Mozilla Firefox

Where have I been? Apparently the big technology news of the day is the launch of Mozilla’s Firefox 3, and I didn’t even know about it. Users around the globe have anxiously awaited the release; it appears that many supporters organized launch parties in an attempt to set a world record for the most software downloads in a 24 hour period. 

Seriously, I feel left out. I wasn’t even aware of how popular Firefox is, second only to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer; I think the only reason IE is number one is because it is pre-loaded on any PC you buy. But if you would have asked me yesterday which browser I would figure for second place, I might have guessed Apple’s Safari Web Browser. I don’t have any particular reason for my guess. I just figured the consumer’s default choices are PC or Mac. Therefore, your default Web browsing choices are IE or Safari. 

Feeling like an ‘old geezer’ who has technologically tripped and fallen behind, I did a little research to find out what was so great about Firefox. What’s so funny is that as soon as I went to the Firefox website, there was a big page titled, “What’s So Great About Firefox?” It was as if the site read my mind and had made the answers immediately available. (I thought to myself, if ‘mind reading’ is one of Firefox’s new features, well then sign me up!)

I read the the page and it looks like Firefox does have a couple of really cool features. I’m only going to highlight my two favorites, as all of you are more than capable of clicking the link I inserted for you. 

• Anti-Malware – Firefox will tell you if you have accidentally accessed a website that has been reported as an attack site or is known to have viruses, worms, or spyware. This capability shouldn’t be taken for granted. It takes a lot of work to maintain a database of malicious sites, let alone provide free access to it; but that’s exactly what Mozilla is providing you with Firefox. The same protection would cost you $59 if you purchased Symantec’s Norton Internet Security software. 
• Clear Private Data – Firefox makes it simple to remove private data that could potentially fall in the hands of other users. This feature is easily accessed through a few simple key strokes. I think this is an excellent feature to highlight. Each time we attach our laptops to a wireless network or access the Internet with a public computer, we electronically expose ourselves for all the world to see. Firefox is providing a quick and easy way to make sure you ‘cover up’ and remove your information from a public machine. Outstanding.

I admit, I am not as familiar with Firefox as I should be. As a Mac user, I have been very happy with the features and performance of Safari. However, I was recently forced to download Firefox to access ODU’s student e-mail system while using my Mac; they did not provide support for Safari users. So, I do have Firefox version 2.x on my Mac. Quick to jump on any bandwagon, I decided to upgrade immediately. Here’s how it went:

I tried using the ‘Check for Updates’ under the ‘Help’ menu in my current version of Firefox. Unfortunately, I was informed there were no updates available. So, I had to upgrade the long way; as a Mac user, it’s really not that long. I took the current Firefox icon in my Applications folder and moved it to the trash. Then, I simply clicked the Firefox 3 icon from their website, accepted the license agreement, and upon conclusion of the download I was prompted to place the Firefox icon in my Applications folder. (Gotta love Macs!) It all took less than 5 minutes to install. 

Firefox automatically launched after dragging the icon into my Applications folder. My ‘Favorites’, which I did not save before deleting the previous version of Firefox, were still where I had left them. (Whew! Crisis averted!) I immediately searched the various menus for the ‘Clear Private Data’ feature. I quickly found it listed under the ‘Tools’ menu. But, I still wasn’t sure what private data would be cleared. Further investigation led me to the ‘Preferences’ menu. I pasted a picture of the configurable ’Clear Private Data’ options available to the user. You can configure exactly which private data you would like cleared.

I think this is one of the features that will set the Firefox browser apart from the rest. I’m going to give the new browser a run and see what other features I like. I’ll keep you posted on what I find. Oh, and to aid in Firefox supporters’ attempt to set the world record for the most software downloads within 24 hours, I’m adding a Firefox link on the website. Give Firefox a try for yourself AND help set a Guinness Record.