Entered CNET Catalog: 10/23/2006
SKU: SERVFIREFOX2
Manufacturer: delete
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 10/23/2006
You can download Firefox 2 for free, and unlike Internet Explorer 7, Firefox is available on a variety of operating systems: Windows, Mac, and Linux. There are also a wide variety of localized language versions, including Basque and Byelorussian. Again unlike IE 7, Firefox 2 does not require that you shut down antivirus protection nor does it perform a system reboot.
Unlike IE 7, which has reorganized its toolbar, Firefox 2 changes only the look and feel of its buttons. The new shiny-glass look is much more sophisticated, as are the rounded tabs and the hairline borders around the address bar and the search engine box. Missing, however, is Places, a side panel feature we saw briefly in alpha builds; Places organizes bookmarks, RSS feeds, and history in one place, much like IE 7's Favorites Center. The good news is that Places will return in Firefox 3, which is currently under development.
Tabs have long been a part of Firefox. Now, with Firefox 2, you can open any number of tabs, rearrange them, and reopen a previously closed tab using the hot keys Ctrl-Shift-T. With another feature carried over from Firefox 1.5, you can also save active tabs as a bookmark so that you can open the entire set of tabs at a later time. Missing, however, are thumbnail previews of each tab (still available only as an extension).
At the far right of the Firefox toolbar is the search engine box. Firefox 2 now includes suggested search terms from the search engine itself; for instance type fire and Google returns Firefox among other suggestions. Firefox 2 provides several built-in search engines, such as Amazon and eBay--far more than provided by IE 7--with the option to add even more search engines.
Should you decide to remove Firefox, you'll be disappointed. Despite the speed we witnessed upon instigating uninstall, the uninstall feature left behind several folders and far too many registry entries. Thus, if you want to clean out your Firefox completely or you attempt to load Firefox 2 as a clean browser, you'll be stuck with your previous bookmarks and preferences, including extensions, intact.
New in Firefox 2 is session restore; if Windows crashes and you have several tabs open in Firefox at the time, you can now relaunch Firefox with all the tabs intact. We found this feature to be very useful during the course of our tests.
Firefox 2 also gives you the ability to correct your spelling mistakes online, just like using a word processor. This is great for typing blogs or posting to a newsgroup. Common dictionary words are checked, with misspellings identified with a squiggly red line. You can add more words and even include dictionaries available in various languages. Once you have access to inline spell-checking, you won't want to surf the Web without it.
Possibly the coolest new feature is Live Titles, formerly Microsummaries, which allows Web sites to stream updated data to your bookmarks. You can add the Live Titles functionality to the Merriam-Webster dictionary site, for example, and once you have done so, when you bookmark a page, you can choose the Live Title option to display the word of the day in your bookmark. When you drop down the bookmark menu or open the bookmark side panel, you'll see the Merriam-Webster logo followed by the word of the day. For news sites such as the BBC's, you'll see the latest headline. Think of Live Titles as RSS-like feeds for your otherwise static bookmarks.
Unfortunately extensions designed for Firefox 1.5 will probably break within Firefox 2. When you install Firefox 2, a handy wizard checks to see if there are new versions of already installed 1.5 extensions available; in our case, some but not all of our favorites had not been optimized for 2.0, but then again, we were testing ahead of public release. In general, the Firefox add-on community is much more robust than that of Internet Explorer.
Security enhancements within Firefox 2 continue. New is a dialog box informing you of cross-domain scripting, a tactic used by criminal hackers to link nonrelated sites to sites you think may be legit. And Mozilla remains very responsive to fixing its vulnerabilities, pushing out updates within a few days of public notice. Microsoft, on the other hand, parses out its vulnerability fixes a little at a time. In the five years since its release, IE 6 has accrued a large deficit, and we see no sign that Microsoft is addressing new vulnerabilities found in IE 7 any faster.
The underlying Web rendering engine within Firefox 2 is Gecko 1.8, and it is largely unchanged from the previous release, Firefox 1.5. The next release of Firefox should include a new rendering engine.
Unfortunately, Firefox 2 does not fully support all the standards supported by the W3C organization, so it fails what is called the Acid2 test, a test designed by the Web Standards Project, although Mozilla is working hard toward full compliance. For comparison, of the browsers tested by CNET, only Opera 9 passed the test; IE 7 fared the worst, unable to render the page in the correct colors or shapes.
Antiphishing technology within Firefox 2 is good, and the technology has steadily improved throughout the various betas we've seen. We tested Firefox 2 on a fraudulent Bank of America site less than one hour old; the program caught the page immediately. For comparison, IE 7 also flagged the same fraudulent banking site. Most phishing sites are removed after their initial 72 hours of existence. In general, we have found that stand-alone antiphishing filters, such as Netcraft's, perform far better at flagging brand-new phishing sites than antiphishing filters bundled with Internet browsers.
There are many enhancements within Firefox 2, making it a worthy upgrade for existing users and a fine introduction for new users. Firefox is truly innovative, yet it's also very practical for everyday use.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220
User Rating: 
7/10
Initial Impression
Pros: Loads pages really quick
Cons: Scrolling pages with lots of images is laggy vs. IE 7 and MSN browsers
I'm not a FF user normally, but have it loaded since I'm a web developer, and like to check-out pages in the various browsers. I'll probably stick with IE, but FF 3 does look pretty decent. If they could get rid of the scrolling choppiness, that'd make it a great product in my book!
User Rating: 
10/10
Firefox is great 4 me.
Pros: well, IE used to pop up lots of new windows, when u would click a link. Firefox uses tabs, instead, and this is hands feet on top of IE for me (my pop up scene wasn't working good w/ IE).
Cons: Firefox is constant and works good (though it's not as fancy as IE.) I love Firefox, Firefox rocks.
User Rating: 10/10
Firefox Leads the Industry
Pros: Free, Open Source, Tabbed Browsing, Secure, Optimized Memory Use, Intuitive GUI, Active Community and Updates, Extensions, RSS Reader
Cons: Not enough people use it and see it's benefits over other browsers
Browsers like Internet Explorer, Safari, and Opera are bloated or not free, aren't as stable as Firefox and have various little compatibility quirks and rendering issues. No other browser in the world can claim the same amount of programmers working on it.
Firefox is fully customizable using about:config.
Firefox complies to and supports web standards.
Firefox is more secure than other browsers (http://news.cnet.com/Mozilla-Were-more-secure-than-Microsoft/2100-1032_3-5630529.html).
Firefox runs on nearly every operating system in many languages (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all.html)
Firefox has many extensions to infinitely expand functionality (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/)
Firefox has won many awards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox#Awards).
I hope my review has helped you to choose a web browser. Millions of users have switched to Firefox; It's about time everyone else got the idea.
User Rating: 
4/10
As wonky and error prone as anything I've seen
Pros: Uh - nice graphics
Cons: Plug ins guarantee failure and shut down, even plug ins recommended by Firefox cause havoc
Updated java. No help. Sometimes, it's a game of ring around the rosie with Firefox - open it, it crashes, open it again, it crashes.
If IE wasn't so dreadful, I'd have switched back long ago. I may just have to take Apple up on their offer to download Safari for Windows the next time they issue their command.
User Rating: 
3/10
Not as good as IE 7
Pros: It is more secure than IE 7
Cons: Slow webpages
User Rating: 
2/10
firefox crap
Pros: my worst experience, bad customer service
Cons: if you download wrong ad on ur screwed
User Rating: 2/10
WARNING " about firefox
Pros: add ons once down loaded you can lost years of work
Cons: crapy customer service
User Rating: 
1/10
WARNING " about firefox
Pros: firefox is getting worst by allowing virus kind add ons
Cons: chance of loosing years of work in firefox
any 1 who is interested in downloading firefox add ons .beware i lost years of work and saved pages by downloading firefox add on called ghost
fire fox is become junk every time i download update i loose all book mark data and there support team sucks no 1 gets back to you after you have questions
its junk you loose all data after installing update becarefull
User Rating: 10/10
Very good browser
Pros: tabbed browsing
Cons: none that i've seen
three windows based computers,
2 dell desktops& one Compaq labtop
Oh I also have a desecnt imac and this prodct is on them all. The tabbed browsing is perfect for me because I like to do many things at once, like check email or chat with friends. unless your computer is really old I would recommand this product.
P.S. this product is better than both versions of safari
User Rating: 2/10
good and bad
Pros: good browser sometimes
Cons: good overall browser
User Rating: 10/10
The best browser ever made
Pros: everything is a pro with firefox 2.0!!!!!
Cons: NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you hate Ie, or even if you like Ie, you will like Firefox Much More.
User Rating: 3/10
Come on cNet... Slimbrowser is WAY better. Are you guys slipping?
Pros: It's not IE
Cons: They just can't get the tabbed browser right... duh!!!
User Rating: 
9/10
The best browser ever made
Pros: very highly extensible with add-ons such as extensions and themes. cross-platform (windows,mac,linux), very secure, best browser ever
Cons: some extensions don't work with some versions of firefox
Highly Recommend it.
User Rating: 9/10
The fastest while it lasts...
Pros: Fast and speedy browser.
Cons: Seldom crashes (Multiple java sites). Seldom has display issues (Unlike IE7)
User Rating: 9/10
Bottom Line: Best Browser
Pros: Great themes, faster than my older Firefox browser, works with Google Docs, looks fantastic, very easy and adjustable preferences
Cons: I need to think about this one
Being a Mac owner means that I used Safari as my main web browser. It is much, much easier to change your homepage in Firefox than in Safari, thanks to a very easily configurable Preferences menu. In line spell check doesn't hurt my love for this browser either.
Bottom line: best browser.
User Rating: 9/10
Wow oh wow!
Pros: Fast, Secure,
Cons: Not quite compatible with all Internet features
User Rating: 
8/10
Nothing short of awesome
Pros: great interface, tabbed browsing, won't crash
Cons: haven't come across any yet
-Angel
www.FearlessIncome.com
User Rating: 9/10
No doubt the BEST
Pros: uniquely adjustable to your taste and needs
Cons: need to familiarize yourself with all the aspects available
Simply, if IE7 is oatmeal and good for you, then Fire Fox has to be Granola with fresh fruit and uniquely yours.
You simply have to try it !!! If you go Fire Fox you'll never go back. I conclude this after reading hundreds of reviews for both products and trying both for a significant time.
You're gonna love Fire Fox.
Updated on Dec 6, 2008LOVE FIREFOX !
