The Download Blog

Firefox 3.5 brings the world's second-most popular browser up to speed with current browsing technology and trends, and perhaps nudges it just a bit ahead of the competition. However, it is by no means the leap ahead that its predecessor Firefox 3 was, and it's clear that the competition isn't going away anytime soon.

Available for Windows, Windows Portable, Mac, or Linux, Firefox 3.5 nevertheless represents the best Firefox we've yet seen from Mozilla. This comes as no surprise, and with a testing process that involved four beta builds, three release candidates, and a version change to reflect what Mozilla described as the originally-unintended breadth of the improvements being made, most of the new features are no surprise, either.

Private Browsing, known to IE users as InPrivate, Chrome users as Incognito, and Safari users as, well, Private Browsing, finally comes to a public version of Firefox. It's been available to the 800,000 or so beta testers since December 2008. If you're not familiar with it, users can toggle on or off the browser's history, cookies, and other browsing traces at will via the Tools menu or CTRL+SHFT+P. A new window will open. Among its other uses that serve as fodder for second-rate comedians, it's an excellent tool for avoiding leaving tracks on publicly-used computers and its about time that Firefox finally got it. In fact, Firefox has had it in various stages of development for four years.

I'm not sure how connected Firefox's development of Private Browsing is to this next feature, but I can see far more users gaining traction from having the fine, granular control of browsing tracks that's now available in v3.5. The Clear Private Data window has been replaced by a Clear Recent History option, using the same hot key combo and in the same place in the Tools menu.

Firefox 3.5 slideshow

Under the Clear Recent History window, you can delete your entire recent browsing history over the past hour, two hours, four hours, today, or all content in your history. From its Details drop-down menu, you can tailor the data purge to Browsing and Download history, Form and Search history, Cookies, Cache, Active Logins, Site Preferences, and Saved Sessions. From within the History window, you can also right-click on a site to Forget this Site, which will remove all instances of that site from your history records. Because your Most Recent Sites folder pulls from your history, you gain this level of control there, too.

Another excellent improvement in v3.5 that pushes Firefox ahead of its competitors is aggressive developer support. This may not sound impressive to most users, and if you're not a developer, I can see why its hard to get worked up about support for CSS media tags, HTML5 local storage, downloadable fonts, Web worker thread, and native JSON support, or SVG transforms--it all sounds a bit too much like alphabet soup.

Firefox 3.5 comes with geo-locating turned on, so it always knows where you are (with your permission.)

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

However, embedded ICC profiles, and support for Ogg Vorbis and Theora video and audio means that image colors will look better and closer to how they were intended, and no plug-in will be required for properly-encoded multimedia. Since Vorbis is open-source, this will lend those formats a huge boost while rendering those pages more stable. Here's an example video from Firefox that offers a tour of the new browser, or you can check out this sample from Daily Motion. Non-Firefox users will either see the Flash version (as on Daily Motion), or be directed to download the OGV file.

The "awesome bar" that debuted in Firefox 3 has become one of my favorite features. I've personalized my browser to eliminate the search bar, and now I use the location bar for all my searching. In v3.5, Mozilla has improved the search functionality so that you can show only bookmarks, by using an asterisk after a query such as "cnet *", or show only tags by using a plus "cnet +".

You can also tear off tabs as you can in the Webkit-based browsers Chrome, Safari, and IE, although unlike those browsers, Firefox's tabs are not sandboxed. This means that, if the browser crashes, you're still hosed, although Mozilla says this feature--known in development as Electrolysis--is being worked on.

In the meantime, Mozilla has imported better session control that users could only get before from add-ons like Session Manager. Now, if Firefox crashes, you get the option to choose which tabs to revive. If a Flash-based or heavy JavaScript site was the cause of that crash, you don't need to bring back that particular tab and risk getting caught in a crash-and-restart cycle of frustration.

