Firefox 3.5: What's New?
I’ve had my head down for quite some time now (haven’t you noticed everyone is so busy lately?) and the launch of Firefox 3.5 almost passed me by without much notice. Well, it almost did until my browser kept crashing unexpectedly and I noticed it recommended I could update. Sure, why not I said because I was already losing time and I really was resisting the sage advice to reboot. Rebooting is my arch nemesis even if it somehow fixes things.
After downloading and installing, something in the new features jumped off the screen. It was a development I heard about but had completely forgotten about. Firefox 3.5 now supports HTML5 and embedded video. The idea being with the new version of HTML they could specify a common video codec for all browsers to use so you wouldn’t need to download any plug-ins like Flash, Silverlight, or JavaFX. They’ve run into some problems getting all companies to agree to this common video codec but there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Someday, we may be able to watch video on a website without any extra software installations. The browser would play the video based on the website’s code.
For me, this is a big deal because when the industry can agree on a common standard, then support for video on pages can improve. Someday, this could mean you would have the ability to see video on any computer, platform, or device. Uniformity can equal improved performance.
As a technical communicator, when they can agree on how to improve watching video online, it can mean finding ways to embed video in help documentation. Currently, we can’t embed video without serious consideration for making sure your viewing experience is positive and headache free. If you have to install something extra, worry about browser stability, and consider performance issues (like internet bandwidth) then the help becomes not so helpful. Therefore, standards and consistency make me happy. Even I have to admit, I don’t like to have to stop my website browsing to install something just to watch a brief video. I also get upset when I can watch video on one website but not another on my iPhone.
It will take a while for this movement to take effect because websites will have to start authoring in HTML5 but now it’s more possible to see it taking effect when a browser like Firefox supports it.
Other notable features include: private browsing mode, location aware browsing, an improved awesome bar, one-click bookmarking, and more. More information is available on the Firefox website and this great overview video http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/video/. I think I’m just excited because the internet browser market is getting more competitive, faster, and more options to customize your experience.