Used Firefox 2.0, then 3.0. Over time they both seem to slow down with use. A good speed check can be found at Toast.net for throughput speed. Tried all the tricks, tweaks, and such on the support community, net blogs, etc. to fix it, Nothing worked. So, tried Opera, Googel Chrome, IE 7 again.. Honestly, once you use Firefox it is very difficult to live without. Finally downloaded a fresh Firefox 3.0 from the Mozilla site. Got speed back, but yet have not added any extensions. No one seems to understand why Firefox slows down after lengthy use period. Tweaks, new profiles, none of it seems to work. New download from Mozilla seems to be the only solution to get the speed back. The other browsers are OK, and over time they may grow. Opera was fast and pretty decent. Would recommend it as a second choice after Firefox if one feels the need to try something different. I
User Rating: 9/10
Great! And it's free!
Pros: Easy to use, free, good protection
Cons: None that I have found
User Rating: 1/10
Firefox: The worst browser you can have.
Pros: Nothing. This is the worst browser.
Cons: Slow, insecure, sloppy. Slow to install, they lie that it's the best. Dosn't pass Acid2. And see w3 firefxomyths . com.
User Rating: 10/10
Firefox Browser
Pros: Security, Session Restore, Tabbed Browsing
Cons: None that I am aware of
User Rating: 10/10
My favorite broswer to use
Pros: It is fast. customizable browser and add-ons that work, takes little space in computer, can use mulitple tab browsing without losing speed, the pros are endless
Cons: The only con I can think of is not all websites are compatible with this browser, but that has nothing to do with firefox itself
User Rating: 9/10
Much Easier to use
Pros: Safer than IE 7, Ease of use, nice features
Cons: None that I can find
User Rating: 4/10
trouble checking yahoo mail and gmail through firefox 2
Pros: searching web is good
Cons: trouble with checking mail
also today noticed that adblock plus is not working with it as well....
User Rating: 7/10
Firefox keeps getting better
Pros: Good stuff under opinion.
Cons: Bad stuff under opinion.
FF is much more stable then my old now enhanced IE 6 setup. I still use IE a lot because it addresses FF's one major weakness for my particular setup. IE is two and a half times faster on my old P3 with Windows 2K.
FF spoiled me with the tabs and I ended up getting really annoyed with IE 6 till I could put tabs on it too, and even then, IE still crashes much more then FF and has no session restore mode.
FF and IE were originally comparable in speed on my system until I installed Netcraft, which screwed up the speed for both browsers. After uninstall, the IE went back to normal, but the FF stayed slow, even after uninstall/reinstall attempts.
When I'm impatient, I use IE for a quick check. But if I'm going to sustain a session, it's FF, or Netscape 9 (which is pretty much the same thing), or even Opera. Opera has the advantage of speed and stability. But it lacks the compatibility with security software that both FF and IE enjoy. Most browser addons and enhancements are written for IE and FF/NN. Not Opera.
FF has a growing minority of the browser marketshare. With the FOSS community behind it, it has a lot to offer and a huge inherent advantage against IE in terms of updates and patches.
I like that FF TELLS you that it is going to go to version 2.0.0.8 or whatever, vs. IE which just tells you to add whatever MS update says is "good" for you.
MS is too overbearing with all their WGA/DRM junk. FF would be near perfect if it could access the MS website for updates. That's about the only real weakness I can think of.
And even that's one created intentionally by MS. Not a design flaw on FF's or Mozilla's part at all.
User Rating: 8/10
Best Browser on the Web
Pros: stable,safe, can be customized with add-ons, fully customizable
Cons: You are kidding, right ? None whatsoever !
The ability to personalize your webbrowser with the add-ons is a very cool feature.
FireFox 2 is also stable, secure and is fully customizable.
Also FireFox 2 loads pages quickly and warns you when you visit a website that is not secure.
Conclusion :
This is the best webbrowser around the globe !
User Rating: 9/10
A proven winner, with little downside
Pros: Secure, fast, customizable
Cons: Previous versions' products don't always work.
Previous versions' add-on products don't always migrate over to the 2.0, but that's a small price to pay.
User Rating: 10/10
Great , perfect prowser
Pros: Its a ton faster than IE, securer, an everything, tons of plugings / add-ons. an very stable
Cons: text appare dif than in ie , but not noticable
Switch today , come one, if anyone says its bad or anything , there just ie fans
User Rating: 7/10
If using Firefox you'll still need to run IE for some sites.
Pros: Nice tabbing & security
Cons: Doesn't work with all sites
User Rating: 9/10
FireFox is way cool!
Pros: Tabs, History, Bookmarks, Pop up blocker, Search bar, EZ to use! Import History Bookmarks passwords... from IE Add-ons Themes extensions
Cons: Some pages can only use IE
And I use the OWN theme.
Works good for me!
User Rating: 3/10
Worked well at the beginning but now is defective
Pros: Restores, Can use Icons instead of words for sites
Cons: Too slow or freezes up, Pop-up blocker is defective
User Rating: 9/10
Get it, and you won't regret it!
Pros: Works properly, works better, and its free!
Cons: No cons. Just pros.
User Rating: 9/10
the best browser
Pros: easy to use, more stable
Cons: none as of yet !
User Rating: 
5/10
What happened to it?
Pros: easy functional buttons, tabbed browsing,
Cons: freezing at random times
User Rating: 9/10
Has untapped Potental
Pros: Very fast and had 1000's of add ons
Cons: Needs tweaking to get everything out of it.
Well, I don't really have to say much, the browser itself is pretty much all you should need, but with add ons Firefox's potential is unlocked. Things like Fastefox, Video Downloader, and other powerful and useful add ons will pretty much power out any other browser. Also Geko is much faster than Trident (IE).
User Rating: 10/10
Excellent browser
Pros: Fast, reliable, secured, simple design, fully customizable, lot of add-ons, easy to use, fast support, constant updates.
Cons: i don't know any cons
User Rating: 9/10
Best Web Browser Available
Pros: Fast page loading, tabs, themes
Cons: Temporary problems running
User Rating: 
6/10
Fast Browser, but I'm sticking with IE7
Pros: Things load faster, more secure, free
Cons: Font very hard to read, looks uglier
User Rating: 8/10
Won't ever use Internet Explorer again
Pros: Customized tool-bars make browsing fun, fast, and easy. Safety measures automatically built into Firefox helps me rely much less on my (AdAware) Anti-spyware or (McAfee) anti-virus software
Cons: Need to search through a sea of cluttered, inferior add-ons (widgets), in order to find the really good ones
Customizing my web browser with such add-ons is very easy, and I've set my browser up exactly as I want it, and with very useful
goodies/tools. Because of this, navigating the internet is so much easier and safer for me now. And with many very good downloading tools available to me, I'm especially impressed with how much faster and easier I can download photos, videos, articles, etc. from the internet than I ever could with Internet Explorer (I-E 7 or any of the previous versions of Explorer).
Firefox has the best add-ons (widgets) around. Once I find an add-on I'm interested in, installing it is incredibly fast and uncomplicated.
Unfortunately, there are far too many add-ons within any one category of offerings. Too many developers of add-ons simply end up
duplicating existing offerings, usually with inferior variations. This only serves to clutter the pool of add-ons available with Firefox, making the really good ones hard to pick out.
I'm also not pleased with the difficulty I have placing my customized bookmark folders onto my web browser where I want them to go.
Small aggravation, since the rest of my browser is so easy to set up with customized "buttons" (Add-on icons). If only my bookmarked folders could be as easy to move around on my customized toolbars as all my other buttons. The various add-on programs for organizing/managing bookmarks don't help (and Lord knows there are plenty of add-ons available for bookmark management,
but finding a really good one has thus far been futile for me).
It's easy to complain about the very few drawbacks of Firefox, since the superiority with everything else it offers makes the few
drawbacks stand-out. To write about all the benefits and advantages of using Firefox would having me typing for days. It's that good !!!
User Rating: 9/10
Makes me ask...why does anyone use IE?
Pros: It's "my browser", just the way I want to customize it for me.
Cons: Until someone does it better, it doesn't have any.
User Rating: 8/10
firefox is the best browser now
Pros: http://www.adminviet.net
Cons: http://www.adminviet.net
you can got it everywhere and everytime
http://www.adminviet.net
User Rating: 10/10
The internet browser made for the internet user
Pros: Easy to use, intuitive, customizable, fast, reliable...
Cons: Some webpages only work on IE, but they are just a few.
This is a great product, is usefull without leaving behind being fun. The fact you can load add-ons and skins, and again the graphic toolbar in such an easy way, makes you feel thr browser is totally made for you.
User Rating: 6/10
I find Opera to be better
Pros: Firefox is safer than IE7, some fun extenstions out there
Cons: It's no Opera
But if you're looking for an alternative to IE6 or 7, you might want to give Opera a spin, especially if you haven't done so since version 6 or 7 (Opera is at version 9.21 as I write this).
Opera is:
-Faster (surfing and loading);
-Stable (I've never had Opera crash on me);
-Secure (it's one of the tightest programs out there and has the best record for fixing security issues in the (very) rare cases when they happen);
-Uses less memory for multiple tabs (and multiple tabs, isn't that the idea);
-Customizable down to the smallest detail (this is the one that really won me over) albeit in the other direction from FF. what I mean is in FF you start with the stripped down model and add things to it (that sometimes come from God knows where) whereas in Opera you start with the loaded model and remove what you don't want.
-lighter at download (yup, the "stripped down FF" weighs more than the "loaded" Opera: FF=5.8mb, Opera=4.7mb);
-Free (and has been for years now);
-Ad free (and has been for years now);
And I could go on and on.
Once again, I respect Firefox. I was even convinced that I was going to choose Firefox when I started comparing alternative browsers. But no. The clear winner for me was Opera, so much so that I started writing comments like this one!
Give Opera a try. Give yourself a few days to get use to it and to discover all the possibilities that it offers you, and I think, like me, you'll be convinced!
http://www.opera.com
Ciao,
Kenny
User Rating: 10/10
Firefox 2 RULES!!
Pros: 1: Security 2: Features 3: Open source
Cons: None, none, none
User Rating: 9/10
Firefox is amazing.
Pros: Easy to use yet deep. Add-ons add unlimited depth.
Cons: Very few sites don't work with Firefox, but it is getting better.
User Rating: 9/10
Firefox is the cutting edge of IE
Pros: open search, easy to work in any environment like windows, fedora, ubuntu
Cons: some website may not completely fit with firefox
User Rating: 9/10
good enough
Pros: fair faster
Cons: not defo for messenger
User Rating: 9/10
A wonderful browser
Pros: Pop-up blocking, easily customizable
Cons: Not as common, too many options
I chose Firefox initially because it wasn't Microsoft, but it stands on its own.
