Unveiled this July 17th, Mozilla Firefox 14 packs a punch that restores faith in the viability and effectiveness of open source software. Featuring a gamut of improvements and updates, Firefox version 14 goes way beyond what versions 12 and 13, which were released earlier this year, have to offer. Let us take a look at what makes it uber cool especially when pitted against Google’s Chrome.
For one, there is a secure connection ensured every time one searches anything on Google, so you do not have to worry about prying eyes anymore. This is an antidote to all those who try to gather search based data. It is also an effective way of maintaining privacy over a local network, where an administrator might maintain a strict vigil bordering on privacy infringement.
Another useful little feature is the option to choose whether to play plugins or not. This can be controlled by a simple click on the “Awesome Bar”. And there is a reason it is called so. The “Awesome Bar” automatically completes URL’s, giving additional speed and ease. So not only do you have quick assistance in reaching the web address you need, you don’t have to worry about all the annoying flash content that assaults you when you open a page.
There is good news for Mac users too. Though slightly later than its competitors, Firefox finally has full screen mode for the MAC OS X Mountain Lion.
In competition is Google’s Chrome which seems to have gathered popularity in leaps and bounds. This is because it stresses on a lean look which advocates a simple and secure browsing experience. And then there are the chrome extensions like the tab feeder. This lets you pin your favorite websites, integrates a feed from Instagram as your background and provides constant Ticker updates.
Compared to Firefox 14, Chrome seems to be doing a lot better. Its market capitalization curve is steep, and some of the features it offers have no parallel in Mozilla’s stable. An example is the ability to play HTML5 video. The user experience for Firefox might be slightly below the bar at times due to the numerous problems with flash based content and the occasional time lag in the interface.
What Firefox scores on are issues of security and memory usage efficiency especially when it comes to using a score of tabs simultaneously. While Firefox’s share of the browser market seems to be strong right now, growth seems to have slowed down. Firefox 14 seems poised to change that and offers some serious competition to the Google Chrome.