Firefox 4 - Fast and Powerful

Firefox Looks to Google Chrome for Ideas

Over the last year or two Mozilla Firefox has started to forget its roots, those being speed and performance. Of course we can't lay all of the blame on Mozilla as most of this has happened thanks to Firefox's massive library of third party add-ons. I'll admit I'm a add-on fan(11 plugins installed!), but it's at the point where I myself am considering switching to Google Chrome for its pure speed.

So what can Mozilla do to ensure Firefox 4 becomes a faster, cleaner, and more compact browser? The current browser(Firefox 3.6.3) blows Chrome out of the water when it comes to features and add-ons, but it now needs to catch up in speed by removing much of its bloated last generation design. If you want to be the best, you might as well learn from the best, which is exactly what Mozilla is doing with the design of Firefox 4.

The new browser places tabs above address bar, and also does away with the standard menu bar (File, Edit, View, etc.), à la Google Chrome. For me, these changes signify progression. Google is known as a leader of innovation on the web, and Mozilla knows and accepts it. Google Chrome made a bold move in removing the Menu Bar and changing the standard browser layout we were all so used to. Fortunately these changes were made for all the right reasons, and Mozilla will be following their example when Firefox 4 is released.

Firefox 4 Adds 64-bit Support

Although Firefox needs to play some catch up in the areas of speed and usability, they're still paving the way when it comes to great features and pushing the standards of the web. Firefox 4 has some cool new features including an extra speedy 64-bit version, support for Direct2D, and compatibility with multitouch devices. Another addition for their list of HTML 5 features will be support for scalable vector graphics. It's been mentioned that the browser might even support WebGL(a web standard that provides a 3D graphics API), however they might put this on hold until 4.1 in order to release the brower on time.

Firefox 4 Screenshot

Check out the screen shot below with a legend signifying some of the new design elements.

1. Application button
2. Refining Toolbar Button Appearance
3. Location bar
4. Retain Separate Search bar
5. Bookmarks widget

A Fast and Powerful Firefox

Overall, I'm pretty excited about how the new browsers are shaping up. It's another big step for Mozilla Firefox, and I think it's a step in the right direction. For more on Firefox 4.0, check out this official blog post from Mozilla.