User Rating: 5/10
2.0.0.2 Needs more work
Pros: Quick install , highly responsive
Cons: Newest version seems to choke on embedded ads
I use PC Cillin 14 and SpySweeper, and both worked beautifully with all previous versions of Firefox. Suddenly, none of these apps is making nice with one another. Since the only change on my PC was the browser, I have to point the finger there.
And the uninstall is really messy. There should be some sort of utility available from Mozilla to completely wipe the folders and registry entries. I've been trying to re-install (cleanly) version 2.0.0.1 and am now seeing the bad behavior in that version, too.
This, too, shall pass.
User Rating: 9/10
GREAT BROWSER BETTER THE INTERNET EXPLORER
Pros: tabbed browsing, ease of use, spell check
Cons: on some sites firefox cannott open some things and you have to swich to IE
User Rating: 9/10
Firefox is one of a few products on CNET worth a rating of 9.
Pros: It navigates through the Internet effortlessly.
Cons: It sometimes crashes more frequently than other browsers.
User Rating: 10/10
Best browser ever!
Pros: Inline spell checking, extensions, secure and more!
Cons: What cons? There are none.
User Rating: 8/10
Best browser on the web
Pros: Awesome interface, session restore, one-click private data wipe, great page display
Cons: No thumbnail previews (small loss)
Note: I own a Dell E1705 widescreen notebook. I have tried both FF2 and IE7 on it, and while FF2 displays crisp, clean images and text, IE7 renders blurred, pixelated images. Another plus for Mozilla's brainchild.
User Rating: 9/10
The Best There is
Pros: faster, secure,customizable
Cons: tough to learn to use,
Plus FF is free, completely, and if its better, Why not
User Rating: 8/10
Great Browser.
Pros: Makes your browsing experience a cool breeze.
Cons: Takes too much memory.
User Rating: 10/10
www.ie7.com to dowload working version of IE7
Pros: Not internet explorer 7
Cons: works great no cons
greatest pro not developed by Microsoft
and is compatible with other 3rd party applications unlike IE 7
User Rating: 8/10
No other browser comes close
Pros: Refinement, Innovation, Classic Customability
Cons: .pdf slowdown, still not 100% compatible
I use a 1900x1200 resolution screen, and the CRTL + feature enlarges text without looking awkward (with exceptions on some sites where text will go over images). It's definitely helpful and easy to get use to. IE7 text doesn't look as sharp either.
The only problem I've had was a frustrating slowdown in keystroke response, where most often the second letter of the word I was typing showed up last. To make sure this wasn't a problem with my keyboard, I tried IE7 and Microsoft Word, without a problem. This issue solved itself after a restart of the browser and has not resurfaced.
Version 1.5 was better in its X button on the right hand side of the tabs bar. It made it easy to close multiple consecutive tabs. This version, however, adds "recently closed tabs" which is another breakthrough.
Another annoyance is the slowdown when opening .pdf files, but it's a minor issue.
In terms of reliability, it's been rock solid. You can have twenty five tabs open without a slowdown (at least on my machine). It's never crashed.
Ultimately, its a great browser, it's great that Firefox didn't redesign the top buttons (surely it was done specifically so that first time internet users who begin with IE can't get used to Firefox and not switch in the future) that's fast and customizable.
Other things that elevate FF:
-FoxyTunes!
-The "Find" feature is by far the best out there, because it doesn't open a new window
-Cool, intuitive interface
-It's already been updated
-session restore
-spell checker
User Rating: 8/10
I Keep Coming Back, And With Good Reason...
Pros: Stable, Generous Themes (thanks to contribuitors), Great Popup control, Simple, Simple, SIMPLE.
Cons: I'm sure I can think of some later.
That is when I became truly intrigued by Firefox, when I found myself keeping up more with Firefox and it's improvements rather than wait for the software giant to churn out yet another piece of useless software for the masses. (To be fair, Windows Media Player 11 is lighter and more stable than its predecessors. Who knew.)
I've updated, then, to IE7, FF 2, and Opera 9. This was an attempt to forcibly distance myself from Firefox, in trying to become more varied in my opinions. After eight days I completely gave up on IE7 (it's inept font-smoothing annoyed me, that's a selling point for me since i like to play around with html) and tried using Opera like I'd used to all those years even BEFORE FIREFOX.
My conclusion is this.
Clearly, we have a PR war. We have a battle of marketing, ability, speed, rendering and overall compatibility. I have stopped using IE7 because it is unattractive, too 'artistic' for my taste, and because of it's attempt to once again re-mold the way the general populace is supposed to view browsing. It is slow, bulky, however more secure. The biggest turn off, of course, was the abysmal tabbing feature. They were better off with a more secure IE6.
I have been trying to play make-up with Opera after all those years. I even imported my bookmarks into Opera to try to check it out. Though all pages are not rendered nearly as well as Firefox does, it is still and unbelievably light and rapid browser. This is why I still keep it. It has a quickstart button next to Firefox's.
And Firefox. How could I ever have doubted it. I am not a so-called 'fanboy' (whatever that geeky phrase means
of Firefox, nor do I support all this 'FF2 ROX / IE7 SUX' rhetoric that I see on this website. I simply stick to what I see that works.And I think as long as a software company keeps this in mind, they will have not kidnapped (like MicroGiant) people's disk space, but they will have EARNED a place in a person's system.
User Rating: 9/10
much improved; leaves IE7 in dust
Pros: more flexibility than IE7 and better organized
Cons: no thumbnail view of tabs but its really just eye candy
User Rating: 5/10
It's O.K. But...
Pros: Better Than IE7
Cons: Overweight and lacking features
Regarding reviewer bias, it is interesting to see that readers reviews are below that of the editor's for Firefox while just the opposite is true with Opera. What's up over at CNet anyway?
User Rating: 9/10
Excellent browser, no matter who your OS's mascot is
Pros: Secure as a safe encased in concrete, cross-platform, open-source
Cons: Some may find incompatibility with IE-specific sites annoying, extension must be found to integrate with Mac OS look and feel
Why, you ask? It's a lightweight browser that pretty much works the same way on Linux as it does on Windows as it does on the Mac. Firefox has yet to interfere with the serious multitasking I do when it comes time to write a paper. You simply can't get that kind of cross-platform compatibility (or performance) with Internet Explorer or Safari, both of which I've used at various times in my computing life.
Firefox simply "has everything." And what it doesn't have, you can find on their extensions page. In that regard, you can make Firefox truly "your browser," and you can make it look, feel, and work like you want it to.
I started using Firefox in the 1.5 days, when I had a dial-up connection, and found it more responsive than Internet Explorer on the slow connection. When the beta for 2.0 came out, I had to try it. (For my fellow beta testers out there, it was the best beta testing I've ever done.) I was pleasantly surprised by the seemingly higher quality of the software. I know it's because it's a more mature release, but it just seemed more polished fresh out of the installer than did Opera, Internet Explorer, or other browsers.
And I know that Firefox is working behind the scenes to make sure that my browsing experience is as secure as it, Mac OS X, and a little common sense can make it.
I may find myself using Opera more and more, but Firefox still rules my web browsing experience. And I think it always will.
User Rating: 9/10
A secure reliable browser
Pros: Stable, easy to use and with a variety of flavours, I was fomerly exclusively IE, now I only use IE when I have to.
Cons: The part that makes it secure is that it does not accept active-x controls, this can be very annoying when you need them installed for functionality
User Rating: 9/10
Holy cow. IE gets a spanking.
Pros: Tabs. History, Bookmarks, Music Management
Cons: MSNBC (partly owned by Microsoft) videos won't work with Firefox.
(I recommend getting the add-on Foxy Tunes.You can manage your music without leaving the browser.)
User Rating: 9/10
Clever and quick
Pros: Quick tabbed browsing and a lot of helpful add-ons
Cons: Won't work with some IE-minded pages
User Rating: 9/10
Very easy to use, and much lighter on the installation front.
Pros: Ease of use, much faster than ie7 and much more secure.
Cons: not clear in the menu bar at times and speed of loading pages can be a drag.
User Rating: 9/10
The best browser by far!
Pros: Extensions, extensions, extensions! And auto-updates thereof. Infinitely customizable.
Cons: Must restart to apply extentions, themes. Still doesn't load or render pages as fast as Opera.
Still, if you feel like changing the theme, a restart is required, unlike Opera. Opera also still beats FF in the speed of rendering pages that have already been visited. They're pretty equal with pages newly visited in a given session, but when you go back one page in Opera, it's instantaneous, no matter how complex the page. FF still makes one wait, though in its defense, Opera is a MUCH more mature app, and the FF rendering engine will be overhauled in FF 3, so hopefully there will be some speed increases then.
Those minor problems aside, I remain impressed at how many little dings got addressed in this release without over-complicating the app. I think the Session Saver extension is still better than the new standard function, but small niceties like one window to manage both themes and extensions and better RSS handling just make my most essential daily app yet better, easier to use and more customizable to my liking. Way to go, fellas!
User Rating: 4/10
Not better than Internet Explorer
Pros: Pop-up blocker, tab-browsing
Cons: Requires many manual installations of plug-ins, sends private data to Google advertising servers, such as websites I have visited
User Rating: 10/10
The Best Browser Ever!
Pros: Tabbed browsing, search box, fast, secure, and a beautiful design! Also has great add-ons and extensions to personalize the browser!
Cons: No thumbnail view of tabs.
User Rating: 4/10
Mac OS X version is a mess
Pros: spell checking, search engine suggestion
Cons: too many bugs, slow
User Rating: 9/10
Excellent Browser
Pros: Smooth Tabbed Browsing, Fast, Rarely Crashes
Cons: Bars..(read for more)
One complaint though is the extra bars (ex..like the Bookmarks bar) If you take it away, the next time you start up FF, its back. Doesn't remember settings for this. Not a major complaint though.
User Rating: 8/10
better than
Pros: no more cannot find page
Cons: windows updates?
User Rating: 7/10
Firefox 2 is fast, faster than IE7. However It is not compatible with quite many old website.
Pros: Fast, Spell checking, Feature rich
Cons: Incompatible with old websites, User interface is poor, Tab function is not as good as IE7
FF2 is better than IE7 in:
- Speed: much lighter & faster than IE7. Save me quite a lot of time browsing webs
- Spell checking: it is unique and very useful.
- Features: FF2 has serval feature that IE7 does not have.
- Independence: FF is a stand-alone application. You can easily and quickly install and uninstall.
IE7 is better than FF2 in:
- Compatibility: though IE7 is not fully compatible to many websites, it is still far better than FF2. For example, this website home.vnpt.com.vn works 70% with IE7 and 0% with FF2
- User interface: IE7 is far better than FF2. IE7's UI is the most beautiful in the series.
