So, Firefox 8 has released in the Nightly Channel-basically, it’s Mozilla’s answer to Chrome’s Canary channel, featuring more or less daily releases of new and untested browser builds. Apparently, 8 is fast. Very fast. Estimates have set the speed increase at somewhere around 20% faster than Firefox 5- which most people probably aren’t still using, anyway. Apparently, the speed is now on par with Chrome 14. Furthermore, Mozilla’s also significantly reduced the memory footprint of Firefox 7. Supposedly, that’s a rather considerable reduction, given that Firefox 7 also reduced the memory footprint of previous versions. A lot of folks are rather excited about this update. As for me? Not particularly. I’ll stick with Chrome, thanks- though perhaps I should explain why I’m taking this stance.

First, let’s look at what Mozilla’s brought to the table with their new browser, thus far.

New Features of Firefox 8

The most touted new feature of Firefox 8 is, quite naturally, the increase in speed.  According to Business Insider, Firefox 8 features a 10% reduction in startup and operations time from Firefox 7, in addition to a 15% increase in benchmark results over FF 5 and a 20% increase in WebGL performance. One of the ways they’ve done this is by adding a piece of software known as Azure. It’s Firefox’s new unified graphics API, and I’ve got to admit, they did a pretty good job with this one. Not only does it leave their old API eating its dust, but it can also be used across all platforms.

See, before Azure, Firefox utilized a tool known as Cairo, in addition to Direct2D(or Quartz on OSX); for graphics rendering. It acts as something of a “go between” for Firefox and the host OS’s 2D rendering libraries. Azure eliminates the middlemen- allowing Firefox to write directly to Direct3D and OpenGL. Basically, what this means is that with Azure;  instead of having to utilize two intermediary programs, Firefox simply goes straight to the program it’s writing to. End result; a massive increase in speed and performance. The gain’s around 20% (seems to be the magic number today) on Windows. No word on how high it is on OS X.

As well, Mozilla’s done some tweaking with 3D WebGL to improve performance and increase security. Now, there’s also a few technical additions Mozilla’s planning to make to its browser. More will likely be forthcoming, but for the time being…the majority of them are features that have already been present in Google Chrome for quite some time. You can go over and take a look at Mozilla’s Firefox 8 release Wiki, and I’m sure you’ll agree- nothing they’re adding is particularly exciting or eye catching.

Ultimately,  even though Firefox 8 is better than its predecessors in virtually every way, it still falls short of Google Chrome.

Why Chrome Is Still Better

There are a few reasons why I’m going to be sticking with Chrome, and ignoring this Firefox update. First off, let’s look at browser speed. Quite frankly “just as fast as Chrome” isn’t going to cut it. See, the problem with Chrome as a competitor is that it’s developed by the owner of one of the most powerful, widely used search engines in the world. And with Google’s introduction of features such as instant pages, well…Chrome still feels faster, even if the two browsers are the same speed. Chrome pre-renders and preloads websites. Firefox doesn’t. No matter how fast they make Firefox, Chrome will still have that advantage.

And the fact is, even if Mozilla somehow did manage to make their browser feel as fast as Chrome…that still wouldn’t be good enough. I like Chrome. I like the apps and extensions. I like its integration with Google’s various tools and services. I like the feel of it. And I guarantee, a lot of people who use Chrome will be echoing the same sentiments. If Mozilla’s going to lure Chrome users away from their browser, they’re going to need to do a hell of a lot more than bring Firefox’s performance up to snuff with Chrome. They need to do more than add a plethora of new features to their browser already present in Google Chrome. Long story short, until they can clearly prove that Firefox is clearly better than Google Chrome, I know which browser I’m using.

I’ll give you a hint- it’s not Firefox.

via Business Insider

It’s a new month, and StatCounter has the data on browser usage statistics for the past month. Not surprisingly, Chrome has gained while Firefox and Internet Explore have slipped, although the change is very slight. Here’s a look at the rankings in graph form. Internet Explorer comes in on top with 49.21%, Firefox in second with 31.24% and Chrome with 12.39%. Last month Chrome was at 11.54%.

Is there any hope for Internet Explorer? It sounds like the new version has not been as popular as Microsoft had hoped. I also wonder how many browser enthusiasts are now switching to Chrome now that it has so many more features than it did just six months ago.

