Firefox vs. Internet Explorer

Firefox vs. Internet Explorer
Posted :: Dec 21, 2004 by kompakt

Many of us have been asking ourselves one big question that’s been plaguing society since the internet became the biggest thing: which browser should I choose? Well, the answer isn’t so simple. There are many browsers out there, usually several choices for all operating systems. Obviously, the diversity and abundance of them makes choosing the right one for your needs a chore. To make all of our lives a bit simpler, I’ve taken on the task of comparing two very common internet browsers for the Windows XP operating system: Mozilla’s Firefox and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. I will describe at least 3 features from each browser, describe the security features, and then time its speed going to a list of sites compiled by me. Lets begin.

Mozilla Firefox
Firefox has many great aspects that are usually taken for granted, while others are considered not too big of a deal, but despite that, Firefox has gotten much praise in the tech world for its simplicity and ease of use, and by some, is considered the best web browser Mozilla has come up with. I’ll begin by describing some of the features of this highly praised browser:

Tabbed Windows
This allows the user to browse two or more websites without having to open a new window. While having two or more tabs open may slow Firefox down a bit, they become something you get used to and eventually, realize the potential of this. If you need to find the window that has crucial information on it at work about the new programming language you’re trying to learn, you wont want crawl down to that start bar that has 6 browser windows open and go through the list to open it. Firefox eliminates that task. All you have to do is open a tab, type the URL and you’re all set.

Bookmarks Toolbar
Just like Tabbed Windows, the bookmarks toolbar will make searching for your favorite sites easier. No more opening the bookmarks folder and going through the large list of favorites! Just drag and drop from the favorites folder to the toolbar the sites you go to the most, and never go into that folder again!

Add or Remove Buttons
not really a huge feature, but Firefox makes adding and removing buttons easy. Right click on the buttons toolbar, click on customize and a window will appear giving you different choices of buttons to add.

Google Search Toolbar
This optional feature for Firefox is definitely a must for those who choose to use it and search frequently. This toolbar comes with a variety of features for searching, such as Google Groups and a web directory. Once more, Firefox is all about simplifying in this excellent feature.

Security Features
Firefox’s security features are pretty standard and easy to use, but nevertheless, keep you protected, and the built in popup blocker is a nice touch as well. To access the security features, click on tools, then go to options and a screen will pop up, giving you options like general, downloads, and the advanced features. Among these, you will see an option called privacy. Click on privacy, and then options such as history, saved passwords and download manager history will appear. You can then manually change the settings for all of these options to your preference.

Speed
Here are the results of Firefox’s speed test. (these could change for different users, as they could have a different internet connection.)
DeviantART(www.deviantart.com): about 15 seconds
Absolute Insight(www.absoluteinsight.net): about 4 seconds
Astralwerks(www.astralwerks.com): about 5 seconds
Alias(www.alias.com): about 20 seconds
Battlefield Nation(www.bfnation.net): about 4 seconds

This concludes my Mozilla firefox overview. I will now move on to Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer
As most of us know, Internet Explorer is the default web browser for windows that most people tend to use, either because they are satisfied with it, or because they simply don’t know about other browsers. In my point of view, internet explorer is a good way to familiarize yourself with the internet while at the same time, learning about what internet browsers can do. It works kind of like a “training session” before moving on to doing more advanced things like making a website, or using developer tools. Here are its feaures:

Media
While not a neseccary feature, the media bar in IE lets you search for online music, movies and radio and listen to it straight from IE. Pretty convienient for the type who tend to stream everything off the net. However, it does take up browsing space.

Favorites Toolbar
A common feature these days, the favorites toolbar of IE introduces you to bookmarking your most visited sites in organized folders. There are two ways to access the favorites toolbar: one is to go to the top of your screen, select favorites and a list of favorites will appear on the left side of your screen. The second way is to go to the menu, select favorites and the same list will appear, but more in the style of what Firefox would do.

Search Toolbar
This allows you to search for whatever you’d like on the web. Once again this is all about learning how to use a simple browser and getting used to the web. To access the search toolbar, click on the search button and your trusty search companion will appear on the left side of the screen.

Security Features
The security features of IE are pretty straightforward and manageable by any user, whether they be beginner or expert. In IE, there are two security options, called security and privacy. To access these, go to the menu and click on tools, then click on internet options in that category. A window will appear with tabs, but the ones you will be needing are the second and third ones from the left. Go into those and to customize your security and your all set for a safe trip through the web, and may no spyware ads damage your computer.

Speed
Here are the Results of IE’s speed test. . (these could change for different users, as they could have a different internet connection.)
DeviantART(www.deviantart.com): about 16 seconds
Absolute Insight(www.absoluteinsight.net): about 18 seconds
Astralwerks(www.astralwerks.com): about 31 seconds
Alias(www.alias.com): about 17 seconds
Battlefield Nation(www.bfnation.net): about 8 seconds

And the winner is…
Firefox! Mozilla firefox beat Microsoft Internet explorer in speed, design and ease of use, but internet explorer did put up a fighting chance, and if it wasn’t for the timing, it would’ve been pretty close. Good show, everyone.

Conclusion
Well, Firefox won the showdown, but this doesn’t mean it will neseccarily work that way for you. I hope this will help newcomers to web browsers in deciding on one of these in the future.

EDITOR's NOTE: A nice feature not mentioned by the author of this article is the import function for Mozilla Firefox. If you are worried about having to lose all of your stored passwords, history, or favorites during the switch from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox, think again. When installed Firefox will give you the option to import settings, bookmarks, history, passwords, etc from multiple different browsers (Internet Explorer included).

NOTE: the version of Mozilla Firefox used for this was 1.0 PR (pre release) and upgrading to the official release of 1.0 could cause changes in performance, and there could be different features.