- Tab function: is one of the most important new feature of IE7. MS did well with this, and the tab function in IE7 is better than FF2 in term of thumbnail preview (quick-tap) and New tab creation (you can creat new tab faster & easier with one mose click).
- Favorites center: very creative! I found this feature very helpful.
Ok, so what is the choice? If you want a faster browser with spell checking, FF2 is ur choice. However you still need IE in your computer to support serveral other applications (I hate that!)
I you like to keep only one web-browser in your computer, and you like a good looking one with creative UI, you should upgade to IE7
If you have some very important websites, check with both FF2 and IE7 first to see if ur websites are copatible with those new web-browsers
User Rating: 9/10
effective, efficient, and completely customizable
Pros: easy to use, very cool and handy add-ons
Cons: not new and modern looking, little annoyances with tabs
User Rating: 10/10
Beautiful!
Pros: Efficient; beautiful; stable
Cons: Needs faster installer
User Rating: 2/10
REALLY sucks compared to 1.5
Pros: may be better than ie7
Cons: mega crasher, good extensions no longer work.
User Rating: 10/10
Firefox is D BEST
Pros: Awesome speed, look, feel, security and its d most customizable.
Cons: Absolutely none
User Rating: 10/10
Extensions FTW!
Pros: Extensions, layout, themes
Cons: Still a few memory leaks
User Rating: 9/10
Tre bona krozilo.
Pros: Gxuste funcias kaj estas tre rapida kaj fleksa.
Cons: Mi trovis neniun!
User Rating: 9/10
The Best Just Got Better!
Pros: Faster, Phishing protection, add-ons
Cons: Still...a small memory issue (better though)
User Rating: 9/10
Fantastic Browser
Pros: Speed, Features, Customizability, Add-ons, Secure, File Size, Download
Cons: still hasn't passed Acid2 test
User Rating: 9/10
totally amazing!!!
Pros: very fast pageloads, not many errors, view almost any webpage, more security, spell check
Cons: some errors tend to close browser, does not view 100% of all websites
Mozilla Firefox 2 is even better. I like the spell check feature and more security and it loads webpages much faster. I like the fact you can add many addons such as No script which lets you disable javascript and download them all which allows you to download many images off of a website or one page. The popup blocker is amazing much better then any browser. And don't forget Firefox does not download anything from the web. You must accept something from the web in order for a website to download thus receiving less spam and viruses. I can't believe some people voted less then 9 out of 10. If you have been using IE browser for some time you will have to get used to switching to firefox as I did, but trust me its even better and with all the features I would pay $100 for it. I am glad I don't have to though.
User Rating: 5/10
There is a reason of MY hatred towards FireFox
Pros: Looks Cool; People adore it and blah blah ..... blah
Cons: It is a copied model of Opera 9.0
You people have not possibly heard of Opera Internet Browser 9.0(www.opera.com) 'The Fastest Internet Browser on Earth'. It's all releases and versions has tabbed browsing, Doesn't require a restart on install, thumbnail of all tabbed pages(9.0 & further), Kiosk mode run for Public internet Cafes, Language converter, Built in Chat module, etc. ..... and most of all It is a FreeWare (No registration of software Requiered)
Now what else can you ask from a Web Browser which is so Simple to use to.
User Rating: 8/10
A good secure browser
Pros: Secure, lots of plugins, much faster opening time than FF1.5
Cons: Have to restart browser when themes changed or extension installed
The browser is secure, but not as secure as it could be, and definitely Opera sets that standard. However, it does beat Internet Explorer 6 and 7 in security, in my opinion and in genuine security audits.
(Just try to avoid Firefox fanatics)
User Rating: 9/10
Bravo Firefox!
Pros: As fast or even better performs compare wit previous version...!
Cons: nothing much...
User Rating: 9/10
Still the best
Pros: Everything works just like in the previous version if not better.
Cons: Some add-ons from the previous version don't work with 2, but it's not a big deal and it isn't Mozilla's fault.
User Rating: 10/10
Way better than IE7
Pros: Better icons.
Cons: None so far.
User Rating: 5/10
PEOPLE THEY ARE JUST BROWSERS!!
Pros: Both browsers are good.
Cons: Both browsers are good.
User Rating: 8/10
Firefox still is KING!
Pros: Spell checker, anti-phishing, better rendering and web standards compliance
Cons: Chrashes quite a lot
Firefox 2 is the way to go!
http://www.cybertopcops.com
User Rating: 4/10
Unwanted pop-ups in FF2.0 destroy browser experience
Pros: Allegedly better behind the scenes, and more secure
Cons: A step backwards from version 1.5 - wait for bug fix before changing.
Well, behind the scenes, perhaps. On the desktop, it is not. Ever since the "upgrade", I have had a series of pop-up (yuk) alerts, with really rivetting messages like:
"!Alert [object XPCNative Wrapper [object HTMLBody Element]]". This message is followed each time by the same series of three other pop-ups that require all clicking to get rid of, before you can read the new page you are trying to open. After about three pages, the novelty wears off.
Your review mentions the "Cool Factor" (whatever that might be). Newsflash to reviewer: unwanted popups on every new screen are NOT cool.
Opinion - stick with version 1.5. It was more functional, even with download compatibility issues on some sites. Mozilla have more work to do on this effectively beta release.
User Rating: 1/10
Just as buggy as before
Pros: search sugestions
Cons: everything else
FF doesnt render pages correctly at all. I don't care if it's so called standards complyant. It doesn't mean a thing if the page looks sucky.
Slow starting up!
slow loading pages
still takes alot of memory
Buggy as before.
Since I installed 2.0, I remembered all the anoying things that I hated firefox for.
Uninstall it and delete the folder the uninstaller leaves behind. And get IE 7 or stick with IE 6.
User Rating: 6/10
Having issues with freezing
Pros: It's not IE, tabbed browsing, more secure than IE
Cons: Crashes/Freezes a LOT, crash reporting tool requires too much operator input
The big issue I am having with this version is that it freezes up CONSTANTLY. I have to go into my task manager and kill the process because just trying to end it with "end now" won't do it. Then the reporting tool rarely pops up and asks what happened, but when it does, it doesn't seem to have any info on what was going on when the crash happened, so I have to input what I can remember, but that's a hassle.
I think I will be switching back to FF 1.5 here very soon.
User Rating: 9/10
Beats IE7 so hard, its unbelieveable.
Pros: Fast, Secure, Tabs, Firefox features, browser restore
Cons: none, none and none!
Only reason I said 9, is that I know its going to get updated etc
User Rating: 10/10
IE What?? Firefox YES!
Pros: Spell Check, Safe, Does what it says
Cons: None found yet.
Again I ask, IE what??
User Rating: 10/10
A really good browser in general, and specific stuff is really nice too.
Pros: Extensible, and everything is free, and open source. Also, it's more secure than Internet Explorer, and faster than 1.5.
Cons: Almost nothing. The only complaint I have with it is that it takes up more memory than some browsers I know, but it is definitely faster than Internet Explorer.
For one thing, the tabs have improved. (Although, in IE, when there are too many tabs, you can scroll between them. Too bad they're all cramped up like that...) YOu can now close each one individually.
Now there's also a safe searching/anti-phishing/anti-badware filter, and it actually reported a site to me, called keygen.name.
Firefox also installs faster than IE7, because it doesn't have to completely eradicate the current version of IE (or whatever browser you use). And that's a good thing about it too. If a website doesn't work in Firefox, you can just switch to IE to view that page.
Opera is a good choice too, but not as good as Firefox in my opinion. Their widgets lack the extensibility that Firefox's extensions do, and some pages viewed through Opera aren't pretty.
My rating of 10/10 doesn't really mean that this product is perfect, There just isn't a place to put 9.5/10. There are still some security holes, but those will be fixed in due time. Also, it's not fully standards-compliant, but no browser is. So, overall, I'll keep my opinion that my rating is accurate.
User Rating: 9/10
Still good, but still buggy
Pros: Still the best
Cons: Still a bit buggy
User Rating: 8/10
Firefox 2 brings Joy back to my Firefox experience
Pros: Faster, Open Source, Powerful, Useful, and a Joy to use
Cons: Site Incompatibilities still persist though I see fewer of them, Non Acid2 Compliance
First off, Firefox hasn't been this great for me since I first downloaded 1.0.7. While 1.5 was still better then anything I could find, it was largely unstable since 1.5.0.3
Now that I have Firefox 2, it feels like I just re-discovered Firefox again. Not only that but it's spell checking has been really handy for me these past few weeks... ^_^;
The new features here:
-Search Engine Manager
-Slightly new look
-Combined Themes and Extensions Manager
-Spell Checker
-New Installer
-Anti Phishing Filter
-New Tab Options
-Search Suggestions (Only with Google, Yahoo, and Answers.com)
-Session Restore
There are a few others but no need to list EVERYTHING right now. You can look at the Wikipedia page if you want details on every new addition though...
Anyways, the most noticeable changes are of course, the new Look (Unless you happen to have a theme in use, then again most themes don't have FF2 support, yet) and the fact that it just feels much more faster and stable. Well before all that I guess you might notice the new installer, which is even simpler then before. But after that it's the Looks and the Experience that you note.
Unfortunately there are still many extensions that don't support FF2 yet, and even more themes, as noted above. When I first fired up Firefox 2 about 10-12 of my extensions were not there, including All-In-One Sidebar, and FEBE+CLEO, perhaps 3 of my best extensions installed, although they work now.
I was also disappointed to find how few of my Themes would work. Right now though, I have about 32/38 of my extensions (Though I should probably uninstall Tab Mix Plus since much of it's functionality is integrated into Firefox now) and 7/19 Themes installed work. This means I'm without BlackJapan for a while
I was also looking forward to the new Search Engine Manager, however I think they did a big injustice by not placing it in with the new Add Ons manager that takes care of both Extensions and Themes right now. It's tools are also of the Bare Bones type of Move Up, Move Down, and Remove. Unfortunately I'm not much of a programmer either or I would love to contribute to that specific piece of the Project.
Unfortunately (or Fortunately depending on how you look at it) I have not had the chance to test it's Anti Phishing filters, but I've heard positive things about it.
The Session Restore is also very useful to have inside of Firefox, but I rather prefer Google Browser Sync.
Spell Checking is also a bit Bare Bones, so I still stick to the one in Google Toolbar, but it's nice to have that red line letting you know you you're spelling a word wrong.
