Isn't he cute...

Firefox

Download it here: http://www.getfirefox.com/

What is Firefox?

Firefox (or Mozilla Firefox) is an open-source web browser that was originally created as a more secure alternative to Internet Explorer (IE). Being open source, it is completely free and gives the user a great degree of control over its behavior and appearance. Firefox is built off of the older Mozilla browser, which was itself based on pieces of code from Netscape Navigator.

You can download or learn more about Firefox at http://www.getfirefox.com/

Why use Firefox?

The reason you will hear most often is that Internet Explorer is downright insecure and vulnerable to spyware infections. In fact, the Department of Homeland Security recently recommended people switch to another browser due to known security holes in IE, primarily revolving around VBScript and ActiveX - neither of which Firefox supports, for this very reason.

Security concerns are far from the only reason to consider switching to Firefox. Casual users and power users alike will be able to enjoy a wealth of new features:

• Tabs. Tabs. Tabs. If you haven't discovered tabbed browsing, you haven't truly experienced the internet.
• Do you search a lot? Find As You Type is a quick way to search for any term on a given page. Forget all about Ctrl-F. Simply start typing your query and it'll automatically jump to the URLs containing the string. The functionality can be changed so that the searches include everything on a page.
• Keywords will allow you to simply type "g" in the address bar and the browser will jump to www.google.com for you. You can also set it up so that typing "g Pomona College" would open the google search and show you any results with the words "Pomona College" in them.
• A built-in popup and cookie blocker.
• Web developers (even IE-exclusive ones) will find that the tools provided with Firefox are top-notch and will help them troubleshoot javascript errors or annoying rendering quirks.
• Tweakers or minimalists will enjoy the immense configurability that Firefox offers. Want to remove a menu? Fine. Want to reduce the UI to a minimum? Okay. Want to rid yourself of Flash ads? Also possible.

Extensions

• Tabbrowser Preferences - This one lets you have a lot more control over where links open. Essential in order to really take advantage of tabbed browsing. Comes in two varieties.
• AdBlock - Unless you have an ethical problem with blocking ads, you'll want this extension. See below for a link to pre-made filters.
• IE View - This is for those pages that abuse JavaScript or ActiveX, and therefore only show up right in IE - all it takes is a right-click and "View in IE".
• Web Developer Toolbar - Do you do webpage design? Then this extension will simplify your life tenfold, if not more. On the fly CSS editing, two-click validation, and dozens more functions.
• Radial Context Menu - If you are a fan of mouse gestures, this extension is for you.
• Show Failed URL - So good it should come with the default installs from Mozilla. This extension will keep the URL shown in the address bar from being replaced by gibberish upon hitting a connection error. Use it together with browser.xul.error_pages.enabled to give you decent error messages that don't use dialog boxes. See the site for instructions.

Links

• Firefox Help - Firefox Help should be your #1 resource for all things Firefox. The themes and extension part of the site is handed over to Mozilla.org, but it still contains a vast wealth of information and tips.
• MozillaZine forums - If you have a problem with Firefox, chances are that somebody else has already posted about it here and possibly gotten help. Well worth visiting since it's pretty much the Mozilla Firefox community site.
• How to write extensions - So you've decided to write an extension yourself?
• http://update.mozilla.org - Single best spot to find themes and extensions.
• http://mycroft.mozdev.org - Repository of extra search engines for the search toolbar (to the right of the address bar). From IMDB to Amazon to alt.binaries.nl.

Get the most out of Firefox

This section provides a bunch of little tips and tricks that can really enhance your Firefox experience.

Smart keywords

Type any of these words into the address bar, followed by the thing you're searching for, and Firefox will search that site for you:

• wiki - Searches The Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia.
• dict - Searches Dictionary.com
• imdb - Search the Internet Movie Database

Thus, if I type in wiki spyware, Firefox will take me directly to the Wikipedia entry for spyware. In addition to these three, you can add search keywords of your own. Instructions on doing this can be found here.

Pipelining

Got a speedy internet connection? No? Well, Pomona does, and Firefox has a way to take advantage of it. It's called pipelining, and allows FF to send multiple requests for data at at the same time. End result: your web pages load faster (in some cases much faster). Here's how to turn it on:

Type about:config into the address bar (where you normally put in web site URLs). A huge list of options should appear. Scroll down to these two entries:

• network.http.pipelining
• network.http.proxy.pipelining

And double-click them so that they become bold and their value is changed to "true." Now locate this value:

• network.http.pipelining.maxrequests

If you have DSL or cable, change this number to about 30. If you're on Pomona's campus, you can probably go as high as 100 (although this will take a fairly speedy computer).

Make pages render faster

If you have a speedy machine, you can turn off Firefox's paint delay for a slight speed increase. Change this value to 0 in your about:config file:

• nglayout.initialpaint.delay

Tabbrowser Preferences

This was mentioned above, but its usefulness cannot really be exaggerated. Grab it here.

Get a theme!

Themes change how Firefox looks. Some are really cool, some are downright ugly. Go find your dream theme here.

Put Firefox on your USB drive

Have you so fallen in love with the Fox that you can't stand to leave him, your preferences, bookmarks, extensions, and themes behind? Stick him on a flash drive and realize how incredibly geeky you are (hey, that's a good thing, right? Right? Hello?).