Saturday, June 25, 2011

Firefox 5? More like Firefox 4.1!

firefox-logoIt was a simpler time back in early 2005 (simpler in terms of Web browsers, anyway), when I first started using Mozilla Firefox, which had come out in late 2004.

Back then, the only real choice was Internet Explorer, so despite the numerous issues Firefox had in its early days, I decided to install it and stick with it. Perhaps I was more forgiving back then!

Fortunately, Firefox, which is currently the number two browser on the Internet, kept getting better and more stable over the years. With each major update, the browser offered something new, something fresh, something bold!

I started to look forward to these major updates, despite the long periods of time in between them. In short, it seemed that my decision to stick with Firefox turned out to be a wise one after all!

All that changed a couple of days ago, when Firefox 5 was released, a mere three months after Firefox 4, and with no version 4.x in the middle. From 4 to 5 in three months! That’s crazy, right?

Although I have been using Firefox 5 for a very short time now, I do not see any improvements in performance whatsoever, despite them touting over 1,000 enhancements, at least not on the sites which I visit most often (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, BBC News, YouTube, etc.).

What’s worse, the interface is identical to Firefox 4! Identical! Come on, that’s just ridiculous! Why even call it a major update then?

Simply put, in the nearly six years that I have been using the Firefox Web browser, I have never been more disappointed by an update!

It seems that Firefox is finally running out of steam.

I think this is because they are trying to compete with Chrome (the number three browser on the Internet, according to most accounts), which also has a super fast update release schedule.

In trying to keep up with Chrome, Firefox seems to be losing sight of what’s important: its users.

The browser wars are a serious business now! Users like myself, who have been fans of Firefox from the early days, will not tolerate what can, at best, be called Firefox 4.1! Firefox 5, my foot!

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