What is it?

FireFox is an awarding winning browser based on the open source Mozilla project.  For those who are new to the web, a browser is the program you use to view the Internet.  For most Windows based computers (Windows 98, 2000, XP) you use Internet Explorer by default.  This is the blue ‘e’ on your desktop and in your start menu.  For those Macintosh/Apple based computers, you use Safari by default.  FireFox replaces these programs.

Why use it?

The reasons for using this browser as opposed to the one which comes on your computer varies quite a bit. 

Security:
FireFox is open source.  That means people from all over the world contribute to its development.  Browsers that come with your computer are checked for glitches, bugs, and problems by a select group of people.  FireFox is checked by millions of people every day.  Since Internet Explorer is the widest used web browser (because people don’t know they can switch) viruses and other malware are targeted toward them.  By using FireFox you can protect your computer without even trying.  Internet Explorer is integrated into Windows, this means if something goes wrong with Internet Explorer, Windows will most likely have problems too.  By using FireFox, this keeps a distinct separation between Windows and the Internet, avoiding the spread of problems.

Speed:
FireFox is continually being optimized.  Web sites have been proven to load faster and more reliably then Internet Explorer and Safari.

Internet Standards:
As time goes on, the standards of the way web sites are designed change.  Because FireFox is constantly being updated, you will view the Internet with the newest technological standards.  Browsers, such as Internet Explorer and Safari, do not follow a lot of the standardized rules which FireFox proudly does.

Plug-Ins and Extensions:
What’s great about FireFox is that if you want to be able to do something which a browser normally cannot do, you may be able to find an accessory for it.  These accessories are called plug-ins and extensions.  Because FireFox is open source, anyone can create an plug-in.  A downfall with Internet Explorer is that only Microsoft can change it.  FireFox is all about being able to customize the browser to your liking.  For more information, you may be interested in this article: Top FireFox Extensions

Where Do I Get It?
That’s even easier, and it’s free!!
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 25th, 2006 at 1:07 pm and is filed under Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.