- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Mac OS X 10.4 PPC/Intel/10.5 PPC/Intel/10.6 Intel
- Date added: December 15, 2009
- Total Downloads: 1,274,605
- Downloads last week: 4,121
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 259 votes
See all user reviews -
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on June 30, 2009
No longer a fledgling upstart, Firefox 3 is full-featured, lightning fast, and an able foe for both the big-dog competitor Internet Explorer and competitors nipping at its heels. Firefox's killer add-ons remain strong, and the latest update makes version 3.5 about two times faster than version 3. However, competition is strong and it can no longer be said that Firefox is the fastest browser available.
Several notable improvements in the latest revamp keep Firefox abreast of current browsing tech. Along with Mozilla's new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine that renders Web applications faster on Firefox than ever before, there have also been improvements to the layout engine Gecko for faster page rendering. The new Private Browsing brings a feature to Firefox that competitors have had for a while: the capability to turn off cookie and history logs. Users also have more granular control over cookies, history, and bookmarks in version 3.5 via the redone Clear Recent History option under Tools. Geolocation courtesy of Google has been activated by default in Firefox, so that generic searches such as "city hall" will come closer to pegging the government offices nearest you.
Web developers should be excited about expanded support for HTML5 local storage, downloadable fonts, and native support for OGG-formatted embedded video. ICC profiles, SVG transforms, CSS media queries, native JSON support, and Web worker threads also get lots of love from v3.5. There's no doubt that Firefox 3.5 is a must-have, but it's an update that's more about keeping the browser current rather that blazing new trails.
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Publisher's description
From Mozilla :Mozilla Firefox is a fast, full-featured Web browser. Firefox includes pop-up blocking, tab-browsing, integrated Google search, simplified privacy controls, a streamlined browser window that shows you more of the page than any other browser and a number of additional features that work with you to help you get the most out of your time online.
Firefox 3.5 is based on the Gecko 1.9.1 rendering platform, which has been under development for the past year. Firefox 3.5 offers many changes over the previous version, supporting new web technologies, improving performance and ease of use, and adding new features for users: It is now available in more than 70 languages, includes a Private Browsing mode, better performance and stability with the new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine, the ability to provide Location Aware Browsing using web standards for geolocation, support for native JSON, and web worker threads, support for new web technologies such as: HTML5 < video > and < audio > elements, downloadable fonts and other new CSS properties, JavaScript query selectors, HTML5 offline data storage for applications, and SVG transforms.
What's new in this version:
- Fixed several security issues.
- Fixed several stability issues.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.8 stars out of 259 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 5 user reviewsSee all 5 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Mozilla Firefox 3.5.6
Pros: Loads every page, no faltering or half loaded pages. Very stable. Remembers what was on each tab, a feature I find very useful since I leave many tabs open on links that I do not bookmark
Cons: Slow to load pages. The bookmark menu has a bug - it sometimes will NOT work-respond-when clicked on. I have to repeatedly click the bookmark menu before a dropdown menu opens
Summary: I like it better than Safari 3. A version of Safari 3 had a bug- it crashed repeatedly - so I started using Firefox and never looked back. Safari 4 has come out, but I only use it when I have to, which is when an Apple app opens it.
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Version: Mozilla Firefox 3.5.6
"Buggy Garbage, A major step down from previous version"
Pros: Nothing extra-special. Firefox is a great browser, and has amazing add-ons.
Cons: Massively buggy, it will take some time to fix. Version 3.5.6 seems especially buggy.
Summary: It's this specific line, 3.5.6 and above, that are:
-Incompatible with Vista (not that I care, except that I support some people who use that junk.)
-Seems to have problems with Flash
-Seems to have problems with streaming media -
Version: Mozilla Firefox 3.5.6
Pros: Safe and stable
Cons: But there's a problem with software (or not, eheheh).
After 3.5.6 download, the icons of others browsers into the Dock vanishes. -
Version: Mozilla Firefox 3.5.6
"a lot less bugs than the last version which was brutal"
Pros: Not having to see the this is embarrassing etc etc every time I shut down and re up.
Cons: having to see the this is embarrassing thing too often.
Summary: As a mac operatop I don't see that much difference between versions.Then again I have just changed providers aqnd have now realized what the big difference is between cable and dial up.
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Version: Mozilla Firefox 3.5.6
"Buggy, slow-loading (compared to Chrome Beta for Mac)"
Pros: The thousands of widgets and apps that run with the browser
Cons: For whatever reason, this version has been very buggy and has crashed a dozen times since it was updated. Scripting errors never before seen on my Mac were a daily nuisance. Not sure why, but the 3.6.5 Beta is even worse. Very disappointing.
Summary: Despite the apparent promise and potential, Firefox is not working well enough on a consistent basis for me to consider moving away from the Chrome Beta which BLAZES on my Mac and is extremely stable (so far). But, it doesn't have those incredible a... read more >>
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