Vacation From Google Chrome: Week 4, Firefox

I have just gotten done with my final week of my “vacation” from Google Chrome. To be honest it went pretty well. I will admit all of the main browsers are 5x better than anything 5 years ago (except IE). If you just have basic needs and don’t browse much there is probably no need to fool around with web browsers. Of course, the people who are reading this and myself are obviously internet addicts, and just using the default isn’t an option.

For the past week I have been using Firefox. I need to thank Firefox because it was the browser that replaced Internet Explorer. Who knows, if it wasn’t for me switching to Firefox, I may still be using IE and I would probably know nothing about computers. So I am very thankful for Firefox. But why did I leave it? Several reasons, such as speed, crashing, and bulkiness. But that was version 3.0, this is my first time using 3.6. Were things any better?

Likes:

• Extensions! – This is by far the best part about Firefox. Sure you got extensions in Chrome, but there is so much selection in Firefox’s addon selection that you possibly can’t get them all in Google Chrome. This was the hardest part about leaving Google Chrome. I know what I still used Firefox I sometimes had 20-30 extensions. Of course, this is one of the reasons for the bulkiness, crashing, and speed that I will talk about later. This was by hard the hardest thing to leave behind when switching to Google Chrome. However, I am fine with what I have been able to get in GC even if it meant sacrificing a few addons.
• Personas – This is a new feature in Firefox since I last used it. Instead of changing the theme, you can keep the default and just have a “persons”. It is just a photo that is placed over the browser’s default theme. They give you a lot more freedom over what your browser looks like. You can even install them without restarting.
• Set-up: You can get all your information like bookmarks and history from other browsers during the set-up.
• Search Box – It suggests both queries from past searches and popular queries.
• Content Compatibility – Firefox has been the most friendly our of the three other browsers I used as far as compatible content (GC tied with Firefox for everything working). Keep in mind it is rare to not have something work in Safari or Opera either, so it really wouldn’t be a problem in any browser (besides IE).
• Site Compatibility – Everything I tried to open loaded. So with perfect content and site compatibility, Firefox is a great option for browsing.
• RSS Feeds – You can subscribe to a feed on any site that has one by pressing the orange button in the address bar. Additionally the option exists to have feeds show up on your bookmarks.
• Windows 7 Taskbar Implementation – Firefox was the only browser I used in the last month that treated each window, not each tab, as an option to click on in the Windows 7 taskbar. This means if you have 30 tabs open, there isn’t a big mess to choose from. If we wanted each tab to act like a seperate window, why have tabs in the first place?
• Full-screen – Firefox has a full screen mode, unlike Safari.
• Tabs Open To Right Of Current Tab – This really helps if you are on many blogs and forums and tab everything you haven’t read. Instead of them going to the very end, the just stay to the right of the current tab so everything is organized.

Dislikes:

• Address Bar – While it does suggest links from past site visits, it doesn’t suggest popular sites.
• Menu Bar – In all the browsers I have used this past month, all of them did not have a menu bar. Most of them had one or two buttons that give you the same options. The problem with a menu bar is it takes up valuable screen real-estate.
• No Tab Isolation – Although I never had any crashes, Firefox still has the potential to do so. This is definitely something Firefox needs to get.
• Bulkiness – The problem with addons is that it often makes things bulky. It can add many more buttons, toolbars, options, etc. It’s easy to go overboard on the extensions which in return makes it all bulky.
• New Tab / Start Page – Mozilla has drawn up a concept for future versions, but right now the default new tab page is just blank, and the start page is just a Google search. All the other browsers had some sort of new tab and home page which makes things easier.
• Address And Search Bar Not Combined – I guess this is just a personal preference, but I think only one bar is needed, like in Chrome. It saves a tiny bit of room, and a central location lets you get everything from one spot. Of course you could always use the correct bar, but having both Search and URL suggestions is more helpful.
• Tabs On The Bottom – In Google Chrome, tabs are on top so they can merge with the title bar, which saves room. Plus, in real life a tab is on the top of things like Google Chrome. It just is more logical to have it on top.

Neutral:

• Speed – Once again, I was too busy so I didn’t run any tests. Firefox’s speed was about as fast as Safari’s, which was a heck of a lot faster than Internet Explorer, and it was maybe half the speed Opera had.
• Crashing – This was always a huge problem for me. In my last week it wasn’t, but if I still used Firefox as my default browser, it sure would because it seems to crash more and more with the more extensions you get.
• Look (GUI) – I like it for its simplicity and I have grown used to it because I used Firefox for a long time. However, I think it is a little boring though. Good thing you can customize it with themes and personas.
• Acid 3 Test – It got a 92 out of 100. I used to think this was really good, but Google Chrome, Safari, and Opera all have a score of 100 out of 100.

For me, Firefox was a mix batch. It is a solid browser and the dislikes are pretty minor. The have the best developers by far and are always working on making new innovations (Ubiquity, Jet-pack, etc.). However, my best advice for Firefox is to take some time off from developing new features and work on making the browser more solid. What I mean is, they need to fix the performance before introducing new features. I think this is the main reason so many Firefox users go to Google Chrome.

Now don’t think just because I am done with my “vacation” doesn’t mean this is over 100%. To follow this is going to be a final thoughts part and an introduction to a new project. Keep checking my blog for more.

Advertisement