Browser Battle: Firefox 3.1 vs. Chrome vs. IE 8

Mozilla's second alpha of Firefox 3.1 is upping the ante in the next-generation browser battle. So how do the main contenders stack up so far now? One thing's for sure, the Firefox team has taken note of Google's recent Chrome release and worked hard to make sure its offering can hold its own.

Mozilla had already claimed its 3.1 version could outperform Chrome when it comes to speed (and most independent tests show it at least tying). Now, the engineers have incorporated Chrome-initiated options such as the ability to drag and drop tabs in and out of browser windows. The second alpha release also adds support for the HTML 5 video tag, which gives Web developers expanded options for embedding video within a page. Don't forget, too, that Microsoft's new Internet Explorer 8 beta 2 -- released at the end of August and quickly eclipsed by Chrome's introduction -- is also vying for a piece of the pie.

Here's a breakdown of the high and lowlights of each offering and where it stands as far as a full release.

Contender #1: Google Chrome

The status: Windows beta released September 2. Mac OS X and Linux versions still under development and said to be coming soon. No indication of targeted full release date.

The good:

* Reliability. Chrome's multiprocess architecture makes a bad Web page less likely to take down the whole browser.
* Speed. Chrome loads fast and keeps your surfing super-fast.
* Simplicity. Its clean design wastes no screen space.
* Searching. The Omnibox lets you type search terms or URLs into a single spot and figures out what you want.
* Privacy. Chrome offers an "Incognito" mode that lets you easily leave no footprints from where you've been.

The bad:

* Privacy. Chrome's taken a lot of heat for its monitoring and collection of user data, some of which happens before you even hit enter.
* Security. It didn't take long for users to discover vulnerabilities in the beta browser. Several of these have already been patched.
* Reliability. Some sites and online services still don't work with Chrome.
* Consistency. Because Chrome is build on the WebKit system, it differs from the dominant platforms that most designers focus on.
* Support. Chrome doesn't yet have any add-ons or customization options available. It's yet to be seen how these, once developed, will compare to the rich options available for Firefox.

Contender #2: Firefox 3.1

The status: Second alpha build released September 5. Beta expected in the next month. Full release targeted for end of 2008.

The good:

* Strong foundation. Mozilla's already built a loyal following with Firefox, and it doesn't intend on letting that go. With Firefox 3.1, you know you'll have a powerful library of add-ons and support already at your fingertips, not to mention the slew of other assets unveiled in Firefox 3.0.
* Speed. Mozilla says its still-under-development TraceMonkey JavaScript platform will leave Google's V8 in the dust. The second alpha build revs things up, too, with added support for "Web workers" -- a system that lets multiple scripts run as background processes.
* Competitive edge. Mozilla's developers have good reason to watch what Chrome is doing -- and work to match it, if not one-up it.

The bad:

* Security questions. Some studies -- albeit, Microsoft-funded ones -- have suggested Firefox, with its frequent new versions, is more susceptible to threats than the other options.
* Crash potential. Unlike Chrome, Firefox does not have separate environments for each tab -- so one rogue page can still take the whole program down.
* Support. Firefox has worked hard to snag a small portion of the browser market share, and most early predictions show Chrome taking away more of its userbase than IE's.
* Google's focus on Chrome will also take away some of its previous focus on Mozilla's development efforts. Will Firefox be able to remain a key player in the browser war?

Contender #3: Internet Explorer 8

The status:: Second beta released August 27. Full release expected before the end of 2008.

The good:

* Support. Love it or hate it, Internet Explorer is hanging on to about three-quarters of the browsing market with its default status in all Windows machines. You know developers and designers are going to cater to it.
* Security. With Microsoft at its helm, IE hangs on to a reputation of safe and reliable browsing.
* Privacy. IE 8 was the first to offer a no-record browsing mode, branded here as InPrivate Browsing.
* Searching. IE 8's Smart Address Bar offers similar functionality to Chrome's Omnibox, letting you type in URLs or search terms and taking you to the right place.
* Added add-ons. IE 8 finally catches up to Firefox with a new "Gallery" full of third-party add-on options..

