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In the life of a tech aficionado, there are many old favorites, i.e. programs you stay faithful to even in the presence of better alternatives. For years, my favorite browser has been Firefox. Not owned by a large corporation, reasonably fast and with support for countless good extensions, Firefox was my go-to-browser until, eventually, sand got in the gears. The visuals hadn't been updated for years, display errors kept coming up and the speed was hardly on par with the available alternatives. I made the switch and, with a heavy heart, put Firefox on the scrap heap along with my old love, Netscape. Did I grieve too soon? Version 57 promises nothing less than a revolution. Is this the return to its old strength?
Firefox Quantum, as it's officially known, was announced with a lot of hoopla as being "the biggest update of all time" with over 7 million revised lines of code. I take such announcements with a grain of salt. After all, every company is vying for attention. Yet, I can tell from the get-go that things have indeed changed! The interface, which hadn't been touched since 2014, suddenly appears modern and reduced to the bare minimum. The start page alone offers a lot (if you decide to keep it): a search box, the most frequently visited sites, the recent browsing history and Pocket, a news service that keeps you up to date on current affairs. Time for a trial run.
As promised by Mozilla, this thing's a screamer! Since this is a new installation, all previously cached files have been removed, yet I can definitely feel a speed boost compared to the sluggish predecessor! The usual teething problems like minor display errors that dog so many new products are nowhere to be found and a closer look at the resource usage reveals that Quantum requires at least 30% less memory than Chrome for similar pages. Finally, the Firefox team also managed to distribute the workload evenly across all available cores and it definitely shows. The tab that has the focus is always prioritized while background tabs consume far less resources. That's smart handling - and it cleverly maxes out the connection bandwidth for incredibly fast page loads even for sites that make heavy use of animations and images. Respect!
Traditionalists may find the new symbols (library, sidebar etc.) too minimalistic but they get the job done and don't take much getting used to. The extensions page shows me that all my extensions are compatible with Quantum. Lucky me! My favorites have already been updated but especially smaller plug-ins aren't compatible (yet) according to tech forums. That is to be expected since much has been changed under the hood but it's still a fly in the ointment. In the coming weeks, developers of popular add-ons will have to update their projects to work with what is not just a major update but a completely new browser.
Visible pride in new found speed
Firefox now sports a cleaner layout, dubbed "Photon" by Mozilla, that features logically grouped elements. Settings are arranged in rows instead of columns and everything feels more consistent. "Library" provides a concise list of bookmarks, downloads, the browsing history and synced tabs. The symbol bar is still customizable and touch-friendliness is no longer an issue. Also, cross-site tracking prevention has been directly integrated into the browser so there's no more need for additional software. Like Safari, Firefox Quantum comes with dedicated privacy features that are enabled by default for private browsing but can also be activated for regular web browsing windows under "Privacy & Security".
I had already written off Mozilla but they managed to surprise me. The overall feel is just right and we might be looking at a huge comeback. Whether it can fully replace my beloved Opera is for future tests to find out but that they got me thinking at all is an achievement in itself. To be clear, Firefox isn't running circles around the top dogs in terms of speed or looks even though some media outlets can't seem to stop hyperventilating. But all the effort Mozilla put into it in an attempt to catch up to the competition is truly noticeable. Firefox isn't backed by a huge corporation and competition is always good for business. That alone might be reason enough to consider switching!
What I would like to know: are you using or thinking of using Firefox (again)?
Pics: Firefox / Mozilla
Yes now I know its back I will give it another try.
i have been using firefox even before it was firefox[netscape] i use it across multiple platforms [multi linux $ multiple windows versions] i have been farly happy with it i run multiple profiles in each platform and only have to copy the profiles-or relevent profile folder across to the other system [upward of a giga byte] it even worked with my portable apps versions, now i have to stop it automaticly upgradeing as most of my configuations-setting-extensions dont work, also it my be as fast or faster than chrome but what i staid with it for is gone.
i prefer to stay with versions under 52, it has become a clome of chrome whach i consider rubbish and a nightmare to use [i am 62 and have memory problems and have trouble remembering shortcuts so prefer the menu at the top], it my be fast but speed has never been what i stayed with for but its configularity-add ons.
i am curently using pale moon to replace a lot of the missing functuality of quantum
so very not happy
The word "Upgrade" is to be profoundly dreaded. Who wants a "concise" list of Bookmarks for example?
