i’m sort of a late adopter when it comes to browser technology. this is sort of a shocker because i’m a huge gadget freak and i generally like to keep up with all of the latest and greatest technology. i think the biggest reason why i don’t really play with beta browsers is because the browsing experience is such a critical part of my daily life that i can’t stand using unstable browsers. they should just work and if they don’t, it really upsets me.

the browser is also a big part of my work life. i need a stable browser so that i can work. if it cuts down on my productivity, that means that i have to work longer…and that is simply unacceptable. plus, i’m developing for what most people use, and most people just don’t use beta browsers.

but i have decided to try out the firefox 3 beta 5 and just recently upgraded to the firefox 3 RC1 release and i have to say that i’m mostly impressed with the browser. i did think it was a little weird that on my install the default navigation bar comes without a back/forward set of buttons and i had to customize the bar to add them, but aside from that, so far, i’m pretty impressed.

the browser feels speedy, the new address bar is pretty cool, and it feels pretty stable. i think it’s a little too easy to make bookmarks with this browser, but maybe that’ll be a feature that i like. i’m also glad that the majority of my add-ons still work. the most compelling reason to use firefox is for the add-ons. it’s what makes using other browsers like internet explorer and safari useless to me.