Today I installed the latest, finally a release version, Firefox 3 on my Mac and on my virtual Windows machine.
On the Mac, you download it and drag it to the applications folder. If you have an earlier version it asks if it’s okay to replace it, and when you say yes, you’re done. Everything on your machine works just as before except you’ve got the new Firefox.
On Windows, it downloads, you run the .exe, an installer program launches, you’re warned to shut every other application down lest your PC go insane, you have to choose whether you want to customize it, and if you don’t uncheck a little box, it becomes your default browser. When you’re done a new icon is cluttering up your desktop, because who are you to decide what shortcuts you want on your desktop, anyway? Uppity user.
It’s not that bad as Windows installations go, but still.
As for the browser itself? It’s okay. I’ve been using the release candidates, and while I appreciate the “awesome bar” in a theoretical way, I never really use it. The bookmark management is a bit clumsy (as always with Firefox). It’s a little cranky with WordPress. The last release candidate seemed to have all kinds of trouble loading Gmail inboxes (I constantly would get a time out message, and then have to go to plain HTML view, and then switch back to normal view) but maybe they’ve fixed that.
On the plus side, on the Mac, it actually looks like it belongs on a Mac, a stark contrast to the “no! it makes my eyes bleed!” design sense of Firefox 2. (On Windows XP it still looks a little clunky, but then, so does everything.)
I’ve found nothing about it to make me prefer it over Safari. It does improve on one of Safari’s biggest interface defects – the inability to set it to always open new windows in new tabs – and being able to open a set of tabs as your home page is nice. On the other hand, it doesn’t neatly put downloaded files in the OS X downloads folder without some extra clicks, the way Safari does.
My main use for it is the Java-based webcam at doggie day care, which just will not work right in Safari.
If you use plug-ins, of course, it’s the way to go. And if you’re using Firefox 2 you should upgrade – it’s much better. Unless, of course, your favorite plug-ins aren’t yet compatible.
It’s nice. I don’t find it as compellingly nice as other seem to, but it’s a big improvement.
(Oh, and on the Mac, if you’re overwhelmed by the sheer clunkiness of it, change the default font size. For some reason it defaults to showing you the large-print web for the visually impaired. Once I fixed that it became usable.)
{ 3 comments }
meh. I have FF2 but I only keep it around for sites that absolutely will not play nice with any Webkit-based browsers. fortunately those are becoming fewer and fewer. my bank’s site had problems with Safari 3 when Leopard came out, but they fixed that pretty quickly. I’m really not even interested in trying FF3 as Safari 3 does everything I need it to do.
Did you do the custom download (for Windows)? I was asked during install where I wanted shortcuts. Also have you checked out the Mac-based themes? You should be able to get FF to look just like it does on the Mac.
I did the standard. But I should not have to pick a custom download to not have my desktop crapped up. That should be the default.
I hardly use it – I use the XP virtual machine to proof web content on different platforms and for the occasional Windows-only silliness – so it’s not really worth bothering with the themes (and I found the FF2 ones kind of lacking).
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