12-02-2009, 12:33 AM
Thereââ¬â¢s a lot to do on the Web, and Firefox 2 is full of helpful features to make your time online more productive.
Improved Tabbed Browsing
We love tabs as much as you do, so Firefox 2 will open new web pages in tabs by default. Each of those tabs has its own close button, but donââ¬â¢t worry - if you accidentally close a tab, just go to the History menu to bring it back from the list of ââ¬ÅRecently Closed Tabs.ââ¬Â Youââ¬â¢ll never be crunched for space anymore, either. When you have too many tabs open to comfortably fit in a single window, scroll arrows will appear on either side, and a button on the right side will always show you an easy-to-read list of all your open tabs.
Session Restore
Losing your place while youââ¬â¢re doing things on the Web is a pain. Now, with Session Restore, if Firefox has to restart or closes when it comes back youââ¬â¢ll pick up exactly where you left off. The windows and tabs you were using, the text you typed into forms, and the in-progress downloads you had running will all be restored. You can even set Firefox 2 to always restore your previous session instead of loading a home page, so youââ¬â¢ll never lose your place again.
Spell Checking
Sometimes youââ¬â¢re in a rush, and canââ¬â¢t remember if itââ¬â¢s ââ¬Åiââ¬Â before ââ¬Åeââ¬Â or the other way around. Firefox 2 has built-in spell checking to keep you from making any mistakes in your blog posts and Web-based email, so you can worry about more important things.
Search Suggestions
Some of the search engines in Firefox 2 can read your mind, and actually suggest search terms for what youââ¬â¢re looking for. Just start typing into the Search bar, and a drop down list of suggestions will appear. (Works for Google, Yahoo! and Answers.com.)
Web Feeds (RSS)
What do news headlines, indie rock podcasts, and pictures of kittens have in common? Theyââ¬â¢re all things that you can subscribe to with Web feeds. Firefox 2 gives you full control over Web feeds, showing you a preview and letting you choose how you want to subscribe. You can use a Firefox Live Bookmark, or a feed reader that youââ¬â¢ve installed on your computer, or through a Web service such as My Yahoo!, Bloglines or Google Reader.
Live Titles
Keep an eye on that auction or the status of a delivery using the new Live Titles feature in Firefox 2. Compact enough to fit as a bookmark label, Live Titles are regularly updated summaries of the most important information on a Web page. As the information on the page gets updated, so does your Live Title. Try one out in Firefox 2 by bookmarking "www.woot.com".
Integrated Search
Firefox helps you find whatever it is that youââ¬â¢re looking for. The Search bar comes pre-loaded with search engines for Google, Yahoo!, Amazon, eBay, Answers.com, and Creative Commons. Wherever you are on the Web, you can enter a search term in the Search bar and receive immediate answers from the search engine youââ¬â¢ve chosen. You can select a new search engine from the Search bar menu at any time, and add search engines from hundreds of your favorite Web sites.
Live Bookmarks
Firefox Live Bookmarks let you view Web feeds such as news and blog headlines in the bookmarks toolbar or menu. With one glance, quickly review the latest headlines from your favorite sites and click to go directly to the articles that interest you.
Pop-up Blocker
Firefox keeps you in control of the Web pages youââ¬â¢re viewing, blocking annoying pop-ups. Firefoxââ¬â¢s pop-up blocker notifies you when pop-ups are blocked via the information bar or icon on the lower right of the screen.
Streamlined Interface
The user interface in Firefox 2 has been updated to improve usability without altering the familiarity of the browsing experience.
Accessibility
Firefox delivers a better browsing experience for everyone - including those who are visually impaired. Firefox includes support for DHTML accessibility. Web developers can create pages that reduce the amount of tabbing required to navigate a document to minimize keystrokes for those with mobility disabilities. Firefox also includes support for Microsoft Active Accessibility, Microsoftââ¬â¢s accessibility API standard for Windows. This support allows Firefox to work with screen readers such as GW Microââ¬â¢s Window-Eyes and Freedom Scientificââ¬â¢s JAWS.
