Product Reviews

Firefox has been gaining ground in both the Mac and Windows markets, and there's a host of new features and updates to the latest version in what is a really impressive offering considering the software is free. Better still, Firefox 1.5 comes without the restrictions or advertising banners of other browser manufacturers.

The interface is much the same, although there are a few minor tweaks here and there - for example, you can now drag and drop browser tabs and toolbar bookmarks to rearrange their order. The latest version also offers automated updates and clearer notification of when updates are available.

Pop-up blocking is also more reliable. Although this is difficult to test, we did find fewer intrusions. Firefox now offers a Clear Private Data option that will remove at a keystroke personal data that might be stored in cookies for online email and so on.

The toolbar search engine is still Google, and you can now add other engines directly

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from the toolbar itself. Firefox 1.5 has more approachable profile migration and more reliable switching from Internet Explorer or Safari. There have also been numerous security updates.

We ran the Acid2 browser test (at www.webstandards.org) to see how well the new version of Firefox coped, and found that the programmers have a little way to go before they can say Firefox is fully standards compliant. It doesn't help the Firefox cause that the latest version of Safari passes the test with flying colours.

Tests aside, we found Firefox to be reliable and fast. The full crash-reporting process means you can help the Firefox development team make the browser even more stable, and there's an option in the Help menu that enables you to report any website that Firefox can't display properly.

With Safari coming on leaps and bounds, Firefox may face an uphill struggle to continue growing on the Mac platform. However, overall, it really is an excellent browser that renders quickly and efficiently, even without passing the Acid2 test. The interface might not be to everyone's taste, but you could level the same complaint at any browser. And there are dozens of alternative Themes available online, although make sure the one you want is compatible with version 1.5 before you download it.

If you're not happy with Safari, Firefox is certainly a good alternative. Add to that the fact there's nothing to lose because it's free and Firefox is a truly attractive alternative.