REVIEW

Hyper Tuning Firefox: A Blogger's Guide

Written by Z.Z. Bachman
Published March 02, 2006

Okay. So you're one of those folks that took the plunge and decided to go anti-Mr. Softee and switch to Firefox. Well there is no doubt that Firefox has left its mark on the browser scene. The statistics are impressive. Looking at our server logs alone, Firefox browsing is making up 30% of our visitor hits! With that much activity it's no wonder that more and more blog designers are trying to make sure their blogs are optimized for Firefox as well as IE (not always an easy task!).

Then there is optimizing Firefox itself. The browser is open source designed such that there is quite a bit of flexibility built into it at the disposal of the end user IF they know how to access it. There are bits and pieces of information on the web on how to do this of course, and you can also download specific tweaking extensions into the browser as well. Lots of unorganized and decentralized information exists along with countless differences of opinion.

Hyper Tuning Firefox: A Blogger's Guide, which was put together by the folks at the ZZ OpenWeb, combines detailed instructions researched from software engineers across the web into six areas of optimization written with the blogger in mind. They have recognized that bloggers as a whole are more interested in their content than the inner workings of the browser they are using.

An excerpt:

First a little background on why you would want to fine-tune such a great browser in the first place. In fact right about now you are wondering, if it is so good "out of the box", why mess with it? The answer has to do with the fact that a good deal of Firefox was designed in an "open source" environment. In fact, that customization is part of its power. Since the Mozilla Foundation is not really a corporation but a consortium of web developers dedicated to the idea that more of the software code we have on our PCs should be "open" to the general public, it does not have a vested interest in "hiding" features from it's users. It was designed instead to adapt to a number of various PC / Network configurations and installations. Understanding how to make those adjustments can be intimidating for users who are not computer professionals. We will share some tips on how to do just that!

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Z.Z. Bachman is the current editor-in-chief at ZardozZ News & Satire and contributing editor and site developer at OpenWeb Downloads. He also manages the popular ZZ OpenRing, an active blogring dedicated to the advancement of cultural blogging and the freedom of political and artistic self expression. You will find his politics and satirical perspectives heavily laced with sarcasm and askew of center. That is, given his geo-political definition of "center" on any particular day.
Keep reading for information and comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own!
Hyper Tuning Firefox: A Blogger's Guide
Published: March 02, 2006
Type: Review
Section: Sci/Tech
Filed Under: Sci/Tech: Blogging, Sci/Tech: Internet, Sci/Tech: Software
Writer: Z.Z. Bachman
Z.Z. Bachman's BC Writer page
Z.Z. Bachman's personal site
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Comments

#1 — March 2, 2006 @ 21:13PM — Aaman [URL]

Important guide - thanking for pointing it out:)

#2 — March 3, 2006 @ 00:12AM — Tan The Man [URL]

I must say that I'm more partial to Apple's Safari and the Opera browser.

#3 — March 3, 2006 @ 06:40AM — hi

you have to buy this? laugh

#4 — March 3, 2006 @ 11:00AM — Jimmy

Whoever wrote that guide should be ashamed of themselves!

Get the info from the web instead...its FREELY available :p

#5 — March 3, 2006 @ 11:04AM — losgatos

hi -- The guide which was reviewed contains value to some users (perhaps not yourself) and the user decides to purchase or not based on the value of the contents and it's intented objective to enhance his or hers browser performance. You know like "Pro Choice". You don't have to buy anything you don't want to buy. (See the Amazon books associated with the review. You don't have to buy those either.) If spending a few bucks helps get you increased browser performance from changes that have been consolidated and organized in one place for the user then what is the issue?

#6 — March 3, 2006 @ 18:45PM — none

The issue is conning any of the masses into buying crap, ignorance is not to be exploited by any means. Why pay for something rather than open your mind to new possibilities? Those that say otherwise are just trying to line their pockets.

#7 — March 3, 2006 @ 19:42PM — Firefox

Unlike you geeks, some people don't spend 60 hours a week on the internet searching for this crap. Paying 10 dollars for a book is like paying to have more free time. Its not exploiting anyone, its just how the economy works.

#8 — March 3, 2006 @ 20:06PM — alex albrecht 2 from heaven [URL]

oh yeah Firefox, we spend 60 hours a week looking up a book. stfu we hsve lives to and are way more computer literate than u.

#9 — March 3, 2006 @ 20:31PM — Mr Digg

This made the front page of Digg. Prepare to be bombarded if it hasn't already happened

#10 — March 4, 2006 @ 05:29AM — d5xps

What are the other five tips?

#11 — March 4, 2006 @ 12:21PM — Kingtone [URL]

Or you could just go to this site and read lots of tips: Firefox Help, Tips and Tricks

#12 — March 4, 2006 @ 15:25PM — ugotz

nice to have it all in one place though...

#13 — March 4, 2006 @ 21:05PM — FireTune [URL]

Don't buy crap. Try this FireTune and visit


#14 — March 19, 2006 @ 13:37PM — scotty131

This was actually pretty good.... Saved me some time. There was more in there than just the usual pipelining tweaks and such! They even included some freeware to get you started but the other conversion instructions and how to optimize XP, disc and memory caching were pretty good and as they said written for NON Geeks..! All in one place. For the Non Geek types this is good. If you are a computer geek you probably already know a lot of this stuff. Sort of like a basic guide for tunining firefox.

#15 — August 20, 2006 @ 16:27PM — Ned

This is a good book--though a little outdated now. It does a good job of showing how Firefox actually works. It is not just a collection of about:config tweaks. It teaches a user how to create themes extensions and troubleshoot Firefox issues. Something a lot of Firefox users don't know how to do.

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