BigBlueHat

Firefox 3.0 is the upcoming version (currently in beta) of the most flexible browser on earth (very little bias, promise ). I recently installed the latest version available to Ubuntu 7.10 users (Firefox 3.0 beta 3, I believe), and so far it’s been a joy.

Overall Firefox 3.0 beta 3 seems faster and looks better with the rest of my operating system. In the past, Firefox had its own set of user interface (UI) widgets (the buttons, menus, tabs, checkboxes, etc). While perfectly usable and even attractive, they were inconsistent with the surrounding interface.The Firefox team has done a great job of using the native widgets that your operating
system uses. This means that when I restyle my desktop theme (which you can do easily in Ubuntu by the way), I’ll see those changes reflected in my browser.

Beyond just a more consistent UI, Firefox 3.0 now passes the infamous Acid 2 Test. Acid 2 tests how well your browser implemented standard web technologies. The Internet Explorers have been notoriously bad at getting Acid 2 to work. IE 8 will, but only if you “opt-in” to use the standards. A List Apart, Issue 253, has more on that coming apocalypse.

As Firefox 3.0 continues to work through the beta process, many extensions are getting an upgrade. Many of mine worked when I installed Firefox 3.0 late last week. Others, like Firebug, didn’t initially, but it turns out there’s a beta for that as well (1.1) that gets things running again. Firebug really deserves its own post, but if you’re a web developer and you’ve not snagged a copy of this free (BSD-licensed) powerhouse, you should. It’ll change the way you build sites and web-based applications. If you use AJAX or other “Web 2.0″ technologies, the JavaScript and DOM inspector will remove much of your need for coffee, but I’ll save the specifics for another day.

In any case, if you’re into what’s next for the web, get a copy of Firefox 3.0. Do be warned, though, that just like other cutting edge technology, your mileage may vary.