Firefox 9 is out and available for download and update. The rapid release cycle for Firefox continues as it has been roughly six weeks since Firefox 8 was released. With version 9, Firefox brings a lot of behind the scenes updates and bug fixes and more importantly for users, a faster browsing experience.
Firefox 9 Improvements
Javascript
Firefox has new Javascript enhancements which undoubtedly will make web browsing faster and more responsive. If you’ve ever wondered why some websites are slower than others, there’s a good chance that Javascript is the culprit. Mozilla claims the improvements can boost performance by up to 30%. While we won’t bore you with the details of how they achieved this speed increase, the main factor behind the improvements is the use of Type Interface which Mozilla blogged about back in November.
CSS
Firefox now has added support for css property font-stretch. The font-stretch property selects a normal, condensed, or extended face from a font family. The font-stretch property was dropped in CSS 2.1 and is now back in CSS 3. Without going into great detail about what the font-stretch property actually does, the support for it in Firefox basically means web developers have another option at their disposal to make websites appear as they want and have them display properly through the browser.
Firefox also has improved support for the text-overflow CSS property. Mozilla gives a nice illustration of how the text-overflow property works on their developer page. Additional support means web pages will look more appropriate and allow more freedom for developers.
For anyone not familiar with what CSS does or why it’s important, CSS is how web developers make a website look appealing. From things like text size, color and style to the way images change when a mouse hovers over them, CSS beautifies the web.
Mac OS X, Standards & Security
- There is now two finger swipe navigation along with theme integration improvements for Mac OS X Lion users.
- Like any update, Firefox has updated its standards support for previously mentioned CSS, HTML5 and MathML. Improved standards keep Mozilla on the front lines of web interaction and website display.
- As is typical with all browser updates, Mozilla fixed several security issues in this latest Firefox release. While some are listed as critical, the patches address items which aren’t viewed as safety concerns for users. Firefox is still one of, if not the safest browser available.
Final Thoughts
Most of the improvements are ‘under the hood’ type fixes to an already outstanding browser. The speed boost from the Javascript enhancements will go a long way to satisfy existing Firefox users and could lead to bringing some users back. The other improvements are part of an ongoing process to make Firefox as good as it can be and as long as Mozilla continues that pursuit, they should remain successful.
Your Thoughts
What do you make of the new improvements? Is speed a major factor for you when choosing a browser? Let us know your opinions in the comments!
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Overall, firefox 9 is definitely an improvement that now it loads pretty fast. This was only glitch in it compared to other browsers
Todd Vatalaro,
I did this and also upgraded my ATT modem. You can ask for a new one after two years and are experiencing issues.