Don't look now, but Firefox 3 is finally live

Mozilla claim, amongst other things, that there are more than 15,000 improvements in Firefox 3, and for the sweet price of nothing, it's definitely worth a shot.

I've been using, and writing about FF3 for most of this year. In my experience, on Mac OS X, the performance and compatibility in general terms is better than Safari, and blows Firefox 2 out of the water.

New features and improvements are everywhere in FF3. From the improved Smart Location Bar that lets you easily find sites you've visited before to the smart password manager that makes logging in to your favourite sites less tedious. FF3 even has a platform-native look & feel (Windows, Mac and Linux).

If performance is your thing, or you're on a slower computer FF3 delivers improved memory management, faster Javascript rendering, faster page loads and a smaller footprint.

For IE users thinking of switching, FF3 can happily coexist but you'll need to select either IE or FF as your default browser. And if you're used to FF3 already, Mozilla have even set up a 'tips and tricks' page aimed at improving your product knowledge.

In September 2007, Ars Technica reported that Firefox market share ranged "between 15 and 50 per cent in various regions." The same article quoted Net Applications and placed the global Firefox market share at "just under 15 percent."

With an already large user base, further growth prospects from version 3, and the public distaste for Vista, Firefox is sure to gain further market share. In fact, since the launch this morning, proof is already in the pudding with a further report noting that FF3 has already been downloaded more than 1 million times within four hours from launch.