Firefox 3.5 Makes Browsing Faster, Easier And More Fun

[LaoPo]

Review: Firefox 3.5 makes browsing faster, easier and more fun

Tue Jun 30, 2009 11:55pm EDT

The just-released version 3.5 of Firefox is a winner, offering significantly faster Web browsing, better tab handling, a host of interface tweaks and, like just about every other browser on the planet, a "porn mode." If you already use Firefox you'll want to upgrade right away. If you're not a Firefox user, this version represents a very good opportunity to give the browser a test run.

Need for speed

For many people, the browser wars are all about one thing: speed. There's no doubt that version 3.5 of Firefox is significantly faster than version 3. Pages load noticeably more quickly for a number of reasons, not least because Mozilla built a new JavaScript engine called TraceMonkey for this version of Firefox.

How much faster is open to debate. Mozilla says it ran the industry-standard SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark, which measures how quickly browsers render JavaScript, on versions 2, 3 and 3.5 of Firefox, and asserts that the newest version is more than twice as fast as Firefox 3 and more than ten times as fast as Firefox 2 on the test. Other testers have reported similar results.

Of course, rendering JavaScript quickly doesn't necessarily mean that all Web pages load faster. Microsoft, for example, argues that for most Web pages, other kinds of speed-ups are more important than rendering JavaScript quickly. I'll leave that debate to Microsoft, Mozilla and other browser makers. But putting aside any speeds-and-feeds specs, I can tell you that from the user experience, Firefox 3.5 is lightning fast -- it seems to me about comparable to the recently-released Safari 4.0 for the Mac.

Private Browsing

Any browser worth its salt these days has a porn mode, and with version 3.5, Firefox now has one as well. It's called Private Browsing (Internet Explorer's is called InPrivate Browsing), and it works as advertised. When you browse the Web using it, nothing about the session is stored -- no history, no cookies, no temp files, no forms information, no search information, nothing that can show where you've browsed or what you've done. To turn the Las Vegas tag line on its ear: What happens in Firefox doesn't stay in Firefox.

To use Private Browsing, Select Tools --> Start Private Browsing, or else press Ctrl-Shift-P. Unlike with Internet Explorer, a new instance of the browser doesn't launch. Instead, a warning appears, asking you if you want to start a Private Browsing session and telling you that Firefox will save your tabs if you want to start one.

Firefox then closes your existing tabs, and immediately launches a private browsing window. From here, browse the Web as you normally would, and nothing of the session will remain. To end the Private Browsing session, close Firefox as you would normally, or else select Tools --> Stop Private Browsing, or else press Ctrl-Shift-P. The current session ends, and Firefox launches with all of your previous tabs intact.

There are other nice touches for those who don't want other people to know what sites they've been visiting. You can remove all the traces of a site you've visited while you were in a normal browsing session.

This eliminates it not just from the History list, but also kills all traces of the browser on your computer, including cookies and temp files, search history, forms you've filled out, and more.

To use this feature, first open your History list by choosing History --> Show All History or by pressing Ctrl-Shift-H. Then right-click the site you want to remove, and from the menu that appears, select Forget about This Site.

You can also remove all of your history and other data related to your browsing session from the last few hours or last day. Select Tools --> Clear Recent History, or press Ctrl-Shift-Del. From the drop-down list on the page that appears, choose either the last hour, the last two hours, the last four hours, today, or everything.

You can also fine-tune what to clear by clicking the Details button; it lets you determine what data to remove -- browsing and download history, forms and search history, cookies, cache, logins, etc.

Interface tweaks

The new version of Firefox has some nice interface tweaks as well. Primary among them is the ability to re-open tabs or windows that you've previously closed -- functionality that was previously available only through add-ons.

Select History and look for two items at the bottom of the menu -- Recent Closed Tabs and Recently Closed Windows. From those menu items, select the tab or window you want to re-open. Note that this works only for tabs and windows you've closed in your current browsing session. After you end a session, you won't be able to restore them.

Firefox 3.5 also supports watching video and listening to music directly in a Web page, without having to launch any plug-ins, by supporting the HTML 5 audio and video elements. The Web page itself plays the video, and includes audio and video controls. You can even download the video or audio by right-clicking and saving it.

For all of this to work, though, the elements have to be in the page itself, which means the developer has to code it that way. At the moment, there are very few pages that contain these kinds of video and audio elements; only time will tell whether they become popular.

