Mozilla today released Firefox 3, a major update to its free, open source Web browser. According to Mozilla, Firefox 3 is the culmination of three years of efforts from thousands of developers, security experts, localization and support communities, and testers from around the globe.
Available today in approximately 50 languages, “Firefox 3 is two to three times faster than its predecessor and offers more than 15,000 improvements,” including the smart location bar, malware protection, and extensive under the hood work to improve the speed and performance of the browser.
“We’re really proud of Firefox 3 and it just shows what a committed, energized global community can do when they work together,” said John Lilly, CEO of Mozilla, in the press release.
What’s New in Firefox 3:
• User Experience. The new Firefox 3 smart location bar, affectionately known as the “Awesome Bar,” learns as people use it, adapting to user preferences and offering better fitting matches over time. The Firefox 3 Library archives browsing history, bookmarks, and tags, where they can be easily searched and organized. One-click bookmarking and tagging make it easy to remember, search and organize Web sites. The new full-page zoom displays any part of a Web page, up close and readable, in seconds.
• Performance. Firefox 3 is built on top of the Gecko 1.9 platform, resulting in a safer, easier to use and more personal product. Firefox 3 now uses less memory while it’s running, and its redesigned page rendering and layout engine means users see Web pages two to three times faster than Firefox 2.
• Security. Firefox 3 offers new malware and phishing protection helps protect from viruses, worms, trojans and spyware to keep people safe on the Web. Firefox 3’s one-click site ID information allows users to verify that a site is what it claims to be. Mozilla’s open source process leverages the experience of thousands of security experts around the globe.
• Customization. Everyone uses the Web differently, and Firefox 3 lets users customize their browser with more than 5,000 add-ons. Firefox Add-ons allow users to manage tasks like participating in online auctions, uploading digital photos, seeing the weather forecasts, and listening to music, all from the convenience of the browser. The new Add-ons Manager helps users to find and install add-ons directly from the browser.
More information about Mozilla Firefox 3 features here.
Mozilla Firefox 3 is available now for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows as a free download here.
@WRITERGUY: Real world example.
I like Safari and would like for it to be my main browser but Firefox is the King. Why should the average person care?
1. Better browser and system performance.
Let’s start with memory usage. Even the most up to date versions of Safari eat memory the longer the browser stays open. Supposedly this is a “feature”. All browsers do this to some extent but Safari is in a league of its own. I know a coworker that switched to Firefox because, everyday, Safari would take up 300-450MB of RAM. That can seriously effect your overall system performance depending on how much RAM you have installed. Firefox 3 does not have this problem. For the first time ever, I watched the memory *drop* the longer the browser was open. They have obviously worked hard on proper memory management. I saw it at 150MB and when I came back a couple of hours later it was at 103MB. That makes for an overall speed computer.
2. More security features.
Firefox has more built-in security features. The recent brouhaha about PayPal blocking Safari was because Safari currently doesn’t have a phishing scam detection system in place. Firefox has had that since version 2.
3. The new smart location bar.
Firefox’s new smart location bar (where you type in your Web addresses) has been nicknamed the “Awesome Bar”. In Safari, when you start typing an address in the location bar, it will only try to auto-complete the address if it can find the exact letters you have typed at the beginning of a Web address in your bookmarks or history.
“[Firefox’s] Smart Location Bar will match what you’re typing (even multiple words!) against the URLs, page titles, and tags in your bookmarks and history, returning results sorted according to an algorithm that combines frequency and recency. The Smart Location Bar results also show pages’ favicons, full titles, URLs, and whether you have bookmarked or tagged the site previously.”–A Field Guide to Firefox 3
If you had read a story about American Idol that had American Idol as part of the title of the page and now you want to go back to it, then you could just type American Idol in the location bar and it would find the address for it without you having to remember anything about the actual Web site address or domain.
These are just a few off the top of my head. If you want to know more, try looking at A Field Guide to Firefox 3 or the Firefox Homepage under the heading “What’s so great about Firefox?”
Opera is still better.
??
