Home Technology Firefox launches its fastest browser to rattle Chrome’s dominance

Firefox launches its fastest browser to rattle Chrome’s dominance

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Firefox

For many of us, Google’s Chrome has become the de facto browser. Other browsers, on a freshly installed operating system, serve solely as a platform to download Chrome. Over the years though, Chrome has become a bit of a bloated, memory-hogging mess. It’s no longer faster or leaner than everything else. Even Microsoft’s reinvigorated Internet Explorer, Edge, is less resource intensive.

Back before google ruled the world and Chrome was even a thing, we used a different browser that wasn’t Internet Explorer. Not, not Lynx, you Linux nerds. I’m talking about Netscape, which eventually laid the foundation for Firefox. Though still a favourite with web developers and those less keen on Google’s all-seeing-eye, Firefox fell out of favour a little.

Firefox has been trying to claw back browser market share – and with its latest release, Firefox Quantum, it may just succeed.

Firefox Quantum is finally out of beta, and it’s a superfast browser that’s built to modern web standards. And fast is right, According to Firefox, the browser is now twice as fast as it was just six months ago. It’s also a little less greedy when it comes to gobbling up your RAM.

“We looked at real world hardware to make Firefox look great on any display, and we made sure that Firefox looks and works like Firefox regardless of the device you’re using,” SVP Mark Mayo explains in a blog post. “Our designers created a system that scales to more than just current hardware but lets us expand in the future.”

Convincing users to switch to another browser is going to be tricky, but Quantum is a good step towards that. I’ve been using it exclusively this morning, and there are some handy features I already like – including the ability to import everything from Chrome (including saved passwords!) to make the transition a lot easier.

Last Updated: November 15, 2017

20 Comments

  1. Ottokie

    November 15, 2017 at 09:13

    I was a big firefox fan, but Chrome just offers so much more. But the last year I have been having loads of loading issues with any streaming site like Twitch or Showmax, sometimes having to refresh a couple of times before the site load kicks in. I have wiped it clean and the problem just returns in a few days.

    I will be loading this firefox on my work PC to test out for a week, if its good then I will transition back.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief

      November 15, 2017 at 09:17

      Let me know, I’m in the same boat. Was a HUUUUGE FireFox fan, but also moved over to GIMME_ALL_DEM_MEMORY-Chrome

      Reply

      • Ottokie

        November 15, 2017 at 09:21

        Actually I am going to test it on my media PC at home, cause the issues I have with Chrome is the worst on there because all my streaming is done on it.

        Reply

    • HvR

      November 15, 2017 at 10:37

      Always preferred Firefox interface and find their addons way more user friendly and solid than the Chrome free-all market.

      Only moved to Chrome 3 years ago due to the ever increasing Firefox mem leaks

      Reply

  2. VampyreSquirrel

    November 15, 2017 at 09:17

    All I get with Chrome is loss of memory… ok granted, Firefox isn’t much better… but it’s still better 😛

    Reply

  3. Skittle

    November 15, 2017 at 09:26

    So about your poll mechanic.. why is it that, after I vote, the sharing thing pops up and I can no longer see the results? Is there a way to view the results?

    Reply

    • Magoo

      November 15, 2017 at 09:29

      Agree.

      Reply

    • Geoffrey Tim

      November 15, 2017 at 09:44

      That’s a pretty damned good point, that I’m going to look into.
      We’re really just testing it out for shits and giggles, but its pointless if it doesnt display results.

      Reply

  4. Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

    November 15, 2017 at 09:56

    Been using the cute little fox for ages, and using Quantum now. It browses the internet.

    Reply

  5. HvR

    November 15, 2017 at 10:40

    Definitely trying out, still using Thunderbird (I hate web interfaces and not paying M$ R5000 for a mail client). although it was very close to getting canned last year it is miles better this year. Mozilla finally focusing on ease of use again over bell and whistles.

    Reply

  6. Cooe

    November 15, 2017 at 11:12

    “It’s also a little greedy when it comes to gobbling up your RAM.”

    Lol you’re joking, right? Firefox in all it’s modern forms, and most ESPECIALLY Quantum is SOOOOOO much more memory efficient than Chrome it’s absolutely freaking ridiculous. It’s one of the major reasons I’ve never jumped ship permanently despite re-installing Chrome for a test period at least twice a year. Chrome will generally use 25-50%+ more RAM vs Firefox when running an identical list of tabs. This becomes a MAJOR problem when one’s active tab numbers start to reach into the 100’s, even with 32GB of high-speed DDR4 (3200MHz) being pushed by a modern 8-core/16-thread CPU (Ryzen 7 1700, 4GHz). I’ve also found Chrome to be far more susceptible to memory leaks recently (over the past year or so), which is odd because that used to be reversed (Firefox used less RAM in general, but was more susceptible to leaks; now it’s better then Chrome at both).

    Reply

    • Geoffrey Tim

      November 15, 2017 at 11:44

      honestly, I left out the word “less” – and that has been fixed. 🙂

      Reply

      • Cooe

        November 15, 2017 at 11:48

        Hahaha figured as much. Firefox, even with Quantum has many very real & significant issues, but being a greedy RAM hog is most definitely not one of them; it’s memory management system is arguably one of the greatest advantages FF has over the competition (*glares ominously in Chrome’s direction*).

        Reply

  7. Guz

    November 15, 2017 at 11:34

    Ive been using the beta for about a month now, and i must say im quite happy with it, find it handles multiple tabs well. I used to love chrome but found it just chowed memory like a fat boy in a cupcake store

    Reply

  8. HvR

    November 15, 2017 at 15:50

    After one day of use paint me impressed.

    As a bonus (xmas bonus money for you guys) I can finally use CH again with ad blocker.

    Reply

  9. Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

    November 16, 2017 at 12:05

    Btw @OddSockZA:disqus , this updated version nearly crippled my laptop. I have reverted to Chrome.

    Reply

    • Geoffrey Tim

      November 16, 2017 at 12:58

      so weird. Most people who;’ve used it have had a good, good time.

      Reply

  10. Jane Brewer

    November 21, 2017 at 11:38

    I have updated Firefox but still this is not more convince then Chrome in terms of speed or user experience

    Reply

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