My love for Chrome ended and I switched back to Firefox about 3 months ago. The switch went well and I'm happy with my choice. Reasons:
1. First version of Chrome for the desktop supported extensions, because it was competing with a popular Firefox, and now on Android they don't give a shit about enabling users to customize the behavior of their browser, which pisses me off.
So I switched to Firefox on my Android because it allows me to use these plugins ... AdBlock Plus, HTTPS Everywhere + LastPass. Plus it has a handy Reader Mode, that's like Readability built into my Firefox. And I find the UI nicer on my 7-inch tablet. This naturally led to a decision to switch to Firefox on the desktop too, because Sync.
2. In Firefox on my desktop I like having Tab Groups + the Awesome Bar (which does a good job of doing full text searches in my history, much better than what other browsers are capable of) + a really cool tweak to the Australis theme called "The Fox, Only Better" which is awesome and will make it much harder for me to switch browsers again.
I also love it when Mozilla develops something, then everybody benefits, like Asm.js or PDF.js. Try using Chromium instead of Chrome, it's not the same experience.
3. I've been all hooked into Google's stuff, I even pay for a Google Apps account and everything, but I noticed that Google hasn't been aligned with my interests.
For example they killed Google Reader to promote Google+, they showed no interest in fixing Gmail's broken IMAP support, they showed no interest in fixing Google Calendar's broken CalDAV support, they discontinued the Exchange support from Gmail, they discontinued the XMPP support from Google Hangouts, they announced no interest in providing alternatives that I know of, certain features in their online products only work in Chrome. It seems to me that Google is only interested in standards as long as they are the underdog.
I also moved to Dropbox as my cloud storage, because Google Drive still does not have a Linux client. I mean, Google out of all companies should think that Linux support also means headless servers (like home servers or other appliances), so providing Linux support should be obvious. But no, 2 years later, the OS X client is still shitty and still no Linux support. I have to trust my data to a third-party if I want that, or suffer one of the shitty open-source alternatives and risk my data.
So there you have it - Firefox is a great browser and it also tries to make me happy. And yes, I would also like the one-process per tab model, but they are actively working on it.
> the Awesome Bar (which does a good job of doing full text searches in my history, much better than what other browsers are capable of
I'm surprised that the other browsers are still so much worse on this front, and that this difference doesn't get more attention. Firefox's implementation is fantastic and has been for years and years.
It seems the standards-based browser du jour is moving back in Mozilla's favor lately. I can say, for the first time in ages, that FF is very fast, very stable and very secure. Chrome, on the other hand, has been less stable, less fast and less secure.
This anniversary makes me feel like I should do something nice for Firefox. Then I realised that I've been working on their DVCS of choice, Mercurial. Well, Firefox, you've served me very well over the years. I hope I can make Mercurial better for you in return. Thanks!
I was a Mozilla Suite user 12 years ago. Then became a passionate Firefox user and supporter of the Open Web. Happy Birthday Firefox! Looking forward to 10 more years!
I've been a Firefox user since it launched. It's still my browser of choice on my personal Windows laptop and on all of my Android devices--I admire Mozilla's willingness to not let the OS vendor hold a monopoly on the browser software, now as much as they did a decade ago with Microsoft.
Then again, my primary music player on my laptop is still Winamp, so make of that what you will.
I just got back from visiting a friend the Mozilla office. Thanks for creating an amazing web browser that opened a new dawn away from the shackles we were once stuck with.
I find its UI better on my 7 inch tablet (those tabs in Chrome are small and annoying and I also prefer Firefox's UI when doing searches). It also has add-ons and for example I use AdBlock Plus (websites on your mobile full of ads are unusable), HTTPS Everywhere (especially important for mobile devices that connect to public Wifis) and LastPass.
It also has a Reader Mode that strips the annoying styling off an article, much like Readability or Pocket. You can also save articles for later reading. Feature is still young, but it's been working well for me.
It also inherits the Awesome Bar from the desktop version. It does a very good job at suggesting previous links from your history. This saves you from doing searches on Google, which many times is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
It's also a platform for apps, apps that get published in the Firefox Marketplace and that can work in Firefox OS as well as on Android (and more recently on your desktop). Much like Chrome for desktop does, but it works on your mobile. Still young, doesn't have many apps, but it's been growing and improving and the whole thing is based on web standards or APIs that Mozilla is pushing for standardization.
Try it out, you might like it. And let me tell you, once you become hooked to one of its add-ons, you won't be able to switch back to Chrome anymore ;-)
Why was this comment downvoted? This is exactly why Phoenix — I mean Firebird — I mean Firefox — was started, because the Netscape Suite was a fiasco, but the underlying Gecko rendering engine was worth salvaging. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox#History
bad_user|11 years ago
1. First version of Chrome for the desktop supported extensions, because it was competing with a popular Firefox, and now on Android they don't give a shit about enabling users to customize the behavior of their browser, which pisses me off.
