Mozilla Firefox is a
fast, light and tidy open source web browser. At its public launch in 2004
Mozilla Firefox was the first browser to challenge Microsoft Internet
Explorer’s dominance. Since then, Mozilla Firefox has consistently featured in
the top 3 most popular browsers globally. The key features that have made
Mozilla Firefox so popular are the simple and effective UI, browser speed and
strong security capabilities. The browser is particularly popular with
developers thanks to its open source development and active community of
advanced users.
Easier
Browsing
Mozilla put of a lot
of resources into creating a simple but effective UI aimed at making browsing
quicker and easier. They created the tab structure that has been adopted by
most other browsers. In recent years Mozilla has also focused on maximizing browsing
area by simplifying toolbar controls to just a Firefox button (which contains
settings and options) and back/forward buttons. The URL box features direct
Google searching as well as an auto predict/history feature called Awesome Bar.
On the right side of the URL box there are bookmarking, history and refresh
buttons. To the right of the URL box is a search box which allows you to
customize your search engine options. Outside of that a view button controls
what you see below the URL. Next to that you have the download history and home
buttons.
Speed
Mozilla Firefox
boasts impressive page load speeds thanks to the excellent JagerMonkey
JavaScript engine. Start up speed and graphics rendering are also among the
quickest in the market. Firefox manages complex video and web content using
layer-based Direct2D and Driect3D graphics systems. Crash protection ensures
only the plugin causing the issue stops working, not the rest of the content
being browsed. Reloading the page restarts any affected plugins. The tab system
and Awesome Bar have been streamlined to launch/get results very quickly too.
Security
Firefox was the first
browser to introduce a private browsing feature which allows you to use the
internet more anonymously and securely. History, searches, passwords,
downloads, cookies and cached content are all removed on shutdown. Minimizing
the chances of another user stealing your identity or finding confidential
information. Content security, anti-phishing technology and
antivirus/antimalware integration ensures your browsing experience is as safe
as possible.
Personalisation
& Development
One of the best
features of the Firefox UI is customization. Simply right click on the
navigation toolbar to customize individual components or just drag and drop
items you want to move around. The inbuilt Firefox Add-ons Manager allows you
to discover and install add-ons within the browser as well as view ratings,
recommendations and descriptions. Thousands of customizable themes allow you to
customize the look and feel of your browser. Site authors and developers can
create advanced content and applications using Mozilla’s open source platform
and enhanced API.
Post a Comment