Are you ready for Firefox 3?
posted at 3:00 pm on June 18, 2008 by Allahpundit
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I installed it this morning and was left with the same feelings of disappointment and existential ennui as “someone” at Ace’s place. No obvious differences in performance or functionality that I’ve noticed (although I should note I’ve never had a memory leak problem with v2), but that is one honking big dropdown menu in the address bar. I’m curious what our geek readers think. The upgrade is obligatory if you’re already a Firefox user but is there anything in the new release warranting a switch from, say, Safari? Here’s the full list of new features for easy cross-checking; I’m convinced that my iPhone fanboy-ism has spoiled me for new releases of other tech products, as anything short of revelatory improvements is bound to seem like a letdown.
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Ready for it? I already downloaded it!
carbon_footprint on June 18, 2008 at 3:03 PM
I have downloaded Safari and I have not really fallen in love with it yet. ANY thing is better than IE though.
carbon_footprint on June 18, 2008 at 3:04 PM
Firefox never impressed me. It was slower and even though effective, it always seemed as though you had to fight it.
upinak on June 18, 2008 at 3:04 PM
I have to agree, IE is like death.
upinak on June 18, 2008 at 3:05 PM
Whats a Fire Fox?
VolMagic on June 18, 2008 at 3:05 PM
Firefox doesn’t work with Goggle maps. There are a few other places I have problems with as well.
carbon_footprint on June 18, 2008 at 3:05 PM
Meh. Why use Firefox when you could be using the beta of IE8?
Beo on June 18, 2008 at 3:05 PM
There’s a noticeable speed increase, especially with Google/Gmail. It’s not like there’s new interweb tubes that Firefox 3 will be unlocking for you.
raiderdav on June 18, 2008 at 3:06 PM
So you don’t like FF or IE; do you use Safari?
carbon_footprint on June 18, 2008 at 3:06 PM
I’ve been using it since the first beta release several months ago. It’s the best, fastest, most stable browser ever. That’s where the improvements are, not in UI changes or new features. Load a few sites in FF3, FF2, IE and clock them. That’s where you see the difference. Also, all the memory leaks which caused the browser to crash after it had been running for a long time and/or with many sites opened simultaneously are all fixed. I haven’t crashed FF3 yet despite months of trying. I can crash IE or FF2 in minutes.
TheBigOldDog on June 18, 2008 at 3:06 PM
I never knew Clint Eastwood made even a second one of these movies…now there’s a third?
James on June 18, 2008 at 3:07 PM
?? I use Google Maps all the time with no issues. For other sites that require IE, there is an add-on called IETab you can use. Pretty rare that I need that though.
raiderdav on June 18, 2008 at 3:07 PM
I tried FireFox 3 beta out a few weeks ago, and didn’t like it. IMO, it didn’t perform like the old, so I uninstalled it, and am back to version 2.
byteshredder on June 18, 2008 at 3:07 PM
Good info.
carbon_footprint on June 18, 2008 at 3:07 PM
For me, Firefox runs slow on OSX so I just use Safari. Never have had a problem with it.
Ian on June 18, 2008 at 3:08 PM
Interesting, I use FF at home and work and have always had problems.
carbon_footprint on June 18, 2008 at 3:08 PM
I have FF still but as I said it is slow (for me that is) on my home computer. I haven’t tried Safari… I may have to look into it and play. And maps ARE a pain and I work with them a lot.
upinak on June 18, 2008 at 3:08 PM
Is that a pr0n site?
carbon_footprint on June 18, 2008 at 3:08 PM
Because you don’t hate yourself? I have to spend the entire time using the beta of IE8 with the emulate IE7 button pressed to get most sites to work.
I would use Opera 9.5, but adblock is just to good to give up. I know Opera has the content blocking as well, but FF’s is so much better.
Archades on June 18, 2008 at 3:09 PM
It may be a Java problem then and unrelated to FF at all.
raiderdav on June 18, 2008 at 3:09 PM
I hate the “awesome bar” and promptly disabled it.
Other than that, the new version is not bad at all. Doesn’t hang up like v2 did.
