A Fast Examination of Mozilla Firefox

The well-known internet browser Mozilla Firefox is built for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux Ubuntu and is available in over seventy languages which makes it among the most common open-source software.

In order to fix the bugs of its older version (3.5), the browser's latest release puts the focus on rapid execution of Web pages just like its rival, Opera currently offers. The new version also continues to improve performance, stability, and security compared to prior releases, according to the Mozilla Foundation. Firefox now offers its users the option of "private browsing" that's already present in other competitors such as Safari.

Another element designed to enhance and facilitate the work of web designers; there are now numerous functions that permit designers to make more engaging websites. But it is the architecture and especially the performance of the engine which makes the difference. In truth it is on this aspect that Mozilla is trying to keep its leadership on the market.

On the list of latest development we've the automatic detection of extensions to ensure that they are compatible with newer versions of the browser before updating, new Personas, full screen videos, a greater number of fonts, along with added support for cutting edge CSS features. Concerning personas, which had made the success of the browser, the choice has been integrated into the browser, so you will no longer have to download the extension and for that reason no need to restart Firefox to see changes.

Firefox is a Internet browser more and more popular because of its many features and plug-ins which are very practical for its users and that perform faster than other browsers like Internet Explorer 8 that are less intuitive.

Nevertheless during recent times there's been more aggressive competition from the rivals. Internet Explorer just isn't far behind nowadays and has made some serious catching up. Google Chrome is undoubtedly a significant threat considering the fact that it is also open-source software and is backed up by the financial strength of Google. Up to now Firefox has been able to survive and we're expecting that it'll keep doing so and it is the other browsers which will have to be cautious about losing share of the market.

So the next times that you will need to set up a new browser on your laptop or desktop computer, don't forget about Mozilla Firefox and you'll not regret it.

Source: http://goo.gl/NvTUv

Why Mozilla Firefox is So Popular?

If we want to understand the reasons behind Firefox success we have to find the origins of the browser. During, September 2002 the first version of the browser was released to the public called Phoenix. The browser was based on Gecko engine from Mozilla Suite. After, a number of releases the name was changed to Firebird but due to a legal dispute it was changed again to Firefox. This browser has received a great deal of publicity as an alternative browser to Internet Explorer.

There are many factors behind Firefox's success but I think the added features and the marketing strategy make a whole lot difference in users' adopting the software. Another thing, I want to add is that Internet Explorer after winning the battle with Netscape's browser was left with no significant changes. Of course, this has changed with the upcoming new version of windows called Vista and a new version of Internet Explorer. I suppose Microsoft is trying to correct some omissions and bugs in various levels of the browser.

We are now going to explore the main features Firefox has at the moment. One of the main goal of the developers working in Firefox is enhanced usability and accessibility for the end user. Tabbed browsing, where you load many pages on the same window, is a valuable feature in Firefox as it can make your browsing a lot faster. Also, pop-up blocking eliminates those irritating ads and the user can easily find information on a particular page using the 'find as you type' feature. The built in search bar includes all the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo etc. and you can add more search engines if you want. People working on the accessibility of the browser have manged to make Firefox work with several screen readers, screen magnifiers and on-screen keyboards. These accessibility features can help people with impairments browse the Internet easier than before.

Another feature Firefox users like very much is that they can customize easily many aspects of the browser. Extensions such as the popular web developer or the Venkman debugger can be added to the browser and enhance the functionality of Firefox. Users, often like to have an appearance according to their preferences so they use different themes in Firefox. Therefore, themes are used to change the visual appearance of the browser.

Security is really important for end users and corporations. Both, want a secure browser that they can trust without the security holes of Internet Explorer and its ActiveX technology. Mozilla Firefox fulfills this requirement mainly by giving the opportunity to other developers to check the code for security bugs and using various successful security techniques and models such as the sandbox security model. In addition, the browser can be used in many different platforms and the source code is freely available for anyone to compile it and contribute to the project.

We have seen numerous features that Firefox has but I would like to talk a little bit about the marketing strategy that is used. The development of the browser is supported by search engines Google and Yahoo through partnerships and mostly by the open source community. Mozilla Foundation which is responsible for the development of the browser believes that community based marketing can be successful. They have proven their point by using a community based marketing web site called spreadfirefox.com. They were able to place an ad on New York Times through donations made by the community of developers and devotees during the release of Firefox 1.0.

Source: http://goo.gl/IYXzh