BotHack: Top Ten Reasons to Switch to Firefox

Firefox is that great Web browser that everyone’s talking about. If you’re not using it yet, you should be.

In this exclusive Lifehacker feature, you’ll discover the top 10 reasons why you should consider using Firefox as your primary browser. It’s a great program. Here’s why.

10. It’s free. Completely, utterly free. You don’t have to pay a penny to download it. Firefox is a product of the Mozilla foundation, a tax exempt non-profit foundation, which was established to create innovative open-source software. Mozilla is completely funded by donations. So if you like Firefox—and I bet you will—consider throwing a few dollars in their direction.
9. It runs on everything. Windows? Yes. Macs? Yes. Linux? Yes. You’ve got a recent computer? Firefox will almost certainly run on it.
8. It’s small. It takes up very little disk space, so it’s a quick, simple download. Unlike certain other browsers, it’s not a bloated dinosaur.
7. It’s expandable. You can add almost any functionality you want via plug-ins. There’s a huge community of Firefox developers out there offering nifty software extensions that you just plug into your browser. You can remove Google spam. You can adjust the way your fonts are shown. You can watch the current weather forecast. Firefox’s extensions manager lets you see what items you’ve installed and you can remove them with just a few clicks.
6. It’s secure. Firefox doesn’t run ActiveX components or VB script. This makes it far less vulnerable to malicious hacking than Explorer. Also, it’s been tightly coded, meaning fewer vulnerabilities to attack. Want more security? Consider adding a JavaScript monitoring extension.
5. Switching is easy. Firefox is smart enough to help you transfer your existing bookmarks, cookies and other settings from your current browser when you install.
4. It’s skinnable. Firefox’s look and feel is completely customizable. Use the Themes Manager to download and manage any of hundreds of skins.
3. Google is built-in. You don’t have to waste your homepage on Google, when you can search directly from the Firefox control bar. Go ahead and pick a home page you really like. Personally? I recommend Lifehacker.com.
2. It’s well respected. Firefox has been named PC World’s Product of the Year, Softpedia’s User’s Choice, Forbes’ Best of the Web, SC Magazine’s “Editor in Chief” award, CNET Editor’s Choice, Laptop Magazine Editor’s Choice, PC-Welt’s Readers Choice Best Internet Tool, and more. They all like it. Won’t you?
1. It’s got tabs. If you’ve ever dealt with a gadzillion open Explorer windows at once, you’ll know what I mean when I say that organizing your Web tasks and windows is a critical path for getting work done. Firefox’s tabbed interface allows you to collapse all those windows onto a single screen and move quickly (and easily) back and forth between your different Web site “worlds”. One site still downloading? Just tab on over to another in the meantime. It works beautifully, compactly and neatly.

I’d go on and on and on about why you should choose Firefox, but I’ve already used up all the spots in my top 10 list. Download yourself a copy and give it a spin. You won’t regret it.

Firefox [Mozilla Foundation]

Die Dulci Fruere