Internet Explorer 7 vs Firefox 2: battle of the browsers
Tags: microsoft, mozilla, favorites, tab
It's time to put Internet Explorer 7 up against Firefox 2 in a bloody fight to the death. The gloves are off, the sexy round card girls have fled in terror, and the theme from Rocky is blaring in the background -- the Web browser war is truly about to erupt.
In the blue corner we have Internet Explorer 7. There's a lot expected of this browser: its predecessor was subjected to repeated whippings by newer, leaner, safer browsers from Opera and Mozilla, but it promises a wealth of improvements, including a new interface, tabbed browsing, improved search functions and better security.
In the red corner we have the successor to the people's champion: Firefox 2. The original Firefox was highly revered in tech circles and could run rings around the truly dreadful Internet Explorer 6. The latest version features a new look, improved navigation, a session restore feature and in-line spell checker.
Both sound great on paper and, lets face it, IE couldn't get any worse, but which of these two heavyweights is the best browser to live with? Let's take a look.
Round 1: Design
The two couldn't be more different in this area. Fire up IE7 and you're greeted with a pretty, if rather confusing, navigation system. The new look sports dozens of tiny icons, some of which give no clue as to their purpose. Our default installation had the Windows Live toolbar plus links to Rolling Stone magazine and the Rhapsody music download service for no good reason other than to clutter your screen. Why Microsoft felt the need to include these at the expense of the File menu bar is beyond us. Sure, you can bring the File menu bar back by pressing the ALT button, or by selecting it in the Toolbars menu, but even then it sits below the address bar. Blasphemy!
Firefox 2 is the epitome of simplicity. The File menu bar is in the right place, and the only navigation buttons are the back, forward, refresh and home icons, plus a couple of shortcuts that'll help you customise the browser and peep the latest headlines from your RSS feed.
Winner: Firefox 2
Advanced users will appreciate the wealth of links in IE7, but not when they're chosen by Microsoft. Both browsers are customisable to aid your personal browsing habits but the Mozilla browser's more welcoming aesthetic wins it this round.
Round 2: Usability
IE7 has followed Firefox into the realm of tabbed browsing. The concept is similar to the little tabs used to delineate sections of a paper diary. IE7's tabs are implemented almost identically to Firefox 2's with one important exception: Quicktabs (Ctrl+Q). This awesome feature lets you view all tabs as thumbnail images in a scrollable page. Whereas Firefox 2 requires you to guess, or remember the contents of a tab based on its URL, IE7's Quicktabs feature gives you a visual reminder of what's in each tab. You also get the new 'Favorites Centre' -- an update to the History window that now lets you see your Favorites, History and RSS feeds in one convenient space.
Firefox 2 suffers for the lack of a Quicktabs-style feature. Instead you get left and right arrows on the left and right side of the tab row. This allows you to cycle through a huge number of tabs, but once you get to tab number 288 things get a little confusing. There's compensation elsewhere though. Firefox 2 has a fancy search term suggestion feature that tries to guess what you're about to type into Google, and an in-line spell check for text you've entered into forms. Plus it's compatible with Live Titles, or 'microsummaries'. When you bookmark a web page that has a microsummary, you can choose to display the microsummary as the title of the bookmark. A microsummary for a package tracking page, for example, might display the delivery status of the package, instead of the page title in your favourites.
Winner: IE7
Micrososummaries are cool -- but they're only present on a very small number of sites. We also like the idea of Firefox 2 guessing our search terms, but we got pretty embarrassed when we typed 'blood' (looking for 'blood pressure' information) and the browser thought we were looking for 'blood in stool'. On the whole, IE7's Quicktabs feature helps it win this round convincingly. If you've ever lost track of your tabs, you'll absolutely love this. Well done, Microsoft.
Round 3: Performance
This is always a difficult area to assess, but IE7 felt the more sluggish of the two browsers. IE7 makes up for its slight perceptual lethargy with excellent compatibility. Most Web sites are designed with IE in mind, so you'll have no problem displaying pages.
Firefox, though fast, does occasionally encounter Web sites that it has absolutely no idea how to display. Visiting Launch.com to watch your favourite music videos, for example, requires downloading an ActiveX Plug-In, which is both time-consuming and annoying.
