Before I start this post I’m going to explain what my stance on this kind of thing is. I know all about web standards and browsers and I’m well aware of the views and opinions people hold in their collective groups and to be honest it worries me that people can’t think for themselves on the subject or just accept that people have their reasons for thinking this or that.
I used to use Windows XP as my main OS. I used Internet Explorer 7 to browse the net and was very happy doing so. It was sleek, the interface was good and performance wasn’t a problem. I tried Firefox 3 and like it’s approach to things.
But in no way would I dream of using it for casual browsing because it was slow to load up had a clumsy user experience (I wont get into why I think it does). I thought that the slow Firefox start was Microsoft’s fault but since migrating to Ubuntu Linux I’ve found this not to be the case and I’ve no idea who let the Ubuntu version look like that. I’m using a PC that I consider to have a reasonable spec – a Pentium 4 3GHz with a gig of RAM. I think it’s a shame (but I’m sure I could optimise my system a lot more).
However, at work I need to analyse web pages. Firebug is a dream. You’ve also got the Web Developer Toolbar by Chris Pederick that can do anything you can think of. I wish the functions and interfaces weren’t so fragmented but that’s what you get with an open customisable application like Firefox. As for doing the job it’s good. Aside from the 5 minute startup wait it’s a seamless experience (and this is at work with a Dual Core Xeon and twice the RAM!).
I’ve got my list of add-ons. Each one helps me almost daily. As you can probably see from the window-shot above I’ve made the interface as minimal as I can.
Then there was Google’s Chrome. As you may know Chrome makes me happy. I can develop with it but not as well as with Firefox. Once Firebug and Web Developer work for it it’s goodbye Firefox. Until then, I’m more than happy working with websites using Firefox. In my eyes it’s not a browser, it’s a powerful tool.
