Firefox Web Browser

Security and Features Make a Compelling Case For Switching From IE

A large percentage of users may be only semi-aware that alternative web browsers exist. Many users buy their PC from a major retail chain with the operating system pre-installed and know only that if you click on the "blue E" you will gain access to the Web. That "blue E" opens Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and, with it, a plethora of potential security vulnerabilities. Not only is it possible to switch browsers, many experts insist that you must and Firefox is a very good browser to choose.

Tighter Security

Security is a frequent and, often, serious issue with Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) web browser. At the root of many of the vulnerabilities and the exploits that are used to attack IE are ActiveX controls.

ActiveX is Microsoft's response, so to speak, to Sun's Java. Using ActiveX controls allows developers to create small, modular mini-programs within web applications. At face value that sounds great and it has the potential to add a great deal of functionality on trusted sites. The problems arise when you let unknown or untrusted sites execute these mini-programs on your computer.

Firefox protects your computer by not loading ActiveX controls. The Firefox browser also contains a variety of features designed to protect your privacy and your personal information.

Pop-up windows can be a major inconvenience. With Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), the IE browser gained the ability to block pop-up ads. The Firefox web browser is also equipped to eliminate pop-up ads from your web browsing experience.

Firefox isn't perfect- no application is. But, Firefox seems to be more secure by default and, being open source, any issues that might arise should be addressed and patched more quickly.

Useful Features and Functions

Tighter security is not the only thing that Firefox has to offer. There are also some general features that many users will find very helpful or convenient.

For starters, Firefox allows tabbed browsing. Tabbing allows you to open multiple web pages in a single window and tab between them. This can help you keep more pages open at once without cluttering up the start bar with multiple instances of Firefox.

The search field in Firefox defaults to searching Google.com, but a variety of other searches are accessible with a click of the mouse including initiating a search of Ebay or Dictionary.com.

At less than 5Mb, the installation file is a quick and easy download. Installation is smooth and Firefox will automatically import your bookmarks and favorites from your existing browser if you choose.

My Review

You would think that there must be something wrong with a browser that is only 5Mb. The Microsoft Internet Explorer download is between 11Mb and 75Mb depending on what version of Windows you are using and what features already exist on your computer. At 1/15 of the total installation size, it must be missing features, right?

Wrong. Firefox does everything you need a web browser to do and more. The fact that they are able to do it in a small, clean installation has to make you wonder what exactly Microsoft is providing in that other 70Mb of data other than 70Mb more of potential holes.

Many of the coveted features in Firefox are available in some way, shape or form with Internet Explorer. The Windows Marketplace offers a wide range of add-ons for Internet Explorer to perform functions like tabbed browsing, blogging, adding parental controls and more. Many of them are available for free, but many of them come at a price.

I highly recommend Firefox. There are other alternatives as well such as Netscape or Opera, but Firefox has a winning combination of features and security to allow you to surf the Web with a little more peace of mind than the "blue E" has to offer.