# Firefox 3.0 who has started using it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 18, 2008, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326 "2008-06-18T11:40:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/41 "2008-06-20T14:14:06Z")
[QUOTE=Cerowyn] I’m disappointed that the memory footprint isn’t smaller [/QUOTE] The Firefox 3 memory footprint is smaller than that of either Internet Explorer, Safari, or Opera 9.5 B2. ( [cite](http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080317-firefox-3-goes-on-a-diet-eats-less-memory-than-ie-and-opera.html) ) One cite I found gives Opera 9.27 a very slight edge over Firefox 3 RC 2. ( [cite](http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=2024) ) I can’t find straight up comparisons of the final release versions; it probably won’t be long until someone does a comparison. But FF3 is definitely among the lightest of all full-featured modern browsers. You aren’t going to find anything much lighter unless it’s a custom build or has parts stripped out or it’s LYNKS or something. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2008, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/42 "2008-06-20T14:22:34Z")
[QUOTE=633squadron] I am a bit hassled that they messed with the tab system I set up. I basically want a new tab for _everything_ except anchors and pages in the same domain. The new default behavior is not like that, and it’s hard to get back to it. I was using Tab Mix Plus to overcome the deficiencies of FF2, but alas TMP is not yet ready for FF3 and may never be. I have no idea why FF3 threw those options out. But I argue with UI designers anyway. [/QUOTE] Yeah, me too. If you figure out how to make FF do this again, could you please post? It’s driving me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/43 "2008-06-20T14:28:22Z")
[QUOTE=MsWhatsit] Yeah, me too. If you figure out how to make FF do this again, could you please post? It’s driving me nuts. [/QUOTE] Nevermind, I found the dev build for Tab Mix Plus and everything is back to normal. Pheewww! ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/44 "2008-06-20T17:23:50Z")
FF has never quite “clicked” for me on my Mac at home, so I’ve stuck with Safari. I DLed FF3 and have been using it longer than I’ve used any of its predecessors. It’s still a bit clunky, and scrolling with the arrows keys is wonky, so I don’t know if I’ll stick with it, but I’m digging it so far. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/45 "2008-06-20T18:24:22Z")
Really, 3.0 is 90% the same to me as 2.x. The buttons at the top are different, and I keep clicking on the Printer button instead of the Home button, so I had to remove the Printer button (right-click on buttons and pick Customize, drag Printer button down with rest of buttons.) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/46 "2008-06-21T04:54:05Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] Really, 3.0 is 90% the same to me as 2.x [/QUOTE] I’m guessing you aren’t a heavy user. The speedups alone are well worth the upgrade, but Firefox 2 doesn’t begin to bog until you have a large number of tabs open. The address bar upgrade is worthwhile: [It searches the whole address and page title, not just the beginning of the URL.](http://www.dria.org/wordpress/archives/2008/04/17/628/) And [if you don’t like it, it’s easy to turn off](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6227). (One reason I don’t like Opera: They make a bunch of very odd decisions and make it difficult to go back to the previous version’s behavior.) ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/47 "2008-06-21T08:35:19Z")
I downloaded FF 3.0 just now on seeing this thread. So far, there’s not enough that’s different that’d be a problem (only lost one add-on, but it wasn’t a major one), and the look is cool. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/48 "2008-06-21T15:40:53Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] I’m guessing you aren’t a heavy user. The speedups alone are well worth the upgrade, but Firefox 2 doesn’t begin to bog until you have a large number of tabs open. The address bar upgrade is worthwhile: [It searches the whole address and page title, not just the beginning of the URL.](http://www.dria.org/wordpress/archives/2008/04/17/628/) And [if you don’t like it, it’s easy to turn off](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6227). (One reason I don’t like Opera: They make a bunch of very odd decisions and make it difficult to go back to the previous version’s behavior.) [/QUOTE] I’m a very heavy user, usually have 4 or 5 tabs open and I’m using Firefox all day at work and quite often for several hours at home. I’m not sure I like the address bar upgrade yet, I haven’t quite gleamed what it’s doing exactly. I can type faster than I can click something off a list. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/49 "2008-06-21T17:07:40Z")
So type, and then tap down and enter. With ‘f6’ popping you directly to the address bar (it works in every browser), you don’t even have to touch the mouse or navigate three levels of bookmark folders. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/50 "2008-06-21T19:44:01Z")
[QUOTE=E-Sabbath] So type, and then tap down and enter. With ‘f6’ popping you directly to the address bar (it works in every browser), you don’t even have to touch the mouse or navigate three levels of bookmark folders. [/QUOTE] Never knew about F6, I use Control-L. I also use the Bookmarks Toolbar to keep all my commonly visited sites a click away. Usually the Bookmarks themselves are reserved for sites I don’t visit often. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/51 "2008-06-21T20:26:37Z")