Slublog on June 18, 2008 at 3:09 PM
I see. Safari is pretty. And I have not really ran into any problems with it, just loyal to the Fire Fox.
carbon_footprint on June 18, 2008 at 3:09 PM
IE8 beta is junk. They are trying to wrap a new package around a garbage engine that is slow and unreliable. People still haven’t learned the single most important lesson from Google. People want speed, accuracy and reliability over glitz and useless features.
TheBigOldDog on June 18, 2008 at 3:09 PM
Yeah, I installed it yesterday during the “million download” Guiness record thingy.
I used IE up until about a year ago, and finally gave it up for Firefox, since it has so many cool add-ons that are really useful.
The thing I like least about the new version is the pull-down menu from the address bar. It’s too much.
Yeah, it really does seem quicker.
JetBoy on June 18, 2008 at 3:10 PM
I have been using 3 since the beta come out. It weems to work well (and fast) for everything I do.
Buford Gooch on June 18, 2008 at 3:10 PM
Can’t… resist… posting…
this.
SteakRules on June 18, 2008 at 3:11 PM
Thanks.
carbon_footprint on June 18, 2008 at 3:11 PM
I unfortunatly have to use a lot of Java supports. Does anyone know if FF3 works well with Java now?
upinak on June 18, 2008 at 3:11 PM
Don’t download if you have plugins. Fair warning.
MadisonConservative on June 18, 2008 at 3:11 PM
Seems to me that FF3 offers faster page loads and better integrated viral scanning of downloads. The aesthetic improvements are also a plus.
D0WNT0WN on June 18, 2008 at 3:11 PM
Mad thansk for the warning!
upinak on June 18, 2008 at 3:12 PM
Agreed.
carbon_footprint on June 18, 2008 at 3:12 PM
Really? I ran them side by side for months as part of the beta and the speed and reliability difference even since B1 are completely unmistakable. You can’t possibly help notice the difference.
TheBigOldDog on June 18, 2008 at 3:13 PM
I happen to like the awesome bar. I’ve been using FF 3 since RC2, so I have had some time to get used to it, though. It provides the same type of access to your bookmarks that one would get by using Windows Desktop Search in vista to open favorites in IE. This is nice because WDS can’t index FF bookmarks.
Give it a week or so to get used to your browsing habits and I thinks you’ll like it to.
As far as performance is concerned, I don’t really see any bump over IE7, but I also am not afflicted with Microsoft derangement syndrome. I know that there are tests out there to show some big difference, but I just don’t see it. I use FF because of the add-on capabilities, but IE7 is fine too. That said, if you want a browser with a tiny footprint, Opera is apparently the way to go.
Dead Hand Control on June 18, 2008 at 3:13 PM
Why not?
JetBoy on June 18, 2008 at 3:14 PM
Seems a bit faster.Not sure what you mean by fighting it. At least it doesn’t crash for no apparent reason once or twice a day like IE.
Sefton on June 18, 2008 at 3:14 PM
Why not? Most of the popular plugins have long had FF3 compatible versions. I’d run FF3 w/o a particular plugin than run FF2 with it just for the speed and reliability improvements.
TheBigOldDog on June 18, 2008 at 3:17 PM
Meh.
Laserjock on June 18, 2008 at 3:18 PM
We use FF 2.0 and some web dev adds-ons in our web shop, and we’ve had a running discussion going on FF 3.0 today. It seems to run faster than v2, but isn’t practical for many of us to switch right now because some of the add-ons aren’t compatible. May be a good fit for us in a few months, but right now, most of us are going to hold off.
Bob Owens on June 18, 2008 at 3:18 PM
That is a good thing.
upinak on June 18, 2008 at 3:18 PM
Geeks FTW! Not really a geek but admire them so.
carbon_footprint on June 18, 2008 at 3:19 PM
IE works fine for me. I don’t have GPS or DVD in the truck either. The tail gate opens when I pull the lever and the bedliner is a sheet of CDX that lasts a year or so then goes into the local landfill. My headlights point one direction only, and I haven’t hit a kid on a bike yet.
