Firefox 4 has arrived, becoming the third Web browser to push out a major update in the last few days. The new version features a sweepingly reworked interface with a new menu system that cuts down clutter but also makes it a bit more cumbersome to use its functions. Firefox has long been a champion of add-ons, and its system for managing them has been further refined in this fourth edition.
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Just a matter of days after Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) released Internet Explorer 9, Mozilla has come forward with its newest browser, Firefox 4. It has been three years since the release of Firefox 3.0, and during that time a lot has changed in the browser landscape.
Mozilla's latest software answers the call to be sleeker and faster, like its competitors, but some of the changes are so radical that it will take faithful Firefox users quite some time to get used to them.
Simplifying the Interface, Slightly Reducing Functionality
Of course, the most noticeable change as soon as you open Firefox 4 is a sweepingly reworked interface. Just like Chrome and Internet Explorer 9, the new Firefox browser gets rid of the traditional "File," "Edit," History," et. al. menus at the top of the window in exchange for a less cluttered look, with more room to display the actual website.
In Windows, most of these menu functions have been packaged into a new one-stop-shop button on the top-left of the screen. Clicking this button opens up a menu with all the most common settings and functions, including Print, Bookmarks, Add-ons and History.
Another convenient option under the Firefox button is one-click access to the list of all files that have been downloaded from Firefox, an option that was confusingly hidden under the "Tools" menu in Firefox 3.
And while it is nice to have all the most common functions in one menu, it adds a burdensome extra step for the less common options, like zooming in or out of a page, viewing the site's source code, opening a saved website, or changing the site text's font or size. Those functions have been shoveled into a separate "Options" menu which is more complicated to navigate than before.
Meanwhile, going into something like the History menu now requires clicking on the Firefox button, and then opening the History menu, instead of just clicking the History button in Firefox 3.
These are the same issues that IE9 and Chrome face, so nothing is unique in this regard for Firefox 4, but for those who have used nothing but Firefox 3 for the last three years may find it bothersome at first.
Huge Improvements to Tabs
Most of the changes to the interface are exceedingly positive. For example, tabs now show up above the URL bar, and instead of wasting space, each tab is now just represented by its respective website icon ("favicon"). This makes it possible for literally dozens of tabs to open at once, while all still being visible on the same screen.
Because it's now easier to have a lot of tabs running at the same time, Mozilla has unleashed a feature called "Panorama." By clicking Ctrl+Shift+E, you open up a display that lets you preview your tabs in a full-screen environment, letting you see small snapshots of every website you have open.
But that's not all. You can also arrange your tabs into "groups," making it visually pleasing if you want to get a quick glance at your work-related sites, your social networking accounts, or virtually any kind of grouping you can think of.
For Web users who like to keep a lot of tabs open, Firefox 4 is the standout winner in terms of making it easy to organize and preview them.
Simplifying Add-Ons, Somewhat
Firefox users who never downloaded an add-on, or at least never spent a lot of time browsing for add-ons, will have a much easier time enhancing their browsing experience with Firefox 4.
The Add-ons Manager has been refreshed with a visually pleasing menu, opening up with highlighted apps from Mozilla and the most popular downloads. Browsing through add-ons is presented with an "App Store" aesthetic, making it more of a familiar and approachable task than in previous iterations of the browser.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest barriers to add-ons -- forcing users to shut down the browser and all tabs before the add-ons can be installed -- is still an issue here. Chrome and Internet Explorer 9 eliminated this problem, so it feels like an archaic carry-over from Firefox 3 that definitely adds a hindrance.
That being said, Firefox has some of the best add-ons in the browser market and because of its long history with add-ons, it is a very attractive platform for developers.
Bottom Line
One other great addition to Firefox 4 is the built-in Firefox Sync. This was available in Firefox 3 but only if users took the time to find and enable it. Sync lets a user open up Firefox on another computer and resume the browsing experience exactly as it was left it on the main computer.
Firefox 4 is also notably faster than its predecessor, which is to be expected. It's nothing to write home about, but it does clear up some computing power and allows more resources to be devoted to the actual process of loading websites.
Firefox 4 doesn't reinvent the wheel, but that's only because Mozilla already did that when Firefox 1 first came out. That is what set off the browser shake-up that has led to today. Now, Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), Mozilla and Microsoft are all on their toes trying to keep up with one another, a competition that can only mean good things for the end user.
Of course, as with any new software upgrade, there are bound to be some growing pains, but make no mistake -- the new Firefox is more visually pleasing, incorporates features easily for those who aren't technologically adept, and makes tabbed browsing, a cornerstone of the current market, an easily managed experience.
All in all, Firefox 4 isn't much more than a flashy incremental upgrade, but it hits all the points it needs to stay competitive against Chrome and IE9.
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