Eric over at Fire Ant Gazette points out that the new Firefox browser now accounts for 20% of browser usage. The browser hasn't been available for very long, so that means that internet users must have really been hungry a change.
Until recently I used Netscape 7.2 browser, but I've been using Firefox for a week or so. And, it's pretty good. In some ways it's better than the Netscape browser, and in some ways it's not as good. I understand the Firefox browser uses the same Mozilla engine as Netscape, and that should explain why the appearance is so similar.
The Netscape browser would develop a bug that wouldn't let me fully utilize the Yahoo mail site, so every few months I had to redownload Netscape and reinstall it to exterminate that bug. So far, the Firefox browser hasn't developed that problem. Here's hoping it won't.
The Netscape browser has a better integration with the email program. The Firefox doesn't have an email program built in, but the Firefox user can use one of his/her old email programs or download Thunderbird from the Firefox site. I've been using the Thunderbird email program, and it has some features that I haven't quite worked out yet. For example, if I click on a link someone sent me then an old generation Netscape browser that's still on my computer tries to open. Both the Firefox browser and the Thunderbird email program allow the user to download "extensions" that supposedly help. But, so far I haven't found one that helps my problem.
I haven't used a Microsoft browser in a long time, so I really can't compare them. And, the Firefox browser is very similar to the Netscape browser. But, Firefox is worth trying out. It's free, and it's a seamless transition, mostly. This may seem like a luke warm recommendation, but if you haven't tried it yet then give it a whirl.
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