Limerick on June 18, 2008 at 3:19 PM
If it’s so good, why is it free?
Buddahpundit on June 18, 2008 at 3:20 PM
I like it, I’ve been using it since rc 1. My only problem was that some of my extensions stopped working, but now that it is out I’m sure that more will work soon. On my XP machine, the memory leak is gone with FF3, it also performs faster. And a tip for those that use vista, the glasser theme really makes it look better, it adds the aero glass transparency.
Complete7 on June 18, 2008 at 3:20 PM
I am having trouble signing into gmail on the new FF; will look for a Mac OS update in case that’s the issue…
ParisParamus on June 18, 2008 at 3:21 PM
Just clicked over to LGF which always took forever to load on FF 2. Loaded in the blink of an eye. Cool.
Sefton on June 18, 2008 at 3:21 PM
what is a memory leak, anyway (over here on OS X..)?
ParisParamus on June 18, 2008 at 3:21 PM
How often does IE hang for a few seconds when your on HA? How often has HA’s ad server prevented a HA page loading for you with IE?
TheBigOldDog on June 18, 2008 at 3:22 PM
v3 is allegedly faster at page loads than v2. I’ve noticed the difference since installing yesterday. Particularly when loading multiple pages at once.
Big Bad John on June 18, 2008 at 3:22 PM
All mainstream web browsers are free. Opera used to offer a paid version but now it also free.
Complete7 on June 18, 2008 at 3:22 PM
You’re not real up on this INTARWeb thingy, are you?
Farmer_Joe on June 18, 2008 at 3:25 PM
I don’t have any problems with IE. Honest. The only hangs I get are from the server (Time Warner-rigga fratta ragga rigga communist monopoly in my area).
I just keep the HD clean as I can and run a decent firewall and AV. Shock of shockers is that vid system that everyone hammers AP about works great for me.
Limerick on June 18, 2008 at 3:26 PM
Bam! Seared by Farmer Joe.
carbon_footprint on June 18, 2008 at 3:27 PM
I have taken to using Crazy Browser since Sufferi and Firelocks are unstable on my system.
ronsfi on June 18, 2008 at 3:27 PM
What system?
LimeyGeek on June 18, 2008 at 3:29 PM
Installed FF 3 yesterday. Still undecided about the awesome bar. It definitely looks a lot better than the last version and seems a bit faster but I have done no objective tests.
Safari remains my first choice. I keep FF around more for the geek factor, as a backup and for testing.
Gilda on June 18, 2008 at 3:29 PM
I bet the hangs you blame on your ISP are really IE. Try FF3 and see. You can always uninstall it.
TheBigOldDog on June 18, 2008 at 3:31 PM
I’ve also seen a noticeable speed increase with FF 3.0 I think they were able to make the insides of those internet tubes much slicker so stuff moves thru the tubes quicker….
GEC on June 18, 2008 at 3:31 PM
They make a ton of money from Google for distributing their search through the toolbar. Don;t worry. They are doing really well.
TheBigOldDog on June 18, 2008 at 3:33 PM
I guess it’s coming then, because I’m on 2.0.0.14, so I guess I don’t know why they bothered with .0.0.
http://www.llbbl.com/data/RPG-motivational/target167.html
kirkill on June 18, 2008 at 3:34 PM
I would if I really had issues with IE but honestly BD my cable provider is the issue here.
One of the reasons I do not change is that my utilities and working programs have no issues with IE so I figure why change. I’m a geek pocket protector type Texan. Nearest bull is about 10 miles. I just don’t have issues with XP or IE. I’m sure my next system will be Jetson but until this system pulls off my left testicle I’m sticking with it.
Limerick on June 18, 2008 at 3:35 PM
Memory leak
a memory leak is a particular type of unintentional memory consumption by a computer program where the program fails to release memory when no longer needed. This condition is normally the result of a bug in a program that prevents it from freeing up memory that it no longer needs.
TheBigOldDog on June 18, 2008 at 3:36 PM
I like it, low memory leaks faster gmail load times. Overall quicker than V2. I enjoy changing themes from time to time and Adblock Plus is a must.
flyboy777 on June 18, 2008 at 3:39 PM
The number plugins reported as being broken after upgrading is enormous.
