14 DAY TRIAL // As far as Mozilla is concerned, the open source Firefox browser is superior to what rivals from Microsoft, Apple and Opera have to offer. Security is one of the aspects of software which can be quantified only by considering a variety of factors from the volume of attacks and the malware environment, to the number and severity of exploits, and to the exposure window of end users. According to Asa Dotzler, Mozilla's community coordinator, Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari are no contest for Firefox.
"With Firefox, you can actually see how much work is done finding and fixing flaws. You really can't say that about any of the other vendors - Microsoft, Apple, and Opera only disclose the flaws found by third-party security researchers so you really have no idea whether or not they're even trying to find flaws in their own software. I sure hope they are, but it's their policy not to say anything about this in public so there's really no way to know for sure," Dotzler commented.
Mozilla deploys security updates immediately following the development and implementation process. Dotzler criticizes Microsoft for its Patch Tuesday approach, the strategy to release patches only on the second Tuesday of every month. However, it was the users who demanded this release model from Microsoft, which wanted to be able to schedule updates, especially in the corporate environment. Nevertheless, the Redmond company too can release out of band security bulletins to address critical security issues that pose a great risk to users.
The fact of the matter is that Mozilla does have a more flexible updating infrastructure in place for Firefox, while Microsoft uses the same channels as for its Windows operating systems. "The I.E. fix often comes with a load of other Windows fixes that usually require a full OS reboot. Co-mingling I.E. with the rest of Windows was a big mistake and this is just one of the ways in which that mistake surfaces to harm users," Dotzler added.
However, no matter how bad Microsoft is, Apple somehow manages to be a lot worse. Dotzler slams the Cupertino-based hardware company because it pushes updates at random, while serving unwanted new software concomitantly with the refreshes designed for existing products. Dotzler slapped Apple for its infrastructure and delivery model with the label of a "malware-like update system. With [A]apple, the update mechanism is not just about keeping you safe and secure, it's about pushing their other products on you. Advertising and security are basically the same priority for them, even when they're in the middle of a critical security fire-drill. This mixing of security and advertising is pretty horrible behavior and shouldn't be tolerated by anyone."
Next in line is Opera. Dotzler's main problem here is the lack of transparency on behalf of the browser maker and the inexistent updating infrastructure. The fact of the matter is that Opera lags behind its rivals in that it does not serve updates automatically to end users, but forces them instead to manually download and install a full version of the browser.
"Mozilla puts security first and our update system and our security process were designed to keep users safe with as much transparency and as little hassle as possible. With Microsoft, Apple, and Opera, it's mostly opaque, rarely timely, overly complex, very disruptive, sometimes flat out misleading, and you don't always get what you asked for or what you need to be safe online," Dotzler concluded by saying.
Firefox 3.0 Final for Windows is available for download here. Firefox 3.0 Final for Linux is available for download here. Firefox 3.0 Final for Mac OS X is available for download here.
Opera 9.51 for Windows is available for download here. Opera 9.51 for Linux is available for download here. Opera 9.51 for Mac OS X is available for download here.