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clear/unclear - New Firefox Users: Time to learn to upgrade and learn keyboard shortcuts.

Part of the Zolved series to demystify technology and make every human tech-savvy.

We've been happy to watch the steady proliferation of Mozilla's Firefox web browser on the internet. It shows that more and more average surfers are learning about different software options, and they're not afraid to break new ground for themselves. So for our first installment of clear/unclear series we'll focus on some basics for using Firefox.

For today and through the next month or so, the most important thing for a new Firefox user to know is How to upgrade to Firefox 2 (if you haven't already). As announced over at the Mozilla Developer Center, around mid-May they'll stop working on security and stability updates for Firefox 1.5. So if you missed the 2.0 release (my 1.5 didn't let me know, found out on Digg) now is pretty much the time to get it. Click Help > About Firefox to see which version you're running. If it don't start with a 2, then follow these instructions.

Unclear

What's not clear to the average user about this? Well, the Mozilla crew (who we love) and others on the `net keep referring to 2.0 as "an upgrade" or "latest version", but that's really not the case. If a 1.5 user wants the latest version of their Firefox, it's reasonable to assume that they would click Help > Check for Updates.

Unfortunately, all that user will get is an updated version of 1.5 and not an obvious way to get 2.0. Here's the screen:

So for those still running 1.5 and/or those who thought they upgraded but now realize they haven't, here are the simple steps to switch to Firefox 2.0.

Now apparently the Mozilla crew is going to change what happens when a 1.5 user runs "Check for Updates." I'm guessing the box to the left will read something like "No more updates available for 1.5. We strongly recommend switching to 2.0."

I just wish that was on there now.

On a less critical, more helpful front: Keyboard Shortcuts for Firefox

I know when I first start using a software, I don't take the time to run the tutorial or read a "Let's get started" guide. I usually need to get things done first. The one drawback to this is that I'll miss out on several time-saving features that are built into the software. For example when I started using MS Word (back when Britney Spears was in the New Mickey Mouse Club), in order to copy-n-paste something, I would: a) highlight the words b) right click c) click copy d) place cursor e) right click f) click Paste. The I noticed I could just a) highlight the words b) Ctrl-C c) place cursor d) Ctrl-V. That saves two steps (which add up over time) but is a heck of a lot faster. So browser faster with these keyboard shortcuts (I use Ctrl-T every 10 minutes).

Things to know when downloading Firefox 2 on Windows Vista