Software Addicted

A few days ago, the first release candidate for FireFox 3 was published. I downloaded it and took a first test. On a first sight, the interface got a more user friendly look.

Memory problem
I was curious about so calling memory problem - before was using too much memory. So I made comparison by using two instances of the browser (the 3rd version and the 2nd version) and opening in tabs applications which are using it intensely ( Gmail, Yahoo mail and Netvibes). The old version was using 130 MB, the new one 100 MB. Opened a new tab and closed the previous three to check the memory disposal - the difference is the same, for the old one 100 MB, the new one 70 MB.
I can say there is an improvement but not too big. I will wait for the final release for check again this issue.

User interface

I liked the top bar - icons were changed (see above first screen shot for the new look, the last is for the old look).

Usability
I like is the address bar in which you can do a search through your history or bookmarks. Helpful is also the “most used” button.

Drawbacks
What I don’t like is the backward compatibility - my previously installed add-ins cannot be used anymore. For example, I cannot use anymore alexa toolbar to check the traffic rank of websites I surf. I have to wait for the publishers to update their add-ins.

Conclusion
I can hardly wait the final release, and I will use it; the dislikes mentioned above will disappear or will not affect me too much.

Download it from Mozilla.