Firefox 3.0 first impressions, part 2: the ok, the bad, the ugly
By TJ Kirchner
Continuing with the analysis of the Firefox 3.0 browser, I take a look at some of the features and facts that aren’t really that great and add very little to the new browser. I also observe some of the shortcomings of Firefox and take note of some of the bad press surrounding it.
The Ok
- Places Organizer
The new Places Organizer replaces the Bookmark manager. It now gives users the ability to add tags to their bookmarks and organize them by these categories. They can also use Boolean rule searches, get multi-column results, and save these smart searches for later (much like Vista’s searching functions).
This is a nice add-on. Personality, I really don’t use tags to organize my files, so I probably won’t use them much in Firefox either. Although, for some people that throw random bookmarks in a single folder, they’ll find this useful.
- New Add-on Manager Features
From the Add-on Manager window, users can search the Firefox Add-on library for new extensions to use and install them right from that window, without having to go to the Add-on site. Again, this feature is a nice add-on, but I can accomplish the same thing by going to their website.
- Mailto links take you to Gmail
Gmail users fear not! Now you can configure Firefox to go right straight to Gmail whenever you click on an email link. Being a Gmail user myself, I found this feature to be a nice convenience.
The Bad
- Memory Hog?
Firefox claims that it’s more memory efficient. It’s fixed over 300 memory leaks and offered some new features that locates and disposes of leaked memory blocks. That’s a huge improvement in performance and security for the browser.
However, some people claim that Firefox still hogs a lot of memory. NeoSmart recently conducted a test where they ran Firefox 3.0 with a few HTML-only tabs open across different OS platforms. They found out that it uses about 350 MiB on both XP and Vista.
However, ZDNet ran its own test and found something out completely different. They ran Firefox 3.0 and Internet Explorer 7 on two identical VMWare virtual PCs, both using Vista Ultimate SP1 32-bit. After browsing on each program for two hours, they found that Internet Explorer used 319 MB and Firefox only used 159 MB. TechRepublic also conducted their own tests and found similar results.
Therefore, it’s still inconclusive if Firefox does use a lot of memory compared to its predecessors and competitors. Although, all of these sites agree that Firefox did fix a lot of their memory problems.
- Security Vulnerabilities Already
Just five hours after the new browser’s initial launch, TippingPoint informed Mozilla of a bug in the browser that could allow hackers to execute arbitrary code. Like most vulnerabilities, it would involve the user clicking on a click or visiting a malicious site.
Not a lot is known about bug, since TippingPoint is adhering to their vulnerability disclosure policy and refuses to release any additional information until a patch has been released.
Honestly, this isn’t anything new for a new browser release. I’m pretty confident that the Mozilla community will fix the problem quickly.
The Ugly
- Inoperable Add-ons
This is probably the biggest problem Firefox 3.0 faced since it premiered. Several users have been complaining that their add-ons were disabled or inoperable when they made the upgrade.
Fortunately, there are fixes that are available. By downloading the Nightly Tester Tools1 add-on, users can override compatibility issues with their add-ons.
However, this isn’t a one-fix-fixes-all solution. Some of your add-ons may still not work. Although, the problem maybe because it’s too old and isn’t supported anymore.
Given enough time, I’m sure that, if it’s a popular add-on, the developers will upgrade their extensions to be compatible with the new browser. Yet, if you’re attached to your add-ons, this road block is still worth considering.
The Conclusion
Firefox 3.0 offers a lot of excellent features, better performance, and new designs that enhances the user’s experience. The AwesomeBar and Smart Bookmarks alone are compelling reasons for users to put down their Internet Explorer, Safari, and Opera browsers and pick up a copy today.
However, given the lack of current support in terms of add-ons, Firefox 2.0 users may find it difficult to make the upgrade. Until these problems are patched and Firefox 3.0 has gone through further testing, it maybe a good idea for these users to wait a little while longer.
Fortunately, I believe that the developers will fix these problems in a matter of days. The Mozilla community has always been very strong and dedicated to producing the best user experience possible.
I think Firefox 3.0 is a great browser and definitely worth using. If you’d like to read about what I thought were Firefox 3.0’s strongest features, check out the first part of this article series, "Firefox 3.0 first impressions, part 1: the great, the good."
1. My “AdBlocker Plus” and I thank you Jon for pointing out this fix
Related:
Entry was posted
on Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 at 7:31 pm
under
Read more entries by TJ Kirchner.
Stumble It!
