On 11/30/05, I wrote a blog about the new version Firefox, Ver. 1.5; and a few days later, I wrote another blog about some of the dangers in using Internet Explorer and why we should all think about permanently changing our browsers.
Well, I took my advise to heart and have changed my browser-of-choice over to the new Firefox. I did this at first to force myself to use it full time for a few weeks to see if I liked it and could get used to it. While I won't say this is a permanent switch just yet, it is getting awfully close because I do really like this browser...much more than I did when I first wrote about it on 11/30. Maybe I have just gotten used to it, but I think it is more than that.
First and foremost it is having no problems displaying web pages. So many web pages only work well in IE because they were written using Microsoft Front Page and use Microsoft extensions. And, as we all know, Microsoft loves making things proprietary so only their products work well. But so far, I am having no problems reading all the web pages I have tried, including those that don't do well in other browsers. Perhaps because Firefox is gaining so much marketshare, web designers have stopped using Microsoft extensions in favor of less proprietary solutions.
I once wrote that I had trouble writing this blog in anything but IE. Now, I am writing it flawlessly in Firefox, and it actually works better than IE. When I do a spell check, Firefox actually shows me the word in context with its sentence. IE doesn't do that.
I am still learning more and more about setting up my preferences in Firefox, but I am really liking this software a great deal. I thought for sure when I installed it that I would dump it and go back to Maxthon. But that may not happen. I only wish Maxthon wasn't vulnerable to some of Microsoft's security issues.
Recently there has been news about security vulnerabilities in Firefox. These are old vulnerabilities from the days of Version 1. They were fixed in Version 1.0.5, so if you are running Firefox, make sure it is Version 1.0.5 or Version 1.5 as they are not vulnerable. If you do have an older version, I would definitely upgrade to 1.5.
Another thing to remember about Version 1.5 is that the older Firefox extensions (enhancements from third party developers) that you may have downloaded in Version 1, do not work in Version 1.5. You will have to reinstall new extensions when you upgrade, which is extremely simple in Version 1.5.
With that in mind, CNet recently came out with a list of their favorite 10 extensions on their website. There are some really good ones listed here, some of which I have tried.
Some of my favorites include "Google Preview," which shows you a preview of each web page listed in the Google search results; "Dictionary Tooltip," that lets you double click on any word on a web page and then immediately pulls up its definition and thesaurus suggestions; "Session Saver," that will bring up the exact same web pages that were on your screen when you closed Firefox (very handy when doing research); "Forecast Fox," which gives you a local weather toolbar at the bottom of your Firefox browser (it also pops up severe weather warnings automatically); and "Tabbrowser Preferences," that gives you additional options for your tabbed webpages.
Remember, these extensions are only for Version 1.5 of Firefox. Anyway, consider giving the new Firefox a look and please let me know what you think.
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