Firefox 2 rocks (it’s way faster)

I’m boring, but Firefox 2 Release Candidate 2, released yesterday, isn’t (TechMeme has the details). It’s way faster and I like its UI a lot better too (it has the improved tabs that IE 7 has, where the close box is on the tab itself, much nicer).

But, really, this sucker is just faster everywhere I poke. Very nice.

  • Stephane Rodriguez

    Auto-session recovery after a crash is the best feature of this release for me.

    The inline spell checker is good too.

  • Stephane Rodriguez

    Auto-session recovery after a crash is the best feature of this release for me.

    The inline spell checker is good too.

  • http://www.loetzer.com/blog Thomas

    I installed it this morning and went back to 1.5 10 minutes later. There still is no single window mode (open links that request being opened in new windows in tabs, not new windows), it still can not restore my tabs after I closed Firefox. And even worse: The extension I us in 1.5 to do this (Tab Mix Plus) doesn’t work on 2.0. There is a dev build that’s supposed to work, but it doesn’t.

    Plus: The new theme is ugly. ;)

  • http://www.loetzer.com/blog Thomas

    I installed it this morning and went back to 1.5 10 minutes later. There still is no single window mode (open links that request being opened in new windows in tabs, not new windows), it still can not restore my tabs after I closed Firefox. And even worse: The extension I us in 1.5 to do this (Tab Mix Plus) doesn’t work on 2.0. There is a dev build that’s supposed to work, but it doesn’t.

    Plus: The new theme is ugly. ;)

  • Jon

    Maybe will now quit trashing the IE team for copying the Firefox team. Nah, probably not.

  • Jon

    Maybe will now quit trashing the IE team for copying the Firefox team. Nah, probably not.

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  • http://kelinciputih.wordpress.com/ phrostypoison

    Thomas: on the contrary, ‘single window mode’ is now the default mode.

    It’s in Options/Preferences > Tabs.

  • http://kelinciputih.wordpress.com/ phrostypoison

    Thomas: on the contrary, ‘single window mode’ is now the default mode.

    It’s in Options/Preferences > Tabs.

  • Diego

    “(it has the improved tabs that IE 7 has, where the close box is on the tab itself, much nicer).”

    So FireFox 2 has the improved tabs with the close box on the tab itself, which IE7 already has, which Safari had before IE 7? ;)

  • Diego

    “(it has the improved tabs that IE 7 has, where the close box is on the tab itself, much nicer).”

    So FireFox 2 has the improved tabs with the close box on the tab itself, which IE7 already has, which Safari had before IE 7? ;)

  • TAG

    Close box on tab is not so good as you think.

    Then you finished reading page – now instead of clicking on X in always predictable location – you have to search for active tab and move your mouse there.

    As well – if you have too many tabs open – you will see X near old place there you used to click on it. So it’s become possible to close wrong tab.

    I understand that my opinion is personal and some other users will like it better – as it give options to close windows without activating them first.
    But I wish we had an option to get close box in old location.

  • TAG

    Close box on tab is not so good as you think.

    Then you finished reading page – now instead of clicking on X in always predictable location – you have to search for active tab and move your mouse there.

    As well – if you have too many tabs open – you will see X near old place there you used to click on it. So it’s become possible to close wrong tab.

    I understand that my opinion is personal and some other users will like it better – as it give options to close windows without activating them first.
    But I wish we had an option to get close box in old location.

  • Dips

    TAG – I agree with you there. I haven’t used it yet but that is one feature that I would have liked to have stayed the same.

  • Dips

    TAG – I agree with you there. I haven’t used it yet but that is one feature that I would have liked to have stayed the same.

  • http://googolians.blogspot.com/ gavilan1010

    I know what you mean man, and that update that just came out makes it LOOK even better

  • http://googolians.blogspot.com/ gavilan1010

    I know what you mean man, and that update that just came out makes it LOOK even better

  • Woody

    “Middle-click” has always closed tabs. There is no need for the close icon. Middle click on a link opens the url in a new tabs. I imagine must people don’t realize the power of the “middle click”. And if you using an old Mac mouse you never will.

  • Woody

    “Middle-click” has always closed tabs. There is no need for the close icon. Middle click on a link opens the url in a new tabs. I imagine must people don’t realize the power of the “middle click”. And if you using an old Mac mouse you never will.

  • http://blog.dark-portal.info/ Matti Leppänen

    @Thomas
    Tried this extension? It is supposed to force your extension to believe that they’re compatible with your firefox
    http://users.blueprintit.co.uk/~dave/web/firefox/buildid/

    The new improved tab doesn’t move me much, because I use keyboard shortcuts to do all the jobs.

  • http://blog.dark-portal.info/ Matti Leppänen

    @Thomas
    Tried this extension? It is supposed to force your extension to believe that they’re compatible with your firefox
    http://users.blueprintit.co.uk/~dave/web/firefox/buildid/

    The new improved tab doesn’t move me much, because I use keyboard shortcuts to do all the jobs.

  • http://sudhakar.wordpress.com/ Sudhakar

    With IE Tab installed on FF2, I have almost forgotten IE :-) very neat.

  • http://sudhakar.wordpress.com Sudhakar

    With IE Tab installed on FF2, I have almost forgotten IE :-) very neat.

  • http://sneakatron.vox.com/ sneakatron

    Wow. It’s so much faster. It now supports SAGE, thats good.

  • http://sneakatron.vox.com sneakatron

    Wow. It’s so much faster. It now supports SAGE, thats good.

