Firefox 1.5 Beta Security Updates and User Experience Review

First came all the praise about Firefox 1.0 being more secure than Internet Explorer (IE). Then came headlines about mega-downloads chipping away at Microsoft's market share. Then came months of uncovered flaws and security updates that now has Firefox up to version 1.0.7.

Now comes Firefox 1.5 in beta, an upgrade Mozilla Engineering Director Mike Schroepfer said will be more secure than ever, with an automatic update service that downloads patches as needed. Indeed, blogs and Web sites are buzzing about the beta release, including MozillaZine, WebmasterWorld.com and PC World's blog.

But will Firefox 1.5 live up to the hype? SearchSecurity.com asked those who have tried it to weigh in. Based on the responses, the new version appears to be faster and more user-friendly but not necessarily more secure. If you've already switched from IE to Firefox, you're bound to like 1.5. If you've played around with Firefox but haven't embraced it as more secure, this update may not be the one that converts you.

Here are two IT professionals who have dabbled with the beta copy. One uses Firefox regularly. The other uses IE and remains unconvinced that switching to Mozilla's browser will make his enterprise more secure.

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