Mozilla Firefox

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.

Version 3.0.5 added official releases for the Bengali, Esperanto, Galician, Hindi, and Latvian languages; replaced the End-User License Agreement with a new "Know Your Rights" info bar on initial install; fixed several security and stability issues.

Firefox has a tabbed interface; includes a pop-up blocker; built-in, multiple search tools; and built-in RSS reader. It is stable and free.

Firefox doesn't support the Micro$oft proprietary ActiveX, so some poorly implemented web sites will not work in Firefox.

Firefox's tabbed browsing, RSS support, security features, and overall cool factor make it more attractive than Internet Explorer. Switching from MSIE to Firefox will dramatically increase the security of an Internet connected PC.

Keyboard Commands

Switch between tabs

• CTRL-TAB to switch tabs, next tab
• CTRL-SHFT-TAB , previous tab
• CTRL-1 , first tab
• CTRL-2 , second tab, 3, 4, ...

Complete list of keyboard shortcuts

See the Mozilla keyboard shortcuts page.

 

Firefox Annoyances and other fixes

Tab open order reversed after update

Firefox tabs opening backwards - Since the upgrade to Firefox 3.6 the order which tabs open has changed or is inconsistent. Previously tabs opened sequentially, so that the latest one was always at the far right. To restore the previous behavior do the following:

• In the URL bar type: about:config
• Find or create

 browser.tabs.insertRelatedAfterCurrent

• Set the value to: False

Hide the Tab Bar When Browsing a Single Page

The default setting in Firefox 3.5 is to always display tabs, even when you're only browsing a single page. Show more of the web page by hiding the tab bar if only viewing a single page.

1. Go to Tools, and then Options.
2. Go to the Tabs menu, and uncheck "Always show the tab bar"

Menu bar missing

1. Press Alt on the keyboard and release. The menu bar will appear temporarily.
2. On the menu bar, click View, go to Toolbars, then select which toolbars you want to see.

Add-ons

Firefox addons are divided into Extensions, Themes, and Plugins. Our Favorite Firefox Extensions are compiled in a list, and man more are available from the Firefox Add-ons web site.

Security

Although more secure than MSIE by far with the default installation, vulnerabilities can still be greatly reduced by taking measures to lock down Firefox.