Winner: IE7
It seems a tad slower, but this is barely perceptible: the speed of your Web connection will be a far bigger bottleneck. This, plus the fact that some Web sites don't like Firefox at all, gives IE7 the upper hand.
Round 4: Flexibility
There's not much debate on this one: Internet Explorer is well known for its lack of extensibility. There are a few extensions available, but given IE's history of security flaws we wouldn't recommend bolting anything to IE7 that didn't come directly from Microsoft.
Firefox 2 continues where its predecessor left off. There's a plethora of extensions, some more useful that others, that'll let you add or modify existing functionality. There are extensions that'll let you download videos from YouTube, type notes on the screen, and even open an instance of Internet Explorer in a new tab -- a weird but wonderful feature.
Winner: Firefox 2
There's little debate on this one. We give Firefox 2 the nod thanks to its countless extensions and bizarre ability to load IE in a separate tab.
Round 5: Security
Microsoft says IE7 has excellent security. It incorporates anti-phishing technology to keep you safe from divulging information you shouldn't, and shows clear warnings when you're about to give your credit card details to unscrupulous Web sites. We can't help but remember the countless security flaws in IE6. Hackers seemed to exploit its vulnerabilities for fun, deploying Trojans, viruses, spyware and all manner of nasty content on an almost daily basis.
Firefox 2 boasts similar security features, but it has the big advantage of relative anonymity. History states there's less chance of becoming infected with malware when using Mozilla's browser, but it too has its fair share of vulnerabilities.
Judgement: Draw
Sounds bizarre, we know. It's easy to speculate that IE7 will be as riddled with security flaws as its predecessor, but who's to say the increased popularity of Firefox won't attract a new breed of Firefox 2-oriented hackers. We think it's absolutely impossible to make a judgement about the security of either browser at this early stage, so we're calling it a draw. For the moment.
And the winner is...
The consumer! Both browsers won two rounds each and we're yet to find a massive difference between the two. Some may argue that IE7's absolutely amazing Quicktabs feature gives it the upper hand, and we'd be inclined to agree if it wasn't for the fact that IE7 will almost certainly attract the wrath of a thousand viruses. As a result, we're calling this one a draw.
But what do you think? Give both browsers a try by visiting CNET.co.uk's Downloads section, and leave us your thoughts below when you're done. -RR
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The Notorious BIP (yeah, you read it right)Wed 25 October, 2006 2:38pm
Well, for starters the Firefox logo is way smarter than IE's aging logo. It looks like saturn gone wrong, whereas the Firefox logo looks like a cute little fox hugging the planet. Microsoft should change the IE logo to a picture of a tramp's head.
AnonymousWed 25 October, 2006 2:46pm
Roffle! i dont think a tramp's head reflects microsoft's core values.
Mr Motivator's capWed 25 October, 2006 2:50pm
I think firefox is the best for its extensions alone. IE is 7 ok and does have some useful features but I'm sticking to firefox.
Francis Freedom FriesWed 25 October, 2006 2:53pm
The cool thing about Firefox is that you sound cool when you say it. *FIREFOX*. As in, "Let's check it out on FIREFOX, captain", and, "fire up the FOX, I'm ready to browse up in the house" etc... Subsitute IE in the above phrases and I think you'll find they lose their impact.
AnonymousWed 25 October, 2006 3:15pm
What happened to round 3?
AnonymousWed 25 October, 2006 3:22pm
maybe the dog ate it. but it seems to have been returned.
Frank Hipponug IIWed 25 October, 2006 4:04pm
I can't believe the poster above who's claiming that Firefox burns CDs. It doesn't. You need a third-party application to do that. Firefox WILL NOT BURN CDS you fools.
Dirk KAHOOTWed 25 October, 2006 4:06pm
What the EFF are you talking about?
AnonymousWed 25 October, 2006 4:10pm
I think that Firefox has at least one, if not several extensions that are like Quick Tabs. I like that we have a choice whether or not we want that feature.
RoryWed 25 October, 2006 4:15pm
Why would you NOT want quicktabs? that's like not wanting brakes on your car. or meat with your gravy.
Timmy Turnip's Only RegretWed 25 October, 2006 4:23pm
A fox cannot be made of fire, there's just no way. However, an internet can be made of explorers. Food for thought?
