I recently wrote (at http://goo.gl/2GCK8) about the release of Internet Explorer version 9. Now a number of newsletter readers have written to tell that Mozilla has officially announced the final, official, release of Firefox version 4.0. Past versions of Firefox have been considered by most users to be safer, faster, and more bug-free than Internet Explorer.
It's too early to tell if the latest version 4 remains that much better than Internet Explorer version 9, but early indications look promising. Even better, unlike Internet Explorer version 9, Firefox 4 works well on Windows XP systems as well as on Macintosh, Linux, and other operating systems. It will also be available on Android and Maemo devices soon.
Firefox 4 is between two and six times faster than previous releases and reportedly is much faster than any version of Internet Explorer. Major enhancements to the JavaScript engine make everything from startup time to page load speed to graphics and JavaScript performance screaming fast in Firefox.
The latest version of Firefox introduces a sleek new look that lets Web content take center stage. Firefox also delivers industry-leading privacy and security features like Do Not Track and Content Security Policy to give users control over their personal data and protect them online.
I downloaded and installed Firefox 4.0 a few minutes ago but have not yet had enough "hands on" time to form any opinions. I can say that downloading and installation was painless. The new version does have a different "look and feel" from earlier versions that will probably require getting used to. So far, I can't see any advantages or disadvantages to this new "look and feel," it is simply different. However, version 4.0 certainly does appear to be faster than the previous version 3.6.6 I have been using.
You can read more about Firefox 4 at http://goo.gl/vDtYJ or download the free web browser at http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/new/