The bad:
* Speed. Independent tests have found IE 8 to be significantly slower than the alternative choices. Resources. IE 8 uses a lot of memory compared to its competitors -- a factor that could considerably slow down the rest of your system.
* Crash potential. While IE 8 does use separate processes for tabs, similar to Chrome's approach, it does not do so to the same degree
* -- still leaving room for a total meltdown.
* Competition questions. Can IE's add-ons reach the level of Firefox's? Already, some users are complaining of problems even getting them to work.

That's the lowdown on the battle's current status. Remember, all three of these programs are still early in their development, so many of the pluses and minuses could change as things move forward. One thing's for sure, though: This battle is on, it's growing fierce, and each of its contenders will do anything it can to win.

Firefox 3 vs. Internet Explorer 7 - Which is Better?

Mozilla released Firefox 3 with many new features and made download history. How does this version compare with Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7? I'll discuss both the good and the bad here.

Mozilla has finally released the long anticipated Firefox 3. On the day of its release, there were a record breaking 8.3 million downloads, making download history. What many Internet users are wondering now is: How do these two power houses compare in features and usability, and, is there a really that much of a difference between them? Let's take a look at the features that each browser offers and discuss the pros and cons.

One of the new features in the Firefox3 upgrade is a change to the Password Manager. In the past you'd log into a site and a dialog box would pop up asking you if you would like it to remember your password information. This happened before you’d log in. In the latest version, you log into a site first, and after you log in, a strip dialog appears at the top of the browser window. It is there you’re asked if you want Firefox to remember your password. This feature change is geared toward making your browsing experience safer. Along those same lines, Firefox 3 also has the following new upgrades: Instant Web Site ID, Anti-Malware, Anti-Phising, Parental Controls, Anti-Virus Software, Secure Connection Add-ons, Clear Private Data, Customized Security Settings, Automated Update, and customized Pop-up Blocker.

Under their new personal services for browsing, Firefox 3 gives the user a huge amount freedom for making the browser work better for you. The Smart Location Bar gives you the ability to use the smart auto-complete function (which no longer just remembers the page address but also the page title). Other features include: One-click Bookmarking, Smart Bookmark Folders, Library, Tags, Add-ons Manager, Feed Reader, Download Manager, Full Zoom, Session Restore, Spell Checking and the ability to customize your browser in 5,000 different ways through Add-ons that you chose.

Now let’s look at Internet Explorer 7. As you may have noticed, there’s a new interface design, but the features I like best is the Phishing Filter. The filter turns the address bar red in your browser and will display a warning web page for any known phishing sites. There other features too: Extended Validation SSL, RSS Tab, Tabbed Browsing and Opt for Ad-ons. And there’s one more thing: every time someone upgrades to IE 7 Microsoft plants a tree in Carbon Grove. This area only consists of trees donated by those using the IE 7 browser. Neat.

So, what are some of the problems you may run into with Firefox3? Well, only five hours after the downloading rush began, on day one, the TippingPoint found a security whole that is yet undisclosed but that Mozilla began working on right away. There have also been some problems with the browser crashing on older machines and not uploading for some users who are still using Windows 95. As far as IE7 goes, there are one hundred and thirty-six known bugs within IE 7. We won't be going into every problem here but will just touch on the main ones. The browser can crash when you visit some sites that contain common CSS. Some code used by developers won't display properly in IE and some sites that show correctly in Firefox, Opera or Safari won't be the same in IE. Microsoft will be coming out with Internet Explorer 8 soon but it is important to note that while they have continued to develop better security features since the release of IE 7 they have not fixed the bugs that came with the original release.

