The Fox That Rocks

I like stuff. I dig shiny and new. And there's a certain, stupid thrill that comes from being able to say that I was one of the first to get something. For example, it's not uncommon to find me mingling with the weirdos at Wal-Mart on Monday nights just for the chance get my hands on a new CD release at the stroke of midnight.

So when I heard that Firefox 2 is being released tomorrow, I was excited. And when I discovered a link today where I could get my hands on those precious installation files a day early, I giggled like a schoolboy and got my click on. I just couldn't wait to play with the improved interface, enhanced search box, and built-in spell-checker. Sure, I could have been using one of the test versions for months now, but I much prefer a final, official product. I've been using Firefox 2 for a full day now, and I couldn't be happier.

If you haven't noticed by now, I'm a die-hard Firefox fan. I've been using it since it was a wee baby, still in its beta testing phases, and have had absolutely zero complaints. In the two years that the 'Fox and I have been marching arm in arm across the Interwebs, we've become the best of friends.

Which is why it makes me a bit sad and frightened to see that so many of my other friends are still using Internet Explorer. My logs show that 68% of you are still blindly using IE, while a paltry 23% of you are surfing safely. GASP! Don't you know that going online with IE is the online equivalent of a visit to the Amazon (this one, not this one) without getting immunized first?

If there was ever a time to give Firefox a try, it's right now. It's a quick download, a quicker install, and you can still use Internet Explorer for those pesky sites that are coded for IE only. And if you're thinking, "I don't want to learn how to use something new," have no fear. Using Firefox requires zero learning curve if you can find your way around with IE. Don't be swayed by the hype that Microsoft's latest browser, IE7, has tabbed browsing either. Firefox has had that feature for more than 2 years now, and in a browser that's much safer and less bloated than IE.

So go on. Click on that big, shiny yellow logo. It won't hurt, I PROMISE. Let's all be shiny and new together!

Update (10/24/06 4:22 PM): The guys over at Mozilla are apparently none too happy that bloggers have been linking directly to their FTP servers, simply because the files out there can't be guaranteed to be the final release. At any rate, Firefox 2 is officially in the wild as of just a few minutes ago. GO GET IT!