Mozilla Firefox - "The Browser Reloaded"
Mozilla Firefox -- developed by none other than the Mozilla Corporation -- is the leading web-browser competitor against Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
But many people wonder what's the big deal with Firefox? Isn't it just a copy of Netscape/Opera? Well actually... Mozilla designed the XML code for Netscape's UI (User Interface), so really, they didn't copy it, they just extended their own UI into something better -- and I say that without bias.
General Layout
I can only describe Firefox's interface with one word: "streamlined". It definetly has a much cleaner and organized look. Everything is organized into seperate small Nav-Strips, and unlike IE -- they are all easily closable and don't sparatically rearrange themselves after an update or addon installation.
Features and Customization
Mozilla Firefox has alot -- and I mean -- alot -- more than Internet Explorer in terms of Features and Customization:
Tabbed Browsing
First off, it has Tabbed Browsing capabilities that let you view more than one page on one seperate strip; Internet Explorer only has the option of opening a new window, which can clutter up your taskbar fairly quickly.
However, Internet Explorer 7 now has "adapted" (I probably should say "stolen") Firefox's tabbed browsing features. Again however, Firefox has a downloadable extension that can load Explorer's engine into another tab -- so really -- all you need is Firefox, and if one thing doesn't work in Firefox for some reason, just switch to an IE Tab.
Integrated Search Bar
Search fast and easy with your choice of many search engines built right into Firefox.
Themes
One major disadvantage of Internet Explorer is their lack of themes. This is where user taste truly blossoms, and Microsoft has missed that crucial part. Mozilla carries hundreds of themes of all different colors and shapes, and even shows you how to create your own theme (requires alot of technical know-how though) -- but at least its there.
Extensions
Extensions are cool little addons that add more functionality and entertainment to your browsing experience. Some are made to be useful for blogging, accessibility, and other easy-use features. Others are purely for entertainment such as StumbleUpon. Whats better is that you can easily uninstall them with a couple clicks. Try doing that with IE.
Security
Firefox is claimed to be the most secure browser on the net today -- so biased eh? Let me explain why it's secure.
Built-in Popup Blocker
You would think that all "built-in" accessories for anything would come pretty cheap in quality -- not so with Firefox's popup blocker. It blocks over 90% of all popups on websites -- the other 10% are those popups that are initiated through special Javascript commands that Firefox cannot block.
Automatic Updates
Have you ever wondered when IE was going to be released in a critical update? You remember wasting about 5 minutes each day surfing the Microsoft site checking for IE updates? Well, Firefox is on the fly with updates. As soon as Mozilla launches any security update -- big or small -- a notification is sent to you immedietaely so you can get protected with the latest bug-fixes and hole-patches.
Personal Experience
On my own personal level, Firefox's security is un-matched. Do you remember those advertising companies like Bravenet and ad.doubleclick.net? They install tracking cookies that contain adware, so that they can bombard you with ads and track your internet session. How do I know this? Use Ad-Aware.
Every single internet-releated threat found in Ad-Aware was from IE's Cache, Favorites, etc., but Firefox had absolutely 0 contaminents, and I don't empty my data from both browsers very often at all -- I always keep everything in when I scan so I can find and quarantine any critical objects from either browser -- if any.
Tuned to the Web-Developer
Besides being user-friendly for home or office, Mozilla Firefox is also tuned to Web Developers' needs. Firefox can have a very nifty Web Developer and XML Web Developer extension that is very useful for web development.
It also contains a Javascript Console that lists every error, warning, and prompt message from all the sites you visit, so you're never left in the dark about why that Javascript code doesn't work.
With all that said... are you ready to make a switch? Want to learn more?
GetFirefox.com ~ It's fast, easy, and free!