Firefox 3.5 natively supports HTML5 and embedded Ogg video content.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Mozilla abandoned development of its own geolocating technology in Firefox, but that doesn't mean that Firefox 3.5 doesn't possess the ability to know where you are. Using Google's tech, Firefox can pinpoint where you are so that in search queries, for example, you'll get the most locally relevant results first. Turning this off isn't difficult, either. Under about:config, search for "geo.enabled" and change True to False by double-clicking on it.

Performance has always been one of the keys to browser popularity, and much of Google's success with Chrome can be attributed to its fast JavaScript rendering marks. The resurgent interest in Safari also comes from its JavaScript benchmarks and Apple's claim that Safari is the fastest browser on the market with its Nitro JavaScript engine. Firefox 3.5 doesn't beat them on the JavaScript front, but it's within shooting range.

On a Lenovo T400 laptop with a Core 2 Duo T9400 processor running at 2.53 GHz, with 3 GB of RAM and Windows 7 RC 7100, I ran the SunSpider JavaScript test and Dromaeo's subset of JavaScript tests on Firefox 3.0.11, Firefox 3.5, Internet Explorer 8, Chrome 2, and Safari 4. As much as I like Opera as an all-in-one browser, I left it out because Opera 9.6 hasn't stood up well to the improvements that the field has made in the past year, and Opera 10 beta isn't ready to be compared to public releases at this point. Remember that for SunSpider the lower number is better, while the opposite is true of Dromaeo.

Firefox users can now rip tabs off into new windows, or drag them back into the old one. Still no sandboxing, though.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Firefox 3.0.11 completed SunSpider in 2695.4 milliseconds, and 44.22 runs per second, while Firefox 3.5 notched 1319.6 ms on SunSpider and 91.18 runs/s. This falls in line with Mozilla's published benchmarks of 3669 ms for Firefox 3 versus 1524 ms for Firefox 3.5. In both "official" numbers and in my own tests, Firefox 3.5 comes out around twice as fast for JavaScript.

Meanwhile, Chrome 2 hit 322.1 runs/s on Dromaeo and 712.2 ms on SunSpider. Either way, Chrome is significantly faster than Firefox for JavaScript, one-third faster judging by SunSpider and twice as fast by Dromaeo. Safari 4 scored 915.6 on SunSpider and 239.02 runs/s on Dromaeo, slightly slower than the its Webkit cousin Chrome but still faster than Firefox. Internet Explorer marked 4434.6 ms in SunSpider, but crashed on Dromaeo while testing base 64 encoding and decoding.

Firefox 3.5 is around twice as fast as Firefox 3. Chrome and Safari are faster with JavaScript, though.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

It's important to note that speed is not the only criterion for judging a decent browser. Each browser only had open two tabs, the results of its Dromaeo test and the results of its Safari test. Safari consumed nearly 135 MB of RAM, IE saw 104 MB, Firefox 3.5 hit 66 MB, and Chrome logged 46.5 MB. These results will fluctuate depending on your computer and any other tasks your browser is running at the time, but they give a decent idea of how each browser is performing during these tests.

Other useful tests look at Web standards rendering, like the Acid3, and deeper analysis of the SunSpider results. Chrome and Safari both reach 100/100 on the Acid3 test, while Firefox makes it to 93/100. Official release notes for Firefox 3.5 can be read here.

Firefox 3.5 is a much-needed improvement to the world's most popular alternative browser. At the time of writing, Mozilla was about to log the 2 millionth download after only 7 1/2 hours. While some of the improvements, such as the HTML5 and other developer enhancements will continue to make the browser their first choice, many of the other changes merely keep it in-line with the competition. For now, Firefox will continue to rely on its vast base of developers and users who value their customizations over superlative claims, so long as Mozilla keeps its browser close enough to its competitors. Now that Firefox has kicked open the door against Internet Explorer, it'd be foolish to expect that they'd be the only ones to rush through it.

On the horizon for the next release of Google's Chrome browser is something I've long lusted after: the option to browse the Web in full screen. On Wednesday, an early version of this feature came to the latest developer build of Chrome (v.2.0.166.1). Those running it can simply hit F11 on their keyboard to send the browser into full screen, which eschews any UI besides the side page scroller, and your Windows taskbar.