The previous version gave provision for typing notes regarding each site into "Properties" - Very useful facility - GONE!
One also becomes very cynical about the "fixing security vulnerabilities" mantra.
Why couldn't this be done "on the run" to the old format?
Why for example can I import Bookmarks from Firefox to Chrome but not to Firefox on a new computer?
Why when you switch off Firefox automatic upgrade does it still hector users pleading to install the new version? I thought, "NO" really meant "NO".
I understand "Corporate users" can still use the old format but not individuals.
Could you wish for any better proof that the new version is a "BOMB"?
thanks might try it........
Firefox is always on my computer, but not my main browser. and since some website hated my Ad blocker in chrome, rather than changing the settings to an exception i open another browser. I expected Firefox to go updating... and it happened. But 2/3 of my extensions went down, not maintained in Quantum.
And since saving webpages to pdf is not implemented in Quantum too, I'll stick to Chrome as main browser.
I hope after some more months my extensions/add-ons in the new Quantum get an update or an equivalent alternative. But it can't seduce me now. The sticker "second browser with lots of plug-in/extension features i have to remove for now and it is degraded to emergency browser :-(
Oh dear, I'm back to Chrome again, which really is so much faster, but mainly because I tried to leave someone a message on Gumtree but whenever I tried to put input into the message box it activated a different window. Firefox is not sufficiently useable for me yet.
The new Firefox still seems slow compared to Google Chrome for a Google search, but maybe that is Google's fault, not Firefox's. I've moved across back to Firefox after your article, and especially because Google is getting even more autocratic, take a look at this article which explains further: http://www.zdnet.com/article/google-will-lock-down-chrome-on-windows/?utm_source=howtogeek&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter
I tried FireFox 57. My problem with it as earlier versions was that if I set a custom page zoom for a site, it is not maintained when I restart FireFox. I do custom zooms (CTRL, + or -) for most of the sites that i frequent, so it is rather a pain having to redo them every time I open FireFox.
Awesome! Thank you for the heads up! Did not know it was even out.........
Like many others, I have tried the new and improved browsers over the years. Until I hit Firefox, I never found one that I really liked.
True the new version is faster but I too want my add ons back. The freedom to customize has suffered under this "new" version.
Recently I had one of my favorite game sites tell me to switch from Firefox to Chrome as their new improvements would not work with Firefox. What does that tell you about how far Firefox was behind?
Funnily enough, Chrome did allow me to access the site but what a bear to manage.
Happy to say version 57 works with this site very nicely....
Now about those "teething" problems. Didn't Firefox tell it's add on developers this was coming? Doesn't seem like it.
On the contrary, Mozilla gave developers a whole 6 months and provided them with all the necessary technical details. There wasn’t much else they could have done in my view.
Have been using Firefox for quite sometime now - always found it to be very user friendly. I have now downloaded the "Quantum" version and it beats the competition hands down - fast, pleasant graphics and all in all a great browser. I give it 10/10.
It would be good to see it again!!
Firefox has remained my choice since it first appeared. I gave the latest version a run and decided to stay with version 56.x for awhile. When the addons are updated I will update Firefox. You could say I have been vocal in the forums as too many Google addons are making Firefox less private in my opinion. It seems to me it defeats the original purpose of the browser. First thing I do is delete any preferences that include Google including searches. I have never understood why Firefox does not include the best search engines from Europe. You brought a smile to my face with the mention of Netscape. Cheers Sven.
Hi have Vista so am using Opera because Firefox keeps giving me the message about y.smig. Will the new version clear this or not?
Firefox was my favorite for years but did give it up toward the end of Window XP. Compatibility and speed becoming issues I ran into. After reading this article by Mr Kumrey I downloaded and installed Firefox last evening; I have found it to be more than acceptable at this point and definitely found several aspects beat Microsoft Edge hands down. I ended up using Edge due to IE being so slow on my system it wasn't worth the bother anymore. Thanks for the review and giving me a good reason to try a public program again.
I must be the only person suffering with Quantum.
I often have several tabs open at once and Quantum simply freezes. I f I were still using Quantum the cursor would still be stuck at the beginning of these comments. And then it would catch up and freeze again.
I have gone back to 56 which is working fine for me.
You're not alone! There's a couple of users experiencing issues in the comments. I'd be surprised if such a massive program overhaul would be smooth sailing across the board.