KevinWed 25 October, 2006 6:35pm
Opera is considerably better than both. Faster, leaner and more capable than both IE and Firefox out of the box. Download from http.opera.com.
KevinWed 25 October, 2006 6:44pm
If IE7 gains all these brownie points simply because of the Quicktabs feature then the researcher didn't do their job thoroughly since these are available in Firefox as an extension (pl. there are various versions - choose the one you like best) and have been for a long time ! MS have obviously pinched this feature.
When you browse through the 100's of entensions on Firefox you realise just how customisable it is and how you can set up a superb browser that meets your personal requirements and not those that MS decided you needed. No contest - Firefox by a TKO
AnonymousWed 25 October, 2006 7:40pm
I am sticking with firefox 2 which is a fine improvement over its predecessor which was already very good.
IE 7 looks very nice and is much more secure but it is really let down by the crazy layout of the menu. What is going on!!
AnonymousWed 25 October, 2006 9:12pm
Enough of the hype, get the facts:
www.FirefoxMyths.com
AnonymousThu 26 October, 2006 7:56am
The quicktab feature is by no means exclusive to IE7. One can simply download either of the two extensions foxpose or tab catalog to enable this function in firefox, hardly a clear cut win for IE7.
dave dempseyThu 26 October, 2006 10:03am
I installed IE 7 and had multiple problems so I went back to my previous version. I uploaded Firefox 2 and it works fine. I'm not a fussy user I just want it to work!
AnonymousThu 26 October, 2006 11:30am
I love firefox. you just can't make something better
AnonymousThu 26 October, 2006 11:43am
Firefox 2.0 wins for anyone who uses operating systems other than Windows XP or 2003, IE7 is not available in other OS.
Coarse Hair DeeDee R tooThu 26 October, 2006 12:29pm
To be honest, I don't care - I'm gonna unplug my PC and get a life...
ben sembraFri 27 October, 2006 12:08pm
for me its firefox is the best.! IE7 NOGO!
AnonymousThu 26 October, 2006 1:59pm
Firefox is standard install on most linux/bsd systems, IE5/6/7 aren't even an option.
Thanks to the Firefox development anyone can now enjoy Open Source software on almost any platform.
More should be made of this in the "review" imho.
The worry for Microsoft is clearly that more people are opting to use alternatives, all which have appeared in response to Microsoft's lack of interest in their own OS development.
This may well be the turning point for FOS alternatives, it'll be interesting to see how the FF2/IE7 percentages change when more of China, India and Africa come on line, as they are taking up the FOS alternative Operating Systems and represent a huge section of the global population.
souvik biswasThu 26 October, 2006 8:25pm
my experience with IE 7 is disastrous. Whenever I try to open becomes "Not Responding" and gives me the alert ''send error report". I am sticking with Firefox 2 all the way. Go firefox
AnonymousThu 26 October, 2006 11:05pm
I'm sitting out here in California wondering what to do. Time Warner swallowed up Comcast cable in my area (what is it about these big companies?), and I was forced to download IE7 in order to have cable at all. I have kept my Firefox because my online class website requires it. I have been virtually unable to get through to Support for any number of questions and problems this has caused. I am also over-securitized and wonder if I should get rid of all those programs (which may be why my computer is slower than a snail) and just agree to IE7's security package. Now, after reading comments on CNET.CO.UK about IE's bad security history, I don't know what to do. Maybe just hold my nose and jump in. Except I doubt the water's all that fine. Jopete
lielais.asarisFri 27 October, 2006 2:51pm
I am web developer for many years. Testers have no idea what they are doing. Sorry, but it's like forcing pig to do ballerina's job. If you test anything, you should be familiar with all things related to it or call somebody who is expert. The first place is shared by Firefox and Opera. IE is weak product and develops very, very, very slowly. Does it develop at all? Nice interface doesn't mean product is good. Security in IE is lower than in alternative products. Opera is most secured, Firefox patches security bugs very fast. W3 standards are supported very well by Firefox, Opera. IE has weak support of W3 standards and makes user experience in the Stone age. Better user experience is out there - without microsoft internet explorer.