MadisonConservative on June 18, 2008 at 3:39 PM
check out the “Tab Mix Plus” Add-on which will give you great additional control and features for the tabs.
TheBigOldDog on June 18, 2008 at 3:42 PM
Firefox is what you make it. What are your browsing habits? Do you require 12 Add-Ons or just 2? Do you like the “pretty” add-ons or functional ones? Are they well coded or do they leak worse than that pie plate I use for shotgun practice? If you “only” want a tabbed browser with slightly better security out of the box, the new release of FF is probably fine for you. If you like 6 add-ons that haven’t been updated yet or if you have an aversion to being on the bleeding edge (really, that’s the beta versions and RCs), then you might want to wait a bit.
I use FF and I use tons of memory intensive extensions. Improvement to the core memory handling of the app will be great, but I’m not upgrading until all or most of my extensions do.
jbsaff on June 18, 2008 at 3:43 PM
Not all plugin authors have update their wares to work with FF3. Currently, out of 14 plugins/add-ons/extensions I used with FF2 only 4 haven’t yet been updated to work with FF3. Every time you launch FF3, it will check them for an updated version and install them or disable it until a compatible update is available.
TheBigOldDog on June 18, 2008 at 3:47 PM
Dang, thought this was Firefox the video game, but was wondering how I missed Firefox 2. pssst…whatever…All of you have MSDS!!! (except Limerick) :-) ~B
Brian on June 18, 2008 at 3:48 PM
After using the beta for a few months now the Awesome Bar is totally awesome. The more you use it the better it gets as it compiles info. I really like it now.
bj1126 on June 18, 2008 at 3:50 PM
That’s usually the case for a few days after incremental releases.
kirkill on June 18, 2008 at 3:52 PM
Yeah, well, here’s what I said on the Ace thread — and yeah, I know, all of the zitty open-source weenies are going to be pissed, but I don’t care. Oh. I’ve sanitized it; this is a more family-friendly space than Ace of Spades. And what really honks me off is that Firefox started out lean and mean, and was a great application.
Color me unsurprised. Firefox has sucked *ss since 2.0 came out, and every new release sucks d*nk*y d*cks worse than the last. It’s the new Netscape, so bloated with crap that it’s slow, and hangs at every opportunity, not to mention taking up 100% of the CPU so that every hour you have to shut it down (but only from the process list, because if you try to do it from the applications, it will just sit there taking up 100% of your CPU). And don’t even talk to me about security, cause security is only applicable if the application, you know, RUNS. Course, if they had adults developing it instead of little j*ck*ff geeks who can’t get a job at a real software company developing software because they only shower once a month, it probably wouldn’t suck big nasty d*nk*y d*cks, but hey, the adults all have jobs at real software companies producing real applications.
You can download all previous versions here: http://filehippo.com/download_firefox/?15
rightwingprof on June 18, 2008 at 3:54 PM
Seems much faster to me. I also haven’t noticed any of the annoying garbage when scrolling text that I saw in the previous version. The memory leaks in FF2 were really bad too, I haven’t seen that yet with FF3.
pedestrian on June 18, 2008 at 3:55 PM
Well, one of our computers doesn’t have enough memory so I’d love to try anything that makes it seem faster! IE is sloooowww, but the stuff the kids play with has lots of plug ins, so slow is better than it not working. Having 2 browsers open doesn’t help the memory situation, strangly enough.
MamaAJ on June 18, 2008 at 3:56 PM
Actually FF likes to crash on all three of my machines. 2 Dells and 1 I built around a Q6600 Quad running Vista Ult.
Safari refuses to load the entire page half the time and is sssslllllooooowww. I like it. Wish it performed better. Crazy Browser is fast on my setup and has tabs. No live search which is lame.
ronsfi on June 18, 2008 at 3:58 PM
I haven’t tried the new release yet so well see.
ronsfi on June 18, 2008 at 3:58 PM
I just downloaded version 3, and hate the bar too. What do I have to do to get rid of it?
