Internet Explorer is jokingly referred to as the “Firefox Downloading Application.” Like most humor, there is a lot of truth behind the phrase as Firefox is known to be a superior web browser. After installing Firefox, most likely through Internet Explorer, you will want to make sure you can use your new browser as efficiently and effectively as possible. 

One of the first things that Firefox will ask you is if you would like to import your current list of favorite websites from any other browsers you already have installed. This option is only worthwhile if you have a large list of favorites already since Internet Explorer comes with a few preloaded favorites that pertain only to itself. Avoid having to wade through these later, and make the choice not to import your favorites if this is the case. By the way, when making the switch to Firefox, your favorites will now be called “Bookmarks.”

Once you have Firefox loaded up, you will notice some key differences between it and your previous browsers. For one, where the menu bar is normally on your programs, you will now find your tabs bar. This frees up valuable screen real estate, so your browser can display more of the page you are visiting. If you are uncomfortable with the layout of Firefox, you can easily change the display options by clicking the orange “Firefox” button on the top left of the screen, mouse-over “options,” then click the choice “Menu Bar.” 

If you like to have embedded search functions or use other toolbars on your browser, Firefox offers a dedicated community of developers and companies that release add-ons that can be accessed via the previously mentioned orange “Firefox” button and choosing “Add-ons.” This will bring up an easy-to-use page in your browser called “Add-ons manager.” The “Get Add-Ons” section allows you to browse and install any additional functional changes to the way you want to use Firefox. “Extensions” will display the add-ons you have installed that have a visible function (e.g. toolbars, Google modifiers, etc.). “Display” will show you the different visual options you have downloaded and allows you to easily switch your Firefox’s current look and feel. And “Plugins” will show you all the add-ons installed that run in the background but control different aspects of web browsing, which includes flash players, media players and certain document control programs (like Adobe Acrobat) among others.

Firefox is a robust browser that runs smoothly, loads quickly and is compatible with more websites than any other browser now available. Give it a shot, and you will also start referring to Internet Explorer as the “Firefox Downloading Application.”

In the mid-1990s personal computers were just beginning to be seen in homes, and the Internet was a new phenomenon. Companies were being started to compete in this new market, and several web browsers and operating systems vied for primacy. Operating systems available at that time included Microsoft Windows, IBM OS/2 and Linux. The major web browsers were Mosaic, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Netscape’s Communicator. 

In 1998 Netscape announced that it would release the source code for Communicator. This was intended to lead to improvements in the browser and spark interest in the enterprise version of the browser. Many programmers took advantage of this release to experiment with this free code. One group of programmers started a project they called Mozilla.

One of the early logos of the Netscape Corporation was Mozilla, a cartoon dinosaur. The name Mozilla was a combination of Mosaic-killer and Godzilla. Godzilla was a popular Japanese movie monster at the time. The name and logo represented Netscape’s determination to unseat Mosaic as the most popular browser. When Netscape released its source code, the name was a natural choice for developers using this code. Mozilla.org was born.

Mozilla was an open project. Developments were posted on the Internet, and programmers and developers from all over the world contributed improvements and new functions. In 2002 the organization released its first full version of a browser based on the Netscape code, Mozilla 1.0. However, Mozilla 1.0 was not a popular success. Internet Explorer was dominating the market by this time; it was being used by over 90% of web users.

Phoenix Rises from the Ashes of Communicator

In the same year the Mozilla project also produced a new browser called Phoenix. By this time Mozilla was starting to move away from creations that were meant to be improved versions of Communicator. The new direction was toward creating their own, totally new software, and making it available to everyone. Phoenix was the first step in that direction.

Phoenix becomes Firefox

In 2003 members of the Mozilla project formed the non-profit organization, the Mozilla Foundation. The foundation continued the goal of releasing new software and improving on existing projects. They placed much emphasis on Phoenix over the next year. Phoenix was soon renamed to Firebird and then to Firefox due to similarities to the names of other software programs. In 2004 Firefox 1.0 was released. It was downloaded by over 100 million users in its first year. 

Firefox Features

The new Firefox browser came with many innovative features. 

• Pop-up Blocker – Pop-ups were a relatively new advertising method at the time, and Firefox offered the option to prevent these screens from appearing over the page being viewed.
• Anti-Fraud Features – Another new phenomenon at this time was attempts to capture information such as credit card data and passwords. Firefox implemented features to prevent these by identifying secure sites.
• Integrated Web Searching – Firefox integrated search functions for such popular sites as Google, Amazon.com, Yahoo! and eBay.
• Migration Other Browsers – This feature was useful for users that wanted to switch to Firefox after having used other browsers for some time. Firefox included an easy-to-use function to import bookmarks, cookies, passwords and other user data from other browsers.

Over the years Firefox has continued to improve and innovate, while steadily increasing the percentage of users that choose it. Firefox is estimated to be the third most popular browser today, behind Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Firefox currently offers version 11.0 and is more popular than ever.

One of our readers has recently sent us the following question:

I accidentally clicked “Never for this site” when Firefox asked if I want to save a password. How do I change this so it WILL remember my password?