Firefox 3.5 has taken a page from Chrome, letting you drag a window out of a browsing session and launch it as its own browsing session, or else drag a tab from one browser session into another to combine them. In addition, when you drag a tab to reposition it among other tabs, you see a thumbnail of the tab as you move it.

Firefox now also supports what is called Location Aware Browsing, which tells Web sites your location so that they can deliver geographic-relevant information for online maps or to help when you're searching for local information and businesses.

It works like this: Firefox finds your IP address, gathers information from any nearby Wi-Fi hot spots, and sends that to Google Location Services (its geolocation service provider), which then tries to determine your location and shares that information with the Web site you're visiting. All this happens only if you give Firefox permission; Mozilla claims that it's done in a way that protects your privacy.

Version 3.5 also supports downloadable fonts, and CSS support has been improved. And the "Awesome Bar," which is Firefox's name for the Address Bar, has gotten a slight change that power tweakers will appreciate: You can now more easily filter results as you type text into the bar. So, for example, if you want to see results only from your bookmarks, use the * character (as in Gralla*); if you want results only from tags, use the # character (e.g., Gralla#).

The bottom line

If you're a Firefox user, this upgrade is a no-brainer. Browsing the Web is significantly faster, the ability to re-open previously closed tabs and windows is a major improvement, and as for PrivateBrowsing ... I won't delve into your personal life, but if you've got a need to keep some of your browsing a secret, you'll want this feature.

The video is a nice-to-have, but won't be particularly useful until sites start using it. The same holds true for Location Based Browsing and some of the other improvements.

Note to current Firefox users: As with previous Firefox updates, some of your add-ons, such as Google Gears, might not work until they are updated to work with version 3.5.

Still, all in all, this is a major improvement over Firefox 3. Even if you're not currently a Firefox user, you'll want to give it a try.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idU...0090701?sp=true

LaoPo

[webfact]

I can't help myself but make a "heretic" remark....

All those boosting of FF3 is very similar to M$ and Vista to convince users to switch from XP to Vista.

From what I experienced on my own PC's and throughout conversations with fellow colleagues and friends

I have learnt the majority of users is still working with FF2! The reason is not only add-on incompatibility of many.

Personally I will stick for a while with FF2 until FF3 is reliable as FF2 is.

I am always amazed when users get exited if they are able to open a web site 0.2 seconds faster than before...

Are we all working with a stop watch?

Personally I feel this statement is a bit exaggerated because I trust this test was run in a software testing lab and not on John Citizen computers:

How much faster is open to debate. Mozilla says it ran the industry-standard SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark, which measures how quickly browsers render JavaScript, on versions 2, 3 and 3.5 of Firefox, and asserts that the newest version is more than twice as fast as Firefox 3 and more than ten times as fast as Firefox 2 on the test. Other testers have reported similar results.

/quote]

Spot on - burn me!

/edit for typing errors

Edited July 2, 2009 by webfact

[Lopburi99]

I hadn't used Firefox before and after reading this post decided to download it and give it a try.

WOW! A major speed increase over IE! I'll be using it from now on.

Thanks Firefox! (and LaoPo !)

[ignis]

I have been useing version 3.5 of Firefox for 2 days and feel it is much better...... I had problems when my old version 3 updated at the weekend, so download version 3.5 .

[Mobi]

Is it faster and/or better than Google Chrome? (I do not have Chrome, just asking)

[webfact]

Is it faster and/or better than Google Chrome? (I do not have Chrome, just asking)

Well, I hope not to stir up a hornet's nest. IMHO Chrome is faster

[yeti]

Does it have speed dial and mouse gestures built in (not by adding add-ons)?

[Tywais]

Well, I hope not to stir up a hornet's nest. IMHO Chrome is faster

Some interesting numbers on memory usage for the top freeware browsers. Bit of a surprise considering the memory issues that has plagued FF before. However, note what I highlighted in bold.

6. Memory champion

Here we note the browser that has the best results in the experiment at every level. Firefox 3.5 used the smallest amount of memory during its peak, it used the smallest amount of memory when all points were averaged, and it used the smallest amount of memory at the end of the experiment after all tabs were closed. Firefox 3.5 continues Firefox 3.0's legacy of being the most memory efficient browser in this style of experiment.

