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Mozilla FirefoxCass Kvenild MLIS a ba University of Washington , Washington, USAb University of Wyoming , Laramie, WY, 82071, USAPublished online: 03 Oct 2008.

To cite this article: Cass Kvenild MLIS (2006) Mozilla Firefox, College &Undergraduate Libraries, 13:2, 101-104, DOI: 10.1300/J106v13n02_08

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J106v13n02_08

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INTERNET INSIDER

Mozilla Firefox:A Secure Browser Alternative

Cass Kvenild

ABSTRACT. The open source Mozilla Firefox browser is gaining marketshare in a field dominated by Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser. Theauthor describes the benefits of Firefox, including security, added fea-tures, and customization. The author also describes browser installationand the implications of Firefox use for both individual and enterprise ap-plications in the library. [Article copies available for a fee from The HaworthDocument Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: <docdelivery@haworthpress.com> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com> © 2006 by TheHaworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]

KEYWORDS. Web browsers, open source software

It is time once again for librarians to assess the software they use toaccess the Internet. In the spring of 2005, a writer declared that theFirefox web browser was “easy to use and more secure than Microsoft’s

Cass Kvenild (MLIS, University of Washington) is Reference Librarian, Universityof Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 (address e-mail to: ckvenild@uwyo.edu).

Manuscripts for “Internet Insider” can be submitted to the column editor, BethAshmore, Samford University Library, Birmingham, AL 35229, or via e-mail:beashmor@samford.edu.

College & Undergraduate Libraries, Vol. 13(2) 2006http://www.haworthpress.com/web/CUL

© 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.doi:10.1300/J106v13n02_08 101

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browser” (Hamm 2005). Firefox 2.0 is a child of the original browserwars, when Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) trounced Netscape andsurvived a gnarly antitrust battle. IE has dominated the browser marketever since. When Netscape Communicator released its source code in1998, the Mozilla group started developing an open source browser thatwould eventually become Firefox. This browser does not look like theNetscape you remember. It incorporates new ways of browsing with agreat deal of the functionality of Internet Explorer.

Firefox acquired a strong following this year because it offers increasedsecurity, something that should appeal to all librarians. Libraries harboran interest in security to preserve a smoothly functioning technologicalinfrastructure and also to protect the intellectual freedom and confi-dentiality of our patrons. Firefox’s security reputation is built on solidground. Unlike IE, it is not integrated with the Microsoft Windows op-erating system, and, therefore, it leaves computers less vulnerable tospyware attacks that affect the entire system rather than just the browser.Another key element of Firefox’s claim to security prominence is that itdoes not support ActiveX, VBScript, or active scripting. These technolo-gies increase vulnerability to attack as they allow software and codes tobe seamlessly downloaded and installed. By not supporting the most pop-ular avenue for hackers to gain access to your computer and network,Firefox shuts the door on a dangerous and pervasive security threat. Thepotential damage from such attacks is real. In June 2004 (US-CERT2004), US-CERT, a division of the Department of Homeland Securityresponsible for protecting the nation’s internet infrastructure, recom-mended changing browsers from Internet Explorer to a non-Windowsbased browser as a solution to increasing security gaps in IE.

Security is not the only Firefox feature that will pique the interest oflibrarians and their patrons. Firefox zealots sing the praises of its tabbedbrowsing. Tabs allow you to open multiple websites within the same win-dow and switch easily between them with one click. This is an excellenttool on the reference desk, where you can open one window with differ-ent tabs set to the library’s catalog, a favorite database, and Google. Tabsmake it easy to toggle between multiple sites for one research question.The browser even allows you to set a home page to your favorite tabs.Tabbed browsing is a proven time saver for library research.

In another popular feature, the Firefox browser auto-senses availabilityof rich site summary (RSS) feeds. If a site offers an RSS feed, you can sub-scribe by clicking the small RSS sensor in the bottom right corner of thebrowser, with an option to view headlines in a “Live Bookmark.” Thebookmark contains hyperlinked headlines from your choice of sources

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such as the New York Times, the BBC, or even your favorite blog. Byclicking a headline from your RSS Live Bookmark, you can access thestory in one step rather than going directly to the web site and scanningstories. It is an ideal way to personalize bookmarks and to decrease thenumber of clicks required to access new web content.

