Firefox

FIREFOX

Summary: With all of the numerous security risks and alerts associated with using the Internet Explorer browser, its no real surprise that a new Web browser has emerged as a viable alternative. This relatively new and open-source browser, called Firefox, has steadily been gaining market shares, while Internet Explorer has been continuing to lose ground. Estimates now place Firefox at over % of overall browser usage . This browser competition, frequently referred to as a browser war, has become even more heated with the releases of Firefox . and Internet explorer .. This article proposes to look at what makes Firefox so popular and examine some of its extensions.

firefox, browser

Article Body: Why is Firefox so popular?

A myriad of reasons explain why Firefox is becoming increasingly more popular:

RSS readerFirefox has a built-in RSS reader which allows users to stay up to date with the content of their favourite blogs and Websites;

Better securityFirefox has proven more secure than Internet Explorer for a few reasons, but primarily because the majority of hackers prefer to target the most commonly used browser, namely Internet Explorer;

Integrated search barFirefox users have quick and easy access to their favourite search engines such as Google and Yahoo;

CustomizableUnlike most browsers, Firefox allows numerous options to personalize both its appearance and functionalities;

Find as you typeFirefox automatically highlights the first result of a search as you start to type it. If you frequently search the content of Web pages, this feature can save you quite a bit of time;

Tabbed browsingArguably one of the most important reasons behind Firefoxs popularity is that it offers tabbed browsing. In other words, you can navigate several sites in a single page as well as drag and drop tabs to keep sites together;

Firefox Extensions

Another key advantage of using Firefox is that it allows the use of numerous extensions. If you are not familiar with extensions, they are add-ons that provide the browser with new functionalities. There are literally hundreds of extensions, but here are a few well-known and popular ones to illustrate the numerous possibilities that Firefox extensions have to offer (for a complete list check out https://addons.mozilla.org/):

No ScriptMakes your browser more secure by allowing JavaScript, Java and other executable content only for trusted domains of your choice, e.g. your home-banking web site;

Video DownloaderAllows users to download videos from Youtube, Google, Metacafe, iFilm, Dailymotion, and other video sites;

DownThemAllThis extension is a download manager that features an advanced accelerator that increases speed up to % and allows users to pause and resume downloads at any time;

MacFoxLets PC users experience the look of Mac OS X. This extension includes Aqua-style UI elements and enhancements.