Firefox 4 Delivers Decisive Advantages
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5. There's no speed advantage
When Microsoft launched Internet Explorer 9, the company was touting the speed
of its browser. Now just about everyone who tries it would agree that the new
software loads Web pages extremely quickly. But so does Firefox 4. In most
cases, the two browsers were evenly matched, in my testing. In other cases, one
bested the other, depending on the site. Overall, though, Internet Explorer 9
and Firefox 4 seem to be in a practical dead heat when it comes to page-loading
times. And considering all the other advantages Firefox 4 offers, a tie shouldn't
be enough for someone to opt for Internet Explorer 9.
6. Security is a going concern
Microsoft
did an outstanding job bolstering the security of Internet Explorer 9. It
did so by protecting users against "socially engineered attacks,"
browser-focused malware attacks and flaws on Websites. But Internet Explorer 9
has only been in use for a limited amount of time. And so far, not enough
people have downloaded it to truly determine how secure it really is. Does that
mean it will be proved insecure? Not a chance. It might be one of the more
secure browsers ever launched. But given Microsoft's history with security
problems, and considering the browser has yet to be fully tested by malicious
hackers in the wild, waiting to see how well Microsoft secured Internet
Explorer 9 might be a good idea.
7. Add-ons have always been Firefox's strong suit
According to Mozilla, Firefox 4 supports more than 200,000 add-ons. And as
old-time Firefox users know quite well, add-ons have always been one of the
main reasons to use the browser. In Firefox 4, the browser supports restartless
add-ons, which means users don't have to restart their browser after installing
an add-on utility. Considering the sheer number of useful add-ons and the fact
that Firefox 4 makes it even easier to use them, it's easy to see why Mozilla's
latest browser is a worthy download.
8. Sync works beautifully
Mozilla has added the ability for users to sync Bookmarks, Preferences,
History, Passwords and Tabs with other versions of Firefox 4 running on a
person's computers and Android devices. It's an outstanding feature that is yet
another good reason for people with multiple browser installations to use
Firefox 4. It's convenient, and it works extremely well.
9. Standard support is a plus
Mozilla
realized that support for integral Web standards was an absolute necessity in
Firefox 4, and the organization delivered in a big way. Among other
features, the browser has ample support for HTML5, including WebM
high-definition video. As Mozilla itself points out, Firefox comes with support
for "3D graphics, offline data storage, professional typography, touch
screen interfaces, and the Mozilla Audio API
to help create visual experiences for sound and more." Combine all that
and one will find an outstanding browsing experience in Firefox 4.
10. Future-proofing
When evaluating browsers, it's always important for Web users to determine
which platform will do the best job of adapting to the constantly changing Web
world. For now, it seems that Firefox 4 is that winner. Aside from the fact
that it supports important Web standards and it comes with new features,
Mozilla updates its browser often. That means that Firefox 4's launch was just
a starting point. And over the next several months, expect many more worthwhile
updates to the platform.