Source: dotnetperls

This benchmark shows FF 3.5 is twice as fast as 3.x with Javascript rendering but still slower then Chrome and Safari.

Another comparison putting Safari out in front (again for Javascript > Cnet

This supports webfact's Chrome speed over FF 3.5 > neowin

[tomartoh]

It would'nt do morning coffee, when i tried 3.5 beta. nor was it compatible with a lot of others

[CosmicSurfer]

Sorry... I've been using Browsers since Mosiac was first introduced (my personal favorite was by Spry) and for me the "Browser wars" was NEVER about speed... It was always about intuitive usablility.. just like all other software I chose. (And the impact on my Processor is important too.)

And for that reason, I've always hated all Mozilla products... Be it Netscape or FireFox. They are always built for Geeks that like to tinker, whereas I just want to get the job done with as little input and screwing with add-ons and settings that I can manage.

Now, I haven't yet checked out this new FireFox version, and if they have made Tabs more usable and intuitive, then I may actually keep it, instead of delete it like I have all their other version...

But honestly, there isn't a browser I like available today, and I've tried them all. IE8 keeps crashing on all machines I've tried it on. Opera is the least intuitive and doesn't allow basic Gui personalization. Chrome is still far from ready for Prime Time. Steve Jobs can keep Safari and shove it... I'll never use any Apple products as long as they keep insiting on abusing (ripping-off) their customers... Besides the reviews say that it sucks. (In all fairness and full disclosure, I do own an iPod, but only because No other manufacturer has designed a better one... and I can't understand why they don't.)

For everyday use, I use Maxthon and Avant, both IE based Shells, but even they get finicky when I have too many tabs open... So I divide up the load between them. And I also use Chrome, for those (very rare) days when nothing else seems to work... basically for Emergencies.

But I will try out this new FireFox 3.5... Unlike that other "FOX", I am truly "Fair and Balanced" and I won't totally write anything off until I do a test drive myself.... Things do change in this world!

CS

[Tywais]

Now, I haven't yet checked out this new FireFox version, and if they have made Tabs more usable and intuitive, then I may actually keep it, instead of delete it like I have all their other version...

Am curious as to what problems you had with FF Tabs. At one time they were not very well thought out and I used Tabs Plus addon to get around some of the limitations. However, they are now quite easy to use and I no longer need a plugin for it. Tabbed Browsing

[Plus]

Opera ... doesn't allow basic Gui personalization.

That is a ridiculous statement. I lost trust in whatever you got to say about other browsers right there.

>>

FYI, in Opera you can put all the toolbars, panels, tabs, buttons etc anywhere you want - left, right, top, bottom, in drag and drop fashion, you can reduce or enlarge icons and change color scheme, and that's right out of the box, before you get to play with hundreds of downloadable skins and custom buttons for every feature imaginable.

Firefox has still long way to go in that sense.

[craig]

Thanks for the info...I will give it a try. I presently have IE, Firefox and Opera as browsers...have tried a number of others but decided to keep these. IE because it came wth my Vista OS...I don't use it...but thought to keep it. Firefox used to be my favored browser..I still like it a lot but Opera is my most used browser...It does all I ask it to do. and is as fast as Firefox. Sometimes Firefox stops working...Here in my semi rural area I use a Solomon Edge modem with Dtac. Sometimes one browser will work faster when the other one is suffering doldrums...

I don't have a romantic attachment to any browser nor do I feel attacked when someone else prefers something different than I do...I like Opera but will give the new Firefox a whirl.

[CosmicSurfer]

Now, I haven't yet checked out this new FireFox version, and if they have made Tabs more usable and intuitive, then I may actually keep it, instead of delete it like I have all their other version...

Am curious as to what problems you had with FF Tabs. At one time they were not very well thought out and I used Tabs Plus addon to get around some of the limitations. However, they are now quite easy to use and I no longer need a plugin for it. Tabbed Browsing

I could never figure out how to intuitively create new tabs.. or open a link in a new one... like a "Paste and Go"... ie Chrome...In FireFox It always opens in the one I'm trying to use.

Like I said.. not intuitive.... and I hate screwing around with plug-ins, for a feature that should be native.

