Mozilla loaded up for browser wars.

ZDNet Reviews ^ | 4/26/2002 | Rex Baldazo

[Uni-Poster]

We've waited more than four years for Mozilla, the Netscape-backed open-source browser--and we're still waiting for the completed version. But Mozilla has finally posted its official Release Candidate 1 (RC 1) and plans to release the final soon.

In our unofficial tests, RC 1 ran nearly as fast as Internet Explorer 6. Plus, it works on Windows, Mac, and Linux, which no other browser does, and it promises a greater ability to customize than competing browsers do.

Best of all, Mozilla is completely free: no fees and no strings attached. Sure, we found some flies in the ointment, but we're hoping that the gold code cleans them up. Stay tuned for our final word.

Steals from the best

Netscape's 6.x browser borrowed Mozilla's back end. Hence, the similarities abound, from their interfaces to their e-mail clients, which can handle multiple POP/IMAP accounts.

But Mozilla's open-source heritage promises greater flexibility than its sister app. For example, anybody with a cool idea for a new feature or add-on can tweak the source code and send it to Mozilla.org.

Similarly, if the browser does a task too slowly, anyone could locate and correct the problem in the source code. And Mozilla does have a few new, if not entirely original, tricks up its sleeve.

For instance, Mozilla's Web page tabs look an awful lot like Opera's similarly convenient tool. It consists of a little row of tab icons between the menu bars and the main browser window that let you load multiple Web pages into one browser window, then switch quickly between pages. It's a clean alternative to opening multiple browsers or hitting the Back button. (To set a tab, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking a link.)

No strings attached

In our informal beta tests, Mozilla 1.0 displays Web pages almost as quickly as IE 6, and it seems faster than Netscape 6.2.2. The Quick Launch feature (Edit > Preferences > Advanced, then select the Enable Quick Launch check box) preloads parts of Mozilla during Windows start-up so that the browser loads faster. How very Windows XP.

Surprisingly, such speedy performance doesn't cost a cent. Sure, other browsers say they're free, but most have hidden costs. Mozilla, on the other hand, doesn't come bundled in your OS like IE, doesn't plant AOL icons onto your desktop like Netscape 6.2, and doesn't bombard you with banner ads like Opera's "free" version.

Sibling rivalry

Nonetheless, a few worrisome bugs plague RC 1. For one, Mozilla doesn't play nicely with Netscape. When we installed Netscape 6.2.2 and Mozilla on our Windows XP test machine, the sidebars, panes that display bookmarks and similar items, disappeared in both browsers.

Mac users can't even run the two browsers simultaneously; if one browser is running, the other won't launch. At present, we cannot reach Mozilla reps for comment, but we hope the company fixes these glitches before final code.

Need help? Do it yourself
Unfortunately, since Mozilla is freeware, there's no huge support department to help you debug problems such as these. Although Mozilla.org hosts some newsgroups, they're aimed at developers, not end users, so you're pretty much on your own. This Netscape help group offers the best help on Mozilla.org we've found.

Bright future

Despite the bugs, we're excited by the promise we see in Mozilla 1.0 RC 1. This browser preserves Netscape 6.x's best features, including an e-mail client that handles multiple POP/IMAP accounts. Still, if Mozilla cleans up its act before the final release, it may actually best its two most powerful competitors.

[Who dat?]

I still like lynx. I know I'm alone in that. I love a quick, non-banner-add~ing, non-pop-up-menu~ing, non-java~cised, whatever... Oh well... `

[Cicero]

After four or five years of work, it's still not as fast as Internet Explorer and it's still full of bugs? Plus I hear it has a very large footprint. I think I'll hold off installing it.

[rdb3]

I still like lynx. I know I'm alone in that.

Not really. I consider lynx to be, of course, "old school." My "old school-ness," if you will, is consistent with my daily use of vi (don't give me emacs!). In other words, I like lynx a lot.

Lynx is cool for text, but you can't efficiently use it to browse and reply on FR, sad to say.

[RayChuang88]

I've tried Mozilla 1.0 RC1.

No thanks. The problem is still not as snappy as IE 6.0 and is not as intuitive to use, either.

[Grut]

Opera 6 is available for free (it plays ads at you up in one corner of the screen) and works pretty well. It has pop-up rejection and useful cookie controls built in and for some reason seems to yield many fewer modem 'device errors' than IE6 does, at least on my system.

I have pretty much stopped using IE6 in favor of Opera 6. IE users may be interested to know that Opera will import your IE 'favorites' directly.

[Nick Danger]

The Munchkins should be getting their talking point memos any minute now. Let's see if we can guess what lines of attack they will take.

I figure the "open source software is communism" canard will be one of the first ones floated. The "no one uses it" ploy is also an obvious candidate, and they'll probably send in at least two Munchkins to claim that they personally tried it, and it's full of bugs and besides that it makes your hard disk explode.

It will be interesting to see if any of them try to seize on the fact that it's free by saying "you get what you pay for." They have for months been arguing that Microsoft was only being helpful in giving away IE for free, but this time free will mean not 'helpful' but 'get whatcha pay for.' Consistent logical argument has never been the Mark Of The Munchkins.

Damn, I almost forgot about security holes. Yep, it's full of security holes. They'll have to try that one; that's essential to the cultivation of fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

Starting the Bush2000 timer....NOW. Tick.. tick.. tick..

[rdb3]

[Bush2000]

Nick, Mozilla simply isn't relevant anymore. The browser war is over. Netscape lost. Fold your tent and go home.

[Revolting cat!]

RE # 9:

That'll learn ya! You didn't anticipate that one, didja?! I'm sorry, we're stuck with IE (and with Bushie2K, it goes without saying) for the next millenium!

[FreepEverything]

Mozilla (0.9.9)'s my choice of a net browser, I'm running it right now.

It currently runs noticeably faster than both IE and Navigator. But that might be due to the fact that I don't have any plug-ins loaded but there are alot less pop ups. When theres a flash graphic I want to see or a Java area I need.

[FreepEverything]

When theres a flash graphic I want to see or a Java area I need = When theres a flash graphic I want to see or a Java area I need I just use IE.

[Uncle Fud]

Opera 6 is worth paying for. The ability to turn graphics off with a single keystroke is the only thing that makes surfing on a dialup link even possible anymore.

[sigSEGV]

In my experience it is faster than IE. Large pages render much faster for me. Crashes less too. I hope MS gets pissed at the constant error reports I have XP send them whenever IE crashes.

[sigSEGV]

Flash and Java work on mine fine.

[sigSEGV]

The only feature I find it missing is NTLM pass-through authentication.

[dwollmann]

While it's a mouse-click instead of a keystroke, the mozilla prefs bar gives you quick access to several settings. You can grab it from here.

[sigSEGV]

Very slick. Thanks. The only thing missing is disabling proxies -- Oh wait, there it is.

[chance33_98]

Nick, Mozilla simply isn't relevant anymore. The browser war is over. Netscape lost. Fold your tent and go home.

Maybe over in the windows domain, but still going strong in the unix/linux domain. I run solaris 8 with gnome, don't even think IE will run on that...and if it did - no way would I try it! But I do use IE on all my w2000 servers.

[Nick Danger]

Nick, Mozilla simply isn't relevant anymore. The browser war is over. Netscape lost. Fold your tent and go home.

Heh heh, good one :)
I admit, I didn't see that one coming. And you guys used that one before, too. I must be getting forgetful in my old age.

I understand that the 35 million AOL users are going to be getting a new browser soon. Do you know which rev. of IE it is? I sometimes do web sites, so I have to be up on anything that tens of millions of people are going to be using.