Why I Switched to Firefox 3.5

As I posted earlier I was recently introduced to a great little program calledYoono.  I had been looking for a way to inconspicuously stay updated on all of my social networks while working on my computer at work.  Yoono did just that, it hide in a collapsed sidebar on my browser window until I was ready (meaning no one standing directly behind me looking over my shoulder) to check on all of the updates posted.  Much to my disappointment I realized that Yoono was only available as an add-on for Firefox.  This was not the first time I had come across a cool new program that I was unable to fully utilize without switching my default browser.  “Enough” I said, I’ll give Firefox a try.  This was after the most recent release of Firefox 3.5.  I had already been hearing good reviews about the update so I figured I would give it a more serious look.  With the most recent Safari update I did see a increase in speed and decrease in crashing but something about Firefox was calling me.  So off I went to click on my little used Firefox icon, sitting sadly in the dock used as more of a space holder than anything else.  I updated the browser manually and quickly set it as the default to prevent myself from being drawn back to Safari with any clicked link outside of Firefox.

The first thing I did was customize the look and install some add-ons.  This is really where Firefox won me over.  I love the ability to completely customize the look and feel of the browser.  With Firefox I felt I could essentially create a browser specific to my needs.  According to some reports, Firefox lost a bit of speed with the update and according to the data Safari is still the fastest browser available but I’ll take the miniscule hit to the speed if it means browsing the way I want.  I’ve only been using Firefox 3.5 for about a week but I know that I will not be going back anytime soon.  Don’t get me wrong, Safari is a great browser and has lots of great features but there is little to no customization options.  Sometimes you get tired of seeing the same gray window and tab bar.  I know some would argue that it’s not about the look but how well the browser handles the pages you visit and I agree to an extent but I’m the type of person that enjoys a great user interface as well as convenience and functionality.  Having access to all of your social networks, bookmarks and RSS feeds in one place is very convenient and functional.  For example, with Firefox I can be catching up on my RSS reading, getting a pop up alerting me of a severe weather alert (ok ok I live in CA so we hardly ever have severe weather but surprisingly get a lot of warnings for severe weather), controlling my iTunes and getting notified when someone responds to one of my comments left on a site.  I’ve only been using Firefox 3.5 for about a week but I know that I will not be going back anytime soon.

Agree?  Disagree?  Have something to add?  Leave it in the comments!