Loading ...Firefox 1.0
I’ve written some praises about Firefox already, but they have finally unveiled their first true non-beta release, Firefox 1.0. Unfortunately at the moment the site looks overwelmed by visitors, so try a little later if you can’t get in right away. Not that it matters that much, as their betas (or at least the one I downloaded a month or two ago) has been perfectly stable. Firefox looks like it could seriously take Microsoft’s Internet Explorer for a ride. I’m fine using it for all but some apps which require IE to run, like, predictably MS’s Outlook Web Access (although you can get it to work in Firefox, it’s clunky), as well as some active-X or Java apps that really should run identically no matter what browser you’re in. But if the groundswell for this great browser continues, you’ll quickly see developers bending over backwards to provide the same functionality for it on the few sites that don’t already have matching functionality. Of course, I’m sure MS will counter with some of the fine features that Firefox has, but I’m wondering if they will ever be able to get their browser as small and fast as FF, something MS is notorious for failing at! Could MS finally be usurped again in terms of internet browser share? I remember a time when they didn’t even exist. Even when IE 1.0 and even 2.0 were out, few people bothered with them because they paled in comarison to Netscape which at that point was a mature product. But MS redoubled after Bill Gates underestimated the online phenomenon and finally got things ironed out pretty well in IE 3.0, after which it just never looked back and Netscape just couldn’t get their act together enough to come out with an updated browser until it was way to late. So I won’t underestimate MS, but I’m glad they finally have a real competitor again in this are!