I downloaded it this morning after reading this thread and haven’t used it enough to notice a big difference. Looks like all the extensions I use are available. Buttons have round edges instead of square ones (I’m using it on an iBook with OS X 10.4.11. Haven’t used the tag or address bar functionality yet. Like **control-z** , I use the bookmarks toolbar for anything I go to frequently (I have one labeled _Daily_ that contains the 6 or 7 sites I visit every day.) I have most of my bookmarks and RSS feeds organized on a Protopage. GT ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/52 "2008-06-22T02:56:01Z")
The Awesome Bar lets you search bookmarks the same way it lets you search recently visited sites. Just start typing. By name, not just address. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/53 "2008-06-22T03:13:29Z")
That Awesome Bar does a search through recent emails in the gmail account (if you use gmail, of course) as well, as part of the keyword search. It’s not something I’d use all the time – but it’s handy it’s there. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/54 "2008-06-22T20:51:43Z")
[QUOTE=Khadaji] It seems to me that when I am on the SDMB and I press the “go to first post” button next to a thread, FireFox 3.0 does not take me to the first post, but rather to somewhere approximating where I last was in that thread. Does anyone else see this? [/QUOTE] I have a similar problem with the Mac version. When I get an e-mail informing me of a new post to a subscribed SDMB thread (or other forum thread - this might be a FF/vBulletin bug), I click the provided link and FF3 opens a window and takes me to the desired post … and then scrolls up one full screen. The same basic thing happens when I post a reply to a thread - I click “Submit Reply” and it takes me to my new post, and then scrolls the page up one screen. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/55 "2008-06-22T21:04:00Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] The address bar upgrade is worthwhile: [It searches the whole address and page title, not just the beginning of the URL.](http://www.dria.org/wordpress/archives/2008/04/17/628/) And [if you don’t like it, it’s easy to turn off](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6227). [/QUOTE] Easy once you’ve got the link. Otherwise it’s a matter of working out what the hell to search for, and if it’s a browser for everybody then that includes the vast majority who don’t know it’s called the ‘address bar’ in the first place. I’m one who doesn’t take to universal search gadgets like that. If I want a previous address, I’ll type it there. If I want a bookmark, I’ll go to ‘bookmarks’, for goodness sake! ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/56 "2008-06-22T21:14:15Z")
[QUOTE=Mister Rik] I have a similar problem with the Mac version. When I get an e-mail informing me of a new post to a subscribed SDMB thread (or other forum thread - this might be a FF/vBulletin bug), I click the provided link and FF3 opens a window and takes me to the desired post … and then scrolls up one full screen. The same basic thing happens when I post a reply to a thread - I click “Submit Reply” and it takes me to my new post, and then scrolls the page up one screen. [/QUOTE] I don’t subscribe to threads generally, but when I click on “view first unread” it takes me to my last post (if that was the last thing I did in the thread) or to the last post I read. Haven’t noticed what it does when I submit reply. ETA: now I’ve noticed. It takes me to the post before mine. 😕 Hope they fix that soon. The other change I’ve noticed (other than the new address bar functionality) is that the preview you see when you hover over a thread title now shows you the entire first sentence. I like that! GT ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/57 "2008-06-22T21:35:48Z")
I downloaded it a few weeks ago prior to my PC crashing completely, so I waited for a while before trying it again. It seems to be alright, a bit slicker than the previous version. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/58 "2008-06-22T22:06:29Z")
[QUOTE=gardentraveler] I don’t subscribe to threads generally [/QUOTE] You aren’t automatically subscribed when you post a reply? I receive e-mail “New Reply” notifications for any thread I’ve posted to, like so: > [@](#): > > GorillaMan has just replied to a thread you have subscribed to entitled - Firefox 3.0 who has started using it? - in the Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS) forum of Straight Dope Message Board. > > This thread is located at: > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=472226&goto=newpost](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=472226&goto=newpost) ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/59 "2008-06-22T22:12:31Z")
I’m torn. The new address bar functionality is kinda nice (I like the one-click bookmarks), but it seems to cache more in memory before it draws – so new pages stay blank for a while, then “snap in” all at once as opposed to drawing incrementally like before. The actual speed might be faster, but it _feels_ slower to me, staring at that empty white screen all the time. Several sites that use Google-maps-derived widgets (like [www.themlsonline.com](http://www.themlsonline.com)) don’t work with FF3, even though they did with 2. I’ve bumped into several sites in the last couple days that don’t draw onscreen correctly (but did in FF2). These are just new-version jitters, I’m sure, and should work themselves out in a bit. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326/60 "2008-06-22T23:09:39Z")
[QUOTE=Balance] I loaded it on all my machines yesterday, and I’m very happy with it so far. It’s noticeably faster and seems less RAM-hungry. I’m a little dubious about the increased detail in the address-bar history (it’s a little cluttered-looking), but I can also see the advantages of it. [/QUOTE] You can do away with that by downloading this: [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7637](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7637) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-3-0-who-has-started-using-it/453326.md?page=4)