DeedSat 28 October, 2006 10:03pm
I personally reckon that Firefox definitely has the upper-hand: IE7 blatantly ripped off the Tabs feature; in which it takes noticeably longer to open/access another tab anyway. Additionally, Explorer generally runs a lot slower then Firefox, and I'm not a hardcore Tabber anyway, having a maximum of ten open, which I can see enough of to know what I'm clicking on. But hey, it's available as an optional extension anyway, not to mention all of the other extensions anyway, particularly themes, meaning the user can choose what they want their browser to look like.
On a final note, I do agree that FF is prone to RAM-spillages, however it generally runs faster as a whole, plus the fact that the problem is rectifiable, from what I've seen so far. Furthermore, the better layout, with buttons that actually state what they are from the off, and the general cleaner and less-distracting look makes it easier on the eyes as standard.
Also I would say that Opera is better than both browsers, although I did install it, and websites tend not to load things properly, but then I have pretty much figuratively assraped this PC myself, what with unintentional viruses and such. <_>
DeedSat 28 October, 2006 10:07pm
Well crap, looks like I'd accidentally resent the POSTDATA. >_>
It's been a long day of room-rearrangement for me.
mroblivious1bmfFri 17 November, 2006 5:24am
you guys are morons. firefox wins, hands down.
AnonymousFri 17 November, 2006 4:05pm
"IE7's absolutely amazing Quicktabs" This in effect is only usefull if you use tabs as iam not a tabbed browser type of person i say that it does not win.
this made me laugh "
Why would you NOT want quicktabs? that's like not wanting brakes on your car. or meat with your gravy.
Rory | Wed 25 October, 2006 4:15pm" why would you want tabs i hate tabs with a passion they get on my nerves id mutch rather have more windows open i find it eaier to navigate.
AaronFri 17 November, 2006 4:28pm
I've used both browsers, but I really don't think that quicktabs beats out an inline spellchecker.
AnonymousMon 27 November, 2006 8:45pm
Besides, the quicktabs think is available as a firefox extension anyway. That's the whole thing with firefox - if there's somehting they haven't built in to it, there's an extension to do it for you. Firefox will always win.
AnonymousMon 27 November, 2006 9:33pm
I think the best IE 7 feature is "clear text". It makes it easier to read the text on most web pages. Not sure if there is an equivalent in Firefox.
The other IE7 feature I love is the little gray box that opens a new tab when you click it. You need to use a keyboard shortcut (Ctl-T) or select "New Tab" from the file menu on Firefox.
I love Firefox's spell checker. I use the Google tool bar version for IE but it is not as user friendly as the inline one.
The fact that many websites are designed for IE does give it a leg up but, this may not be for long. Things like X Library and other Ajax frameworks are making cross browser programing more practical.
The FireFox add-ins are 1000 times better then what IE7 has available. If Microsoft where smarter they would create an IE7 ad-on VS template. If they allowed you to create the add-ons in managed code they could start making serous progress against this deficiency.
I will continue to use both browsers. I do not have an illogical hatred of either technology. I have both open right now.
AnonymousMon 11 December, 2006 8:10pm
IE7 gave it a shot and has improved over IE6, but Firefox 2.0 wins hand down because of its intuitive interface and amazing customization options.
The bottom line is if you want to customize your browser so that it looks and functions the way you want it to, Firefox is the easiest and best browser.
AnonymousTue 2 January, 2007 4:12pm
Hi, I am not debating that IE7 is a good browser but i can't accept a draw. You say that IE7 wins in usability because it has quick tabs, this feature is also available in Firefox by downloading an extension called Viamatic foXpose ( available here https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1457/ ). You also said that IE wins in performance this is because has an inferior rendering engine which doen's render pages correctly and doesn't conform to css standards. Firefox however renders pages perfectly and conforms to all standards, so if a page looks incorrect in firefox then there is a problem with that page. As for security I wouldn't keep my hopes up Vista has already been hacked IE is next!
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AnonymousWed 25 October, 2006 2:33pm
I have to take issue with awarding IE7 the winner in terms of performance. The whole idea of tabs is to do away with opening multiple windows. Click on a link externally, in say Outlook or MSN messenger, and what does IE7 do but open a whole new Window, not a new tab. Stupid!