Is Firefox 3.0 RC1 worth it?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 19 May 2008 17:07

Opinion and Analysis

Apple’s Safari browser, for PCs and Macs, is now available in version 3.1, and is fast, but as Apple uses a different way of rendering text, it looks a bit different. If you’re a Mac user forced to use a PC, you’ll love it.

It’s certainly handy to have as an alternative browser, and has already had success with some PC users.

That said, there was a scandal recently when Apple’s tactics in sneakily offering PC users with iTunes loaded on their computers a new software ‘update’ with Safari pre-ticked to download and install – even if that user had never used Safari before – did cause a lot of anguish on the Internet, especially from Mozilla, the makers of Firefox.

Finally, Microsoft has launched beta 1 of Internet Explorer 8 - but it’s definitely a beta 1 for “web developers and designers” only, and definitely not recommended for public use yet, with a full release not due until next year sometime.

So, the browser battles keep on raging across the world wide web, with everyone wanting you to view the web through their browser window.

Don’t be afraid to try out a different browser whichever computer and operating system you use. You’re not forced to stick with whatever browser you currently use.

If you’re a PC user stuck in an Internet Explorer world, give Firefox, Opera, Safari or any combination of the three a go, you might find that one of these browsers not only improves your safety but gives you a much nicer view of the web!

And is Firefox 3.0 RC1 worth it? In a word, yes! But if you’re happy with Firefox 2 and use plenty of Firefox add-ons, wait for the final release in June first, when Firefox 3.0 will be released with a plethora of new add-ons, as most of the old ones aren’t compatible.