On the heels of Microsoft’s release of Internet Explorer 9 comes Mozilla’s release of Firefox 4. What do the new versions of these popular Web browsers mean for you?
Internet Explorer 9 marks a turning point for Windows users. Because IE9 doesn’t run on Windows XP, we are now divided into Windows 7 and Vista “haves” and Windows XP “have-nots”. This is important because, as Web sites evolve to take advantage of new browser capabilities, WinXP users will find themselves left behind. I wrote before about how this affects your plans for upgrading to Windows 7, and I’ve got more advice below. But first, let’s take a look at the new versions of IE9 and Firefox 4.
IE9 sports a new look-and-feel, plus many new features. Most important from my perspective is increased security. InPrivate mode (available since IE8, and now improved) blocks third-party sites from seeing what you are doing elsewhere. Tracking Protection allows you to prevent sites from tracking your Web history in order to advertise to you, similar to a “Do Not Call” list.
Speed is also improved with IE9. When you open sites in different tabs IE9 runs them as separate processes, meaning if a site crashes one tab it doesn’t take your whole browser down. One new feature which may confuse you at first is the One Box, which combines the address box and the search box into one field. On the whole I think this will make things simpler because people are often unsure which one to use (especially if they are also innundated with toolbars that have search boxes). All in all, IE9 is a welcome upgrade that will likely spawn similar features in other Web browsers.
And, of course, one of its biggest competitors is Mozilla’s Firefox. Firefox 4 also has a new interface, following the latest trend in browsers to minimize their own clutter and maximize space for Web sites. Menus are hidden, accessed through the Firefox button at the top, but you can re-enable them if you want them the way they were in previous versions. One aspect of the interface I particularly like is Panorama, a feature that allows you to group tabs and switch between them easily. This is great for people who tend to have a lot of sites open at the same time.
Like IE9, Firefox 4 has added Do Not Track and Private Browsing capabilities, and includes improvements in speed, performance, and stability. It also isolates tabs within their own processes to prevent crashes. Access to add-ons has been streamlined. Users of multiple computers (especially those with both PCs and Macs) will like Firefox Sync which synchronizes your bookmarks, passwords, history, and open tabs, although you have to set up a Firefox Sync account to make it work.
Both browsers support HTML 5, and this is where we get into our “haves” and “have-nots.” HTML 5 is a new version of the code that drives the majority of Web sites and will quickly become the new standard. The good news is that, unlike IE9, Firefox 4 runs on Windows XP. Although that gives XP users some breathing room, it doesn’t change the fact that you can’t install IE9. Web browsing aside, installing the latest version of IE is important for your computer’s security because, even if you’re not using IE, viruses can still take advantage of its vulnerabilities to infect your computer. For that reason all Windows XP users should be on Internet Explorer 8, the latest version available to them.
The bottom line is that both IE9 and Firefox 4 look like excellent improvements to your Web browsing experience. Give them a try and let me know what you think!
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