Mozilla Firefox

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Mozilla Firefox
Firefox.9.0.1.shikidust.gmgup.en.png

Firefox 9.0.1
Developer: Mozilla Foundation / Mozilla Corporation
Latest release: 9.0.1 / December 2011
OS: Cross-platform
Available language(s): Many languages (76)
Use: Web browser
License: MPL/GPL/LGPL/Mozilla EULA
Website: www.mozilla.com/firefox

Mozilla Firefox is a free open source web browser for the computer. It uses the Gecko HTML rendering engine. It is made by the Mozilla Foundation. It works on many operating systems. The makers tried to make it very modular, easy to use, and safe.

Contents

[change] Version 3.0

Usage share of alternative web browsers (non-IE) according to Stat Counter. [1]
     Firefox      Safari      Opera
     Netscape      Mozilla      Other
Firefox.svg
market share overview
According to StatCounter data

May 2011[2]
Browser  % of Fx  % of Total
Firefox 1 0.03% 0.01%
Firefox 1.5 0.06% 0.02%
Firefox 2 0.6% 0.18%
Firefox 3 3.11% 0.91%
Firefox 3.5 6.1% 1.73%
Firefox 3.6 51.26% 13.18%
Firefox 4 38.66% 13.33%
Firefox 5 - -
Other[FF 1] 0.03% 0.01%
All variants[3] 100.00% 29.36%
  1. ↑ Other mostly consists of an
    unnumbered Firefox version
    and Firefox 3.1 which is a series of betas for 3.5.

The name for Firefox 3.0 while it was being made was Gran Paradiso.[4] "Gran Paradiso", like other Firefox development names, is an actual place; in this case the second-highest mountain group in the Graian Alps.

In 2006, the development team asked people who use Firefox to submit feature ideas that they wanted to be in Firefox 3.[5]

NetApplications says that the use of Firefox 3 has been going up very fast to a usage share of 23.75% in September 2009. They think that this increase means that Firefox 3 is stable and that users are using it as their main browser.[6]

[change] Guinness World Record

The date for the launch of Firefox 3 was June 17, 2008, named "Download Day 2008." Firefox was aiming to set the record for most Firefox downloads in 24 hours. As of June 18, 2008, more than 6.88 million people have downloaded Firefox 3.[7] [8]

Many people tried to go the Mozilla website on June 17 making it unavailable for at least a few hours. The site was not updated for the download of Firefox 3 until 12:00 PDT.[9][10] "Download Day" ended at 11:16 AM PDT June 18. [11]Firefox 3 has been downloaded 28,340,281 different times.[12]

[change] Features

[change] Add-ons

[change] Extensions

Extensions let a user add new things to the browser or change how it does something. They are created by other users. Because extensions are able to access all parts of the computer that Firefox can, extensions that can harm a computer could be made. However,the extension can only change system settings if you have administrator privileges.

[change] Themes

Firefox also has themes or skinning which change the way the browser looks to the user. Some themes that can make Firefox look like other browsers, such as Internet Explorer and Netscape.

These are the default themes in Firefox.

Firefox 3 Strata Aero.png
Microsoft Windows Vista "Strata"[13] visual style.
 Firefox 3 Strata XP.png
Microsoft Windows XP "Strata"[13] visual style.
Firefox 3 Firelight.png
Mac OS X "Firelight"[13] visual style.
 Firefox 3 Tango Blubuntu.png
Linux "Tango"[13] theme on Ubuntu.

[change] Tabs

Tabbed browsing is a feature used in the browser where many webpages can be opened in one window, with labeled tabs on top to select the webpage. To make a new empty tab, type control-T.

[change] Searching

There is a search box in Firefox that can be seen in the top right corner of the window. When someone using Mozilla Firefox types something in the search box and presses enter, the browser will search the Internet using a search engine like Google or Yahoo!. There are "search suggestions" in Firefox 2. When words are typed in the search box, suggested words will appear. For example, if "wiki" is typed, the browser will suggest "Wikipedia".

[change] Spell checking

Firefox can use spell checking, if a word is typed badly into a text box, like the one where someone changes a Wikipedia page, the program will underline the word that is spelled wrong with a red line. If you scroll over that word and right click, Mozilla Firefox will list words which use the right spelling. For example: the wrong word "chekc" will have "check" as a suggestion.