The set-up process for Firefox is straightforward. The browser isavailable as a free download from the Mozilla website. You can checkan option to import all of your settings, bookmarks, cookies and morefrom Internet Explorer. You will need to download common plug-ins,particularly if you want to see Flash or Java-powered sites. Downloadingthe plug-ins may seem cumbersome, but the streamlined and secure for-mat of Firefox focuses on allowing the end-user to customize the browserto individual specifications. Google and Yahoo toolbars (two perenniallibrary favorites) were recently made available for Firefox.

The default look of Firefox is unremarkable and intuitive to use.Firefox offers a range of extensions, or small add-ons to the browser,and themes which allow you to choose a custom look and feel. As anopen source product, all of these improvements or modifications arecreated by Firefox users to share with the larger community. Some arepractical upgrades that improve efficiency or solve problems; others arefun and aesthetic.

If you adopt Firefox as your browser, and you like its lean and meanapproach to software and security, you might want to add it to the li-brary’s public terminals. Because some websites rely on scripts that arenot supported by Firefox and appear broken when viewed with theFirefox browser, it is best to keep Internet Explorer available as an optionon all terminals. Keep in mind that some of your library’s internal re-sources may depend on IE, including your intranet or search interfaces.Adding the Firefox browser as an enterprise application for the entire li-brary carries some added work, as the information technology depart-ment will need to install upgrades and patches for two browsers instead ofone. Choice, security, price, and small size may well outweigh the incon-venience of adding another browser to the public access computers. Moreand more IT departments are promoting Firefox on college campuses. InJuly 2005, The Chronicle of Higher Education (Read 2005) reported thatmany universities are even including the browser in their student soft-ware packages in an effort to improve security.

No browser is foolproof and Firefox proved fallible last summerwhen security breaches were discovered. Appropriate patches are avail-able to solve the problems, but some critics are concerned that an opensource browser cannot respond as quickly to new threats as Microsoft

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can. Symantec, an Internet security company, posits that the prevalenceof Internet Explorer means that security flaws in IE affect far more po-tential users than flaws in other browsers. Experts estimate that Firefoxusers comprise only 7-9% of the browser market share, with IE usersmaking up almost all of the rest. In fall 2005, Microsoft releasedInternet Explorer 7. It will incorporate many of Firefox’s most popularfeatures, including tabbed browsing and increased security for ActiveXfeatures. Firefox also planned to release an upgraded version in late fall2005, but it will not include major architectural changes.

It is unlikely that another full-scale browser war will emerge from theincreased popularity of Firefox. It is likely, however, that security threatswill remain a problem for libraries and individuals. Now is a perfect timeto reassess network security and check up on vulnerabilities at theUS-CERT website (http://www.us-cert.gov). It is also fun and worthwhileto see what new browser technology is available, whether it is tabbedbrowsing in the upcoming IE 7, or live bookmarks in Firefox. Chances aregood that your library could use a more secure, efficient browser.

REFERENCES

Boutin, P. 2004. Are the browser wars back? How Mozilla’s Firefox trumps InternetExplorer. Slate, June 30, http://slate.msn.com/id/2103152/.

Crawford, W. 2005. Firefox and future dangers: The open and closed of it. Online,July/August, 45-47.

Hamm, S. 2005. Move over, Internet Explorer. Business Week, February 7, 89.Janes, J. 2005. Internet Librarian: The ones who walk away from Omelas. American

Libraries, January, 80.Microsoft Corporation. me, Internet Explorer Home. http://www.microsoft.com/

windows/ie/default.mspx.Mozilla Foundation. Firefox–Rediscover the Web. http://www.mozilla.org/products/

firefox/.Perez, J. C. 2005. Mozilla faces new challenges on Firefox. Computerworld, September

26, 20.Pike, S. 2005. Mozilla Firefox. PC Magazine, June 28, 92-93.Read, B. 2005. As security concerns rise, new web browsers gain favor at colleges. The

Chronicle of Higher Education, July 15, A37.United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team. US-CERT. http://www.

us-cert.gov/.US-CERT. 2004. Vulnerability Note VU#713878: Microsoft Internet Explorer does

not properly validate source of redirected frame. http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/713878.

Weiss, T. R. 2005. More flaws in Firefox than IE, Symantec says; Numbers don’t tellthe whole story, analysts caution. Computerworld, September 26, 20.

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