Mozilla Firefox 138.0.3 / 139.0b7 Beta / 140.0a1 Alpha

Overview

Mozilla Firefox for Linux is one of the better web browsers available for the Linux distros. Almost all the same features that made the browser popular on the Windows and Mac platform are present here with only a few exceptions with Windows-only or Mac-only add ons. The tabbed browsing is just as fast and efficient as found in other web browsers, far superior memory management than found with Chrome which eats memory for breakfast, a pop-up blocker, and a wide assortment of add ons to extend the functionality still further.

The support for the Linux version of Firefox is ongoing which is a good thing as some packages are no longer supported due to the smaller user base, but Mozilla seems commited to offering the browser on as many platforms as possible.

Installation

The most common way to obtain a version of Mozilla Firefox is through the Linux repository used with whichever Linux distros is being used. The getfirefox website also will detect Linux being used and direct the user to a suitable download resource for Linux users. Or simply use our mirror.

Interface

The interface for Firefox includes a hidden menu at the top, tabs below this with sleek forward and back scrolling buttons on either side of the tab line, and the toolbar which shows installed add on icons, and some bookmarked web sites.

In newer versions of Firefox the bottom status bar has been completely removed in order to provide more space for web site content.

Add ons can be installed with Firefox which will add further icon links to add on features in the toolbar and in the Tools menu.

Pros

• Firefox uses far less memory for each tab that is open
• Can keep over 100 tabs open without dampening Windows system performance
• Huge support for add ons with a large developer community updating add ons frequently
• Frequent updates with new versions being released every 1-2 months
• High quality standards compliant browser to display web pages correctly, as the designed intended

Cons

• Can take some time to load up the first time especially if many add ons are installed
• Uses quite a bit of memory depending on number of add ons installed, but efficient with open tabs

Alternatives

Google Chrome (review) is available for several versions of Linux like Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora or openSUSE.

Conclusion

Firefox is one of the best web browsers available for Linux. It offers almost all the same functionality that is available to Windows or Mac users includes fast web browsing and extend-ability.