So it looks like the next generation of internet browser wars has officially begun. Last week I covered the release of Internet Explorer 7, which if you haven’t downloaded already will be forced upon you as a Critical Windows Update on November 1st. This week saw the release of Firefox 2, available just in time to compete with Internet Explorer 7 on equal footing. While it’s nowhere near the radical redesign that is IE7, Firefox 2 adds enough features and polish to dissuade any Firefox users from jumping ship.
The biggest addition to Firefox 2 is an antiphishing filter very much like the one present in IE7. Increased security seems to be the big theme for browser companies in this generation, so tackling the scourge of phishing sites is certainly an obvious place to start. Other than that, Firefox 2 adds many subtle features that longtime users are sure to appreciate. RSS feeds are integrated seamlessly, extensions and themes are grouped together in a new “add-ons” category, and tabs look much better and sport new options.
Given that many of the tweaks in Firefox 2 are under the hood, it probably won’t do much to encourage new users to move away from IE. Mozilla may have some new marketing in the works, but for now Firefox 2 seems to be a release made more for the loyal than anything else. We may even see fewer people jumping to Firefox with the release of IE7 because Microsoft’s new browser already sports many of Firefox’s trademark features. This latest browser war may end up being fought over subtleties rather than significant differences.
Firefox 2 also seems prepped for Windows Vista with its glossy new icons and slicker default theme. I’ve used the previous version of Firefox in Vista, and it certainly wasn’t pretty. I also really enjoy the new way extension and theme updates are handled: Now Firefox can ask you to upgrade add-ons before the browser launches—an added convenience that I don’t mind at all.
As a typical Firefox user, I am somewhat worried about the effect Internet Explorer 7 will have on the future of Firefox adoption. The main reason people jumped to Firefox in the past was because Internet Explorer 6 was one of the worst programs ever to grace Windows, but IE7 is actually pretty damned good. While the geek in me is somewhat conflicted, the IT person in me thanks the gods that we’ll (hopefully) see less spyware and IE exploits now that people will be pretty much forced to upgrade to a better browser.
Not everything that Mozilla wanted to add to Firefox 2 made the cut however. Early builds of Firefox 2 included a new database driven bookmark and history system. Many, including myself, were eagerly awaiting a new take on the classic bookmark system. I find today that I rarely depend on bookmarks just because I have way too many to keep track of. My general web browsing is done mostly through sites that I’ve memorized, links through my RSS aggregator, and links through friends. The proposed new bookmark system would better handle vast amounts of bookmarks and add all sorts of new organizational possibilities into the mix. The feature was probably cut so that Mozilla could make this release data and not give IE7 too much of a lead. I’m still not sure if the loss is worth the earlier release though.
Right now I would recommend that current Firefox users make the jump to Firefox 2 as soon as their most relied upon extensions are supported. When I installed Firefox 2 on Monday about 80% of my extensions failed to work, but today it’s down to about 20%, a number that I can probably excise anyway. Users hesitant to make the switch in the past would also find this a great time to jump in.
As always you can grab the latest version of Firefox from www.getfirefox.com, and find any further information on Mozilla’s products at www.mozilla.org.
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Amherst Bytes #35: On Firefox 2
So it looks like the next generation of internet browser wars has officially begun. Last week I covered the release of Internet Explorer 7, which if you haven’t downloaded already will be forced upon you as a Critical Windows Update on November 1st. This week saw the release of Firefox 2, available just in time to compete with Internet Explorer 7 on equal footing. While it’s nowhere near the radical redesign that is IE7, Firefox 2 adds enough features and polish to dissuade any Firefox users from jumping ship.
The biggest addition to Firefox 2 is an antiphishing filter very much like the one present in IE7. Increased security seems to be the big theme for browser companies in this generation, so tackling the scourge of phishing sites is certainly an obvious place to start. Other than that, Firefox 2 adds many subtle features that longtime users are sure to appreciate. RSS feeds are integrated seamlessly, extensions and themes are grouped together in a new “add-ons” category, and tabs look much better and sport new options.
Given that many of the tweaks in Firefox 2 are under the hood, it probably won’t do much to encourage new users to move away from IE. Mozilla may have some new marketing in the works, but for now Firefox 2 seems to be a release made more for the loyal than anything else. We may even see fewer people jumping to Firefox with the release of IE7 because Microsoft’s new browser already sports many of Firefox’s trademark features. This latest browser war may end up being fought over subtleties rather than significant differences.
Firefox 2 also seems prepped for Windows Vista with its glossy new icons and slicker default theme. I’ve used the previous version of Firefox in Vista, and it certainly wasn’t pretty. I also really enjoy the new way extension and theme updates are handled: Now Firefox can ask you to upgrade add-ons before the browser launches—an added convenience that I don’t mind at all.
As a typical Firefox user, I am somewhat worried about the effect Internet Explorer 7 will have on the future of Firefox adoption. The main reason people jumped to Firefox in the past was because Internet Explorer 6 was one of the worst programs ever to grace Windows, but IE7 is actually pretty damned good. While the geek in me is somewhat conflicted, the IT person in me thanks the gods that we’ll (hopefully) see less spyware and IE exploits now that people will be pretty much forced to upgrade to a better browser.
Not everything that Mozilla wanted to add to Firefox 2 made the cut however. Early builds of Firefox 2 included a new database driven bookmark and history system. Many, including myself, were eagerly awaiting a new take on the classic bookmark system. I find today that I rarely depend on bookmarks just because I have way too many to keep track of. My general web browsing is done mostly through sites that I’ve memorized, links through my RSS aggregator, and links through friends. The proposed new bookmark system would better handle vast amounts of bookmarks and add all sorts of new organizational possibilities into the mix. The feature was probably cut so that Mozilla could make this release data and not give IE7 too much of a lead. I’m still not sure if the loss is worth the earlier release though.
Right now I would recommend that current Firefox users make the jump to Firefox 2 as soon as their most relied upon extensions are supported. When I installed Firefox 2 on Monday about 80% of my extensions failed to work, but today it’s down to about 20%, a number that I can probably excise anyway. Users hesitant to make the switch in the past would also find this a great time to jump in.
As always you can grab the latest version of Firefox from www.getfirefox.com, and find any further information on Mozilla’s products at www.mozilla.org.