Run the add-on “NoScript”
??
Impressive! Looks like Safari.
So much better. Thanks FF for making it more Mac-like as opposed to being a Windows port. Looks like Safari scared you to making your product better. Gotta love competition.
Just down loaded FF3 and it does seem to mirror Safari, without being a ‘copy’ clearly different products, But appears to be very solid at first test.
Welcome back to the browser wars. This time Microsoft ‘has no dog in this hunt!’
Safari 3 has a worthy competitor in FF3.
@auctoris
I’m sure the “Smart Location Bar” is just a a cheap knock off of the superior find function in Safari.
Why would you want to use third party software when you have more elegant and effective options from Apple themselves?
Safari will also improve by next… no hassle to run around crazily switching each time one has 1-2 better features… And Opera? No way, doesn’t read layers properly. I give it a blame!
FF3 is fast, but I’ve become addicted to Safari Adblock (sure helps to load MDN faster).
Can anybody suggest an easy-install equivalent for FF3?
Ta.
MM
adblock plus Micro me.
Safari cookie handling is crap-all or nothing. Safari is slower than firefox. Safari extensions are not easily installable or all free. Safari’s memory handling is not as good as Firefox.
Only advantage Safari has-the look at porn feature without leaving a trace-then again, I can just set Firefox to delete private info on shut down.
I have both Safari and FFinstalled but I favor FF slightly more in my every-day-use. They are both great browsers. I wouldnt even touch IE with a 10 meter long stick..
well, I have used this since firefox 3 beta came. honestly it’s much faster than safari 3.1. some sites on safari are really delayed, slower. especially, apple store U.S. is just killing me.
Adblock Plus. OK, thanks nekogami13. I’ll Google it, and try it.
Firefox 3 is excellent. Once I got used to the weird buttons, it even feels “Mac-like.” It IS very fast, and it’s working great for me so far.
I’m glad Mac OS X has such a long list of choices for good web browsers.
Like the new Firefox! Great job to the team!
Snappier? You’re soaking in it!
love it
FF3 does not play nicely with kongregate.com
Until it does, I shall remain on my Safari.
does it run on my iPhone? no?
what the hell use is it then?
yeah, so i thought i would try it out on the mini…..
this is the fast version? are add-ons a special extra slow category? so far, color me unimpressed……
You could consider me an Apple Fanboy, but honestly Firefox has just raised the bar when it comes to speed. Apple has some catching up to do. I can’t believe the speed difference!
@me
The smart location bar has nothing to do with the find function in Safari. It only has to do with where you actually type in the Web address for the page you want. It only searches *your* bookmarks and history by address, page title, and tag. And it does it right from the address bar where you need the address. I love Apple and I like Safari, but FF3 has a *much* better location/address bar than Safari with this new functionality.
“Firefox prevented this site from opening a pop-up window.”
Too bad one from msnbc and one from http://www.customerdirectsavings.com/?PromoID=16088 still came through. Sucks that MDN does this.
@MikeR
That’s why I run AdBlock Plus and NoScript (Firefox addons). I see NO ads or popups–ever.
I use both safari and FF about (80:20). Safari because it is easy and fast but it can choke on a couple of sites. FF takes care of that but it was painfully slow.
With FF3, perhaps the ratio of use will change a bit.
I’m using FF3 to type this, and I already miss my FF2.
I’ve been using FF for a few years now and it is customised the way I like it. Extra set of buttons, No scripts, Ad/Flash/3rd party frame blocks, download manager and the list goes on.
I downloaded the FF3 this morning and replaced it the FF2 when moved it to my Apps folder. Sure it’s snappy, zippy and all GOAT, and I am otherwise impressed. But the only thing that’s frustrating me right now is that doggone ‘smart’ addy bar. Can’t get rid of it – not sure how. If you happen to know, help.
See, for many years I have setup in FF option to erase browse history, cookies, cache etc. every time I’d close the browser.
Now – good luck with these smart bars and its brilliant all your history-base belongs to us on your next trip to bloggaland.
Well, I’m downloading FF2 later today.