For this week’s FreewareFrenzy, I’ll be putting the new Firefox 1.5 under the microscope. I will be primarily looking at the new 1.5 features. My default browser for the past few months has been Avant Browser, a shell for IE 6.0 that adds many features not normally found in Internet Explorer. So I will be using it as a comparison. So let’s have a look.
First, I wanted to compare speeds. Seems like these days every new browser is claiming to be the fastest in the bunch. In my comparisons, I found that Avant tends to load pages in their entirety before displaying them. The loading bar will reach 100% on a blank screen and then everything appears at once. Firefox will load text first, then pictures, then additional content such as flash. This is a plus for browsing in a hurry because it delivers the most important content as fast as possible, instead of waiting for flashy graphics that you usually do not need. Even still, loading times for entire pages were essentially the same, from the sites I tested.
One thing that Firefox advertises, and that I noticed was a definite plus, was the improved back and forward buttons. They are noticeably faster then other browsers. On most sites, I could jump back and forth nearly instantly. Avant was certainly slower in this area.
Some additional things I noticed in Firefox were the helpful messages and tabs. When I visited a page that included a flash animation, an information bar opened that was labeled “Missing Plug-in” and prompted me to download Macromedia Flash Player. This was a quick download and install and I didn’t have to restart Firefox to use it. Also, Firefox advertises improved dragging and dropping of open tabs. This worked easily enough, although Avant will do it just as easily, and has for some time, so it’s tough to really give Firefox points here.
I had a problem with RSS feeds in Firefox that was a frustration. Firefox does not allow me to view an RSS page in the browser. It merely displays the raw XML code. If however, I add the RSS link to my Live Bookmarks, I can see the headlines that way. I realize that most people use RSS this way, merely looking a list of headlines, but I prefer seeing it on a page. I don’t use RSS feeds that often, but this was one notable difference between the browsers, as Avant can render the code on the page.
Firefox really shines when you start to use its extensions. These are handy add-ons to Firefox that you can choose to download if you want. In a security bonus, whenever you try to install an extension, a small window pops up that tells you what is trying to download, and prevents you from clicking the Install button for five seconds. If you install a lot of things, this could get cumbersome, but it does prevent any accidental downloading of something that could be malicious. I tried a few of the more popular ones.
Fasterfox is an extension that tweaks your net settings to increase your speed as much as possible. I already have 3MB Cable, so I was curious if this would really change anything. By default Fasterfox sets itself to Turbo, for the fastest possible browsing. An interesting feature it uses is called Enhanced Prefetching. While you look at a page, Fasterfox uses your idle bandwidth to silently preload links on the page. When you click on one, it will open faster. To prove this happens, Fasterfox has a small counter in the right corner of the status bar that tells you how many seconds it took for a page to load. I tested prefetching and found that without it, a page loaded in 2.5s, but with it enabled, about 1.5seconds. Nothing too major, but a noticeable difference.
FoXspose was an interesting one that takes a cue from Apple’s Exposé. Ever have so many tabs going that you forget where the site you want is located? Well worry so more. With a simple Ctrl + Shift + X, all windows open and are fitted into the space of one, so you can see everything at once. Albeit in tiny font.
Firefox also has themes that install quickly and easily and require merely a restart of Firefox to load. I found one that matches Windows XP Luna, as well as a cartoon theme called Noia, the default Firefox look and also Black. Note that themes, as well as extensions, are not all 1.5 compatible.
So there you have it, Firefox 1.5. Is it a revolutionary new way to browse the same old internet? No, definitely not. Does it bring some interesting extras to the surfing experience? Definitely. It is an obvious improvement over Internet Explorer. Firefox is gaining ground against Internet Explorer, but IE still holds some 90% market share. I fully encourage everyone to try Firefox, as well as the other free browsers out there. Be not afraid of change, it can be for the better.
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