Firefox 1.5 - Free (and very good) Internet Browser

Introduction
When I first heard of Firefox, I was thinking, hey, a web browser is a web browser is a web browser. You type in a URL, access the web site, read what's on it, and that's it. Why would I want an alternative to Internet Explorer? Well, I can't be more wrong.

True, it does the same job as Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but Firefox offers something extra: an excellent user experience and a great "look and feel". For example, in IE, if you cannot connect to the Internet, you get a whole lot of explanation in fine print. Who bothers to read them anyway?

Firefox keeps it short and simple:

Notice the "Try Again" button. Thoughtful isn't it?

The features that are frequently marketed are tabbed browsing and live bookmarks.


Tabbed browsing
I think that the tabbed browsing feature is nicely done. It's performance is sleek, and it's nicely drawn.Microsoft's version (via the MSN Toolbar) looks really crude in comparison. While loading a webpage, Firefox's tabs has its trademark circular animations. Microsoft's tabs only has a static image that looks like a blue pie.

Tabbed browsing saves a lot of real estate on my computer. Instead of opening several windows, all I have to do it to press Ctrl-T to open up a few tabs to browse multiple web sites.


Live Bookmarks
Next, Live Bookmarks. With the proliferation of RSS, almost every web site seems to be syndicated. Firefox highlights such websites with the following symbol found right side of the address bar:
You can add a site's RSS feed into Firefox as a Live Bookmark. Every time there's an update on the site, be it new blog postings or fresh news reports, you can catch them all of them from Firefox's Bookmark panel.

What I like about the Live Bookmarks is that by clicking the links, Firefox brings you to the actual site of that new blog post/news story, with all the pictures that accompany it. Most RSS readers (not all) simply show text, as such, you'll won't be able to see that mouth-watering pasta dish that your favorite food blogger uploaded.


Lotsa downloadable extensions, plugins and themes
Firefox has plenty of extensions, plugins and themes to allow you to fully customize your web browsing experience. For example, you can download FoxyTunes, an extension that allows you to listen to music while browsing in Firefox. This way, you don't have to launch an additional media player, cluttering up your desktop.


Developer's website
Firefox can be downloaded here.

It's free! Try it, it's great and I'm sure you, like the millions around the world, will be "converted"!

CE