I used to use Opera, gave up when they abandoned bookmarks and switched to Firefox. I was hanging in there but increasingly concerned about how it was dropping behind the competition, then I saw the announcements about Quantum so I decided to stay with it. I'm now on Quantum and very happy. A great upgrade, right there with the competition and a real, fast, independent alternative.
Coincidence! I love Firefox. Having stayed with Opera for years, I tried Firefox and switched immediately but recently page loading had slowed and errors were rife so I quit and changed back to Opera which had improved tremendously. I did not quite fall in love again with Opera because it is just too different (from Firefox) and I was twitchy but honestly believed Firefox had completely died so I had no choices.
Suddenly Mozilla announced a new lease of life for the old fox and I raced to download and open my old pal: YES!! The changes are wonderful, the experience is orgasmic and I have resettled with my original love . . . wait that was actually Opera . . . I have moved in with my old but not quite first love (this is becoming sad), I bit the Covfefe and it's all OK now, you're gonna love it, believe me.
Yep was a big fan of Firefox until it started getting slower and slower, like swimming in treacle. I always liked the wide range of addons enabling you to customise things to your own taste, I miss that..........So your article has aroused my curiosity, I might just load it up and give it a go!
Thanks for the many interesting comments! As with the feedback over in the German blog, the comments here present a far more critical view than we expected and that's a good thing! If you only look at articles from the specialist press, you won't get a realistic picture. Only users can give you that.
Hello Sven,
Thank you for your interesting articles.
I have always used Firefox, trying others like Chrome, Opera, but still came back to the fox because of his plugins, extensions, stability. I hope the version ESR will come soon.
Hi Sven,
So here's the thing:
While having used just every browser around (IE, Edge, Chrome, Safari (RIP), Vivaldi, Opera and -- of course - Firefox), FF has been for me the browser of choice for two main reasons: security & extensions (possibly in reverse order).
It was the moment that I could make the browser look and work the way I liked it to that I started to use FF and never looked back (except for the few Web sites that would not -- by design -- work in FF).
Regretfully, every now and then, and drastically with the release of v. 57, FF chose to KILL the very reason for which it was chosen and which made it the flexible browser it used to be: access to carefully crafted extensions!
Gone are the Status Bar (build-in or displayed via an extension), gone are the IE emulations, Lazarus is no longer there (and it surely helped save the day many times around), Norton can no longer have its own toolbar, FTP integrated clients such as FireFTP are nowhere to be found, Interclue which helped making browsing faster by letting the user know where the next link goes is also no longer compatible, and even the security-oriented VirusTotal's add-in (VTzilla) can work with FF no more. And, of course, all the Java-based applets stopped working as well.
So, despite FF"s new look and speed, I feel like I'm back to the old days of IE 7 (or less), where I had no choice of selective functionality.
The worse about this is that some of the original developers of such great extensions as some of those I listed above are no longer around (or willing) to update the add-ins which worked flawlessly for years, so we are all left in the cold.
Pity FF chose to sacrifice the very feature which made it beloved to so many Users, for the sake of infrastructure improvement.
Let's hope someone comes up with a means to re-enable all/most of the add-ins even in this new environment.
I have been using Firefox for years now, I guess it must be me, because I updated Firefox, it deleted all my tabs I had from the last version. I found some in the history, so I opened them (5 tabs from 91 tabs), after about 5 minutes from rebooting, all the tabs was gone, no way for the restore last session, even after setting the setting for it. also, upon opening a new tab, it went all the way to the right, not next to the tab I was in (the add on sucks, it goes to the far right, then jumps to the next tab after a minute). after using this new version for a few days, it is real slow, slower then the last version with 91 tabs, this version only has 5 tabs. I did report these bugs to the team, they suggested I use the new add on for the tabs, and go into diagnose mode to figure the other 2. the okd tabs are gone forever, not in the history, not in the Firefox folder (I did copy and paste it into my desktop folder, it has the last version). I will not update my desktop Firefox. now I have to delete this new version and install the last version. I am not happy with the new version.
You are absolutely right.I was tempted to switch,but decided to stay with firefox
thank you
Like you Sven I grew tired of Firefox being slow and outdated. Recently I stumbled across this new version and was blown away by how far they have comeback. Im very pleased and have started using Firefox once again
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