  • http://daijinryuu.wordpress.com/ Daijinryuu

    I’ll use 2.0 when it is no longer beta but is instead the latest stable version. :)

  • http://daijinryuu.wordpress.com/ Daijinryuu

    I’ll use 2.0 when it is no longer beta but is instead the latest stable version. :)

  • http://becs.wordpress.com/ becs

    Does everyone forget Opera? They were the instigators of tabbed browsing many halfmoons ago and have always had X close on each tab :)

  • http://becs.wordpress.com/ becs

    Does everyone forget Opera? They were the instigators of tabbed browsing many halfmoons ago and have always had X close on each tab :)

  • http://www.trendi.com/live Jimmy Gambier

    It does go much faster, unfortunately, the tabs don’t work! I’ll wait for stable release as well

  • http://www.trendi.com/live Jimmy Gambier

    It does go much faster, unfortunately, the tabs don’t work! I’ll wait for stable release as well

  • SpecialK

    You mean the close buttons copied from Safari, right? ctrl-w is so much more convenient, and I don’t accidentally close the tab I want when I click too close to the X on the tab. I’m trying to figure out how any of this is real news or worth anybody’s time.

  • SpecialK

    You mean the close buttons copied from Safari, right? ctrl-w is so much more convenient, and I don’t accidentally close the tab I want when I click too close to the X on the tab. I’m trying to figure out how any of this is real news or worth anybody’s time.

  • http://bw.watchtan.com/ Brian Warren

    RC1 had the close button on the tab, didn’t it? Seems like i’ve been browsing that way (sans any spiffy extensions to do such behavior) for weeks now, eh? (this one looks prettier though)

  • http://bw.watchtan.com Brian Warren

    RC1 had the close button on the tab, didn’t it? Seems like i’ve been browsing that way (sans any spiffy extensions to do such behavior) for weeks now, eh? (this one looks prettier though)

  • http://faith2hope2love.wordpress.com/ Will

    Firefox is just now catching up to where Opera has already been for quit a while – Ooh, a close box on the tab itself – how innovative. And quick? Gimme a break.

  • http://faith2hope2love.wordpress.com/ Will

    Firefox is just now catching up to where Opera has already been for quit a while – Ooh, a close box on the tab itself – how innovative. And quick? Gimme a break.

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  • http://www.loetzer.com/blog/ Thomas

    @phrostypoison
    Hm, then my imported profile must have killed that. For me it opened lots of new windows. Still the restore feature is missing which I use a lot.

    @Matti
    No, I haven’t tried that, but I don’t think it would help in this case. The dev build I used for Tab Mix Plus did work in the sense of it got activated, and some of the settings actually worked. But just some, e.g. the single window setting did not. So it seems to be more of a problem of how 2.0 opens windows which is different from how 1.5 did it.

    @Will
    If you just need the features that Opera provides I don’t see a reason not to use it and switch to Firefox. I switched to Firefox because Opera was missing features (most prominently ad blocking) and does not even have the concept of extensions. Whatever you like about Opera featurewise, there is definetly an extension for Firefox providing the exact same feature in a gazillion different ways so that everybody gets what he wants. And speed is not an issue for me, I have not yet encountered a browser which felt slow. There may be objetcivly fast or slow browsers, but as long as I don’t notice it I don’t care.

  • http://www.loetzer.com/blog/ Thomas

    @phrostypoison
    Hm, then my imported profile must have killed that. For me it opened lots of new windows. Still the restore feature is missing which I use a lot.

    @Matti
    No, I haven’t tried that, but I don’t think it would help in this case. The dev build I used for Tab Mix Plus did work in the sense of it got activated, and some of the settings actually worked. But just some, e.g. the single window setting did not. So it seems to be more of a problem of how 2.0 opens windows which is different from how 1.5 did it.

    @Will
    If you just need the features that Opera provides I don’t see a reason not to use it and switch to Firefox. I switched to Firefox because Opera was missing features (most prominently ad blocking) and does not even have the concept of extensions. Whatever you like about Opera featurewise, there is definetly an extension for Firefox providing the exact same feature in a gazillion different ways so that everybody gets what he wants. And speed is not an issue for me, I have not yet encountered a browser which felt slow. There may be objetcivly fast or slow browsers, but as long as I don’t notice it I don’t care.

  • pakcar

    I’m agreed with you. It’s not only faster but useful too.

  • pakcar

    I’m agreed with you. It’s not only faster but useful too.

  • Christopher Coulter

    Faster, yes, but then Opera’s been miles down the road eons ago, but then I can’t live without some FF extensions, so mull between Opera and FF. But IE is a long long distant memory and use Avant for those times when IE proves a neccessary evil.

  • Christopher Coulter

    Faster, yes, but then Opera’s been miles down the road eons ago, but then I can’t live without some FF extensions, so mull between Opera and FF. But IE is a long long distant memory and use Avant for those times when IE proves a neccessary evil.

  • http://jean.wordpress.com/ jean

    robert,
    yest you blog was not in the top blog section. guess your new job is taking much of your time.

    http://www.irin.co.uk

  • http://jean.wordpress.com/ jean

    robert,
    yest you blog was not in the top blog section. guess your new job is taking much of your time.

    http://www.irin.co.uk

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  • heraclyde

    The new default skin is just ugly.
    Rss feeds dont’t look as good as in IE7.
    Visual rendering of pages is not as smooth as in IE7.

    Anyway, i use FF2(RC2) because it is THE browser.

  • heraclyde

    The new default skin is just ugly.
    Rss feeds dont’t look as good as in IE7.
    Visual rendering of pages is not as smooth as in IE7.

    Anyway, i use FF2(RC2) because it is THE browser.

  • http://nosugrefneb.com nosugrefneb

    Still not as fast as OmniWeb…