- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: August 03, 2006
- Total Downloads: 18,089,134
- Downloads last week: 81,046
- See full specifications
A newer version of Mozilla Firefox is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 11808 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
As more users continue to abandon Internet Explorer, Mozilla's popular Firefox gains traction in the browser space. Version 1.5 of Firefox offers a few notable features, foremost of which is the ability to reorder tabs by dragging and dropping them. You'll also find a tool that lets you quickly clean up your surfing history with two clicks of the mouse or a hot-key combo. The latest iteration of the browser seems more responsive than it has in the past and also is more efficient; with 10 windows open, Firefox consumed slightly less RAM than either IE or Opera.
If you're new to Firefox entirely, you'll appreciate the other features, including the RSS feeds, the JavaScript debugger, the basic download manager, and the ability to search several popular sites (such as Google) directly from the address bar. You can easily create toolbars by dragging and dropping icons. More technically minded users will appreciate that Firefox displays the page source in a new window, using indents and color-coded tags like an HTML editor. The built-in pop-up blocker is still extremely effective, and Firefox's reuptation for tight security is still well deserved. Anyone who's tired of IE will find more than one reason to like this free alternative.
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Publisher's description
From Mozilla :Mozilla Firefox is a fast, full-featured Web browser that makes browsing more efficient than ever before. Firefox includes pop-up blocking; a tab-browsing mode that lets you open several pages in a single window; integrated Google searching; simplified privacy controls that let you cover your tracks more effectively; 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.
Version 1.5.0.6 is a stability update.
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User reviews of Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.6
- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 11808 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 141 user reviewsSee all 141 user reviews
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14 out of 18 people found this review helpful
Version: Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.6
Pros: Start up is now a lot quicker than previous versions and crashing less common. And of course, all the previous pros are still there - good interface, customizable, wide range of extensions & skins, and a growing user base. Search bars a-plenty for amazingly refreshing access to your favourite sites. Firefox is a very pleasing, attractive, option full, functional and WORKING browser.
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31 out of 33 people found this review helpful
Version: Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.6
"It's a good browser, but I think some people are overestimating it."
Pros: Firefox is free. It's also very easy to customize. It has many features IE (at stand-alone) doesn't have, like a built-in search bar, tabbed browsing, live bookmarks, etc. There are also many extensions and themes for Firefox.
Cons: Firefox does not load as fast as IE and Opera on the Windows startup. Along with that, it won't work with some websites like the Windows Update page. Firefox can also use up a ton of memory (at one point, it was using over 230,000k on my machine). For me, IE6 loads images faster than Firefox.
I also think some people are overestimating the power of this browser. Ahem. Firefox is a web browser, and that's it. In some ways, I guess you can say it's more secure than IE6. But Firefox also has its security holes as well.
Firefox is not going to protect you if you manually download a bad file. Firefox has a pop-up blocker, and so does IE6 (with SP2). Firefox has a download installation warning, and so does IE6 (with SP2).
I don't use IE6 unless I have to, and I normally use Firefox. But just keep in mind that it won't necessarily protect you from spyware/viruses. You can get spyware/viruses by not being careful.
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12 out of 14 people found this review helpful
Version: Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.6
Pros: If you are still using Internet Explorer then please switch so I don't have to fix your computer. This browser is much more secure and much faster.
Cons: None
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8 out of 11 people found this review helpful
Version: Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.6
Pros: Extensions make Mozilla very customizable browser. It block the majority of popups and there are several extension that help curtail ads even further (No-Script and AdBlock). Also, Mozilla seems to on top of patch flaws shortly after they're discovered.
Cons: There is a memory leak, but it can be made almost no existant with a few tweaks.
Type about:config in the address bar and hit enter then adding a new boolean entry, config.trim_on_minimize and setting to true. Also add a new integer, browser.cache.memory.capacity and set it somewhere between 5MB and 20MB. These two additions drastically reduce the amount of memory consumed by Firefox.
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8 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Version: Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.6
"Fast, secure, can be customized, powerful pop-up blocker!"
Pros: It's way better than IE6. It can load websites fast, more security means less malware, can be customized to fit your style, built-in search engines (e.g. yahoo, google).
Cons: Some websites don't support Firefox
- See all 141 user reviews Write review
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