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Will new Firefox browswer bring back lost fans?
I have been losing interest in Firefox as it appears to me to be more problematic than either Chrome or Edge. As I am writing this answer I have two computers in use right now, a Linux notebook using the Chrome browser and a desktop workstation using the Edge browser in Windows 10.
In an effort to offer some objective information regarding web browsers on Windows 10 I found two recent articles below that offer some test results and objective information that supports my personal feelings that Firefox does not perform as well as either Chrome or Edge.
(July 27, 2016) Top browsers Chrome, Opera, Firefox, Edge, and Internet Explorer are pitted against each other to find out which is the best and worst browser for Windows 10. What's the best and worst browser for Windows 10? | ZDNet
This article concludes “Google Chrome is the best browser, taking the top spot in three of the four tests that it ran.”
(February 14, 2017) What's 2017's fastest Windows 10 web browser? What's 2017's fastest Windows 10 web browser? | ZDNet
This article concludes “Chrome, once unquestionably the fastest of the fast, has fallen behind both Edge and Opera.”
But one observation that remained constant, “Firefox has been declining in both popularity and speed for some time now. I see no reason for this changing in this go-around.”
Using the information from the above articles, I think it is fair to address the question, “Isn't Firefox's inferior performance on Windows 10, an engineering failure?”
No, Firefox's inferior performance on Windows 10, is not an engineering failure.
It is simply an illustration of the growing complexities of technology. Even with moving forward with the assumption that Firefox is inferior to Chrome and Edge on Windows 10, the issue becomes very complex because “web technology” goes beyond a workstation operating system.
I am by no means a Microsoft fanboy, but in all fairness to Microsoft web technologies are constantly evolving outside the realm of Microsoft's control. The question is difficult to answer specifically as Windows 10 is constantly being updated, as are the various browsers.
Maybe the folks at Firefox need to think about realistic goals. Can they build a better browser that works well on Windows, Linux, iOS and Android? Or would they be better served to be more focused?
Would that include Firefox 57, released on the 14th Nov, which introduces a large tech overhaul?
As a system admin I support the apps that are needed in our enviroment. We have apps that use IE or Edge, we have apps that the developer has stated they work best in Chrome. I can't remember the last time someone specifically requested Firefox as the browser to be used to support an app. Mozilla's loss of market share and loyal users did not happen over night. If Mozilla wants to regain the market share and loyal users it has lost over the years it will take a sustained effort, not just one overhaul that promises to improve everything.
The links weren't market share surveys, they were test results.
I chose the two articles because they offered real data based on objective tests. “If someone declares their app works best in a specific browser, then that’s a failure.” A failure on who? The developer? Yes, I would agree that is a failure on the developer, but I don't have a choice. I've worked in numerous enterprise networks spanning over three decades. Sadly, most system admins don't always get to pick what apps they support. Each industry has major developers that support the needs of the industry, and the system admins need to “beat it to fit” on a variety of platforms.
I've lived and worked in computer networking since browsers came into our arena in the 1990s. The browser was the “universal application” that allowed us to share information using a document format called HTML. From the beginning web designers and developers tried to stretch the capabilities of HTML by adding their own versions of HTML tags that weren't compliant with HTML standards. Add to that the various plugins to the browser that went above and beyond the basic framework of HTML. With all the many variables involved
I've always been an open source advocate and for many years did not speak kindly of Microsoft. When Microsoft was the 800 pound gorilla of technology, they were the company that everyone loved to hate. Now that Google has in many ways replaced Microsoft as the 800 pound gorilla of technology, Google is praised, not hated. My personal evolution of working with Novell NOS and Linux desktop OS has not made me hate Microsoft more, but actually come to appreciate the challenges of any OS developer.
As far as Microsoft and open source, thankfully for Microsoft they survived the reign of Steve Ballmer who made many enemies of the open source community, and now they have a CEO in Satya Nadella who realizes the need to become a part of the open source community. https://thenewstack.io/microsoft-shifting-emphasis-open-source/
http://mashable.com/2017/11/15/google-chrome-vs-firefox-quantum/
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