As ever, the browser war is in full effect with great, new updates on some of the most popular Internet browsers available.  When it comes down to judging between browsers, there are many different factors to consider, including customizability, user- and developer-friendliness, extension and add-on support, and the basic design of the browsers.  Aside from these factors, however, speed and performance are also essential to make a browser stand out from the rest.  This article will go over some of the speed and performance tests conducted on Firefox 3.6, Opera 10.5, and Chrome 4.

Overview of the browsers

These three browsers have long been favorites in the industry.  Firefox 3.6 has just recently been released, featuring a number of speed and performance increases, as well as support for a new theme system and new developer functions.  Chrome 4 is a highly-customizable, lightweight, and fast Internet browser that has won over many of its fans because of its simplicity, effectiveness, and efficiency.  Opera 10.5 is near its release date, but you can already try out the pre-release version of this browser, which has a number of intuitive and innovative built-in features.  Apple's Safari 4 will also be included in the testing. This is the newest version of the browser, which includes developer tools, website favorites, cover flow browsing, and some other great features.

Performance test results

*  Boot-up and warm loading -  So which browser will load the fastest from the time you open it to the time that it is fully up and functioning?  The fastest browser in both boot-up and warm loading tests was Opera 10.5 Beta, followed by Chrome 4, Firefox 3.6, and Safari 4.

*  JavaScript testing -  JavaScript is an essential component to any browser, which allows users and developers to get the most out of their software.  The best performer in the JavaScript testing was Opera 10.5 Beta, this time blowing the competition out of the water.  Coming in second is Chrome 4, then Safari 4 in third, and Firefox 3.6 in last place.

*  Tab loading -  These days, it isn't enough to have just one window open for browsing, which is why tabbed browsing has become a standard.  For this test, nine tabs were loaded on browsers that had clean histories, caches, and cookies to see which would load all of the tabs the fastest.  Chrome 4 took the cake, beating the competition by cutting the nine-tab load speed to nearly 50% of Opera 10.5 Beta's nearly 10-second load time.  In third place was Safari 4 and in last was Firefox 3.6.  There was little difference in loading times between Safari, Opera, and Firefox, however.

*  Memory use -  Memory usage is a big factor when it comes to the efficiency of any software.  When it comes to browsers, it's important to run a number of memory tests.  The first memory test was done on clean installs of the browsers, with no extensions.  Firefox 3.6 came in first place for the no extensions memory test, followed by Safari 4, Opera 10.5 Beta, and Chrome 4 in last.  In the browser war for memory use with extensions, Firefox 3.6 won out with the smallest memory footprint, while Chrome 4 came in second.

*  Overall ratings -  Overall, Opera 10.5 Pre-Alpha got the highest ratings, followed closely by Chrome 4.  Firefox 3.6 took third place, and Safari 4 was in a close fourth.

Mozilla Firefox is one of the most widely used Internet browsers available for just about all operating systems.  Ever since the first version of Firefox was released in 2004, the browser has quickly become a top pick in the Internet browser software category, downloaded by millions all across the globe.  On January 21, 2010, Mozilla released the latest version of their well-received browser: Firefox 3.6.  While past versions of Firefox have been extremely feature-rich, Mozilla managed to add on a number of new features and tweaks to make 3.6 even better than its predecessor, 3.5.  This article will provide an overview of what's new in Firefox 3.6.

Feel more secure, stable, and better-protected

Firefox has always been known as a secure and stable browser, but version 3.6 brings a number of changes that help make you feel more secure and better-protected.  The browser now implements a system for checking for out-of-date plugins, which may compromise your security as you browse.  Also, Firefox has been optimized to prevent crashes by changing how third-party software works with Firefox.

