Firefox 3 is finally here. If you haven't tried any of the beta or release candidates now's the time to head on over to Mozilla and download it.
Mozilla claim, amongst other things, that there are more than 15,000
improvements in Firefox 3, and for the sweet price of nothing, it's
definitely worth a
shot.
I've been using,
and writing about FF3 for most of this year. In my experience, on Mac
OS X, the performance and compatibility in general terms is better than
Safari, and blows Firefox 2 out of the water.
New
features and improvements are everywhere in FF3. From the improved
Smart Location Bar that lets you easily find sites you've visited
before to the smart password manager that makes logging in to your
favourite sites less tedious. FF3 even has a platform-native look &
feel (Windows, Mac and Linux).
If performance is your thing, or you're on a slower computer FF3
delivers improved memory management, faster Javascript rendering,
faster page loads and a smaller footprint.
For IE users thinking of switching, FF3 can happily coexist but you'll
need to select either IE or FF as your default browser. And if you're
used to FF3 already, Mozilla have even set up a 'tips and tricks'
page aimed at improving your
product knowledge.
In September 2007, Ars Technica
reported that Firefox market share ranged "between 15 and 50 per cent in various
regions." The same article quoted Net Applications and placed the global Firefox market share
at "just under 15 percent."
With an already large user base, further growth prospects
from version 3, and the public distaste for Vista, Firefox is sure to
gain further market share. In fact, since the launch this morning,
proof is already in the pudding with a further report noting that FF3
has already been downloaded more than 1 million times within four
hours from launch.