Mozilla recently released the fourth version of its Firefox web browsers, Firefox 4, only a few days after Internet Explorer 9 was released by Microsoft. Firefox 3.0 was released almost three years ago and since then a lot has changed in the web browser landscape with Firefox playing catch up to Google Chrome. This installment of Firefox is sleeker and faster as a response to competitors, however, some changes that have been made from the earlier versions are so radically different that many of long time users will take some time to readjust to it.
As soon Firefox 4 is started, the first thing which hits you is the all new refined user interface that is well on the lines of the minimalistic interfaces deployed by Google Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer 9, without any unnecessary toolbars or buttons at the top of the screen to allow for maximum site viewing area and minimum clutter. Functions such as History, Favorites, etc. have all been packed into a single package which is the one click button on the top left corner of the screen. Clicking this button opens up a list of all the settings and functions which are common to web browsers.
The tab interface of the browser has been vastly improved with a lot of positive changes being made to the older system. For one, the tabs now open up right above the URL bar, saving a lot of space. They are now represented by just the icon of the website open under them and thus it is possible to keep a lot more tabs open simultaneously than before. On the whole, Firefox 4 is mainly a flashy new version of the browser with cosmetic changes. However, Firefox never had any deal breaking flaws to begin with, hence the graphic makeover should go down well with new and old users alike.