Get better functionality and performance

Firefox 3.6 has also been optimized to provide a faster and more responsive browsing experience.  The JavaScript has been tweaked for better performance and the browser itself has faster startup times.  Aside from performance upgrades, Firefox 3.6 also has a number of features added for better functionality.  For example, developers now have the ability to speed up page load times by having scripts run asynchronously.  Furthermore, the browser provides support for WOFF font format, which allows the use of downloadable web fonts.  Developers will also be happy to know that Firefox 3.6 has integrated the support for new CSS features, like background sizing, pointer events, and gradients.  Web developers looking to make more interactive web pages can also make use of the DOM and HTML5 support that is now integrated into the browser.  Some of the DOM and HTML5 features that are supported include File API and Drag & Drop API.

Get more personal

Firefox has always been lauded for the fact that you can personalize just about anything, from themes to extensions.  In Firefox 3.6, users will be happy to know that the browser now has an even better and more robust theme system, called Personas.  The Personas theme system allows users to change their theme with a single mouse click.  All you have to do is download and install the free Firefox Personas extension, then browse through the collection of Personas and choose the one you want to use.  The extension even adds an easy-to-use fox mask icon to the lower left corner of your browser, which you can click to change your Personas.  The best part is, anyone can create their own Persona and share it with the rest of the Firefox 3.6 Personas-using community.

Google's browser Chrome had dislodged Apple's Safari as the third most used browser, according to measurements made by NetApplications. Microsoft's Internet Explorer still occupies the top slot and this is followed by Mozilla's Firefox. During the second week of December 2009, NetApplications observed that Chrome had a 4.40 percent share of the browsers used by people visiting the network of websites owned by NetApplications, compared to the 4.37 percent share of Safari.

Google's Chrome

Chrome is a web browser that was released by Google in December 2008. The company that became well-known for its search engine had previously released the complete source code of Chrome as part of its open source project known as Chromium. This release includes the V8 JavaScript engine of Google. Chromium has the same features as Chrome except that it does not carry the Google brand and its automatic updates. This release permitted third-party developers to port the browser software to Linux and Mac OS X. And on December 8, 2009, Google had issued the beta versions of its browser for Linux and Mac OS X. The company expects the public stable release of Chrome for these two operating systems to be made on January 12, 2010.

Apple's Safari

On the other hand, Safari is a browser issued by Apple and is the native browser for the Panther version of the Mac OS X. Apple has also used Safari as the default browser of its iPhone operating system. The slight edge of Chrome over Safari in NetApplications' measurements is still very small and may not mean much at the moment, although the difference of 0.03 percent represents a large number of people.
It should also be noted that NetApplications had previously made some adjustments to its methodology for measuring browser usage as a way to improve how its calculation takes into account global differences. This has led to drastic changes in the results of NetApplications' computations for browser usage. It should also be observed that there are substantial differences between weekly results and monthly statistics.
Nevertheless, browser developers are generally confident with the statistics provided by NetApplications. The statistics also show the more rapid rise in the popularity of Chrome compared to Safari. During the month of November 2009, Chrome had only a 3.93 percent share compared to Safari's 4.36 percent. This may be a result of Google's shift from its previous stance of using only word-of-mouth advertising to promote its browse software. It has become more active in spreading the word about Chrome and its latest strategy is to encourage people to invite others to download Chrome for free. Mozilla's Firefox had demonstrated that a browser that is not included in an operating system (OS) can be successful and Chrome appears to be following the same path.

One of the great things to look forward to next year is Mozilla’s plan for a major overhaul of its Firefox browser interface. The upgrade is set in two stages: a part packaged as Firefox 3.7, and the rest as 2010’s Firefox 4.0.

Of course, this bit of news didn’t come with the requisite naysayers. The slew of information that flooded the web, with one rumor branching out from another, drew initial fears that Mozilla was transforming itself as compromise to Windows and Chrome, two of its fiercest competitors. The great thing is that these were merely unfounded rumors.

Beginning to look a lot like Windows

One of the key design changes that was announced was how the Mozilla team will “ribbonize” its Firefox browser. This drew the ire of Firefox purists who feared that this move was merely copying the designs of Microsoft’s Office 2007 and Windows 7.

Mozilla later clarified their intentions, saying that they only wanted to switch from their commonplace top-frame menus. They stated that they do now want to mirror Microsoft designs.

