Firefox 8 is faster. Menu items are snappier and it starts cold in fraction of the time as 7.
With that said, I stopped relying on Firefox for the main browsing experience after version 5 simply because of broken extensions and I was/am unsure of where they’re headed in the name of the user.
As an example:
“All your menu items are now found in a single button for easy access”
Condensing a handful of menus into one is easier to use and navigate! .. Or is it?
Working in the web field, I still use Firefox regularly and let it continue on with its rapid release cycle. However with each release, one of the extensions that I rely on breaks. Each release cripples Firefox in such a way that its importance to me fumbles down a rung. Chrome extensions have NEVER broke for me. I have my own issues with Google but that’s another story.
On the one hand the rapid release cycle makes perfect sense: get updated software to users faster. Update in the background so as not to annoy said users. Make version numbers obsolete; you’re running the latest or you’re not.
On the other foot, it annoys me to no end. I don’t want software to auto-update, it’s creepy, it breaks shit all the time - shit I need to do my work. The major version number bumps seem only to be a browser-arms race with Chrome.
It’s just a number. If you’re innovative you won’t care what others are doing. Could a few of these major releases simply been point releases? There was nothing in 6 that indicated a major step forward to me. My wife is still using it only because an extension she uses frequently won’t work beyond that release.
Maybe I’m just sentimental and miss the days when a new version meant shiny new toys to play with. These days, I cringe when Firefox wants to update. Rapidly developed software tends to introduce more bugs if only because the developers are sloppily rushing to meet the roadmap. Note: this is a general statement based on my own experience and not directed at the Firefox developers in particular.
Sure, Firefox is free and I don’t have to use it. So I don’t. I don’t “Spread Firefox” any more either.
And the big question: why do I write about Firefox if it bugs me so much? Because I care and have used it for a long time, probably longer than you.
PS. Why is removing the status bar wrong? Because I need to move my mouse to the top of the window to move the window. You’ve now taken functionality away from me. Monitors are bigger than ever yet everyone seems to think that stripping the UI is a good thing.
I totally agree about the status bar. Minimized UI (specially when minimized and taking away a useful tool) has it's place and most of the time I agree with what was minimized or removed but with browsers there are a few things you should just leave alone.
I am in the same boat. I quit using FF as a default with exception of once in a while using it for Firebug and of course testing. I am using Chrome for my default but that has it's limitations too. (Like always causing VS2010 to error out when I go into debugging mode for example) And like you I get anxious when a new release happens cause I know something will break. I have quit installing it on my in-laws computer or trying to get others to use it.
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Yep, yep..
I completely agree with their mission but part of me feels like they're being wreckless with their flagship.
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Lucy · Nov 12, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Are your add-ons actually breaking, or are they not marked as compatible? You can install the add-on compatibility reporter which lets you run all your add-ons and report if they actually work with the new version or not. The add-ons team is making progress so that add-ons no longer have to be manually bumped up a version. It's much smoother than it used to be and it will get even better.
In terms of the status bar, there is the add-on bar but it doesn't let you grab the window with it. When the unified menu button went in there was a lot of talk of leaving some space in so that you could grab the window by the chrome somewhere. Have you tried filing a bug to request that the add-on bar also work this way? I haven't checked extensions myself, but maybe there's already one that restores the status bar the way you like it?
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Re: add-ons. I'm not sure if they're broken or marked as incompatible. All I know for sure is that after Firefox upgraded, they didn't work. Installing an add-on to check if my other add-ons aren't compatible sounds like work I don't want to do.
Re: status bar. On the Mac the add-ons bar will let me move the window around which is a godsend. Removing the fixed status bar is nutty. The inline, floating status bar never shows the full link of what I'm about to click on - talk about "what's best for the users." Plus the distraction level went through the roof. On a page of search results the floating status bar is always popping in and out like some kind of crazed peek-a-boo. I've gotten to where I don't even pay attention to it anymore.
Granted Chrome's lack of status bar is just as bad. I think the underlying issue with this is that taking features away from users for no good reason is a bug in my opinion.
I don't file bugs simply because I have other things in life that are more pressing and after reading several Bugzilla reports, I suspect that Mozilla's "my way or the highway" stance would trump whatever 2 cents I had to throw in.
I appreciate your comment for sure though and am glad that you took the time to offer options for me, even more so because all I'm doing is complaining.
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Lucy · Nov 15, 2011 at 10:45 am
Well you are sincerely voicing your concerns, and they are concerns that Mozilla is thinking about.
The add-on compatibility reporter doesn't affect the addons that are still working. You test the ones that were disabled to see if they're compatible with the current version (all the ones I use still work) and then you can report that. In the past Mozilla has relied on add-on developers to test and update their add-ons for compatibility with new versions. Obviously with this rapid release process that's just not fair to anyone and it's also a lot less necessary as new versions have smaller changes. You can read more here http://t.co/0Uqc8vky
As for "my way or the highway" the problem is that a lot of discussion happens off bugzilla and so the bugs that get attention are things that had already been considered and decided on. I can promise you that it's not the overall attitude. The "awesome bar" is a great example. You have no idea how many people argued against it and wanted to switch back to the old version because they were used to it. All in all it's just a better feature. However the devs did listen to the number of people who didn't want their bookmarks, or certain bookmarks, showing up in the results, and they did implement ways to hide certain things, or only turn up certain things.
Good luck, and I seriously seriously suggest you test out the compatibility reporter. You can always uninstall it.
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