So I switched to Firefox on my Android because it allows me to use these plugins ... AdBlock Plus, HTTPS Everywhere + LastPass. Plus it has a handy Reader Mode, that's like Readability built into my Firefox. And I find the UI nicer on my 7-inch tablet. This naturally led to a decision to switch to Firefox on the desktop too, because Sync.
2. In Firefox on my desktop I like having Tab Groups + the Awesome Bar (which does a good job of doing full text searches in my history, much better than what other browsers are capable of) + a really cool tweak to the Australis theme called "The Fox, Only Better" which is awesome and will make it much harder for me to switch browsers again.
I also love it when Mozilla develops something, then everybody benefits, like Asm.js or PDF.js. Try using Chromium instead of Chrome, it's not the same experience.
3. I've been all hooked into Google's stuff, I even pay for a Google Apps account and everything, but I noticed that Google hasn't been aligned with my interests.
For example they killed Google Reader to promote Google+, they showed no interest in fixing Gmail's broken IMAP support, they showed no interest in fixing Google Calendar's broken CalDAV support, they discontinued the Exchange support from Gmail, they discontinued the XMPP support from Google Hangouts, they announced no interest in providing alternatives that I know of, certain features in their online products only work in Chrome. It seems to me that Google is only interested in standards as long as they are the underdog.
I also moved to Dropbox as my cloud storage, because Google Drive still does not have a Linux client. I mean, Google out of all companies should think that Linux support also means headless servers (like home servers or other appliances), so providing Linux support should be obvious. But no, 2 years later, the OS X client is still shitty and still no Linux support. I have to trust my data to a third-party if I want that, or suffer one of the shitty open-source alternatives and risk my data.
So there you have it - Firefox is a great browser and it also tries to make me happy. And yes, I would also like the one-process per tab model, but they are actively working on it.
Happy Birthday Firefox.
nnethercote|11 years ago
I'm surprised that the other browsers are still so much worse on this front, and that this difference doesn't get more attention. Firefox's implementation is fantastic and has been for years and years.
lern_too_spel|11 years ago
Its extension model remains superior to Firefox's, and I hope Mozilla fixes this. I shouldn't need Python and an SDK installed to develop a JavaScript browser extension. https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Add-ons/SDK/Tutorials/In...
scrollaway|11 years ago
What's wrong with Chromium?
hobarrera|11 years ago
JetSpiegel|11 years ago
And if you have a headless server, you can run BTSync
kapilkaisare|11 years ago
For USD 15, Insync[1] can help you with that.
[1] https://www.insynchq.com/
bstar77|11 years ago
lern_too_spel|11 years ago
jordigh|11 years ago
nnethercote|11 years ago
jvehent|11 years ago
dbarlett|11 years ago
https://blog.mozilla.org/press/2004/12/mozilla-foundation-pl...
netrus|11 years ago
discipline|11 years ago
AdmiralAsshat|11 years ago
Then again, my primary music player on my laptop is still Winamp, so make of that what you will.
StuffMaster|11 years ago
sitkack|11 years ago
nagarjun|11 years ago
themoonbus|11 years ago
eyeareque|11 years ago
Also, thanks for the cake today:)
KyleSanderson|11 years ago
mbrubeck|11 years ago
JohnTHaller|11 years ago
TazeTSchnitzel|11 years ago
blutgens|11 years ago
bad_user|11 years ago
I find its UI better on my 7 inch tablet (those tabs in Chrome are small and annoying and I also prefer Firefox's UI when doing searches). It also has add-ons and for example I use AdBlock Plus (websites on your mobile full of ads are unusable), HTTPS Everywhere (especially important for mobile devices that connect to public Wifis) and LastPass.
It also has a Reader Mode that strips the annoying styling off an article, much like Readability or Pocket. You can also save articles for later reading. Feature is still young, but it's been working well for me.
It also inherits the Awesome Bar from the desktop version. It does a very good job at suggesting previous links from your history. This saves you from doing searches on Google, which many times is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
It's also a platform for apps, apps that get published in the Firefox Marketplace and that can work in Firefox OS as well as on Android (and more recently on your desktop). Much like Chrome for desktop does, but it works on your mobile. Still young, doesn't have many apps, but it's been growing and improving and the whole thing is based on web standards or APIs that Mozilla is pushing for standardization.
Try it out, you might like it. And let me tell you, once you become hooked to one of its add-ons, you won't be able to switch back to Chrome anymore ;-)
jvehent|11 years ago
Eric_WVGG|11 years ago
Eric_WVGG|11 years ago