Firefox is an elite browsing experience

Tab browsing at it's best

[The Watchman]

Third Party/Unofficial Builds
For Information pertaining to Firefox Third Party/Unofficial Builds [forums.mozillazine.org]
On this page you will find various builds optimized for Window users as well Linux and other OS's by their perspective builders, they are optimized for several reasons, 1 is speed the bangbang023 version's for Windows is SSE2 as when you go to the thread you can read the rest, for convenience I have made this thread for anyone who like's tho use beta's, these Firefox versions are lightning quick, I can attest to to bangbang023's versions as I he builds daily, from the nightlies. Have a go using them, you will be quite surprised at the speed. Keep in mind they are optimized for speed.
The_Watchman

[killroy]

Unfortunately unusable until the implement some of hte superb tab handling of Opera... I'd love to go slimline though...

SN

[The Watchman]

These builds are at 4.9mb total and optimized for speed as Opera is a superb tab browser with the exception of the added weight that comes with the initial download.

Try the optimized builds once and see for yourself the handling of tab browsing and compare the overall operation between the 2 browsers. I think it will surprise you very much. I was in awe when I first did, as I used Opera because of the tabs over IE for along time.

[mat]

superb tab handling of Opera

Admittedly I haven't been near Opera for some time, but for Firefox the Tabbrowser Extension has an array of options that would surely satisfy the most obsessive tweaker on the planet. A killer-app for a killer-app.

[bill]

I too find Opera's tab handling a lot more mature. I've used the various FF tab extensions, and none of them quite make the grade. They're getting there though...

[Hester]

These builds are at 4.9mb total and optimized for speed as Opera is a superb tab browser with the exception of the added weight that comes with the initial download.

The default size of Opera is smaller than 4.9Mb. (About 3.9Mb I think.) Firefox is a larger download and extensions add to the size of that.

[killroy]

I've been using both and trying to move to FF since Opera is using about 10-220% CPU in idle with my 3 windows of about 50 pages each open about 30 days before reboot.

Problem is simple little things, like in Opera the tabs have a sensible minimum width so you can recognise their titles still. Also middle clicking opens in a tab adjacent to the current, NOT either all the way left or all the way right like on FF. It's these little specifics that keep bringing me back to opera and rather buying a bigger CPU and more RAM to compensate for its bulkishness...

SN

[Hester]

Opera is using about 10-220% CPU in idle

That shouldn't be happening. Do the pages open use a lot of Flash?