Technically savvy users are increasingly making the decision to use Chrome over Firefox as this graph from Business Insider using Techmeme data suggests.

Should Mozilla be concerned?

While a good amount of people are switching over to using Chrome’s browser for their basic web needs, it still lacks the developer tools that many people who create for the web need. Indeed, Mozilla’s Chris Blizzard has said such in a recent interview with derstandard.at’s Von Andreas Proschofsky, and Blizzard sees a future where people use more than one browser.

“Actually I think a lot of people are using both now, but it’s interesting to see for sure. From a web developer standpoint I still think Firefox’ tools are far superior than anybody else’s”, Blizzard said.

He’s right. If you are going to spend time doing development work and/or web support, you need tools like Firebug. Interestingly enough, Google’s own Page Speed that I found in Webmaster Tools only comes as a add-in for Firefox to check page loading statistics, which has been identified as a factor in search rankings.

Of course, the idea is to endear users to downloading and sticking with Chrome so pushing far geeker tools that offer the same capabilities as Firebug are probably further down the road. Continuing on the path of creating a powerful browser that can serve as the basis for an operating system appears to be the key priorty for Google in 2010.

There is a lingering question to this: are people really going to use two browsers in the future?

While we’re patiently waiting for get our web application fix from the soon to be launched official Chrome Web Store, here are some great places where you can check out the capabilities of what today’s browsers can do. You might be surprised to find out that webapps can do what native applications can, and that it may not be much longer before everything is centered around the (gasp) cloud.

FreeBrowserGamer

I came across FreeBrowserGamer when I was looking for something to play that required a no-frills approach within the browser, and this site certainly fills that need. Whether you are interested in 2D or 3D games you’ll find something original and challenging. When you look at the 3D games and their categories, you start to see that some of these titles actually have depth and quality which suggests that developers are putting money into browser based games such as Guns of Icarus (pictured below) and Earth Eternal.

Chrome Experiments

Despite its appearance, the Chrome Experiments site is one that was created by Google to show off what one can do with a little JavaScript and HTML5. Some interesting ones include social drawing applications, new and innovative ways to look at how we can mashup online video and remakes of games from the good old days. While the name suggests that this is a Chrome-only site, much of the applications here work just as well in Firefox, Opera and Safari.

HTML5 Games

This site claims to be the “largest directory of HTML5 games” and they do not disappoint. Whereas FreeBrowserGamer focuses more on original and 3D gaming that often requires a plugin installation, HTML5Games offers more of the 2D variety as well as a good selection of classics. Of course, there are some intriguing titles such as Galactic Inbox which is clearly a game that prods fun at the folks over at Google and Slither, a take on the classic game Snake but with a twist. There is also a section devoted to games that can be played on mobile devices.

Each of these sites offer something a bit different depending what you are looking for in an interactive browser experience. Hopefully you find what you’re looking for, and let us know if there’s something really cool on one of these sites that we should share.

This article on syncing is part of a series of posts that discuss the new features and technology that will come with the official newest release of Chrome browser – Version 6.

When someone thinks about syncing and Google Chrome, it doesn’t come as a surprise that not much comes to mind. But one needs to realize that being able to sync is an important step towards cloud computing. Syncing information from various devices is going to be important going forward, as hardware becomes less of an important element of mobile computing. It should no longer be the device we are using, but the platform by which we use the web. Because of this syncing will become an important, and hopefully transparent element to using Chrome.

Google realizes this, and they have made being able to sync profile information a priority in Chrome so that one can interface their personal data with several devices. One element of this is bookmark sync, whereby one can save a bookmark with their Google Account from one computer and easily transfer it over to a Chrome browser on another device.

Along with this comes extension sync. Since Chrome debuted extensions to offer a rival to Firefox add-ins, the Official Chrome Extensions site has seen over five thousand ways to extend the browser get approved for use. The great thing about Chrome extensions is that they are built using simple web standards – HTML, CSS and JavaScript. While I test many different extensions on a regular basis, take a look at my post about the top non-bloat non-annoying extensions that are useful to life on the web.

If you like using auto-form fills, expect a nice little surprise when Chrome 6 goes stable. That’s because you’re going to have the ability to transfer your information for various forms over to other devices. A useful feature for sure.