Buy Danish on June 18, 2008 at 4:01 PM
yes, even with cookies on, I can’t load gmail; loads fine in FF2….is anyone else having this problem?
ParisParamus on June 18, 2008 at 4:01 PM
Seems a little faster to load to me. Version 2 took a minute to load. (Probably all those add-ons.)
Still beats IE hands down.
Hendo on June 18, 2008 at 4:13 PM
I’ve used FF for over 3 years and have been very pleased with it. Sometimes I run into a page that was designed to and only works in IE. But there is a right click add on to open the page in IE.
That being said, I tried FF3 Beta and had problems. Some add ons were not compatible. I’m going to wait for a month or two and let the public run with FF3 and get most of the bugs worked out.
Amendment X on June 18, 2008 at 4:19 PM
No. Safari still has a better rendering engine and faster performance. I’ll still use Firefox for web development because of the Web Developer extension and Firebug, but for normal web browsing, I’m probably sticking with Safari for now.
Mark Jaquith on June 18, 2008 at 4:24 PM
No…it’s not.
rockhauler on June 18, 2008 at 4:28 PM
I concur. Safari is still the best overall.
Gilda on June 18, 2008 at 4:28 PM
crap, thanks Allah, now I can’t get to my webmail.
kirkill on June 18, 2008 at 4:29 PM
God forbid any of you IE partisans ever attempt to code a web page using CSS for layouts instead of tables. You will curse IE and every demon-infested developer that has ever crawled from his slime filled cocoon to code the awful thing.
HATE IE. HATE HATE HATE.
/twitch
Ok, I’m fine now. I got it out of my system.
TheUnrepentantGeek on June 18, 2008 at 4:36 PM
FF3 works fine with Google Maps. Everyone should delete their temp files and cookies once in a while. With that said, I like it now that my addons works for it. I miss my Firebug addon but that should be updated soon.
I have noticed a significant performance boost and it is a lot better on memory than the 2.x version but I also have a dozen or more tabs open all the time with a bunch of different video sites and what not. Overall, it is a better release than the 2.x version and much more secure than safari.
zerodamage on June 18, 2008 at 4:41 PM
Suuuucks. Just retro-graded to FF2.
loganthompson on June 18, 2008 at 4:54 PM
For those that are having problems with the Firefox add-ons, get the Nightly Tester Tools add-on. It will make most non compatible extensions work with FF 3.
HeavyHair on June 18, 2008 at 4:55 PM
Eh, I figure when Mozilla thinks it’s really ready for use, they’ll ping me with an update when I launch FF. Until then, I’ll stick with the version I’ve already grown disillusioned with.
flipflop on June 18, 2008 at 5:05 PM
Installed it today and loving it. It’s lightning fast and I have plenty of patience to train the “awesome bar.”
RushBaby on June 18, 2008 at 5:16 PM
I’ve been trying to figure out how to install it on my Linux Asus Eee, but it sounds like I shouldn’t bother…
Jim Treacher on June 18, 2008 at 5:19 PM
There are several reasons why free software is often better than paid software. Let me be honest that the free software movement was started by the Kucinich supporting Richard Stallman, but Stallman’s ideology with the infantile leftism removed makes a lot of sense in capitalist terms. It’s in the interest of software developers that their tools be free–that way the owner of the tools doesn’t siphon off their profits. In fact, some of the more amazing programming languages get much of their work from programmers between jobs–which also keeps the progammer’s skills strong. Also businesses are willing to donate some to encourage free software and thus avoid the possibility of blackmail by the software owners. And there are some individuals out there like Theo de Raadt, responsible for the world’s most secure operating system OpenBSD, who just like programming and are willing to produce amazing software products for the joy of it.