CS

[MeetJohnDoe]

I've been using FF for 4-5 years now and find it the easiest and most functional of the browsers. Of course, I also keep on a couple other browsers on my PC but FF is the default. The customization features with the add-ons are great...Ad-block alone is is a reason to use FF. I too find Opera not very intuitive to use; IE7 (and previous) just seem so slow on my systems and still prone to hang-ups of one sort that require a restart of the browser. Chrome is way too threadbare...of course it's fast when it doesn't have any features to load! My second choice would probably be the newest version of Apple's Safari for Windows. It's much better than prior versions which did suck. If Safari had an ad blocking feature, I might consider it for my default browser. It's look is very modern and stream-lined (typical Apple product) and makes FF's interface seem positively clunky by comparison (but it gets everything done and more).

As to speed, this recent test of the major browsers puts Safari in the lead: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/929/1/ but they were using previous version of FF. I would put FF in the lead (probably because mine is set to block all ads so loads fast) with Safari second.

That new "feature" in FF 3.5 on the geo-tracking..."with permission." I don't want such tracking of me...anyone know where to find this option and sh!t-can it in FF's Tools-Options menu? Or does it ask for permission each time a website requests to receive this data?

Edited July 2, 2009 by MeetJohnDoe

[CosmicSurfer]

Opera ... doesn't allow basic Gui personalization.

That is a ridiculous statement. I lost trust in whatever you got to say about other browsers right there.

>>

FYI, in Opera you can put all the toolbars, panels, tabs, buttons etc anywhere you want - left, right, top, bottom, in drag and drop fashion, you can reduce or enlarge icons and change color scheme, and that's right out of the box, before you get to play with hundreds of downloadable skins and custom buttons for every feature imaginable.

Firefox has still long way to go in that sense.

I don't want to move my toolbars... Usually I want to "slim" them down, or get rid of them altogether... I like window space... I don't need too much on my bar... and I like the buttons I want... If it's on my bar, i should be able to get rid of it.. If it isn't than I should be able to add it.... or put them in the order that suits the way that I browse... I very, very, rarely skin anything, usually take the default, because I don't care about eye-candy either... (except my wife, of course) I just want it clean, clear and functional. Basic and intuitive with the bells and whistles clearly and intuitively located, and without having to start adding-on or plugging-in... I drive, I leave the car building to others... and I like to drive fast without worrying that I always need to stop at the next dealer to pickup a missing part... I want my Browser Fully-loaded, like my cars. memory is cheap, Browser bloat doesn't bother me, and worrying about saving a fraction of a second or even 3 full seconds on a download is ridiculous, especially here in the land of the "Glorified" Dial-Up, that they call Broadband.

Unfortunately, I have gotten rid of Opera, as it bugs me so much that it is usually my last choice for a browser. So I can't be more specific.. it's been months since I last tried it out... I can't reallly recall what it was specifically that bugged me more, the Buttons or the bars... what ever it was made me put Opera at the bottom of my list. About All I can be definate about is that I found that the Gui or Toolbar options hadn't changed much from my previous experience in allowing me the kind of control I get in IE.

But I will try Opera 10 when it is officialy released.. maybe they fixed my little problem.

Like I said... these days I'm not really satisfied with any of them, and I'm married to none.

I'm open to be wooed and If Opera 10 does it, then it will jump right to the top of my list.

CS

Edited July 2, 2009 by CosmicSurfer

[bubblegum]

Just tried FF 3.5 and downgraded imidiately, does not do his jub well on XP 64-bit.

Does't remember my passwords nor kept me logged in at sites like TV. So I keep 3.0 xx as my default and Opera as a good second, hate IE.

[Tywais]

I could never figure out how to intuitively create new tabs.. or open a link in a new one... like a "Paste and Go"... ie Chrome...In FireFox It always opens in the one I'm trying to use.

Right click link, select Open In New Tab or right click on tab bar, select New Tab for fresh tab. Can't be much more intuitive since many windows navigation and options use right click also.

[Gary A]

As far as I am concerned, Opera has assumed that all users have a blazing fast Internet connection. I have found the newest version very bloated and slow. For the first time since I installed Opera, I have uninstalled it.

Firefox has long been my favorite but it seems to develop glitches as it goes along. I installed the latest R2 and it wouldn't remember my passwords. I them started to use Safari. It too has glitches so I totally uninstalled Firefox and did a clean install. I'm happy to say it is working well.

Google Chrome works pretty well but as mentioned it is very bare boned. Hopefully Firefox has or will repair the glitches that commonly start to occur the longer it is used.