One thing I’d like to mention about syncing is security. Many people are concerned about their personal data in the cloud. Google takes this seriously, so here’s hoping that having the ability to transfer information using your Google Account is secure. After the Chinese hacking attacks last year, Google has implemented SSL on services such as Gmail, and they do take privacy with a serious state of mind. They should, since we are relying on them to protect us.

For the past six months, those who have been able to find a flaw in Chromium were awarded cash prizes for doing so. Now that this program has been ongoing for some time, the Chromium team has decided increase the amount given out for the most critical of flaws found, moving from $1,337 to $3,133.70. Most awards will remain at the $500 level, depending on the published severity guidelines.

The Chromium project has lead to Chrome being one of the most secure browsers on the market. The annual conference where researchers try to compromise browsers and other computer platforms, Pwn2Own, had no takers for Chrome browser this year. It could be because Chrome is still the newcomer on the market. Nevertheless all of the other major browsers ended up getting hacked at Pwn2Own.

It’s unknown whether or not the decision from the Chromium team relates to Mozilla recently raising their Security Bug Bounty Program award up from $500 to $3,000. With that being said, moving the amount just above Mozilla’s while keeping the cachet of the original award may mean something when thinking about Firefox versus Chrome: actions speak louder than words.

Back in January, I remarked about how quickly Chrome browser had been gaining share of the early adopter market. Back then, 10% of those who used the w3schools.com web developer site were browsing with Chrome. Now six months later that figure has jumped to over fifteen percent. Here is the month by month stats for 2010.

Those growth numbers are pretty impressive, don’t you think? They are markedly different from other browsers, whose numbers do move nearly as fast as Chrome.

So the data here tells one that those who develop for the web are increasingly interested in at least checking out what Chrome is all about. Recently Chris Blizzard from Mozilla told Gizmodo that they aren’t afraid of Chrome, and the data here suggests he’s right about that notion: Firefox has not lost any share to Chrome, it has mostly come at Microsoft’s expense.

NetApplications is reporting that worldwide use of Chrome is somewhere around 7%, so those who are using it to  develop and otherwise create for the web are double that amount. That seems pretty logical to me.

Firefox 4 Beta 1 certainly looks familar. I can’t seem to place where I’ve seen this interface before. Oh, I know, it’s the one I see every day when I use Chrome. You be the judge.

Tabs have been moved to the top of the window, the color scheme has changed accordingly and even the input boxes on the main toolbar area now have a rounded look to them. I can’t wait to download this and check out the generation-leaping JavaScript engine this thing is supposed to have.

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google’s Chrome browser worldwide share  is now at 7.24%. This is impressive to consider since Chrome was launched in September of 2008 and has blazed through versions and innovative features with new releases, currently at version 5.

The question at hand, now that Chrome is at number three of all browsers, is if it can challenge Firefox. NetApplications, the source for the Wall Street Journal Data, puts Firefox in second place to Internet Explorer at 23.81%. In an interview with Gizmodo, Mozilla Open Source Evangelist Christopher Blizzard said that the threat of Chrome overtaking Firefox does not seem to be one of his concerns. In fact, he believes that the fact Mozilla focuses solely on the browser will give his organization competitive advantage.

“What we’re gonna have, I think, with Firefox 4 is that we’re gonna have a Javascript engine that’s a generation ahead of everybody else, which will be pretty interesting. We’re the only one that makes browsers! We don’t sell ads, we don’t make operating systems. We don’t sell hardware. We just make browsers,” Blizzard told Gizmodo’s Matt Buchanon.

And in terms of competing directly against Google, “As long as we stand behind the technology that we have, and continue to improve and invest in it as a mechanism for getting the larger goals done, we’re gonna be fine. I’m not that worried about competing with them.”

That’s good to hear Mozilla has no qualms going up against Chrome. It will be for the best, in the long run, for there to be competing web browsers pushing technology forward – more like web platforms than browsers at this point actually. Firefox’s beta releases of version 4 have shown that they aren’t a afraid of taking something in Chrome and making it a feature in their browser to remain a worthy rival. Anyways, remember when it was only Microsoft that dominated the browser market? It was a black hole in terms of web innovation. Plus IE was hacked a lot, not really a fun time to remember.

By the way, NetApplications by all accounts must be the authority on browser share. In the past, there have been disputes over the validity of calculating browser share worldwide, but major publications seem to quote NetApplications most often in browser research.