Firefox 2 gets an 8/10 with me, I can't judge it by the Extensions not working or the Themes, because those are left up to their individual developers, but I find Firefox, as a browser to be my most essential Tool, with GreatNews close behind.
User Rating: 7/10
Are you sure firefox is the best the best?
Pros: Open source
Cons: Firefox 2.0 is a backsteep
User Rating: 10/10
Awesome browser!
Pros: Lower memory usage than FF 1.5, runs faster, still familiar and easy to use yet the interface change is a nice touch,very secure, lots of add-on choices, the spellchecker is also nice
Cons: no major ones...
User Rating: 4/10
Just as buggy!
Pros: innovative
Cons: Hyped up web browser
CNEt, where is your reporting regaring this flaw in Firefox 2: Mozilla Firefox JavaScript Handler Race Condition Memory Corruption Vulnerability. This one was supposed to be fixed in 1.xx??
You were saying again?? How about the weak anti-phishing technology (black-listed based) using a Google engine which has potential privacy risks?
How about the memory leak that is still there?? or a buggy history bar??
CNET, any comments on this one? Even if you were to give your opinion, it would sound too muffled, cause you're up firefox's but too deep!
Lousy, lousy journalism!
User Rating: 2/10
Why does CNET keep pushing Non MS products?
Pros: I couldn't find anything that I really liked.,
Cons: Too much to list except after loading this product, half of my settings were lost, in email, web, RSS,etc.
User Rating: 10/10
Firefox forever, what other alternatives are there?
Pros: Tabbed browsing, extensions, session saver
Cons: Extension upgrades
User Rating: 9/10
firefox should have a better score
Pros: fast, secure, add-ons, little/no popups!!!!, tabbed browsing, many other features
Cons: just a little little little bit slower than opera, also the page is just a little bit more crowded than opera's.
User Rating: 9/10
unique more secure than any over browser
Pros: open source, faster, only 5mbs, all the extra features like spell checj=k etc..
Cons: is not 100% perfect but no other browser come closer.
User Rating: 10/10
Perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pros: Fast!!!!!!!!!
Cons: Too easy to use!!!!
User Rating: 10/10
THE BEST OF THE BROWSERS !!!
Pros: More secure, customizable interface, wide selection of FREE Add-ons
Cons: None so far...
The installation is very smooth and quick. On the opposite, IE 7 is HUGE pain to install. It has to download additional updates, you have to validate your copy of Windows, etc which makes it longer to install (especially for slow connections).
Unlike IE 7, Firefox offers a great selection of FREE add-ons (heard on Buzz Out Loud the IE 7 charges the Add-ons) so you can easily customize your Firefox.
It also has many useful features such as the Bookmarks Toolbars, Tabbed Browsing, the Built-in search engine, and so on...
I REALLY recommend this browser if you want a more secure and easy web surfing !!! and it kills IE 7 !
User Rating: 5/10
CraHshing Firefox 2.0
Pros: easy to use,
Cons: cannot play videos, locks up and crashes
User Rating: 8/10
Excellent, never a problem....
Pros: Smooth, much cleaner...
Cons: Does not have the "open" tab...
User Rating: 9/10
Still blows away IE!
Pros: Freakin awesome!
Cons: Can't think of any....
User Rating: 9/10
(Long & Detailed Review) A web browser that is minimal yet flexible and easy use
Pros: More Secure, Easy to Use, Built in Pop-up Blocker, Phishing Blocker, Bookmark Organiser, RSS Reader, Microsummaries, Search Suggest for Google, Form Spell Checker, Themes and Extensions
Cons: Some Incompatibility for sites made for Internet Explorer, security holes still exist, but Mozilla release a patch when ever a security problem has been found. Not fully W3C compliant yet
Firefox 2 (as well as older versions) has the capability to use user/company made extensions and themes. Examples of extensions include Customise Google, which enables the user to turn off Google Ads and search anonymously on Google and for other Google Services. Another example of an extension is Gmail Space which enables the user to use their Gmail account as an online hard disk for storing files. Another extension is the Amazing Media Browser which enables users to download Adobe Flash Movies, Videos and Music embedded on a page. Different Themes can be use to make Firefox different visually.
Firefox is considered to be secure compared to Internet Explorer as Internet Explorer can be easily hi-jacked by Viruses. Firefox has hardly any security holes which Viruses and Spyware find it even harder to get on to your computer. A Phishing Blocker is used to warn users of fake websites who want to steal precious personal details off you e.g. Credit Card Number or Internet Bank Account Details, this is a new feature in Firefox 2.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is used for Live Bookmarks. Live Bookmarks can change and list the latest news for Website story posts from your favourite RSS enabled websites, and example of an RSS website is the BBC News Site. The user clicks on Latest Headlines and all of the current news stories come up. Bookmarks can be organised as well by using the Organise Bookmarks Function.
I have been using Firefox just before the 1.0 version came out, (I started using Firefox when it was version 0.9 in early November 2004), and from personal experience I found Firefox to be better then Internet Explorer, it has made the internet more enjoyable and easier for me. Mozilla will always stay ahead of Microsoftâ??s Internet Explorer in terms of Web Innovation, and Firefox 3 is coming out next year which will also have lots of useful features.
There are other browsers available such as Opera which also deserve a mention and a try and then you can decide which the best web browser for you.
User Rating: 9/10
firefox rocks....
Pros: fast and reliable
Cons: take time to initially open the browser
User Rating: 4/10
It's just OK
Pros: Quick download
Cons: Almost nothing new here
User Rating: 9/10
Best browser out there
Pros: There is so much to this browser: features, customizability, and speed. It does almost everything IE7 does, but better. It's a lot faster, too. IE7 has extensions, but much fewer than Firefox.
Cons: No option to view tab thumbnails.
User Rating: 8/10
IMHO, the best browser out there
Pros: Lots of extensions and themes, Nice default interface, spell-checking in forms
Cons: Lots of extensions don't work out of the box, most themes don't take advantage of the tab close buttons. Not much new here.
I knocked off a few points because the extension system needs a little reworking. For the most part, the only thing you need to do to update a theme is to change one parameter in the install.rdf file. Firefox should take care of this change automatically because in the vast majority of cases extensions run fine once the modification is made.
User Rating: 8/10
Great I guess and better than IE 7
Pros: Inbult spell checker, RSS reader, session restore, better security
Cons: Interface (Don't like to much but I downloaded an extension that gives back the Firefox 1.5 feel) and Some extensions don't work
I think it definitely deserves an award for excellence. Session restore has been a real hit with me and the spell checker is I think a godsend and the RSS reader is cool too.
Although the interface was unnecessarily changed a bit with it's "plastic" looking buttons I really have no problem with it and besides I use an extension that has the Firefox 1.5 look and feel.
What you should is Firefox 2 is an interim release to Firefox 3 that supposedly has an updated rendering engine better performance.
But overall I think Firefox is great I still think they should improve its performance when you first boot up Windows XP, that's a key issue.
User Rating: 9/10
Firefox beats IE7
Pros: Easier to navigate
Cons: Cannot play some embedded media files
User Rating: 9/10
First time user after many years of explorer and I will keep it
Pros: faster loading, page display, spell check
Cons: the way it handles cookies
User Rating: 8/10
Love Firefox, Hate the Tabbed Browser Change
Pros: Fast, more secure than IE, great features and add-ons
Cons: Changes made to tabbed browsing slow me down.
User Rating: 10/10
internet explorer sucks get firerox
Pros: spell check, sharper look, same goodness
Cons: none at all
User Rating: 10/10
Great Browser!
Pros: Open source - extensions - great support
Cons: Not Acid compliant
Excellent!
User Rating: 9/10
Great improvements. Still the best Browser around
Pros: fast loading tabs and navigation.
Cons: can't think of any
User Rating: 8/10
FF 2.0 the browser for me
Pros: Much better user interface, anti phishing, better tab management
Cons: I lost all my bookmarks when I changed to FF 2.0. For the first time I had a FF hung up on me. Never happened before. Hope this never happens again. I also did not see the automatic restore work.
Spell check like on this site saved me.
I have windows 2000 and was mad that I could not download IE7. But now who needs IE7 if one has FF2.0. I am now a confirmed FF user.
Keep up the good work all you firefoxes.
User Rating: 10/10
WOW..Installation was a BREEZE!
Pros: This version was easy to install and works great.
Cons: Tabs are wider than earlier version.
User Rating: 9/10
Everything IE Isn't And More
Pros: Popup Blocker, Anti-Phishing, Session Restore...
Cons: Some Extensions Break On Installation of 2.0
User Rating: 9/10
Excellent browser, slightly better than Firefox 1.5. A must upgrade from Internet Explorer.
Pros: spell checker is very useful, firefox is as customizable and versatile as ever
Cons: close buttons are on each tab, but can be disabled. mail icon removed, but can be added through extension.
User Rating: 8/10
Best Blend of Features, Performance, and Extensibility
Pros: baseline features with loads of customization possibilities, standards compliancy, browsing speed
Cons: bland default interface, comparatively slower start-up speed
Out of the box, Firefox 2 has a nice set of features for the average user, including all those that we've come to expect: tabs, RSS, integrated search, etc. The spell checker is a nice extra, as is the session saver. But where FF really shines is the sheer amount of add-ons available in the form of extensions, themes, and additional search modules. There is almost nothing that cannot be added to the baseline package to customize to each user's needs and desires. Granted, it takes some time to find, download, and install the add-ons. But a little patience allows the final product to truly be one's own while eliminating any bloat and interface confusion associated with unused features.
As a professional, I am particularly interested in adherence to the W3C standards recommendations. All modern browsers continue to make strides in this department, though IE continues to lag behind in some of the most basic CSS support. Opera passes the Acid 2 test, but lacks in some DOM-related scripting areas. Again the best mix comes from Firefox 2.
Firefox takes a few moments more to initially load compared to other browsers (IE having the obvious advantage of being integrated into the operating system). But once up and running, I find the browser's rendering speed second-to-none (though Opera is right there). Simple static sites, database-driven sites, stores, CSS, client-side scripting of varying complexity ... all pass with flying colors. And as more sites adhere to the industry standards and forsake client-specific coding, fewer sites present display issues.
I strongly recommend Firefox 2. Despite a slight time commitment at the start to set the browser up your way, ultimately it offers everything one could want. Well worth a look.
User Rating: 10/10
Open source, Free, good designed and modern.
Pros: Open source, better and better every release, secure
Cons: I don't know cons
User Rating: 10/10
Best browser known to man
Pros: All features surpass that of it's competion
Cons: No notable downsides that are Firefox's fault
Matt
User Rating: 9/10
Fox is! (Safety Wise)
Pros: FireFox is more safe on the net
Cons: IE is like "swisscheese" it lets everything in!