The full-screen mode is missing a few core features found in Firefox and IE7. For instance, there is no drop down top navigation. This means to enter a new URL or open up your favorites, you'll need to hit F11 to return to normal browsing. You also can't see what tabs you have open, but you can still switch between them using the Ctrl+Tab shortcut.

Compared to IE7 and Firefox 3, Chrome has the least reason to offer such a feature considering how little of your screen real estate its UI takes up. However, for users on ultraportable notebooks, that extra few pixels can make the browsing experience a far more enjoyable experience. It can also be incredibly helpful if you're using an online photo editor, as you get more room to work.

The much-anticipated Firefox 3.1 beta 2 is out and about for Windows and Mac users, incorporating the faster JavaScript engine TraceMonkey as the default setting and introducing Private Browsing, which has been in development for years. There are other improvements, of course, but the big one is the ability to turn off the cache and other private data settings with a single click.

Firefox 3.1 beta 2 is the first chance the public has had to use Mozilla's long-awaited privacy feature.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Private Browsing works similarly to Google Chrome's Incognito, or Safari's setting of the same name. Go into Tools on the Menubar and click Private Browsing, and all your movements on the Internet will not be recorded. Firefox's version of the feature saves all your tabs and closes the browsing session, re-opening a new and empty browser window. Unlike Chrome, Firefox doesn't sport a clever little icon indicating that you're browsing on the sly. The program title bar does state that you're using Private Browsing, but there's no blatant icon.

Firefox has also posted the about:config setting needed to set Private Browsing as your default browsing configuration. Once you're in the about:config, type in browser.privatebrowsing.autostart and double-click on the False setting. This will change it to True, and when you restart your browser you will automatically be in Private Browsing mode.

What's interesting about this is that it removes the indicator from the Title Bar and grays out the Private setting in the Tools menu. The only way to resume normal browsing is to change the about:config back to its original False setting. Doing this restores your last previous non-Private browsing session, tabs and all.

There is more in Firefox 3.1 beta 2 than just the ability to surf surreptitiously. TraceMonkey, the new JavaScript engine that Mozilla introduced in the previous Firefox beta, is now on by default. It feels even faster than it did in the first beta. The SunSpider JavaScript test showed 2449.2 for FF3.1 beta 2, about an 8 percent improvement over FF3.1 beta 1, with a margin of error at around 5 percent. Part of the change could be due to changes in the Gecko layout engine such as "speculative parsing" that Mozilla claims resulted in faster content rendering.

Mozilla has killed the new visual tab switching feature, introduced in the previous beta.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

One of the big disappointments is that the new tab-switching behavior has been removed. As a serial tab abuser, I thought it was extremely useful that FF3.1 would have a visual representation of the tabs I was jumping between. Hopefully, this feature will be at least rolled out as an add-on, but I've been known to abuse those, too.

For developers, this beta includes support for Web worker threads, which I was also somewhat disappointed to learn was not a Mozilla-sponsored fashion plan for style-deficient techies. Instead, they're about the JavaScript implementation and what kind of requests can be made in the code.

Firefox 3.1 beta 2 will not be the final tester update. According to Mozilla, it will be followed by at least one more beta release.

KidZui, the child-safe browser maker, has put out a Firefox extension that offers all the functionality of its standalone browser right inside of Firefox.

Once installed and activated by a parent, it locks the child (or anyone else for that matter) out of accessing non-Kidzui approved sites, or other areas of the computer, by taking up the entire screen. A password, which is chosen by the parent, is the only way to exit the KidZui browsing experience, essentially turning your computer into a kid-friendly Internet kiosk.

The browser extension has full support for the company's paid subscription service, which runs around $40 a year. Paying users get a few additional features like being able to white list certain sites, track children's browsing history on a per-session basis, along with a tool that will figure out what your kids are into based on that history.

