Jul 14, 2009 08:43 PM
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Browsers, Since the time, when I started exploring net they have changed.I remember the days of 1996, where the browser was a text based one like Mozilla, Spry, Lynx etc & they have undergone a sea of change.Netscape is Offically dead.IE was long Dead 4 me, on my desktop.
Mozilla is an open source s/w project, 4 building web appls, whose code has been used as a platform 4 some of the net’s most innovative projects.One of them is FireFox(FF), 2 achieve the goals, of a highly transparent that brought 2gether dedicated volunteers around the world 2 coordinate the creation.
Those days we were looking 4 GUI eagerly & MS came with IE.Now a days Speed is the name of the Game.Each browser developer is trying 2 out do the other.We want the web pages 2 be displayed faster than the blink.Over this Horizon we found many a new browsers & one such is the FF & the latest ver. of FF 3.5 ver. claims 2 be the best.
FF ver. 3.5 claims several enhancements & this browser is free of cost, Upteen number of crashes of FF ver.3 (Released in June 2008).What I found was the latest ver. is almost twice as fast the old ver. on most websites, that I browsed.Mozilla is going 2 give a run 4 money 2 both MS & Google.
Browsers releases in recent times have highlighted the speed of rendering of web pages as one of the main feature.MS claims the same with its IE 8 ver.(March).Google did the same claims with its ver. of Chrome final ver.(May).Apple Computers 2 laid its claimed 2 same feature with its Safari 4 as lighting speed.By its own admission FF claims 3 times faster than ver. 3 & 10 times faster than ver. 2.
If U all have tried these, then U should try the FF 3.5 & check out many of its other features than speed.One of its newest features is delivering location specific contents of the web pages automatically.Where the contents r customized 2 the localized area from where the net is being accessed.
A quick way 2 get 2 the sites U love—even the ones with addresses U only vaguely remember.It offers a great toolbar, especially 2 access web sites much easier.Type in term into location bar(Awesome Bar) & the autocomplete function includes possible matching sites from ur browsing history, as well as sites U’ve bookmarked & tagged in a drop down.WoW, I did say that many a times.Manage ur bookmarks a lot or a little.One click on the star icon at the end of the location bar bookmarks the site.
FF 3.5 allows a mode of browsing called the private mode other than the safe mode, which makes it possible 4 users 2 visit sites without leaving any trails on the computers, from which U have browsed.Sometimes it’s nice 2 go undercover like we do on Mouthshut without login or with fake Ids LoL.So U can remove all the traces of the sites U have visited with it’s forget that site feature.Oops My better half is there peeping 4 the sites I am surfing, Well Now I can leave my lappy on 4 her with my fingerprints or footprints around.
FF protects U from viruses, worms, trojan & spyware.FF integrates ur antivirus.If U accidentally access an attack site, it will warn U away from the site & tell U why it isn’t safe 2 use.FF checks every part of a Web page before loading it 2 make sure nothing harmful is sneaking in the back door.
U can banish pop-ups from ur surfing experience once & 4 all.Or, create an “allow” list of sites whose pop-ups U’re okay with seeing.I hate those rediffmail advt. pop-ups or those of those Smileys.U can specify a Web mail client, such as Gmail, 2 open up when U click on an email address in a Web page or even typein ur emailid in the Awesome bar 2 open ur email account.
Downloading files is seamlessly & securely with pause & resume feature.There’s no need 2 wait 4 a download 2 finish before U disconnect.So, if U’re halfway through the MP3 Songs & it’s time 2 go home, just pause & pick up downloading when U get home.The resume function also works if ur system crashes or is forced 2 restart.Its shows ur download progress 2.If U accidentally close a tab, U can reopen it in one click. Just view Recently Closed Tabs in the History menu & select the tab U’d like 2 reopen.
The best feature I found is helping me remember my passwords 4 various web sites. Choose 2 “remember” site passwords without intrusive pop-ups.But be careful, Others using ur machine can see ur passwords.Oops My bank account is hacked.LoL
The other feature I use is "Find" which appears with ^F.Search 4 a word or phrase on an open Web page & highlight text before using the feature & finder opens pre-filled with ur selection.See all instances of ur search at once, or scroll backwards & forwards through the appearances of the word on the page, by even highlighting.Another WoW!I search 4 U on ms using this feature.LoL.
FF is the 1st browser 2 support open video & audio formats.One of the important feature is viewing multimedia contents like videos & audios without a plug in or add ins or proprietary software 2 download that extra patches that we need 2 install 2 view or play these files.This it claims 2 achieve by incorporating a technology called ogg theora & vorbis, which uses open video compression & open audio streaming/encoding technologies.FF 3.5 automatically color corrects images that have the color profile data like ur digital photos 2 make sure the colors r exactly as intended.
Dress up ur browser as U like it with FF's unique themes.The sky’s the limit with a growing library of over 6000 add-ons most of them r useless & time & memory consuming.Add-ons r the cornerstone of customization of FF 2 make it look like ur own.
Most new browsers offer now a day tabbed browsing of different Web pages & web sites 2.By this we can open several web pages from same web site or different web sites in one browser window, like I do with ms, 2 view dairies, reviews, mail & snaps in different tabs.We can shuffle from one web page 2 other by navigating the corresponding tabs.With the New ver. 3.5 the users have an option 2 open one of these tabs into a new browser window or arrange the tabs within the same window.
After having spent most of my work time online & used varied browsers, I have found that the new ver. is good at speed, with net connections that have slow speeds, but not much of difference 4 faster broadband connections. But Mozilla’s FF still remains my fav. browser even though I found chrome a good one without any hype.I have never liked the MS products & security issues of their products.Most Hackers love attacking the Monopoly of MS.I am a supporter of Open Sources as I get the best of the global community of voluntary developers with a mission 2 improve Web & giving me 1000 of ways 2 personalize my online experiences.
Click on a link with the middle mouse button 2 quickly open a link in a new tab.No more right click -> “Open Link in new tab”!The FF is good at making friends with ur OS with imitation of the looks & feels of the OS.FF Fires ur Imagination.
Help is right where U would expect it, as well as a few places U might not, on the Web. LoL.IE Users will never ever go back 2 IE.