Actually, we’ve gotten this question a lot. Thanks to built-in Firefox features, making this change is not really a problem. Here’s how to fix it:

Go to “Tools > Options” in the menu bar.
Click on the “Privacy” icon on the top.
Select the “Passwords” tab.
Click on the “View Saved Passwords” button near the bottom.
Navigate to the “Passwords Never Saved” section in that window.
Select the password that you want Firefox to remember and click “Remove”.
Click “Close” when you’re done
If you want to delete a password it did save, ignore step 5.

Another fairly common problem is forgetting your master password. While all of your passwords will be lost, there is a way to reset it:

Type chrome://pippki/content/resetpassword.xul into the address bar and press Enter.
Click “Reset”.
Hope this helps!

I remember the days when I had multiple browser windows open so I could look at different sites at the same time. Now, I use Firefox’s essential tabs feature because it’s faster and easier use. Tabs have virtually eliminated the need for new windows. However, there are some times when tabs just don’t fit the bill — you need a duplicate window open like when you’re trying to read the description and the comments of an item in an online store and want to view both side-by-side.

You can go to ‘File > New Window’ but that just opens up your homepage instead of a copy (or clone) of the window you were viewing, and its a bother to copy the URL. Also if you have multiple home-pages, it could take a while to load, especially if you are on dialup.

Unlike cloning a sheep, cloning a window is quite easy thanks to Firefox’s wonderfully handy extensions! You can download the “Clone Window” extension from the author’s website or from the Mozilla Extension Room.

Once you’ve got Clone Window installed, opening a new window will clone the first tab from your existing window. You should go to “Tools > Extensions> Clone Window” and click the Options button to change the settings to personalize the extension to fit your needs. There you can select which option you prefer when you select ‘New Window’. You can choose between the default action, a blank window, your homepage or homepages, or a cloned window (an exact copy of the window you are on).

Even though this is the Clone Window Extension, it could really be called the Clone Window and Tabs Extension because it can modify the tabs behavior too. Just like the new window options, you can choose between the default action, a blank tab, the home page tab, or a cloned tab.

You may only use this extension a few times, or you may use it all the time, but it will take away just one more of those tedious tasks.

If you’re like me, then your hands keep going back and forth between your keyboard and mouse when using a browser. Apart from being a waste of time, after some time of this, your hand begins to get tired. Luckily, Firefox has a whole host of built-in keyboard shortcuts that can make your surfing much more pleasing and efficient.

This article lists some of the more common shortcuts that will save your hand a few trips between the mouse and keyboard.
Mac users, substitute Command [Cmd] for Ctrl and Option for Alt, and most of these shortcuts will work just fine for you!

Page Navigation

• Back - Backspace or Alt + <- (left arrow)
• Forward - Shift + Backspace or Alt + -> (right arrow)
• Reload page - Ctrl + R or F5
• Stop [loading page] - Esc

Tabs and Windows

• New Tab - Ctrl + T
• New Window - Ctrl + N
• Next Tab - Ctrl + Tab or Ctrl + Page Down
• Previous Tab - Ctrl + Shift + Tab or Ctrl + Page Up
• Select a Tab by Number - Ctrl + Number of Tab (1 for the first tab, 2 for the second tab, etc.)
• Close Tab - Ctrl + W or Ctrl + F4

Other Common Shorcuts

• Bookmarks - Ctrl + B
  • Add bookmark - Ctrl + D
  • Bookmark all open tabs - Ctrl + Shift + D
• History - Ctrl + H
• Homepage - Alt + Home
• Downloads Window - Ctrl + J

Of course, the common cross-platform shortcuts for copying (Ctrl + C), selecting everything (Ctrl + A), printing (Ctrl + P), and most others also work in Firefox.

In part 2, I will explore several other useful shorcuts, as well as some of the lesser known ones.

All shorcuts listed here and many more others can be found in Mozilla’s list of Firefox shorcuts.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve given up trying to remember the password for every site you visit and have instead come to rely on Firefox’s integrated password manager. While the password manager is ridiculously convenient, have you realized that anyone with access to your computer can easily see your passwords?

Just fire up Firefox and click on the “Tools > Options” menu item. Now go to the “Privacy” tab and click on the “Passwords” subtab. (See Figure 1)

Figure 1: Firefox’s Password Manager Tab

If you click on the “View Saved Passwords” button then click on the “Show Passwords” button after that, Firefox will display all your passwords! Not a good thing, huh? Let’s fix that ASAP. Close that window and return to the Options window you opened a few seconds ago. Click on the “Change Master Password” button. (See Figure 2)

Figure 2: Setting a Master Password in Firefox

Just enter your desired password, preferably something strong – random numbers and letters, and make sure it’s something you’ll remember without having to write it down (that’s not usually safe ). Click “OK.” Although you don’t have to, I would recommend restarting Firefox. Now you must enter the master password before you can view that list of passwords. Also, Firefox will ask for your master password before automatically entering your passwords on websites. (See Figure 3)

Figure 3: Firefox Asking for Your Master Password

Now your passwords are a lot safer from casual snoopers. Even if your computer is only used by you, its still be a good idea to add this little bit of protection to your passwords.