User Rating: 10/10
Damn IE fanboys
Pros: Everything about it
Cons: LEAVE IE BEHIND
User Rating: 9/10
Excellent browser!
Pros: Everything about it.
Cons: Nothing at all
User Rating: 8/10
Better performance wins the day
Pros: Safer than IE, plug-ins galore
Cons: Read review for details
One of the very basic tests for my liking is: how quickly/smoothly can the browser scroll when the screen is filled with multimedia content? Previous versions of FF lagged behind IE in this department. Now FF tops this category, at least on my CAD-oriented workstations with ATI FireGL cards.
One reason to keep IE around is its integration with Windows. Browsing FTP sites, using Outlook Web Access -- IE does these better, especially integration of Windows Explorer into IE (which has been reduced in IE7).
Other than these, there is little reason to not switch to FF2.
User Rating: 1/10
A Winning Package of Useless Features
Pros: CNET loves it because the abundance of useless features make for great articles
Cons: CNET loves it because the abundance of useless features make for great articles
All the "features" are like having a car stereo with 100 station presets--you'll still only use 6.
User Rating: 10/10
Very good I Love The New Firefox
Pros: Very Fast Browsing and Little Problems With The Program
Cons: None That I Can Think Of
User Rating: 9/10
Noticeable improvement
Pros: More intuitive tab management, Live Titles, Phishing protection
Cons: Some extensions do not work yet
I like the fact that tabs now have their own closing button. FF1.5, had a single tab closing button and I accidentally closed the wrong tab once in a while.
The Live Titles feature is really cool although unfortunately not many sites use it yet.
Spelling check is another nice addition.
Some extensions have not been updated to work with FF2 yet, although admittedly that's not FF2's fault. I however was able to run a favorite extension by changing the definition file. I would not advise to do that to everyone, however.
All in all I love this upgrade.
User Rating: 1/10
Worse than IE7
Pros: Security IMHO
Cons: Speed, RAM usage, uninstall, websites compatibility, updates, support
It's a good web browser and it doesn't deserve a '1' IMHO, but I rate it like that to even out with the biased '10's of Firefox fanboys and Microsoft bashers (Robert Vamosi being a premium member of both).
User Rating: 10/10
The best got better
Pros: Stable, fast and secure
Cons: Not all extensions work with 2.0...yet
User Rating: 9/10
The clear choice
Pros: Small, fast, easy to install
Cons: Not fully compatible with some websites
User Rating: 10/10
Awesome - another quality release from Mozilla!
Pros: Inline spellchecking in web forms, session restore.
Cons: Many webmasters continue to code their sites for IE, instead of to web standards
Microsummaries and the visual refresh aren't a big deal for me, and while phishing protection will help many newbies, I'm a little beyond that, heh.
User Rating: 9/10
Faster and upgrade a pleasure !!
Pros: Faster to load; Tab improvement great; Very fast upgrade; Settings and add-on preserved;Dictionary feature
Cons: None (up to now ;-) )
New features are great: Anti Phishing, dictionary, tabbing improvement.
And the load is much faster !!!
User Rating: 9/10
Simply the best.
Pros: Highly customizable, in-line spellcheck, even better security, multiplatform, available as a portable app. Too many others to list.
Cons: Some quirks, such as automatic image resizing.
In contrast, I have to ad in my disappointment of IE7. There was a time when I thought Internet Explorer was the best browser around (around IE4-IE5), but after that it stagnated to the point of letting anyone with knowledge of scripting turned your computer in to a sypware nightmare. I hope IE7 doesn't follow that course.
Back to the true winner. Firefox. In all my time of using it, not once did I find any rouge spyware, virus, trojan, or adware lurking on my computer. Firefox 2.0 improves it already excellent application.
User Rating: 9/10
Beats IE7 by miles
Pros: Better organized
Cons: Nothing is pefect but have not found any cons yet.
User Rating: 10/10
Fast, very fast and secure
Pros: fast / security
Cons: I could not see one
User Rating: 10/10
Take an Number IE7, Firefox is still the best browser
Pros: Great security, clean GUI, stable
Cons: None this time
I definitely like the larger space for the search bar.
I know that many people have had issues with their plug ins and extensions not working, but I did an end run around that. With the RC3 release, I clicked on the "make compatible" and added each extension and checked for stability. They all worked, without FireFox crashing. So, I just installed the final release, and all still works. There is a red arrow next to the name of the extension signifying it's not compatible, but it is. I don't know if this method will work with other extensions, but it did work with the ones I have.
Overall, Firefox is the best browser around.
User Rating: 10/10
VERY NICE, FORGET MICROSUCK
Pros: Everything about it
Cons: Still not as feature filled as Opear from the start
User Rating: 10/10
Great!!! NOT IE
Pros: Fast, secure, loads of options, its NOT FROM MICROSOFT
Cons: There are no cons to Open Source
User Rating: 9/10
Firefox is the best choice!!!
Pros: User-Oriented Features, Improved Security, Lighter Look and Feel
Cons: Some incompatibility with extensions
User Rating: 4/10
Mediocre sums it up
Pros: It's Firefox... security is solid as a rock
Cons: Slow as anything. Took 45 seconds for it to boot up on my machine. Does not work with all websites. Some websites load hopelessly slow.
On October 24th, I installed Firefox 2. Three hours after downloading it, I was doing PC-restore and downloading IE 7. Why?
First of all, when I first installed it, it was slow as anything. It took nearly a minute to boot up. I thouhgt, "Oh, maybe a restart would do it..." I restart the computer, and it improved the time... by about 10 seconds. I just decided to use Firefox to surf the web a bit. Many of the websites I visited loaded just fine. However, websites with animations were just hopelessly slow. And, I go to McAfee's website, and Firefox won't even work on it. I decide that I've have enough. I go to uninstall it, but it messes up my computer. Had to do a system restore. As soon as my PC rebooted, I went to Microsoft and downloaded IE7.
If you've already got Firefox 1.x, don't bother downloading the upgrade. Wait until they fix it up a bit. If you can't wait (and if you're not on a Mac or Linux), get IE 7. You may say I'm crazy, but Microsoft has actually pulled out something that's decent.
User Rating: 10/10
Firefox is still king
Pros: Spell checking, undo closed tab, (better) standards compliance
Cons: None that I can think of
The huge number of (useful) extensions for Firefox is its main strength. MS may have launched ieaddons.com, but the add-ons listed are mostly shareware and/or popup blockers.
IE simply doesn't have the same developer community surrounding it. The add-ons developed for IE are there to make money. The add-ons made for Firefox are there for the user. (Think adblock, greasemonkey, FxIF (a must for photographers), context search, etc, etc.)
User Rating: 7/10
Not that big an improvement
Pros: loads a little faster than v1.5 and has anti-phishing built in now
Cons: Some of the extentions I use still haven't been updated, and it still is a memory hog.
Over all its still better than IE but not quite there yet over the previous version. I will be trying it again later though after they have maybe worked some of the bugs out.
User Rating: 9/10
The Greatest
Pros: Clean install, quick browser
Cons: A few broken extensions
User Rating: 3/10
Wouldn't load.
Pros: Would not load, so could not see any pros.
Cons: I installed it twice, but browser wiould not load.
User Rating: 9/10
Firefox takes the lead back
Pros: Smoother interface, faster, better handling of web pages, inline spell checker
Cons: None so far
User Rating: 9/10
Google Needs to Lock Out IE7
Pros: It's 4 Times as Fast As IE 7
Cons: None That I can Tell
What needs to happen now is that Google needs to lock out queries that come in from IE 6 or 7 and force the user base onto FireFox.
It would push a big chunk of the US userbase away from IE 7 in a heartbeat and bloody the face of the thugs at Microsoft in one solid swing.
Make no mistake, Dr Schmidt. The MS gang have one mode of enterprise. Kill, kill, kill the competition any way you can without using a gun. Then shovel crap into the void.
The only thing that keeps Magilla Ballmer getting out of bed in the morning is his twisted rage to destroy. If he was in a position to break Firefox over the back of the dominant search engine, he'd do it in a heart beat.
Do it, Dr Schmidt, do it while you have the chance. There's nothing evil about sending satan to hell. . .
User Rating: 7/10
Biased review
Pros: spell check
Cons: opening and closing tabs simpler in IE, does not support as many languages as IE does, no thumbnail previews
User Rating: 9/10
THE best got even better!!
Pros: Added functionality
Cons: I miss a couple of addons I really liked.
User Rating: 10/10
Absolutely incredible!!!!
Pros: Even more security than FF 1.5; many new features etc etc
Cons: Some extensions for 1.5 break.
User Rating: 10/10
Can there be any other rating than a 10?
Pros: Simplicity, flexibility, non-MS
Cons: None - this is a solid product release
User Rating: 1/10
Doesn't Look much different to me.
Pros: Doesn't Look much different to me.
Cons: Doesn't Look much different to me.
User Rating: 9/10
Sticking with Firefox
Pros: The new Firefox 2 continues to improve
Cons: Close buttons on tabs
The new built in spell check is excellent. I had loaded the Google Toolbar into Firefox simple for that feature. But now that Firefox has it built in, and works so much better, I've regained some screen space by removing Google Toolbar.
The built in phishing capabilities has removed a couple more extensions that I had been using - not that I ever triggered one, but you never know so I prefer to be on the safe side.
When I open lots of tabs, which I almost always do, having the scrolling feature works well, much better than the disappearing tabs I found myself into fairly often. Plus the fact the tabs don't get so squished down where the only thing you can see is the icon is also helpful.
The one thing that will take me some getting used to is the close button on each tab. Often, when I go to various sites, mainly news sites, if I want to read more details, I would simply middle-click (open link in new tab) on the link and once done opening all the links I wanted, simply read then close the tabs. With the tab in the same fixed spot, I could easily do that without moving the mouse. I often only read the screen full of data so I was able to quickly read through all the articles I wanted and quickly close the tabs. Now I'm learning to use the Ctrl-W. Again, not a major item, but something that will affect the way I use the browser.
I agree with the overall assessment, IE has come a long way, but Firefox is still my browser.
User Rating: 10/10
Better for me and better for yee
Pros: Faster on my slow connection and older mach.
Cons: It's too pretty, makes my old OS look dull.
I like it, I really do like it more than I thought it world
. Oh, and for those that are reading this, but haven't tryed Firefox... Try it alone, by yourself and with some time on your hands.
*note:my rating of 10 is result of experiencing its' future holding potential.
btw.. I am starting to love this spellchecking part.
