^{Photo by Garrett LeSage}

In case you are seeking for an answer of the question: “Do I need to switch from Chrome to Firefox now?” In my opinion, if you’re still happy with Chrome, then feel comfortable to stay with Chrome. Because there is no obvious game-changing reason for switching.

So, what’s new about Firefox?

New Name

Half year ago, you may (or may not) notice that I said Goodbye to Firefox. However, with a mixed feeling of curiosity and nostalgia, several weeks ago I started to try out Firefox 57 nightly version. It’s the version officially released 2 days ago, which is so hyped that moz://a decided to put a name on it: Firefox Quantum.

New Feeling

Firefox Quantum feels fast. That’s right. This is the first impression that moz://a wants to express to everyone. Delivered with this feeling, a message is clearly announcing: Firefox is reborn.

As we all know, speed is always the main selling point of Chrome. Yes, you are probably thinking about this creative advertisement: Google Chrome Speed Tests. Now Firefox Quantum comes with another eye-catching phrase “Fast for good”. With similar speed, 30% less memory usage ^[1], more privacy protection, doesn’t your heart beat faster for that, does it?

New Battle

It’s just the beginning of Firefox Quantum ^[2] aiming for the top web browser. It’s too early to tell if Firefox can beat its opponents or not. Not saying the ancient issues opened for decades, but the new issues of Servo cause my concerns and worries.

However, releasing Firefox Quantum is undoubtedly the declaration of new browser battle. It’s a solid punch towards Chrome’s face. At least, after so many years being an underdog, Firefox finally stands up and shows its motivation to fight, making people reconsider Firefox as an option of the main browser.

I, as an end-user, don’t really care about the result of who is the winner, Chrome, Firefox or whatever dark horse. But I would be super excited to see more awesome features coming to current browsers, which make them better than yesterday.

We, acting like competition judges, are waiting to see the best performance of each browser showing to us. We will continuously have better options to choose.

That’s the bright future I’m waiting for. That’s the mission Firefox have to fulfill as a challenger. That’s why I’m back to Firefox and say again “Hi Firefox!”

[1] Firefox Quantum is super fast, while still conserving memory
[2] A Quantum Achievement: But it’s Just the Beginning