll have multiple articles open on my computer, and then all of a sudden have to go somewhere. Well now thanks to Firefox 3, I’ll be able to pick back up where I left off.
Firefox also ups its performance with, Memory Management (also meaning a smaller memory footprint, some people were having ridiculous problems with Firefox taking up their RAM). They also, say they have improved their page and graphics rendering.
So that’s features; now onto Look and Feel/Usability. Now Firefox 2 was ugly, I’m sorry but it was, and that’s honestly one thing that kept me from using Firefox is because of its appearance. Being a OS X user I’m used to a nice sleek look through out my whole system. That’s exactly why the developers at Mozilla decided to incorporate a native look for each Operating System (one for OSX, one for XP, one for Vista, and one for Linux). This was a really nice move on Mozilla’s part! When I first started testing the beta, I loved the new interface, and I still do (however I wasn’t crazy when they decided to incorporate that gigantic back button). Here’s what the different UI’s will look like that (in order from OSX, XP, Vista, and Linux):
As far as usability goes, there are a lot of horrible browsers out there when it comes to ease of use, Firefox 3 is not one of them.
Now, I’m a safari-fanboy at heart, however I’ve been using Firefox 3 for about 2 months proximately, and I really like it. Is it better than Safari? I can’t answer that, simply because I think when it comes to Safari and Firefox, there’s no clear cut winner (and I say that just between these two browsers). For example, while Firefox is very diverse in what pages it can show etc etc, Safari has a MUCH better RSS reader. So, I think it comes down to 1. what you’re going to use it for 2. what your personal preference is. I’ll leave it at that
Firefox earns a 5/5 without a doubt, this is an excellent browser, and I highly recommend it!