User Rating: 7/10
Firefox beats IE but still behind opera
Pros: nice features compared to IE, fast
Cons: not cool as opera in features and security,Not as fast as well
I don't see anything new that opera could not do before. You have session restore, opera has it and have more to make sessions. Look at smooth installation, startuptime, no left behind in installation. Everything out of the box in opera. You can add things using user js too. Best track record in security9check wikipedia comparison).
I will still think it is not fair to hold firefox as editor choice.
User Rating: 9/10
Still my preferred browser
Pros: built-in spell checker, final version seems to be less resource hog, restore session, improved tabs
Cons: no tab previews, possible add-ons incompatibility, I still recommend having IE tab or IE itself for some sites
Most of the features aren't really worth much to me (except maybe the spell-checker), but Firefox was already a pretty good browser over IE6 in terms of functionality. Furthermore, the final version of Firefox 2.0 seem to use less resource than its predecessor, a welcome improvement to me. I like how each tabs now have a close button now, even though some people may prefer the predecessor's way. I could care less on that however because all you need to do is ctrl-w or apple-w (for mac).
I will not extensively praise on the security aspect since Firefox has its own share of problems on security. It does still has an advantage by the fact that it's a standalone application that is not tightly integrated to windows, and it doesn't use ActiveX, a major cause of most security problems. Also, not many hackers are interested in breaking thru Firefox..........yet.
IE7 impressed me, but admittedly most features are just catch-ups, and it's still a big target for hackers due to its usage. I still prefer Firefox and I continue to use it to this day. If you need to browse thru IE-only websites, I recommend that you check out IE tab add-on.
User Rating: 10/10
Works great here with XP SP2 Better than IE 7 at home
Pros: Improved standards compliance, much faster than 1.5
Cons: Still does not pass the Acid2 test.
PS. I had to give it a 10, not because it was perfect but rather to counteract the MSFT fanboys giving it a low score.
User Rating: 10/10
Firefox is simply the best
Pros: Works on Macs, Linux & Windows. Stable & Secure.
Cons: Plugins not always reliable.
Overall, Firefox 2.0 is just a perfect product: easy and fun to use, secure, standards compatible, and cross platform! (Oh, and I love the integrated spell-check!)
User Rating: 5/10
memory hog
Pros: just as fast as any other brower, different
Cons: resource hog
User Rating: 6/10
Why does Cnet hate Microsoft so?
Pros: spell check
Cons: memory consuming
User Rating: 9/10
Not perfect, but definitely the best
Pros: fast, inline spell-checking, plethora of add-ons, high configurability, session memory, improved RSS handling
Cons: not fully standards compliant
User Rating: 4/10
Pop-ups galore
Pros: Same as always
Cons: POP-UPS all over the place
User Rating: 10/10
It just works well. Period
Pros: Fast, intuitive an unobtrusive.
Cons: Several useful extensions need updating.
User Rating: 8/10
Back to Firefox
Pros: Much more stable that IE 7; automatic Spell Check; Everything Else
Cons: doesn't add the option to open new tabs next to the current
Check it out for yourself. I especially love this automatic spell-check for all forms that I fill out.
User Rating: 10/10
Nice new features make for a solid, secure, and faster browsing experience.
Pros: New features such as spell checking, antiphishing, session saving, and reopening a closed tab improve a solid browser, and it's faster despite adding all these new features
Cons: I would have preferred a completely revamped bookmark system based on tags, and a few of my extensions haven't been updated (it's been officially out < 24 hours) but that's about my only complaint.
User Rating: 8/10
Still the best, but also still open to improvement
Pros: GUI, extensions
Cons: Still starts slow, uses too much memory, doesn't work on all pages, video extensions still not reliable
User Rating: 7/10
Great Improvements, Just not there yet....
Pros: Better looking interface, Fast, Customizable, Cool Factor
Cons: Not yet standards compliant, They moved my close tab button
User Rating: 9/10
The Best Browser
Pros: speedy, stable most of the time, great features, great extensions, beautiful themes to choose from
Cons: unable to view some pages correctly, crashes sometimes when visiting some funky-coded sites
User Rating: 1/10
I have delete everything I could that was connected to Firefox.
Pros: I did like the tabs.
Cons: Some web pages do not open like they should.
User Rating: 1/10
the british version is a nightmare
Pros: there are none
Cons: nothing works
basically this is like alpha software. i downloaded the regular english version and things seem to be fine.
User Rating: 9/10
like the old UI
Pros: Rated Best by both Users and Reviewers
Cons: Browser UI, Tools-Options Interface
User Rating: 7/10
Firefox may be the poster child in the anti-IE movement but it is still playing catchup to Opera
Pros: Better IE, Built-in functionalities
Cons: Apart from a few innovative ideas, Firefox incorporates what is already found in Opera
If you check the Opera changelogs you will find many features that Firefox unscrupulously copied without even a nod of acknowledgement. I understand that by benchmarking an innovative browser i.e. Opera, the developers of the open source movement are able to provide a superior browser as the poster child of the anti IE movement but in the end all that they achieve is only to play catchup. It is even weirder that CNET and PCWorld chose only to compare and review IE7 and Firefox 2 before declaring, to no one's surprise, that Firefox was the winner (Best Browser). What about Opera 9: the only browser to pass the Acid2 test?
So as you can see I applaud the open source movement that brought about an IE alternative but it is extremely unfair that Opera is always left out of the picture. Maybe being open source is the key difference but at this age and time an innovative browser is an innovative browser and should not be considered only as an afterthought (you won't discount Photoshop just because it isn't open source right?).
User Rating: 9/10
The Best Browser!
Pros: Even faster than version 1.5. A lot more secure than other browsers. Better, sleeker, smoother GUI.
Cons: Some extensions don't work yet.
User Rating: 9/10
The best an Internet Browser can be!
Pros: Better than IE7, improved from the already great Firefox 1.5
Cons: Sometimes crashes or laggy when opening too many tabs
Beats IE7 hands on with better security, features and customisability. Has improved tabbed browsing, search bar, in-line spellchecker, anti-phishing and all...
Overall, if you want a good internet browser and want to enjoy the internet the way it should be, get Firefox 2!!!
User Rating: 10/10
Amazing browser!
Pros: AWESOME BROWSER
Cons: None yet seen
User Rating: 9/10
A stellar browser
Pros: Features galore, speed, and security
Cons: Some extensions not yet updated
User Rating: 7/10
Nice, but still some bugs
Pros: speed, design
Cons: tendancy to lock up on OS X
User Rating: 8/10
Yet another biased CNET review
Pros: Better RSS support, Live Titles
Cons: only an incremental improvement over 1.5
User Rating: 1/10
New Firefox 2 is a CRASH King ...
Pros: I don't know of any Pros yet as it CRASHES every single time right away after opening my home page.
Cons: Every time I open Firefox 2 & try to do ANYTHING it Crashes saying... the instruction at "0x77fcaff8" referenced memory at "0x_____". The memory could not be "written".
I did re-install twice but its still the same. I'm using Windows 2000 with every windows update installed on it.
-Jay D
User Rating: 10/10
más de lo que esperaba
Pros: rapidez, seguridad
Cons: no hay pre-vistas de páginas
User Rating: 8/10
The best browser out there for power web users.
Pros: Robust. Seemless browsing. Secure if properly used.
Cons: A bit of a resource hog.
Overall, I am fairly satisfied with the new version as it stands up to its promises. Firefox 2 is stable and launches faster than 1.5. If used along with the proper extensions (NoScript) it will be secure and will save you from many bad surprises the web has for you.
I tried Opera 9 and Internet Explorer 7 and strongly prefer Firefox 2.0.
I will be happy if Mozilla continues to patch its software regularly and keeps responding to new bugs quickly. It will be interesting to witness how Mozilla further improves this software. I frankly do not see how they will and hope it won't end up being bloat ware (*cough*IE 7*cough*).
User Rating: 10/10
User-friendly improvements in an amazing browser
Pros: Fast, in-line spell checking, simple yet powerful, extensions, tabs
Cons: nothing in particular
There is no browser absolutely perfect, but it is as good as it has ever gotten in the browsing world. As a Mac and Windows user, I have tried everything: IE, Opera, Safari, and other alternative browsers. Nothing comes even close, in my opinion, to beating Firefox when it comes to usability, extensibility, and elegant power.
User Rating: 6/10
Firefox 2 is Great
Pros: Slick new user UI
Cons: Over half of My FF Extensions don't work
User Rating: 6/10
What's the difference?!?
Pros: It gets me online.
Cons: Just another browser to get people all worked up about.
I can hear them now--Microsoft Monopoly! Down with IE! Fact of the matter is that one day long ago you used IE too. Until it got popular to use products that were in direct competition with IE--notably Mozilla Firefox. I have nothing against Firefox, if I did I would have stooped to the level of those who make it their lifes work to de-throne IE.
To those people I say good luck on your crusade, you'll need it. Don't mind me, I'll be browsing online, using which ever browser I just happen to click on.
User Rating: 9/10
Great update to an already superb browser
Pros: anti-phishing, session restore, improved rss feed handling, spell check, live titles
Cons: More options for tabbing and better info for new users, acid2 test failed, uninstall needs to actually uninstall all data
With that said, Firefox 2.0 is an update to an already superb browser. Better security, better usability and accessibility, nice minor GUI updates, and the new features like session restore, inline spell-checking, better handling of RSS feeds, and so much more just makes this browser the best experience you can have on the internet.
With new extensions coming out everyday, there's no shortage of extended functionality you can give to Firefox that makes it even better. The extension Greasemonkey by itself is invaluable, but extensions like diigo, Adblock Plus, Gmail Manager, and so many more makes it impossible for me to ever use another browser.
Firefox 2.0 isn't perfect, but it is improving at an incredible rate, and it is heads-and-shoulders beyond Internet Explorer 7 and Opera 9 in features, security, and accessibility.
As both an avid hardcore web surfer, and a web designer, Firefox 2.0 is exactly what the internet needs.
User Rating: 7/10
A nice improvement
Pros: spell checker, error console, seems faster
Cons: no tab previews, printing features, a lot is the same
The spell checker feature is great, the error/javascript console is awesome (although it existed in previous versions). The browser seems a tad faster and I like the toolbar layout in FF 2 much better than IE7. IE7 wastes so much space with the big honkin tabs.
With that said, FF2 is still much of the same. Thats good because its still familiar, but its missing features that are available in IE7 and/or Opera. No tab previews, the printing functionality and zoom features are better in IE7. I prefer the RSS feed feature in IE7, but the RSS feed feature in Firefox is very good.