Improved Tabbed Browsing
We love tabs as much as you do, so Firefox 2 will open new web pages in tabs by default. Each of those tabs has its own close button, but donââ¬â¢t worry - if you accidentally close a tab, just go to the History menu to bring it back from the list of ââ¬ÅRecently Closed Tabs.ââ¬Â Youââ¬â¢ll never be crunched for space anymore, either. When you have too many tabs open to comfortably fit in a single window, scroll arrows will appear on either side, and a button on the right side will always show you an easy-to-read list of all your open tabs.
Session Restore
Losing your place while youââ¬â¢re doing things on the Web is a pain. Now, with Session Restore, if Firefox has to restart or closes when it comes back youââ¬â¢ll pick up exactly where you left off. The windows and tabs you were using, the text you typed into forms, and the in-progress downloads you had running will all be restored. You can even set Firefox 2 to always restore your previous session instead of loading a home page, so youââ¬â¢ll never lose your place again.
Spell Checking
Sometimes youââ¬â¢re in a rush, and canââ¬â¢t remember if itââ¬â¢s ââ¬Åiââ¬Â before ââ¬Åeââ¬Â or the other way around. Firefox 2 has built-in spell checking to keep you from making any mistakes in your blog posts and Web-based email, so you can worry about more important things.
Search Suggestions
Some of the search engines in Firefox 2 can read your mind, and actually suggest search terms for what youââ¬â¢re looking for. Just start typing into the Search bar, and a drop down list of suggestions will appear. (Works for Google, Yahoo! and Answers.com.)
Web Feeds (RSS)
What do news headlines, indie rock podcasts, and pictures of kittens have in common? Theyââ¬â¢re all things that you can subscribe to with Web feeds. Firefox 2 gives you full control over Web feeds, showing you a preview and letting you choose how you want to subscribe. You can use a Firefox Live Bookmark, or a feed reader that youââ¬â¢ve installed on your computer, or through a Web service such as My Yahoo!, Bloglines or Google Reader.
Live Titles
Keep an eye on that auction or the status of a delivery using the new Live Titles feature in Firefox 2. Compact enough to fit as a bookmark label, Live Titles are regularly updated summaries of the most important information on a Web page. As the information on the page gets updated, so does your Live Title. Try one out in Firefox 2 by bookmarking "www.woot.com".
Integrated Search
Firefox helps you find whatever it is that youââ¬â¢re looking for. The Search bar comes pre-loaded with search engines for Google, Yahoo!, Amazon, eBay, Answers.com, and Creative Commons. Wherever you are on the Web, you can enter a search term in the Search bar and receive immediate answers from the search engine youââ¬â¢ve chosen. You can select a new search engine from the Search bar menu at any time, and add search engines from hundreds of your favorite Web sites.
Live Bookmarks
Firefox Live Bookmarks let you view Web feeds such as news and blog headlines in the bookmarks toolbar or menu. With one glance, quickly review the latest headlines from your favorite sites and click to go directly to the articles that interest you.
Pop-up Blocker
Firefox keeps you in control of the Web pages youââ¬â¢re viewing, blocking annoying pop-ups. Firefoxââ¬â¢s pop-up blocker notifies you when pop-ups are blocked via the information bar or icon on the lower right of the screen.
Streamlined Interface
The user interface in Firefox 2 has been updated to improve usability without altering the familiarity of the browsing experience.
Accessibility
Firefox delivers a better browsing experience for everyone - including those who are visually impaired. Firefox includes support for DHTML accessibility. Web developers can create pages that reduce the amount of tabbing required to navigate a document to minimize keystrokes for those with mobility disabilities. Firefox also includes support for Microsoft Active Accessibility, Microsoftââ¬â¢s accessibility API standard for Windows. This support allows Firefox to work with screen readers such as GW Microââ¬â¢s Window-Eyes and Freedom Scientificââ¬â¢s JAWS.