What's really interesting here is this is one of the few times a standalone browser has been rolled up as an extension for another browser. Of the many variants which are built on top of mainstream browsers, there's the lingering question whether the same experience could simply be offered on top of someone else's product. With something like Flock or Maxthon, this would likely be underwhelming, however, in KidZui's execution it appears to be a smart play at getting more users onboard.

KidZui's standalone browser experience comes to Firefox with a new extension that keeps kids from visiting sites or accessing parts of your computer you don't want them to.

(Credit: KidZui)

Firefox and Internet Explorer extension Click&Clean is aimed at those who prefer the history-sweeping CCleaner to Firefox's built-in browsing tracks sterilizer. Click&Clean takes the same number of mouse clicks or keyboard strokes to activate as the native cleaner, opening a CCleaner window preconfigured for cleaning Firefox. Obviously, you must download CCleaner for Click&Clean to work.

Click&Clean adds only a single button to your Firefox toolbar, so it won't clutter your browser window. Clicking it opened the CCleaner interface immediately, and from there you can have it wipe your tracks with the automatic configuration, or you can make adjustments to suit your needs. If you're addicted to the digital ammonia of CCleaner and you're a Firefox user, Click&Clean is one surefire way to make your hard drive sparkle.

My laptop's wireless 3G connection has been crapping out for over a week now. It works for a while, and then it quits. I don't know why. I don't know when it will be fixed, if ever.

I only know that when I'm on the road, I've got no way to get work done. While I wrestle with AT&T's alleged support services, I'm stuck in the breakdown lane of the old info highway.

I need access to Gmail and a half-dozen other sites, but for now I'll have to settle for stale Google Reader news feeds and my Google Docs files, plus a handful of other Web apps. These are the only sites I can access offline via Google Gears, a technology that lets Gears-enabled Web sites store information on your hard drive. That way, you can use the services even when your Internet link has gone south. Or at least that's the idea. In reality, you're still out of touch.

At present, Gears works with with Google Docs but not Spreadsheets or Presentations. You can view your Google Reader feeds offline, but you can't get to your Gmail in-box or Google Calendar. Other sites that are said to support Gears are the WordPress blogging system, ZohoWriter word processor, and Remember the Milk info manager.

I tried Gears with both Google Docs and Google Reader. The first time you visit Google Docs after you install Gears, you see a link labeled Offline in the top-right corner of the screen. Click it to open the Gears warning. After you allow the service to store information on your PC, the sync begins.

The first time you activate Google Reader's offline mode, you're asked to give the service permission to store files on your PC.

(Credit: Google)

The initial sync can take a few minutes, but the process is faster subsequently. The green check mark in the top-right of the Google Docs window indicates that you're online. Click it and then click Settings to view your offline options.

The top button in the resulting dialog box simply puts a shortcut on your desktop. The second button lets you disable the offline feature. There are also two links in the dialog: the top link opens a simple information page, while the bottom link displays technical information about the sync, including the files you've downloaded.

Google Docs lets you access online files without a network link via the Google Gears technology.

(Credit: Google)

You'll find more information about using Gears for offline access at the Google Docs help site. Note that even though Google Spreadsheets is said not to work with Gears, my online spreadsheets were downloaded just the same.

Google Reader's offline feature works a little differently. After you install Gears, you'll see a green arrow icon in the top-right corner of the Reader window. The downward arrow indicates that you're online. Click it to see a pop-up asking for permission to download data.

After you click Allow, the items in your feeds will be downloaded to your PC. The green downward arrow becomes a blue upward arrow, which means you're in Reader's offline mode. Click the arrow icon again to return to online mode.

It's nice to be able to access online files and news feeds without an Internet link, but what I really need is ubiquitous network access, which is what I thought I was getting with my 3G data link. Wireless data services simply aren't reliable, and offline browsing is no substitute for real-time access to e-mail and Web sites.

Maybe someday Google's new patent will be able to improve the situation. Or maybe WiMax will finally be ready for prime time.

All I know is, what we have now just won't do.

Google has finally made the Safari-friendly version of Gears available. Savvy Mac users could have downloaded and installed a rougher version of it as early as three weeks ago, however only Monday did the company announce a new version that's been readied for mass consumption.

