Online Innovation

With Internet Explorer losing market share over the past few years, you may ask what possibly could replace the standard IE? The answer is simple. Firefox. Since the release of Firefox back in November of 2004, this browser has been replacing IE on computers around the world. Not only is it fast and secure, but it allows for user customization and is user-friendly.

Are you still stuck in the days of Internet Explorer? Well check out these top seven reasons you should make the switch to Mozilla Firefox:

1. Built In Pop-Up Blocker: Firefox's built in pop-up blocker performs amazingly. Since the day I downloaded Firefox, I can't recall having a pop-up. Compared to Internet Explorer's pop-up blocker....wait, IE doesn't have a built in pop-up blocker.
2. Tabbed Browsing: Unless you have never used tabbed browsing, you will not grasp how much of a benefit it is. No more having ten windows open at once! With Firefox, you can open as many "tabs" as you want; "tabs" are basically windows inside of a main window. I could not explain how beneficial tabs can be; I use them every single time I browse the internet.
   
3. Integrated Search Bar: Instead of going to Google or Yahoo's homepage, just use the built in search engine that is placed next to the address bar. With the ability to add any search engine, you are able to make one search the internet from any web page.
4. Smart Location Bar - A quick way to get to the sites with addresses you only vaguely remember. The new Firefox 3 address bar learns as you use it. Over time, it adapts to your preferences and offers better matches. Type in a term and the auto-complete function lists possible, matching sites from your browsing history, as well as sites you’ve bookmarked and tagged in a drop down. This feature saves a lot of time and headaches or trying to remember what the link to that site you looked at last night.
5. Browser Options: Yes, I know that Internet Explorer has most of the same options that Firefox offers, but the user-friendliness of Firefox's options menu is far superior. You don't have to be an internet wizard to be able to block certain sites, choose a program to open certain types of downloads, or set your user preferences.
6. Security: Search the web and find how many people have problems with Internet Explorer and spyware. It is common knowledge that the most popular web browser right now is IE. What does this tell us? Simply put, there is going to be more people making spyware and malware for Internet Explorer. Guess what that means? It is safer to use Mozilla Firefox at this time.
7. Performance -Short and sweet, Firefox now uses less of your computer’s memory while it’s running. Also, a redesigned page rendering and layout engine means you see web pages faster—and in the way they were meant to be seen. Improved text rendering is just the beginning of the benefits of an all new graphic engine for Firefox 3.

Is this not enough proof to get you to make the switch to Firefox? Well check out Mozilla's video section that has several videos explaining key features of their web browser (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/video/).

You can download Mozilla Firefox 3.0.6 at Mozilla's homepage - http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/