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There are literally dozens if not hundreds of reasons why Firefox is a superior web browser compared to Internet Explorer. The fact Firefox is completely free to download and use, while important itself, is only the tip of the iceberg.

Here are my personal Top Ten reasons that I give when people ask me why I don’t use IE

1) The Firefox Community – Firefox has a large community of software coders, bloggers, fans and modders on forums and blogs like this one that support and help make Firefox what it is today.

2) Speed – When it comes to surfing the web there is no substitute for speed, and speed is what Firefox delivers. Not only does Firefox load more quickly than IE when starting it for the first time, it also renders and displays pages much faster.

3) Adaptability/Expandability/Customization - This is tied in to the community support that Firefox enjoys, as well as the Open Source nature of the programming. There are hundreds of people that are developing add-on features that you can download for free. There are currently hundreds of different types of extensions that can be added to Firefox to fit it to your own needs. There are Extensions (small add in utilities) such as the eBay Firefox Companion which lets dedicated eBayers track their bids and sales anywhere on the web or Forecastfox which displays weather forecasts for anywhere in the world you choose on your Toolbar. Installing these extensions and plugins is very simple as well.

4) Simple User Interface – Only the most commonly used features take up your precious screen real estate. The icons on the taskbar are easy to read and understand which makes it super easy to find the options and tasks that you wish to perform and use.

5) Cross Platform Functionality – It doesn’t matter if you are using a Linux, Windows or Macintosh computer, there is version of Firefox that will install on your computer.

6) Ease of Switching Browsers – The Firefox team purposefully used the same or similar keyboard shortcuts and certain user interface devices as other popular browsers in order to make people ‘feel more at home’ after they switch over. Since they were starting from the ground up, they took the best and most liked things about Internet Explorer, Safari and Opera and incorporated everything into one design that is familiar to everyone. It is also very easy to transfer bookmarks, settings and saved passwords to Firefox from your current browser.

7) Makes Searching as Easy as 1-2-3 – Firefox integrates a customizable search tool into the Toolbar at the top of the browser window. You can enter a search term from anywhere in the web and perform your searches instantly.You can also choose which search engine you want to use in Firefox, whether it is Yahoo, Google, MSN or any other search engine of your choice.

Better Online Protection/Security – Firefox is always up to date with the lastest security patches and updates. Every time Firefox connects to the Internet it checks to make sure that it has the lastest updates. It is also super easy to download and install these small updates.Firefox also considered by many security experts as the vital first step in protecting your computer from spyware and adware. Firefox does not allow any website to download or install any programs on your computer without your specific permission.

9) Tabbed Browsing – Instead of having multiple windows open each with one webpage being displayed, it is possible in Firefox to have multiple webpages open at the same time in one browser window. This helps keeps things organized on the desktop as well as just plain making web browsing fun and easy again.

10) Multiple Homepages – If you are like me you have several different websites that you wish could all be your homepage - hopefully this blog will become one of those - Now with Firefox you can have your dream come true. Firefox has several different options that you can choose to configure so that when you open up the browser it will do exactly what you want.

You can configure Firefox to bring back the same exact websites your had open the last time you where on the Internet and closed the window, called restore your last session.

OR

You can have it configured so that every time you click on the Home button it will automatically open any number of websites.The choice is yours, I have about 7 pages that open up automatically every time I hit the home button, but you can choose 2 or 20 or more.

The bottom line is that Firefox just keeps getting better and better – Microsoft seems content to just keep putting new graphical interfaces on Internet Explorer and calling them significant upgrades and security updates. Meanwhile the good folks over at Firefox keep making a great product even better with true innovation.

Please feel free to add your comments, questions and thoughts below.

Filed under: Firefox, Internet, Internet Explorer, Security