Peterborough Linux User Group (Canada) Forum

Linux & Android => Linux Applications & Android apps => Topic started by: Jason on January 12, 2018, 04:11:26 PM

Title: Firefox Quantum
Post by: Jason on January 12, 2018, 04:11:26 PM
I remember that Firefox had changed a couple of months ago but I thought at the time that they were just cosmetic changes that didn't really change how users would interact with the browser other than in Preferences. Actually, the changes are considerable.

I'm experimenting with it for a week to see how it stacks up to Chrome which I've loved since its incarnation. Turns out there are sizable UI changes (lots of great stuff I think) and the render engine was entirely revamped so it was faster than Chrome. At least, that was two months ago, not sure how it compares now, but I have to say, after using it for just a day, it does feel faster. Here's an excerpt from a glowing review of it in Wired (https://www.wired.com/story/firefox-quantum-the-browser-built-for-2017/) written by a Chrome fan, but do read the full review. It's intriguing.

QuoteQuantum feels like a bunch of power users got together and built a browser that fixed all the little things that annoyed them about other browsers. It has a QR code reader built in. It has a menu item for copying a URL, and if you've ever tried to copy and paste a long URL on your phone you know how nice that is. Firefox even makes screenshots more intuitive: it can capture a section, everything on your screen, or the entire webpage all at once. You can even turn on "Night Mode" and invert the colors on most blindingly white websites. All these things are so fiddly in other browsers, requiring bookmarklets and extensions to work. Firefox just put them all in the browser.

Title: Re: Firefox Quantum
Post by: ssfc72 on January 12, 2018, 04:44:54 PM
The quote seems to indicate the person is reviewing a cell phone Firefox browser?

Jason, are you using this version of Firefox on your cell phone or as a desktop browser?

The QR reader, feature, I think, would only be used if you where using this Firefox browser on a cell phone.
Title: Re: Firefox Quantum
Post by: Jason on January 12, 2018, 06:10:07 PM
I think maybe they've used both versions but it's not totally clear. I know that most of the features do apply to the desktop other than that and night mode.

I'm focusing on the desktop use of it but I also installed it on my phone to check it out and will put it on my tablet.