Firefox 4 - should I?

[HappyTree]

Don't know if this is the right forum, there is no tech forum and it seemed silly to put it in Picture Box just because the techy thread is there. Anyway, who cares?

So, Firefox 4. Any good? My first question is can I install it as a new browser and then go back to 3.6.16 if I don't like it? Will it overwrite stuff and mess everything up? If I can just install it and see for myself with no danger then that'd be the best thing.

They've changed it around, apparently. Well I don't really care as I have it set up just the way I want it already. I don't want it to change at all, apart from getting faster. I like the add-ons I have, I feel comfortable and I have everything I need sitting on the menu bar in a single line. I don't need anything else, any more controls. If I upgrade to 4 can I put things like this, the way I'm used to?



Help me, I'm scared of change!

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

You can make it look like FF3 by enabling the Menu bar, which I did because the new interface is minimalist to the point of uselessness.

[Zero Gravitas]

You seem to value keeping the exact same interface, I think you should stay.

[biggytitbo]

Been using this for months, it's jolly good. Should have few problems if you're upgrading from 3.6.

From a web developers pov, IE9, Chrome and FF4 are all excellent and pretty much identical in terms of css and js rendering, at long bloody last. If we can only kill of the older browsers asap the web can finally move forward.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I take great joy in slowing the internet down as much as possible.

I imagine the people all upset at me and laugh, going AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

And wank, but that's obvious.

[Blumf]

Go fer it, you can diddle the UI to the way you like and it's a bit more nippy.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Firefox 3 crashes too much, and Google chrome has some problems with clicking in fields which really slows down my work, so I'll definitely be checking this out

[AsparagusTrevor]

I kept having regular freezes in Firefox 3 which seem to have vanished in v4, and I used to keep my interface minimal anyway so the new one is great for me.

[waste of chops]

If you want to give it a quick test run, download Firefox Portable, which is intended for use on a USB drive but you can put it install it anywhere you like (eg. somewhere on your hard drive) and it won't affect your current Firefox installation at all.

[Blumf]

One thing I had with the upgrade, it dropped all my cookies so I was logged out of everything. Not a big deal, but first time that's happened with a FF upgrade.

[biggytitbo]

IE9 Is very good, firefox4 is excellent, but Chrome is probably still the best 'pure' browser, even if it does have a few annoying bugs on some websites. FF is still the only choice for developers though, it's developer tools are leagues ahead of chrome.

[HappyTree]

My whole set of browsing habits are now locked into Firefox because I have all the add-ons I need to make everything easy. Changing text size (which I do all the time), yahoo mail updater, tinyurl generator, multiple search engines in one bar beside the menus, cookie and script blockers, image zoom on the mouse wheel, permanently block any content from any web page that I don't want to see. It's all there at my fingertips. I couldn't use another browser now without feeling very contained.

I've decided to keep on checking the updater until it says the add-ons I need have been updated too. Come on devs, get with the program! (literally)

[Puffin Chunks]

I just upgrade to FF4 this weekend and I say: go for it!

All my add-ons came along (bar one... a cache viewer that wasn't compatible) and I run a lot of add-ons, so that was nice.

FF4 itself runs quicker and smoother than version three. I didn't have the problem with any disappearing menu items/links/bookmarks etc. They all came along with my settings from FF3 (hell, it even remembered what tabs I last had opened in FF3 and opened them the first time I ran FF4).

The only real visual difference is that there is no longer a status bar at the bottom (not required as the current 'status' just pops up over the bottom of the screen) so more screen real-estate. The tabs bar also appeared above my links and address bar, but that was easily movable back to the bottom in one of the menus. Also the Home Button has moved to the right of the address bar.

Oh, the only (very slight) negative I've found is that the right-click shortcuts for "open in new window" and "open in new tab" have swapped places, so I keep opening new windows by accident. I'll get used to it soon enough though.

So, yeah you should upgrade. If you're used to FF3 then the difference in interface is negligible, but performance is much improved.

[HappyTree]

Can you still edit the interface to the address bar, put the search bar on the same line as the menu bar and take away buttons you don't need, i.e., home button?

I don't have a home page so never need a home button and I find an address bar unnecessary. The 3 times a month I ever need to type addresses in I just call it up for that, but otherwise I see no need for it.

Sounds ok then, but the add-ons I use still haven't been updated; Not the end of the world, FF3 is not really that slow.

[Puffin Chunks]

You can edit the buttons on the address bar as you see fit (i.e. move the search bar up to the menu bar, like you said, and remove any unwanted icons). In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it automatically configured your view to what you're used to based on your version 3 settings, if not then it's no bother to change (View > Toolbars > Customise)

Don't know about the add-ons, but these all came with me and work fine:

• AdBlock Plus
• British English Dictionary
• Cooliris
• FacePAD
• FlashGot
• FoxyProxy
• JavaConsole
• Microsoft.Net Framework Assistant
• Speed Dial

Like I said, the only one which didn't come was CacheViewer, although it's still sitting in my Add-Ons section, just disabled. I'm not sure whether any of these have been re-programmed for FF4 or whether they just work. I guess the easiest way to find out is to just upgrade. You can always roll back if not... but I do understand your reluctance to do so if you have a workflow that is right for you.

[HappyTree]

You know, creature of habit and all that :D

[HappyTree]

I know you were all waiting with bated breath. Well, wait no more! I have taken the plunge after seeing that most of my essential add-ons have been updated. Mostly ok, I sorted out the annoying pop-up at the bottom when you hover over links and load pages. Things are not quite as compact as before because the theme Classic Compact still hasn't been updated yet, so the text is a bit more spaced out in the menus.

One question: how do you apply different themes in this version? I've searched for "themes" but haven't found any for FF4. I want to change the buttons from the boring black ones I have now, how do I do that? In previous versions you just installed a theme but it doesn't seem to work that way any longer.

[Pseudopath]

One question: how do you apply different themes in this version? I've searched for "themes" but haven't found any for FF4. I want to change the buttons from the boring black ones I have now, how do I do that? In previous versions you just installed a theme but it doesn't seem to work that way any longer.

It's the same procedure as before, isn't it? Just visit https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/themes and click on the theme you want. To check which themes you've got installed, open the Firefox menu, click Add-ons and select Appearance.

[HappyTree]

Yeah I thought I'd searched for that. Obviously was having a blonde moment. Cheers! But in fiddling around I have found that Classic Compact has been updated and now works, so I'm nicely back to my familiar squashed-up look. I've decided to keep the standard FF4 black arrow icons. Only thing not working properly now is the Cookie Safe drop-down menu.

[The Region Legion]

Not to sound like a forum nazi or anything but why is this in Gaming?

[HappyTree]

I refer the right honourable gentleman to the very first thing I said:

Don't know if this is the right forum, there is no tech forum and it seemed silly to put it in Picture Box just because the techy thread is there. Anyway, who cares?

Where would you suggest one puts questions of an internet/techy nature? Must every single internet/tech topic fit into the single thread available for that purpose? What if one wants to have a thread to itself about everyone's comments and tips on FF4?

I don't really see much of an alternative but if you can suggest one I'm all ears!

[Yusuf Mohammed]

After installing it, you can remove it. Then install the previous version.