While Microsoft’s Internet Explorer rules the Web surfing realm, the rising popularity of Mozilla’s Firefox browser among computer buffs and university students may be a cyberspace coup in the making.
From the pages of technology magazines to dorm hallways, Firefox has obtained a positive reputation for its protection against adware, its no-frills appearance and other special features. The browser’s 1.0 version has been downloaded 25 million times since its introduction in November, a Mozilla spokesman said. Before November, Firefox was an obscure browser in developmental stages.
“More people will use it through word of mouth and as people start to advertise it,” said Eric Byrd, IT coordinator for the Office of Information Technology. “If anything, it’s good that there’s competition.”
Joshua Miles, a junior computer science major, has used a form of Firefox for about a year. He said Firefox offers better protection against adware and spyware than Internet Explorer.
“I think it’s a lot better [than other browsers],” he said. “I put it on my parents’ computer and tell everyone else to use it.”
Adware is spread by companies that want to advertise with pop-ups on the Web or track users’ habits. Firefox protects against adware and spyware because it does not load vulnerable programs without users’ knowledge, Byrd said. Adware creators can find holes to exploit when programs are automatically loaded by Explorer, Byrd said.
“Firefox won’t go behind the scenes and install things,” Byrd said.
Another noted Firefox feature is the use of tabs instead of separate windows. Explorer requires users to open additional windows to browse more than one page, clogging up the bottom of the computer screen. Firefox uses tabs at the top of the screen for each Web page, allowing users to switch between pages more fluidly and without minimizing.
“The tabs are nice so you don’t have 20 windows open at the same time,” Miles said.
Firefox’s adaptability appealed to Perry Gorelik, a sophomore art studio and art history major who stopped using his old browser — Avant — after he encountered pop-ups.
“You can change its appearance, and there are things you can download with it,” Gorelik said. “You really can make it whatever you want it to be.”
As part of the Mozilla parent company, Firefox is another chapter in open source technology that began with a Netscape initiative in January 1998. Mozilla’s open source movement allows anyone to see how the browser’s “engine,” or coding, is set up and operates, Byrd said. This way, anyone with an idea to improve the system can implement the idea.
“One thing that’s possible is that Mozilla can get input from many people who use it, and it’s going to make it a lot better,” Byrd said. “Microsoft doesn’t have all the greatest minds working for it.”
Internet giant Yahoo! took notice of Firefox last week by releasing a search toolbar specifically designed for the browser, Reuters reported Feb. 9. Google also has a toolbar available on Firefox.
Despite any apparent advantages, Byrd said Explorer may not lose its dominance any time soon.
“Personally, I switch back and forth between browsers — it’s whatever I happen to click on that day,” he said. “It’s going to be a cat-and-mouse sort of thing.”