On a related subject, there are all sorts of software licenses (forms of ownership or non-ownership of software) and there is another related fundamental idea about software: open source. I don’t want to get ideological here, but I strongly advocate free open source software (FOSS) for most people’s needs. I do see a role for non-FOSS for people with very special needs (for the most part, businesses). Otherwise, getting software should be like a trip to the library. The reality is that the software as a library open to the public is already here in Linux (and to a slightly lesser extent in BSD and OpenSolaris). We should celebrate.
thuja on June 18, 2008 at 5:22 PM
Another thing to keep in mind about Mozilla and Firefox is that they are fighting for standards on the web and to make it easier for you to get what you need. If you’ve ever complained about not being able to see RedLasso video or some similar issue you should be supportive of Mozilla and use Firefox. Microsoft tries to undo standards and make the web less user friendly. Avoid at all cost Microsoft’s new evil plot called Silverlight. I removed Mono the programming language available in Linux that makes viewing Silverlight possible in some compromised forms of Linux.
thuja on June 18, 2008 at 5:30 PM
Okay, thanks. How does google make money? eh, nevermind.
Buddahpundit on June 18, 2008 at 5:35 PM
Opera.
beatcanvas on June 18, 2008 at 5:38 PM
I agree with you 100% AP. After IE started closing windows with 5+ tabs for no apparent reason (which grew incredibly irritating,) I decided to add Firefox, just to see what all the buzz was about. I used it for a little while, and had no qualms with it. After using Safari on the iPhone for awhile, I decided to try it out. I was not disappointed. The Bookmarks Bar is a great feature, the “Reset” and “Private Browsing” features are helpful, and the tabs are more intuitive. My only problem with Safari is, occasionally, Youtube starts for 2 seconds and then stops, but this has only happened a few times. I downloaded Firefox 3 yesterday, and I tried it out last night. It’s a little bit more functional than FF2, but that’s the only difference. It sounded like it was supposed to be some huge, groundbreaking product, but it’s a little disappointing. I’m back to Safari now.
MB007 on June 18, 2008 at 5:58 PM
lol firefox
I went to the page allah sent me and it froze my computer. Sure, I’ll trust mozilla… not. Overhyped piece of ****. I’ll stick to maxthon. Just like firefox and IE it screws up way too often for my liking but at least maxthon makes navigation easy.
Darth Executor on June 18, 2008 at 6:37 PM
I’m running it right now on my XP laptop, and downloaded it onto the office’s G4 Macbook running OS 10.5. So far the biggest difference has been the much faster speed on sites like LGF that are bell-and-whistle intensive, and which caused a scripting error on both Windows and Mac platforms in Firefox 2.x. But I haven’t really pushed it yet to see if there are any problems running multiple tabs with complex webpages open.
The main problem I have right now is the limited backwards computability for Firefox 3.0 in the Mac platform. It’s compatible with all OS is Windows from 2000 and up, so any PC nine years old or less can use it. But my eMac at the office running OS 10.3.9 can’t, apparently because Apple’s changed things under the hood enough so that the the latest Gecko platform Firefox runs on doesn’t play well with the system, and the Mozilla folks don’t see the point of trying to modify 3.0 to work with 10.3, even though computers sold as recently as the start of 2005 are using it.
Mozilla’s attitude kind of fits with Apple’s general mindset that if your hardware/software is more than three years old, you should be buying new stuff anyway. But it is annoying when you’ve got a five-year-old computer that’s not yet old enough to justify the corporate expense in replacing, but also not new enough to justify spending $140 to upgrade to the latest OS just to run a few extra applications.
jon1979 on June 18, 2008 at 6:41 PM
If someone in the Linux community can figure out how to make Windows based games run just as well on Linux as they do on Windows just as quickly (read: no multi-year lag) I will have their babies. I will bow at their feet and worship them. I will build statues in their honor and cry their name in the wilderness. I might even make them tacos or something.
TheUnrepentantGeek on June 18, 2008 at 6:46 PM
This man speaks truth. +11
TheUnrepentantGeek on June 18, 2008 at 6:48 PM
I’d recommend a Linux tailored for old computers: Damn Small Linux, Puppy Linux, StiTaz, Slax, or ?. (I’ve probably missed a few.) These Linuxes have alternative light-weight browsers that enable the full web experience. Of course, you could keep using Firefox on them with better results than you have now.
thuja on June 18, 2008 at 6:51 PM
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