Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Firefox 4 Beta Shows Off Improved Interface, Still Not Quite Speedy
Thursday, July 08, 2010 by Matt Hymel
Mozilla recently announced their beta version of Firefox 4 to the public,
preparing for a final browser version release later this year. The
Firefox browser sits second behind Internet Explorer in overall
world browser usage but looks to take advantage of a competitive online landscape where the likes
of Chrome and Opera have started becoming reputable options.
The latest netmarketshare.com top browser share report revealed that Firefox
saw a slight decline from May to June, coming in at 23.81% from
24.32%. Internet Explorer, on the other hand, saw its browser share
return to over 60%.
Although the Beta was scheduled for an end-of-June release, the
first tune-up just became available to Windows, Mac, and Linux
users. To most users, however, the significant changes (upgraded
interface) are offered automatically on Windows and must be changed
manually for Mac and Linux.
According to an article from Networkworld.com and an analysis from Lifehacker.com, here are some
noticeable interface enhancements in the new Firefox 4 Beta:
- Tabs to the top - Until this point, most Firefox users have
found tabs below the search bar (and any personalized bars). In the
new Beta, the tabs are now located at the top of the browser,
similar to Google's Chrome browser set-up.
- New Firefox button - In previous versions, the upper left hand
corner houses the familiar Firefox icon which can be utilized for
window actions. The new version has condensed these actions with
the Menu Bar to include a single, large "Firefox" drop down menu.
Utilizing the browser's menu features is now all in one location,
which opens more space for browser content.
- Stop & Reload now as "StopLoad" - Now when you come across
a "stop and reload" situation, it will only require one button.
Firefox has merged these two options into one click between the
Home button and the Forward/Backward buttons.
- Bookmarks Button - By default, Firefox has replaced the
bookmarks toolbar with a more space-saving bookmarks button located
to the right of the Google Search box.
- Out of Process Plug-In for new crash protection - Having
debuted in the Windows version of Firefox 3.6.4, this nifty
addition will protect the browser from crashes by Adobe's Flash,
Apple's Quicktime, or Microsoft's Silverlight.
- New Standards Support - Firefox 4 Beta, along with the final
version, will "boast a new HTML5 parser, native support for the
WebM video standard introduced by Google, and other unspecified
gains."
Here are some screenshots of the user interface updates, if
you don't find the time to download the Beta version.
As with every browser release, critics have started to test
Firefox 4 against current browser speed and performance tests. One
such test, Mozilla's Dromaeo testing suite, showed the latest Beta
as faster than 3.6 but still just short of Opera's speed and far
off from Safari and Chrome.
A writer at Linuxers.org is quick to point out "not to
make judgments based on a beta release. Developers are working very
hard to make Firefox 4 as fast as possible." He also highlights an
important aspect of Firefox that makes it infinitely more appealing
than the browser that preceded it (Internet Explorer): "Firefox is
more than just speed and stats - with its add-ons capability and
new UI improvements, the end software experience is what
counts."
Until Next Time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
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