Ten Reason To Switch to FireFox

1. Tabbed Browsing - Makes surfing the web faster
Screenshot of toolbar

Background Tabs (shown in red) let you open pages to read later without leaving the current page

Tabbed browsing changes the way you use the Internet by allowing you to open links on a page in background tabs and then read them when you're ready. Tabbed Browsing makes it much easier to keep track of several pages or sites at once by letting you view them within a single browser window. It's easy to navigate between tabs - just click on a tab to view the page. Tabs load in the background so you can browse the web faster - and stay organized. To use Tabbed Browsing, hold down Ctrl while clicking on a web link, or click with the middle mouse button.
Screenshot of toolbar

"Open in Tabs" opens contents of Bookmarks Folder in Tabs.

Tabbed browsing makes the web faster and more efficient. You can concentrate on reading a page without the confusion of having to switch between windows. While you're reading a page, links you have opened in background tabs are loading so when you're ready to read them, they've already finished loading and you don't need to wait.

While it seems like a simple idea, Tabbed Browsing is a revolutionary enhancement to web browsing. Firefox brings you the simplest, most intuitive version of Tabbed Browsing you will find today.
2. Popup Blocking
Screenshot of toolbar

Icon showing that popups have been prevented from opening

Firefox stops annoying popup windows dead in their tracks. Experience the web as it was supposed to be - peaceful, convenient, accessible.

Some sites make legitimate use of popup windows. When Firefox blocks a popup window, it displays an icon in the status bar. Clicking this icon shows a breakdown of the popup(s) that Firefox stopped when loading the current page. You can then allow some or all of the popup windows to be shown.
3. Find Stuff Easier
Find Bookmarks Screenshot

Bookmarks QuickFind in action

Much of the time you spend using a web browser is spent looking for things. That's why Firefox has the best search functions of any browser. Ctrl+K takes you to the Google bar. Enter what you're searching for and hit Enter to search Google. Entering a search into the Location bar does an "I'm feeling lucky" Google search (that is, it automatically loads the first result returned by Google for that search).
Web Features Panel Icon

Firefox's Smart Keywords lets you find things faster.

Firefox's collection of Smart Keywords make it easy to look up words in the Dictionary, check on stock quotes, etc. Just type the keyword, then the word, stock symbol or other value in the Location Bar, and hit Enter. A full list of Firefox's supported Smart Keywords is available here, and if they aren't enough for you you can make your own!.

Firefox's "Find Stuff Faster" mantra is more than just skin deep. Other parts of the browser have been engineered with search in mind. Take Tab-Browsing - run a search in one tab, then open search results in background tabs, and flick between them to compare. Bookmarks and History have QuickFind bars that let you quickly locate a bookmark in a long list, or a place you visited several days ago. Firefox's handy browser context menus also let you instantly search for selected text.
4. Simplified Privacy / Annoyance Eliminator
Privacy Controls

Firefox has sophisticated privacy controls

Your privacy is important to us. Firefox makes it easy to keep track of information that the browser has stored while you've been surfing, such as things you've typed into forms, Cookies, files you've downloaded, pages you've visited (History), and so on. You can quickly clear any of these things from the Privacy panel of Tools, Options. If you're using a public or shared computer, you can also instantly clear all stored information with a single click.
Find Bookmarks Screenshot

Firefox puts an end to annoying web page tricks

Aside from preventing popup windows, Firefox will also stop a number of other actions that have been annoying web surfers for years, like status bar tricks (e.g. animating status bar tickers, and spoofing that prevents you from seeing where links really go). We've designed Firefox so that the standard settings offer the least annoyance. Controls for these settings can be found in the Web Features page under Options.

Firefox comes with the same sophisticated set of controls as Mozilla that allow you to control cookies, Javascript, and other settings to suit your tastes.
5. Better Bookmarks and History
Privacy Controls

Firefox's Bookmarks Window makes organizing your Bookmarks easy.