One thing that always bugged me about Firefox was the memory/cpu utilization issues. Fortunately I haven't run into any of those problems with Firefox 2 and it seems it doesnt have some of the old issues with pages containing flash.
Its seems both IE7 and FF are pretty even in various areas. IE7 actually feels a bit slower now compared to IE6.
Good job overall.
In the end, however, My browser of choice has become maxthon on IE. If you have never tried maxthon you should at least try it. Yes it runs on the IE engine, but man check it out for the features.
User Rating: 9/10
Great browser......but two things.
Pros: Fast, Great look, and Expandable
Cons: Still have to use IE for things like update
User Rating: 10/10
Excellent Browser
Pros: Spell Check, tons of extensions, better tool bar layout than IE7, render pages fast
Cons: Starts up slower than IE or FF 1.5
Anyway I really like the spell checker feature on FF 2. Also like the FF cookie manager as well. Plus there are a ton of extensions to play with for FF.
User Rating: 9/10
Firefox made me excited about browers
Pros: Universal for mac, Multiple tabs on open is cool, some great themes, plug-ins like 'Tab Catalog' 'Foxy Tunes' 'Fire FTP' 'Video Downloader' and 'Cooliris Preview' make this an awsome expereince.
Cons: Standard font use is not much fun, Meuns feel very Linux (except are more user friendly), Not all plugins work, old faviourt themes don't work.
There are some minor video placement issues with Fox News through www.news.com.au but this is probably to do more with the Flip 4 Mac WMV player installed on my system since the official Fox News website works no problem.
Overall it is the expereince of plugins that make this feel like a place I can call home.
As an end user I am grateful that I am warned about scam sites but the last time I came across one was... well never. I am not the sort of person to just click on a link in a search engine just because it has some interest. I either know it, know of it or there is enough information to indicate that it fits what I am looking for. Unwanted links and emails will still go where they have been going. But it is always good to be protected.
Now can anyone create a plugin that lets me fast forward flash adds. now that would be cool.
The great thing is that although there is now Firefox 2 innovation does not stop. Plugins and extras just keep on being made. I have even heard that there are plugins for VIOP for Windows (please bring it out for mac too) so there is no stopping this great app. Microsoft was right to worry about what the browser could do. Soon the only thing I will use my OS for is games... Oh wait I own a mac.. never mind.
User Rating: 9/10
Fantastic Browser
Pros: Efficient, clutter free, automatic updating and spell checker are great nods toward efficiency
Cons: CSS 3.0 support minimal
User Rating: 5/10
cnet's review is overly biased
Pros: Nice browser, but nothing remarkable
Cons: cnet's clear bias for Firefox, factual inaccuracies in the review
User Rating: 3/10
not very could operating system
Pros: not clear enough hidden agenda
Cons: not for me programs stalled frequently
Would definately not recomend
User Rating: 2/10
Sticking with FF 1.5
Pros: I wish I had something to put here....
Cons: FF 2.0 is by default a con.
FF 2.0 loads extremely slow, and it isn't a hardware problem. The tabbed browsing didn't work at all. I could access the internet through only one tab, and the tab close button didn't work at all. I was unable to set Google as the integrated search portal. When I tried to load the options panel it took a few minutes to load, and then everything was out of place and disjunct.
Maybe I am just an isolated case... but after 5 minutes of loading, and reloading, and pure frustration, I uninstalled it, reinstalled FF 1.5, and now everything works great again.
I plan to wait a month or two and then try again after they've updated it. But I will still use FF 1.5 over any version of IE.
I tried installing it in a different folder, separate from the original FF 1.5 folder, and now it works fine. I think it installed over FF 1.5 and tried loading some of the 1.5 extensions and then it became a 1.75 version (half 1.5 and half 2.0). So that's what happened. I'm still surprised that it even loaded.
I wish the first install would've been better, but the second one has been nice. Ir recognized all of the FF Extensions I had installed and automatically updated them for the 2.0 version this time. Everything runs smooth, and all of my previous settings and bookmarks were automatically loaded. I'm very impressed. Not as graphical as IE 7, but sometimes that's a good thing, as it loads very fast, and I could always download a fancy theme if I wanted to trade the speed for cosmetics.
New Rating: 10 / 10 !
User Rating: 9/10
Open Source is the greatest innovator
Pros: No crashes, Stable happy with the product.
Cons: My add-ons did not carry over to version 2
User Rating: 9/10
awesome, kicks IE7
Pros: session restore, speed, not as annoying as IE
Cons: some pages still don't load correctly
User Rating: 9/10
is still best browser around
Pros: I like the default theme, all pro you must heard a lot about that
Cons: some themes and extensions still not compatible, must wait a litle.
Very fast, and more secure that internet Exploter 7.
User Rating: 9/10
Great Browser and a good continuance
Pros: Very stable and a little more snappy..
Cons: Still has know issues with Yahoo Music and similar..
The underlying base application is very very user customizable and just plain good.
It still has issues with some sites like Yahoo Music and some gaming sites... I think an extension may come available to correct these.
I also have run into IE only developed sites that have given some rendering issues.
All the negatives said though I would still continue to use FF 2.0 for the bulk of my surfing. I only use IE in times where IE specific pages are defined.
Overall the speed and features of FF provide for a strong advantage over IE.
They have made an already great browser just a little bit better..
No hurry with those extension/add-on migrations..
User Rating: 5/10
It's -OK-, nothing more.
Pros: Nice looks, pretty fast
Cons: Slower load time
FF II is a good browser, no doubt about it. It doesn't CRUSH IE7 and in fact I like some stuff about IE7 better and I like some stuff about FF II better.
They are both good, one isn't much better than the other. I choose the faster load time and integration of IE7 for most of my surfing.
As for security, FF II isn't immune. It's market share just hasn't reached the point YET that it's been hit with it's own flood of exploits. It will eventually.
User Rating: 4/10
Still no compelling reason to use vs ie7
Pros: Its free so by all means download it.
Cons: A minimal upgrade at best.
User Rating: 10/10
Don't listen to the other fanboys
Pros: Fast, spell-checker, extremely secure, EXTENSIONS, ADD-ONS, THEMES, and oh yea MORE EXTENSIONS
Cons: A few pages still are only compatible on IE
User Rating: 9/10
Firefox 2 crushes IE7
Pros: Clean, easy-to-use interface, the most secure browsing available, and powerful plug-ins.
Cons: FTP usage needs work
User Rating: 1/10
Slow as hell
Pros: none
Cons: Slow as hell. Can't use on all sites
One of my favorite sites is Club Pogo. Takes over 1 1/2 minutes to load the home page and then still doesn't everything on the page. Game will not load AT ALL. And if you don't have membership to Club Pogo you won't know what I'm talking about so no smart-ass answers here saying it loads in 2 seconds because you're not on the right page.
So what use is this browswer? I have to have use IE on some sites and use FF for others that it actually works on? Sorry I'll take a browswer that will actualy work on EVERY site I visit and loads in less than 1 1/2 minutes. You think all the time Mozila had to solve the display issue they would have fixed it.
If you absolutelty can't use IE, I would recomend Opera 9 over FF2 any day of the week.
User Rating: 9/10
Great Browser
Pros: Same Great Firefox, now with Anti-Phishing and Crash Recovery
Cons: Not a lot of new features
There aren't a lot of new WOW features for an upgrade. But overall 2.0 feels more stable and hardly crashes.
I dumped IE as my main browser since version 1.0 and have never looked back.
User Rating: 6/10
Still Renders Ugly Forms on Mac
Pros: Puts pressure on IE to improve
Cons: Still relies on ugly visual hacks
It's good to have a competitor in the field to keep MS and Apple on their toes (sorry Opera, you've just never been a motivator in this area), but until FireFox can render pages that look as good as Safari does, it's just not worth using regularly.
User Rating: 1/10
Find another browser
Pros: There is none that I can think of
Cons: browser sucks in my opinion so..I wouldn't recommend it
User Rating: 1/10
Negative Review Added to try and find some balance
Pros: FF team makes money via Google
Cons: FF team sold out to Google
Gushing over it makes little sense - less than the unbalanced reviews CNET provided for IE 7.
CNET declared FF the best browser the moment it appeared a few years ago and they will change their opinions no matter what else is out there.
So my review is for CNET as much as FF 2.0 - a deserved 1.0
The constant gushing over Firefox and version 2 is ridiculous. This is the last time I will visit a CNET website, or read a review here.
You are a pathetic joke and have lost any claim to objectivity.
User Rating: 5/10
Not yet officially released as of 16:35 EDT
Pros: None at this time.
Cons: Not yet released.
User Rating: 10/10
The best browser PERIOD
Pros: everything
Cons: for sure something, but nothing you can't live without
User Rating: 6/10
Safari passed Acid2 over a year ago
Pros: Safer than IE but not Safari
Cons: Slow development cycle
User Rating: 4/10
Time to open Fire Fox still to long
Pros: Other browser option
Cons: Time to open still to long
User Rating: 9/10
Lol at the Maxthon guy.
Pros: Firefox 2.0 rocks. I.E. 7.0 is a joke.
Cons: There are no cons at all.
User Rating: 7/10
Not a bad choice, but...
Pros: Easy, Free, Compatible
Cons: Non-compliant standards, resource management, plug-ins.
For my money, the standard Maxthon browser (and coming soon, a real version upgrade) beats Mozilla hands down. Since this is a review for Mozilla and not Maxthon, I'll be brief. Maxthon has every feature of Mozilla's options but in one small package, uses less system resources, had better stability, and better plug-in features. Overall a much better choice, with none of the deficiencies of either IE or Mozilla. Plus Maxthon offers FREE Maxthon access, which allows free file transfer from a host PC to another...plus the best ad/spyware protection imaginable. Give Maxthon a try and see if you go back to Mozilla.
User Rating: 9/10
Awesome Browser Gets Even Better
Pros: Spellcheck, individual tab closing, anti-phishing
Cons: Many add-ins not supported (yet)
I have also downloaded the new IE7 for comparison. I hate to admit it, but I find that there are several features that IE7 has that FF2 missed out on. Previewing a list of thumb nailed tabs that you have open is a huge feature, as well as the Favorites Center. The spell checking feature in FF2 is amazing. As I write this review, it has already found several errors and offered accurate suggestions!
In all, I would recommend this new version of Firefox. You can't go wrong with it, the installation is quick, easy, and gets you up and running in no time! If you are into experimenting, I would also recommend that you give IE7 a try and see for yourself what is better. I guess it will all have to depend on individual taste. Bon appetite!
User Rating: 9/10
Excellent Browser
Pros: Tabs, spell check, speed, RSS
Cons: Occasional page issues (less than 5%)