Like its predecessor, the Mac version of Gears requires version 3.1.1 or higher of Safari, or version 1.5 or higher of Firefox, along with a machine running the most recent build of OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or 10.5.3 (Leopard). It offers the same offline-goodness as its Windows counterpart, which is to say you'll get limited offline file access and optimization on the handful of Web applications that support it.

Interestingly enough, you're still unable to use Gears on the Windows version of Safari. Google must have hedged development on the fact that most Mac users are using Safari by default, whereas it's one of the trailing choices for Windows users; at least those who were smart enough to uncheck that install button in the Apple updater that comes with iTunes.

Back in December 2007 we predicted that "you'll be seeing Gears as a standard part of new Web apps in 2008." To a certain extent we've gotten a little bit closer to that with big-name services like WordPress and MySpace getting on board with limited Gears support. That said, the platform is still young, and the latest version--0.4 is still tacking on new features such as geo-locational awareness that can significantly change how much complexity developers choose to add to their online applications.

Related: Offline access soon for Gmail, Google Calendar?

For many, privacy on the Web is a concern. And for Microsoft's Internet Explorer team, privacy is a feature.

In a meeting with reporters this week, Satya Nadella, senior vice president of Microsoft's search, portal and advertising platform group, said the company's browser will come with a private browsing mode. And Long Zheng of the istartedsomething blog surfaced two telling Microsoft trademarks that appear related: Cleartracks and Inprivate.

Satya Nadella, senior vice president of Microsoft's search, portal and advertising platform group

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News)

Both trademarks are involved with Web browsers, according to the applications with a July 30 filing date. The Cleartracks trademark involves "computer programs for deleting search history after accessing Web sites," according to the Microsoft filing. And the Inprivate trademark involves "computer programs for disabling the history and file caching features of a Web browser; and computer software for notifying a user of a Web browser when others are tracking Web use and for controlling the information others can access about such use."

One obvious use case for privacy browsing modes is surfing the Net for pornographic materials without leaving traces, but other, less unseemly use cases also exist. "Users may wish to begin a private browsing session to research a medical condition, or plan a surprise vacation or birthday party for a loved one," according to Mozilla's discussion of a private browsing feature.

Microsoft didn't comment on the applications beyond a brief statement, "We are investing in privacy in IE8."

And in a June blog posting, Microsoft said privacy is one of the major components of the "trustworthy browsing" element of Internet Explorer 8. "The larger challenge here is notifying users clearly about what sites they're disclosing information to and enabling them to control that disclosure if they choose," the company said. Microsoft said privacy means "the user is in control of what information the browser makes available to Web sites."

Internet Explorer is the dominant Web browser, and version 8 is in beta testing now and due in final form later this year.

Programmers have envisioned a private browsing mode for Mozilla's Firefox browser but so far haven't put the privacy feature into the open-source browser. Apple's Safari has a private browsing mode.

ThunderBrowse remains one of the best plug-ins for Mozilla Thunderbird. It's a favorite of mine, but if you haven't tried it recently there are some excellent new features worth noting.

If you've never used it before, ThunderBrowse lets you open Web links in Thunderbird's preview pane. It's that simple, which is why it's such an useful tool to have. From social networking friend invites to quickly scanning that hometown article sent by Your Dear Ma, ThunderBrowse cuts out huge chunks of time from your work flow by speedily opening HTML pages in its own browser. The plug-in adds a simple URL bar to the e-mail preview pane, with Forward, Back, Refresh, and Go buttons, and a customizable hot key combo will open the browser in a separate window.

Newer features include tabbed browsing, making it possible to keep the source e-mail message open while looking at the link it included, viewing the source code, and in-page search support via CTRL-F. JavaScript support is now included, but it automatically deactivates when it detects e-mails loading and then reactivates for other Web sites. ThunderBrowse also supports loading Thunderbird extensions directly, a useful trick to have, and its own bookmarks. All in all, that's not too shabby for surfing the Web from your e-mail client.