The real new design and interface

The actual redesigning of the Firefox browser involves the integration of the “App Button.” According to Stephen Horlander, one of the browser interface’s designers, this App Button will replace the Firefox menus user have gotten used to.

According to Horlander, "[The] App button ... is similar to the single menu approach taken by Windows 7 native applications [such as] Paint and WordPad, and by Microsoft Office."

Of course, this is not meant to be a wholesale copy of Microsoft designs. Instead, it is meant to lessen the clutter in Firefox browser and devote more space to what matters the most; that is, the browser screen. With the App Button, menu commands are in one place only.

Not like Chrome

Another feature of the new design is the freedom it gives Firefox users to move the tabs to the top of the browser. This mimics the functionality of Google’s Chrome. Of course, again, Mozilla only wants to offer better options, and not copy what Chrome has already done.

Contrary to Chrome’s design, Firefox will not be fusing the address bar and the search bar. Firefox insiders contend that there is increasing features in the location bar. It would be confusing to mix functionalities, at this point.

Previews are up

Horlander has gone ahead in posting screenshots of the new design in his blog. This includes a side-by-side comparison between the current and the new Firefox. So far, reviews have been good. There is still the persistent comparison between Firefox and Chrome looks. Critics warn of copying too much instead of concentrating on innovations. Nevertheless, the world can look forward to Firefox 4.0 by mid 2010.

As the race between web browsers heat up, Microsoft makes public its plan to use the computer’s graphic processor to make image and text rendering faster on its to-be-released browser, Internet Explorer 9 (IE9). But then again, the company is really not the only one to think of this next step. Its closest competitors Firefox and Opera are also in the process of integrating the PC’s graphic processor unit in the functions of their browsers.

IE9 details

Plans for the new IE9 were revealed just recently by Steven Sinofsky, Windows and Windows Live president. According to Sinofsky, IE9 work has made significant progress so far. Further details were given by Dean Hachamovitch, IE’s general manager.

According to Hachamovitch, IE9 will switch from using Window’s Graphic Device Interface to making the most of Direct2D and DirectWrite APIs. This way, images and text are rendered faster and without compromising as much RAM. According to him, one good reason why consumers get so much from their PC hardware is because of the machine's graphics. This is why IE9 is placed on top of the graphics engine of Windows, which is DirectX.

The Direct2D and DirectWrite APIs will move the burden of processing to the GPU, instead of the CPU. Hachamovitch also stated that the acceleration of the graphics hardware will result in faster rendering for graphically rich sites without slowing down the CPU.

Early results of IE9 development show a promising 40 to 60 frames per second using Direct2D. This is akin to gaming graphic quality, a great improvement from the 5 to 10 frames per second using GDI. On the other hand, DirectWrite APIs have resulted in sharper text rendering.

Hachamovitch claims that there’s nothing more that website developers can do to make their pages run faster on IE9. He claims that because of this development, web creators can maximize the changes in the hardware ecosystem's graphics without having to redo the whole site.

Microsoft and others

Clearly, the immediate issues for IE9 seem to not be about the details of the new browser. These have more to do with competitors that are on the same page and are developing similar technologies. Both Mozilla (Firefox) and Opera are working on the same browser acceleration through improved graphics and text rendering.

Mozilla’s efforts are focused on the OpenGL for open platforms and the different APIs for Windows. This is an expansion of the Windows IE9 project since it seeks to develop faster browsers even for those not using the Windows platform. The same efforts are being made by Opera.

Both companies are also exploring the possibilities of extending the benefits of graphics-based browsers from the web to mobile devices like smartphones. These will be under Firefox’s Fennec and Opera’s mobile version.

Recent tests have found a security hole in the Firefox web browser, brought about by a Microsoft plug-in, called the Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation. This has prompted the Mozilla developers to block the said plug-in, even when Microsoft has already released a bug fix for this. To fortify user security, Mozilla has implemented the Plug-in Check Page, which can be used to scan installed plug-ins and detect vulnerable and outdated ones. Likewise, users can download newer and more secure versions of Firefox, such as the 3.0.15 or 3.5.5 updates. These versions are designed to block attacks from Javascript programs and other malicious programs.

