After months of testing,
Firefox 3 is free, and 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. Unlike IE 7, Firefox 3 does not require a system reboot.
The interface is the same in some places, but different in others. Placement of buttons hasn't changed, but the icons are new. Firefox 3 now provides a native look and feel (for example, the Linux version matches the Linux user interface), and smooth scrolling of open browser tabs. What will draw the eye are more icons near and within the address bar itself. A company logo, if available, will appear before the URL; after the URL there's the new one-click bookmark star and the familiar RSS icon. Other tweaks include those to the Password manager, Add-Ons manager, and Download manager.
Returning within Firefox 3 are several core features, such as Sessions Restore, built-in spell checking, integrated search, pop-up blocker, clear private data, and automated behind-the-scenes updates.
Most exciting among the brand new features is the improved rendering speed thanks to the new Gekko 1.9 engine. Firefox 3 passes the
The Gekko 1.9 rendering engine will, however, introduce some inconveniences. Firefox 3 will no longer support Windows 95, 98, and Me; the same with Mac OS X, versions 10.2 and earlier. There will also be numerous changes made to the Document Object Model (DOM) within Gekko 1.9 that will affect developers more than users. Also, there will be changes in the way Firefox renders frames within its display and the way object tags are handled, as well as changes in event threading.
For a user, the project known as Places is worthy of praise, as it creates a light database of history, bookmarks, and tags within the browser that can be searched, sorted, and organized. How you access the database gives rise to many new features within Firefox 3.
One obvious change is the Smart Location Bar (aka "awesome bar"). As you type in a URL, the awesome bar searches through your history and bookmarks and presents a drop-down list of recently accessed pages with that same keyword. It works even if you already know the URL. Some people have found it to be
Immediately after the URL and just before the RSS icon is the new Star icon. Click it once to store the page's URL as a bookmark; click it twice to assign the bookmark to a new or existing folder. You can also give it tags: short keywords to help when searching through your bookmarks. Use the new Library feature to create and store searches.
Also new is Full Page Zoom. Unlike Opera, Firefox hides the Zoom feature within the View toolbar option and doesn't increment: just big or small. Hopefully Mozilla will refine this feature in Firefox 4.
Enhancements within Firefox 3 include changes to the Add-Ons manager. Now Firefox presents a list of popular Add-Ons without redirecting your browser to a Web page. From the manager you can install the recommended Add-Ons directly. There is still a link to the addons.mozilla.org page where you can find more than 5,000 add-ons written for Firefox.
Another enhancement is within the Download Manager. Mozilla has added search and improved the ability to start and resume downloads.
There are also numerous security features such as Malware and Phishing protection, Instant Web site ID, support for the Extended Validation Secure Socket Layer (EV SSL), enhancements to the Password manager, and greater security for Add-Ons.
