Tip #2008 - Firefox 1.5 Printer Friendly Version | E-Mail This Tip
Firefox
1.5
I hope you guys are as excited as I am about the release of the much-anticipated
1.5 patch for Firefox, the
popular Mozilla
Browser. This update comes after a lengthy stint in beta
version where it has been since early August. The update brings a few
nice features to the table including improved security capabilities as
well as ease-of-use functionality through the implementation of intuitive
components that were inspired mostly by end-user input.
Here’s a list
of the new capabilities and features that comprise the new 1.5 patch for
Firefox:
- Automated
update to streamline product upgrades. Notification of an update
is more prominent, and updates to Firefox may now be half a megabyte
or smaller. Updating extensions has also improved.
- Faster
browser navigation with improvements to back and forward button
performance.
- Drag and
drop reordering for browser tabs.
- Improvements
to popup blocking.
- Clear
Private Data feature provides an easy way to quickly remove
personal data through a menu item or keyboard shortcut.
- Answers.com
is added to the search engine list.
- Improvements
to product usability including descriptive error pages, redesigned
options menu, RSS discovery, and "Safe Mode" experience.
- Better
accessibility including support for DHTML
accessibility and assistive technologies such as the Window-Eyes
5.5 beta screen reader for Microsoft Windows. Screen readers read
aloud all available information in applications and documents or show
the information on a
Braille display, enabling blind and visually impaired users to use
equivalent software functionality as their sighted peers.
- Report
a broken Web site wizard to report Web sites that are not working
in Firefox.
- Better
support for Mac OS X
(10.2 and greater) including profile migration from Safari and Mac Internet
Explorer.
- New support
for Web Standards including SVG, CSS 2 and CSS 3, and JavaScript
1.6.
- Many security
enhancements.
If you’re not
a Firefox user this might be the time to give it a try, especially after
all the unpatched security holes that
Internet Explorer has had lately with parsing Cascading Style Sheets.
Firefox can also import all your IE settings including favorites to help
the transition go smoothly. This import features gives the user a sense
of comfort and familiarly with Firefox from the first use. In addition
Firefox has tons of downloadable themes and plug-ins to change the look
and functionality of your browser to completely suite your needs.
So, if you've always wanted to try Firefox now is the time to do it. If
you are already a user then go out and update your little red tailed friend
because you’re going to love the new features.
~Chad Stelnicki
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