[Plus]

I don't want to move my toolbars... Usually I want to "slim" them down, or get rid of them altogether... I like window space... I don't need too much on my bar... and I like the buttons I want... If it's on my bar, i should be able to get rid of it.. If it isn't than I should be able to add it.... or put them in the order that suits the way that I browse..

Errrm, right click-remove from toolbar works on any button. How could you miss that?

Tools-Appearance gets you to the window where you can drag them all back and rearrange in any order, and also disable/enable any of the nine toolbars that could be there, and reduce icon size by 50% to make them slimmer if you need extra space.

I could go on, but my point is that you made a ridiculous comment about not being allowed to personalise Opera. I have no idea how you could come to that conclusion. Makes me take all your other comments about browsers with a huge grain of salt.

>>

I don't know why there's no "new tab" button in FF and people should go through a right click menu for something so basic. In IE, on the other hand, there are no "close" buttons on tabs, you have to activate the tab first to close it, and you can't close the last one no matter what, it always stays there, open, no matter how embarassing it might be.

Also "Customize" window in FF is really featureless. Only for buttons. I just switched to a different desktop theme and suddenly Firefox menu toolbar is black on very very dark blue, and I can't find the way to change the font color.

[CosmicSurfer]

I could never figure out how to intuitively create new tabs.. or open a link in a new one... like a "Paste and Go"... ie Chrome...In FireFox It always opens in the one I'm trying to use.

Right click link, select Open In New Tab or right click on tab bar, select New Tab for fresh tab. Can't be much more intuitive since many windows navigation and options use right click also.

In Chrome, Maxthon and Avant all I need to do is type or paste the URL I want in the Address bar and press enter...

They automatically open a new tab with my new page...

Also, When I enter a search into the Search box they will open a new tab with the search results, and Not open the Search page using the tab I'm currently on.. making me have to go back and recover the page I was reading. IE and FireFox both won't do this.. they use the current page, not a new one.

Now that is intuitive...

(I just checked in IE8.. It doesn't!)

They also all have a tab or button to easily open a new tab at the end of the Tab Row/List.... This is a feature I see now in the New FireFox 3.5.

and it alone makes things easier.... But I wish I didn't have to remember to open a new blank page everytime I want a new tab.

Anyway.. Just installed FF 3.5, so I'll give it a run through.. so far my first impression is better than before... But still won't open a new Search Tab. Maybe I'll use it for a Tab catagory.... News sites... or Tech Sites...

4 Browsers = 4 Catagories, keeps things organized.

CS

[CosmicSurfer]

I don't want to move my toolbars... Usually I want to "slim" them down, or get rid of them altogether... I like window space... I don't need too much on my bar... and I like the buttons I want... If it's on my bar, i should be able to get rid of it.. If it isn't than I should be able to add it.... or put them in the order that suits the way that I browse..

Errrm, right click-remove from toolbar works on any button. How could you miss that?

Tools-Appearance gets you to the window where you can drag them all back and rearrange in any order, and also disable/enable any of the nine toolbars that could be there, and reduce icon size by 50% to make them slimmer if you need extra space.

I could go on, but my point is that you made a ridiculous comment about not being allowed to personalise Opera. I have no idea how you could come to that conclusion. Makes me take all your other comments about browsers with a huge grain of salt.

I actually said that Opera is "NOT intuitive".... and going through all those hoops doesn't make it so. It could have 20,000 features, but if they are hard to find, figure out and use, then they are not intuitive and I won't waste my time on them.. there are better options... These things are Tools for me, not games.. I don't Play games... I use tools.

Browsers are for using the Internet, not for seeing how cool I can make it look or for changing it's skin every time my mood changes... I don't decorate my hammer or Pencil... and that's all a Browser is for... a Pencil... and I want it to always stay sharp and ready to use.

Games are for Geeks, and that was a reason I hated FireFox, as it was designed by and for geeks too, but I see FF v3.5 is less geeky and more intuitivly functional, so I may use it more. If the new Opera upgrade, which I think will actually be version 11, not version 10 as I mentioned in my earlier post.. if it's less for Geeks and more for Users, then I'll add that one as well... always room for another browser to hold another set of tabs.

End of Discussion.

