I know this is pretty late in the game, but I just love writing about my favorite web browser. Mozilla Firefox version 1.5 has been out for a couple of weeks now (I wrote about a beta version a while back). There are several new features, as announced in this Mozilla online media release.
The user interface
- New “drag and drop” feature for tabbed browsing
- Improved pop-up blocker
- New reference search engine Answers.com is now included in Search box
- Improved Live Bookmarks feature
- Improved Options interface
Security
- New “install and forget” auto update system
- New “clear private data” tool
Performance
- Faster page rendering
- Better accessibility (to sight- or motor-impaired)
Customization and extensibility
- The all-too-familiar extensions!
For a heavy web browser like myself, what makes Firefox click for is the user interface. The faster rendering and better security are more or less taken as a given, especially in comparison with IE (though Safari and Opera still claim to be the fastest browsers). But the combination of having a light, fast, and (especially) tabbed UI was really great. And now, the ability to rearrange tabs! Ain’t that sweet?
I’d reckon a good majority of Pinoy.tech.blog readers already use Firefox as their primary browsers (limiting IE use for Windows updates and the like). If you’re still using IE, better think about switching ASAP (unless you have a very good reason for sticking to it), as you may already be a security risk to yourself and everyone else in your network. And I assure you the user interface will definitely make your browsing more efficient. There are a handful of good alternatives to IE, and IMHO, Firefox is the best.