Mozilla's Firefox Web browser turned five years old last week, and as I took it for a celebratory spin (I'm a recent Chrome convert), it was easy to notice how similar all the major browsers have become in terms of basic functionality. Still, Firefox's fifth birthday provides a good excuse to put it under the spotlight. Here's what I love and hate about Mozilla's Web browser: Love: Add-Ons Unlike Internet Explorer, whose system for adding “Accelerators” feels a bit clunky, and Chrome, which doesn't have add-ons at all, Firefox's Add-On system feels intuitive, like it's a natural fit for the browser. Hate: No omnibar With Chrome, I've grown to love the idea of typing whatever I want into one single input box, be it a URL or a Web search. There were privacy concerns with this system initially, but Google has somewhat addressed them. Love: Still sticking with the menu bar Chrome and IE might value screen real estate instead, but kudos to Firefox for keeping the menus for “File,” “Edit,” “View” and “Tools” in plain sight. Hate: Windows first This is my personal preference, but when I want to open a page for later reading, my first preference is to create a new tab, rather than a new window. So why does Firefox offer “Open Link in New Window” as the first option? Love: Recently closed tabs, windows The “reopen closed tab” feature in Chrome is a savior for anyone who closes a Web page by accident, but Firefox takes it a step further by letting you review a larger recent history of closed tabs and windows. Browsers always compete over speed and performance, but the most time-saving features correct errors. Hate: Firefox dislikes your netbook The added screen real estate doesn't help, but I found that Firefox chugged on my netbook, at least by default. Also, Firefox's use of a single environment for each tab means the whole thing could crash if you bite off more browser windows than your poor little netbook can chew.