Firefox makes it easier to organize your Bookmark collection with its handy Bookmarks manager (Bookmarks, Manage Bookmarks... menu item). Create folders to group similar items, and add annotations to remind yourself of why you bookmarked a particular item later. Sort on any of a number of properties including Name, Location, Date Last Visited, etc. Firefox also lets you associate a Keyword with any bookmark so you can open it by simply typing its keyword in the Location Bar of the browser.

Both Bookmarks and History are available as convenient Side Bar panels for quick access. Simply hit Ctrl+B for Bookmarks, and Ctrl+H for History. Links open with a click.
6. Accessible, Intelligent, Responsive
Privacy Controls

Type Ahead Find in Action

Best Accessiblity. Firefox offers the best set of keyboard shortcuts about. Ctrl+L quickly focuses the Location Bar. Ctrl+K the Google Bar. Ctrl+T opens a new tab and Ctrl+S does what it should do - save the current page. A full set of keyboard shortcuts is available here.
Privacy Controls

Firefox helps you fill out web forms and remembers what you've searched for

Both Bookmarks and History are available as convenient Side Bar panels for quick access. Simply hit Ctrl+B for Bookmarks, and Ctrl+H for History. Links open with a click.

Intelligent. Firefox remembers what you've filled in web forms, to make searching for things again, or filling out things like your name and address a simple process. Firefox also features a handy Password Manager that automatically fills out user-name/password fields on sites that require you to log in.

More Responsive. Firefox feels more responsive in day-to-day browsing than competitors like Internet Explorer. Pages appear on screen sooner, and there are fewer annoying lock ups. The effect is a browser that feels faster.
7. Customizable and Extendable
Privacy Controls

Customizing Toolbars in Firefox

Customize Toolbars. Set up your toolbars the way you want them. Have just a thin strip with everything on one bar. Have a set of toolbars with every option available within reach. Firefox's toolbars are fully customizable so you can have it the way you like it. Choose View, Toolbars, Customize... and simply drag on the items you want. Firefox even lets you create new toolbars. Third party extensions often add Toolbar items to the Customize Palette as well.

Most Extensible. Firefox's user interface can be extended by developers using industry standards such as XML, CSS, JavaScript etc, as well as complex C++ add on modules. Examples of such extensions include everything from relatively simple utilities to advanced tools such as a JavaScript Debugger and Document Inspector. A full list of existing extensions is available at update.mozilla.org. Extensions are easily installed.
Privacy Controls

Applying themes is easy

Themeable. Firefox's user interface is fully customizeable, using the same CSS, XML, etc, industry standards as the extension UI. The themes are endless. Firefox can look like the StarTrek Lcars computer or even resemble Microsoft Internet Explorer. A full list of existing themes is available here. Themes are easily installed.
8. Modern Download Manager
Privacy Controls

Downloads to a specified folder, indicates in taskbar when finished

The built-in Download Manager is modern and user friendly. It shows all pending and completed downloads as a graphical list along with relevent text. A user has complete control over the active and inactive downloads. The user can cancel an active download, retry failed ones, remove the complete and failed ones, open completed downloads in system directory browser and also clean up the list if desired. Double-clicking the file can be used to launch it directly.

The Download Manager saves real-estate in the tasklist toolbar by having one window for all downloads and showing the average complete percentage in its tasklist menu along with the number of pending downloads. On completion of downloads the users get a "mail-biff" style notification: "Downloads Complete". Moreover, the download manager is intelligent enough to warn the user in case Firefox exits and there are pending downloads.
9. Built for standards
Privacy ControlsPrivacy Controls

Firefox is leading the pack when it comes to standards support

Firefox has world beating support for W3C standards like CSS, DOM, etc. Where browsers like Opera or IE may fail on a dynamic page, Firefox usually succeeds.