[change] Awards

Mozilla Firefox has been given a number of awards by many organizations. These awards include:

  • CNET Editors' Choice, June 2008[14]
  • Webware 100 winner, April 2008[15]
  • Webware 100 winner, June 2007[16]
  • PC World 100 Best Products of 2007, May 2007[17]
  • PC Magazine Editors' Choice, October 2006[18]
  • CNET Editors' Choice, October 2006[19]
  • PC World's 100 Best Products of 2006, July 2006[20]
  • PC Magazine Technical Excellence Award, Software and Development Tools category, January 2006[21]
  • PC Magazine Best of the Year Award, December 27, 2005[22]
  • PC Pro Real World Award (Mozilla Foundation), December 8, 2005[23]
  • CNET Editors' Choice, November 2005[24]
  • UK Usability Professionals' Association Award Best Software Application 2005, November 2005[25]
  • Macworld Editor's Choice with a 4.5 Mice Rating, November 2005[26]
  • Softpedia User’s Choice Award, September 2005[27]
  • TUX 2005 Readers' Choice Award, September 2005[28]
  • PC World Product of the Year, June 2005[29]
  • Forbes Best of the Web, May 2005[30]
  • PC Magazine Editor’s Choice Award, May 2005[31]

[change] References

  1. ↑ Market share for browsers, operating systems and search engines
  2. ↑ Top 12 Browser Versions on May 2011 StatCounter Global Stats
  3. ↑ Top 5 Browsers on May 2011 StatCounter Global Stats
  4. ↑ Vukicevic, Vladimir (June 2, 2006). "Gecko 1.9/Firefox 3 ("Gran Paradiso") Planning Meeting, Wednesday Jun 7, 11:00 am". Google Groups: mozilla.dev.planning. http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.planning/browse_thread/thread/c73f6a1c25e8e7b0/b714ca46975f0109#b714ca46975f0109. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
  5. ↑ Reimer, Jeremy (2006-10-13). "Firefox accepting feature suggestions for version 3". Arstechnica.com. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061013-7986.html. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
  6. ↑ "Firefox 3.0 BETA Gaining Market Share". NetApplications. http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=3&qpcustom=Firefox+3.0&sample=11. Retrieved 2008-04-20. 
  7. ↑ "http://www.spreadfirefox.com/en-US/worldrecord/". 2008-06-17. http://www.spreadfirefox.com/en-US/worldrecord/. Retrieved 2008-06-17. 
  8. ↑ "Live Firefox Download Counter". 2008-06-18. http://www.spreadfirefox.com/en-US/worldrecord. Retrieved 2008-06-18. 
  9. ↑ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/17/firefox_3_debuts/ Firefox 3 Download Day falls flat on face
  10. ↑ The Mozilla Blog - Firefox 3 coming soon!
  11. ↑ Download Day is here! :: The Mozilla Blog
  12. ↑ Firefox 3 sets new Download World Record, I4U News
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Firefox 3: Tango, Strata, Firelight - Mozilla Links
  14. ↑ "Firefox 3 Browser reviews - CNET Reviews". http://reviews.cnet.com/browsers/firefox-3/4505-3514_7-33087853.html?hhTest=1. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
  15. ↑ "Webware 100 Award Winner Firefox". http://news.cnet.com/8301-13546_109-9913314-29.html?hhTest=1. Retrieved 2008-04-25. 
  16. ↑ "Webware 100 Award Winner Firefox". http://news.cnet.com/8301-13546_109-9729691-29.html?hhTest=1. Retrieved 2007-10-22. 
  17. ↑ "The 100 Best Products of 2007". http://www.pcworld.com/article/131935-5/the_100_best_products_of_2007.html. Retrieved 2007-10-22. 
  18. ↑ "Firefox 2.0 Review". http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2047445,00.asp. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
  19. ↑ "Firefox 2 CNET Editor's Review". http://reviews.cnet.com/browsers/firefox-2/4505-3514_7-32126746.html?hhTest=1. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
  20. ↑ "The 100 Best Products of 2006". http://www.pcworld.com/article/125706-13/the_100_best_products_of_2006.html. Retrieved 2007-10-22. 
  21. ↑ "Mozilla Firefox & Altiris SVS". http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1903598,00.asp. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
  22. ↑ "Best of the Year, Software: Home, Firefox". http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,1898240,00.asp. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
  23. ↑ "PC Pro Awards 2005 - the winners". http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/81155/pc-pro-awards-2005-the-winners.html. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
  24. ↑ "Firefox 1.5, CNET editors' review". http://reviews.cnet.com/browsers/firefox-1-5/4505-3514_7-31516411.html?hhTest=1&tag=prod. Retrieved 2007-10-22. 
  25. ↑ "First UK UPA Awards commend Firefox, Flickr, Google, Apple, John Lewis and BA". http://www.usabilitynews.com/news/article2786.asp. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
  26. ↑ "Web browser roundup". http://www.macworld.com/article/47001/2005/09/browserrdp.html. Retrieved 2007-10-22. 
  27. ↑ "Firefox Receives Softpedia User’s Choice Award". http://news.softpedia.com/news/Firefox-Receives-the-Softpedia-User-s-Choice-Award-8221.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
  28. ↑ "UX 2005 Readers' Choice Award Winners Announced". http://www.tuxmagazine.com/node/1000151. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
  29. ↑ "The 100 Best Products of 2005". http://www.pcworld.com/article/120763/the_100_best_products_of_2005.html. Retrieved 2007-10-22. 
  30. ↑ "Best of the Web, BOW Directory, Look It Up, Web Browsers, Firefox". http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/review.jhtml?id=7702. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
  31. ↑ "Firefox 1.0.3". http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1815859,00.asp. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 

[change] Other websites

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