Firefox Browser Vs Internet Explorer

This article reviews why I use the Mozilla Firefox Browser instead of Internet Explorer. I think if you are going to become a serious internet user then you should consider Firefox as you main browser.

The first reason I switched to Firefox is it is free and Open Source. It was developed by a community of developers looking to break free of the monopoly Microsoft was clearly aiming to achieve in Internet Browser technology. A Federal Court agreed with my view and has forced Microsoft from making Internet Explorer a part of their Windows operating system. However you still have to be quite 'savvy' to know how to stop it becoming the 'default' browser. You also have to know about the alternatives and how easy they are to install.

I personally think all new PC's should be shipped with Internet Explorer (IE), Firefox, Opera and Chrome as a minimum with instructions on how to install/use any of them.

The first advantage of Firefox is it is far less prone to viral attacks and spyware. This is evident from the sheer number of almost daily updates Microsoft (MS) issues for Windows and IE to deal with security issues. Alternatively Firefox may get a new release once a month at most. The new release is usually improved functionality not to fix security problems.

Firefox invented 'tabbed' browsing and MS happily copied the concept and trumpeted it as a 'new' feature for IE7. I had been using tabbed browsing for about 3 years before MS realized it would be useful.

Because Firefox is open it supports add-on applications that actually change the nature of the browsing experience. Scribefire is just one example. This simple to install add-on enables you to surf the web, come across an interesting story press F8 and up pops a text editor. This editor can be linked to your Blog and you can write the post in the browser and publish it to your Blog without ever logging into your Blog.

There are many other applications you can set up that will make serious use much easier TBUZZ is another example. Using this application you can simply highlight an interesting story on a web page and click on TBUZZ. It will then open a little window with the highlighted text and a shortened link to the story. You click on submit and it updates your Twitter account without you even going to Twitter.

Firefox has been proved to be 3.5 times faster than the competition.

Source: http://goo.gl/Nr0tV