And while Microsoft approves the blocking of its Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation plug-in, this incident highlights Microsoft’s proneness to web-based security attacks. Historically, the company has been the target of and suffered the most from these attacks.

The patch rush

With this recent run-in with the ever popular Firefox web browser, Microsoft now adds up to eight patches just recently. All these bugs expose computers to web-based attacks and are critical to the system’s security.  This same patch used to fix the Firefox plug-in bug has versions for Internet Explorers 5, 6, 7, and 8, across Microsoft’s different operating systems Windows 2000, Windows XP, Vista, Server 2003 and 2008, and Windows 7. This update has been available from Microsoft’s support site for a while now.
 
Likewise, patches have been made available for attacks through Window’s Graphic Device Interface. Bugs in this system allow attack programs to take control of your computer when a malicious image or website is viewed. The patch has been made available for those running the operating systems Win 2000, XP, Vista, and Server 2003 and 2008.

Bugs have also been found when streaming .asf streaming media files. Fixes have been released specifically for this, through patches for the Windows Media Runtime for Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003 and 2008.

The already bug-ridden Microsoft Active Template Library gets another round of patches, designed to disable ActiveX controls in Windows 2000 and XP systems. A similar fix is also introduced for Microsoft Office initiated ActiveX controls.

Apparently, if you are running a Microsoft OS, it might be required to have Silverlight installed. Silverlight should ideally protect your system from malicious web pages. However, even for this, a patch has been released to fix an SMB problem for those running Server 2008 and Vista. Those without this critical patch are more prone to web-based attacks.

Yet, on a slightly non-Microsoft bug news, the software provider Adobe has released a critical patch for those running Adobe Reader and Acrobat on Unix, Mac, and Windows computers. This patch is important to almost everyone, regardless of the OS  that you use, and is available on the Adobe website.

Firefox is one of the most popular pieces of software out there.  With its functionality, speed, resource-efficiency, and customizable features, it is no wonder why this browser is still the head honcho in the category of Internet browsers.  Now five years old, Mozilla Firefox is still making waves in the Internet realm and it is likely to stay at the top of the pack for years to come.  One of the biggest factors contributing to Firefox's success is the seemingly endless list of extensions that are available for the flexible browser.  Firefox extensions are small software add-ons that expand the functionality of your browser.  Here are some of the best extensions that you can download for your Firefox setup:

AdBlock Plus

AdBlock Plus, commonly abbreviated as ABP, is perhaps the best and most comprehensive ad-blocking software for Firefox.  After installing this piece of software, all you have to do is subscribe to one of the many ad-blocking feeds that are shown to you when you install the extension.  You can then customize the ad-blocking settings to your personal preferences.  For example, if there are sites that you love and normally visit, then you may want to enable the ads for that site.

Greasemonkey

Greasemonkey is an extension that can take a little getting used to, but it is an extension that can change the way you use the Internet forever.  Greasemonkey is an extension that makes use of Java Scripts developed by programmers and script writers around the world.  Basically, these scripts customize the way that you view and use the Internet.  For example, you can get scripts that automatically buffer and load high-def versions of the YouTube videos you click on, or you can find scripts that allow for keyboard shortcuts or customized views in Facebook.  The options that Greasemonkey and its associated scripts have to offer are nearly limitless.

DownThemAll

DownThemAll is an exceptional download manager that works seamlessly with Firefox.  This extension allows you to make mass downloads, downloading all of the images and links from the current page, or filtering which ones to download.  DownThemAll also allows you to choose download directories, pause and resume downloads, customize download filters, customize file names for downloaded files, and more.

Tab Mix Plus

Another great Firefox extension is Tab Mix Plus, which turbo charges your tabbed browsing.  You can manage browser sessions, customize your tab controls, configure which links should be opened in new tabs, customize how your tabs behave when opening and closing tabs, and improve the overall look and feel of your tabbed browsing.  Be sure to download Tab Mix Plus to see the wide array of settings and options that it gives you when tab browsing in Firefox.