Firefox 2.0 includes new features including an integrated spell checker, antiphishing tool, integrated search and tweaks to the tabbed browsing function.
Firefox is known for its open source customization among developers to enhance the browser’s capability. Extensions, or add-ons, continue to play a big role in Firefox 2.0 though most extensions for the previous versions are not compatible with the updated browser.
Houston Chronicle computing reporter Dwight Silverman conducted a performance test that pit Internet Explorer 7.0 and Firefox 2.0 and concluded that Firefox’s performance improved dramatically. The browser launches faster, loads pages faster and runs web-based applications faster than 1.5.
Prior to the release of Firefox’s final version of 2.0, Mozilla had already begun to solicit input from the Internet community for version 3.0. To secure input from Internet users, Mozilla has established a forum for a community-generated wish list.
Requests have been divided into categories such as browser customization, enhanced privacy, security and improvements to the download manager.
According to an Ars Technica report, draggable tabs and the ability to add tags to webpages rank high on the user-generated wish lists. However, there is no word on how many user-generated features will make their way into the version.