Firefox is also Open Source. This means that the browser is not just 'free' to use, but it's also open for development. Firefox is just one of many browsers and projects based on the Powerful Mozilla Gecko engine. Since its open source, the software is guaranteed to not have intended malicious code or spyware included.
10. KISS (Keep It Simple and Straight-Forward)
Privacy Controls

The Simple interface and embeded search allows for a simple and uncluttered web experience

Simplified User Interface. We've put a lot of thought into making using Firefox easy and obvious. Browsers like Mozilla and Opera seem to be focused more on esoteric features, at the expense of all-round usability. That's why we have created a browser that works in the simplest and most straight-forward way out of the box. Defaults have been carefully chosen so you don't need to spend time setting up the browser. Menus and dialog boxes are kept clean and free of options that only a marginal number of people use. If there's a feature that Mozilla or Opera has that Firefox lacks, it's probably for good reason. But if you really do need a particular enhancement, a large number of quality extensions are available for free.

More Space for Pages.We place a great deal of importance on space for web pages in Firefox. That's why our browser has more space devoted to web pages than Internet Explorer, Opera, or Mozilla. Firefox offers 2% more space to web pages than Mozilla, 4% more than Internet Explorer, and a whopping 10% more than Opera. (Standard configurations tested, sidebars closed, window maximized at 1600x1200). You can get even more space by rearranging the content of the toolbars. Firefox also offers a Full Screen mode (Press F11 to enter/exit) that devotes even more of the screen to the web page. You can even gain more space by using some themes and by disabling the 'Bookmarks Toolbar'

Top 5 Reasons to Use Firefox

5. Originality
In the most recent version of IE 7, you'll find a lot of cool new features - unfortunately, almost all of these features have been in Firefox for years now. With Firefox, you'll have the latest and best features straight out of the box.

4. Cleaner Interface
Firefox's interface is clean, and easy to use. Additionally, you have the ability to customize the navigation to just about any specification, as well as easily implementing thousands of new themes to personalize Firefox.

3. Easy to Use
If you know how to use Internet Explorer, you'll know how to use Firefox - all of the keyboard shortcuts are the same, and Firefox will import your bookmarks and settings for you, meaning no learning curve for you. Just download and surf.

2. Free and Open
Firefox is completely free and supported by a dedicated community of developers to constantly make it better. since it's "open source", that means that anyone can make improvements to the software and could possibly make it into the next release of Firefox.

1. Customization with Plugins and Extensions
The real power of Firefox lies in it's added functionality through the use of 'extensions'. Thousands of developers program small additional tools for the browser that allow you to do almost whatever your heart desires, and make your life easier

Download firefox 3.5

www.mozilla.com




We’re very excited to announce the official release of Firefox 3.5! You can download Firefox 3.5 at firefox.com and enjoy the new features and faster performance. If you’re using the latest version of Firefox 3.0, you can get Firefox 3.5 by clicking on the Help menu and then selecting Check for Updates.

The Firefox 3.5 press release is available here. We also compiled a guide to frequently asked questions. You can also check out this video for a guided tour of what’s new in Firefox 3.5.

Mike Beltzner, Director of Firefox has a comprehensive post here. The post includes a list of some of the coolest Firefox 3.5 features, excerpted below.

* Firefox 3.5 is available in more than 70 languages – get your local version.
* We have included tools for controlling your private data, including a Private Browsing Mode, and the ability to go back in time and Clear Recent History.
* Firefox 3.5 has support for the HTML5

Firefox 3.5 arrives

After some rather impressive RC builds, Firefox 3.5 is all packaged up and ready for public consumption. Mozilla is saying its new browser is more than two times faster than Firefox 3, but what has us more excited is the support for plugin-free "open codec" video and audio playback using Ogg Vorbis and Ogg Theora-- it's still in its infancy, but the subtle glimpse we've seen so far of a world without Flash video reducing our CPU to jelly is rather compelling.

Mozilla Firefox 3.5

Firefox 3.5 is based on the Gecko 1.9.1 rendering platform, which has been under development for the past year. Firefox 3.5 offers many changes over the previous version, supporting new web technologies, improving performance and ease of use. Some of the notable features are:



download:
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/products/download.html?product=firefox-3.5&os=win&lang=en-US