CS

Edited July 2, 2009 by CosmicSurfer

[Plus]

I didn't reply to your "not intuitice" charge, it's very subjective, I only have issue with

"Opera ... doesn't allow basic Gui personalization. "

About opening new tabs - Opera has a "reuse current tabs" checkbox in settings. I don't know how it's set by default, but you can either check or uncheck it and it will open new tabs or load things like search results in the current tab.

Should I mention that you can search for any text you see on a webpage via right click and using any of the dozen or so search engines? By default it will use the last one. To me it's very intuitive - see something on a page, like "sailing stones" - select with a mouse, right click, search with wikipedia. Voila - you learn about a very interesting, unexplained phenomenon, in Dead Sea valley, of all places. Rocks there apparently are alive.

[CosmicSurfer]

Why do new tabs have to open at End of Tab row in FF 3.5?

Why don't Links open in a new tab next to the tab I'm using?

Now I have to go looking for it and drag it over to where I want it....

NOT very organized or intuitive! and unnecessary work for us lazy Users!

CS

[Plus]

"open new tab next to active" checkbox in Opera...

I feel like I'm hikacking the thread.

What else am I to do - there's no linux version in linux repositories yet. Should wait a couple more days.

On Windows it looked pretty much the same to me.

[Simmo]

I could never figure out how to intuitively create new tabs.. or open a link in a new one... like a "Paste and Go"... ie Chrome...In FireFox It always opens in the one I'm trying to use.

Click the middle mouse button - problem solved.

[CosmicSurfer]

I could never figure out how to intuitively create new tabs.. or open a link in a new one... like a "Paste and Go"... ie Chrome...In FireFox It always opens in the one I'm trying to use.

Click the middle mouse button - problem solved.

This is not intuitive if I must get the "secret" from some geek or other "power user"... intuitive means that it just does it !!

Paste link in Address field... Hit enter... Done...!!!! This is intuitive.

Having to click the middle button is not... How would I ever know that? I never use the middle button (Wheel) in any program except to scroll.

Having to research to suss out some hidden function is 100% unintuitive!

CS

[webfact]

I could never figure out how to intuitively create new tabs.. or open a link in a new one... like a "Paste and Go"... ie Chrome...In FireFox It always opens in the one I'm trying to use.

Click the middle mouse button - problem solved.

This is not intuitive if I must get the "secret" from some geek or other "power user"... intuitive means that it just does it !!

Paste link in Address field... Hit enter... Done...!!!! This is intuitive.

Having to click the middle button is not... How would I ever know that? I never use the middle button (Wheel) in any program except to scroll.

Having to research to suss out some hidden function is 100% unintuitive!

CS

<ctrl-t> - type your address (URL) - enter - done! Or right-click on your tab bar and a sub-menu will show up. These are common commands.

[CosmicSurfer]

<ctrl-t> - type your address (URL) - enter - done! Or right-click on your tab bar and a sub-menu will show up. These are common commands.

Sorry... Don't mean to be argumentative, BUT in more than 30 years of using computer (started in DOS days) I have rarely used Keyboard commands... Some people like them, some do not... I like point and click...

But, then again.. I hate using a mouse.. I love using a Trackball.... Why waste so much desk space and physical effort to try and control a mouse when I can relax and just use my thumb??? Mai Kow Jai? Taking my hand off my Trackball to use my keyboard unnecessarily just interrupts my flow and is counter-intuitive.

Back on topic.... FireFox is not intuitive if I must use extra clicks, Key commands and plug-ins when I don't have to if a little extra thought and coding had been used... This is 2009, my hard drive is not 20MB anymore.... It's in excess of 40 GB on most computers today... (actually at my Thai job it's underpowered at 40.. and had to FIGHT hard to get Ram raised from 512MB to 2GB) My own computer has 4 internal and 3 external drives totaling more than 2TB.... So why should anyone worry about a few more MB of Software "Bloat" only to avoid Built-in functionality... and then tout how many Add-ons and Plug-in are available.... What kind of fool do they take me for? Add-ons and plug-ins add more MB... so build the functions in in the first place!!!

As I said in an earlier Post.... Chrome, Maxthon and Avant ALL allow "Type (Paste) Address" + "Enter" = New Page and Tab.

No need to click anything else or use any other shortcut keyboard commands that are not really shortcuts...

In those browsers it is built in and intuitive...

Well thought out and easy for lazy non-geeks like me!

CS

[PoorSucker]

Had to disable tabmix plus for tabs to work.