Think Firefox 3 is fast? Try Firefox Minefield

[Capper]

A colleague today showed me a cool, new browser that he's been using to browse the web at blisteringly fast speeds. The browser? Minefield. The author of the code?
Mozilla.
Yes, that same Mozilla that makes the Firefox browser. Minefield is, in fact, a way to glimpse into the future of Firefox, as it's a pre-release/alpha version of the Firefox browser.
After spending some time with Minefield, one thing is clear: the future of Firefox is fast. Lightning fast.
How fast? Some claim that it has the fastest javascript engine on the planet, which means it leaves Google's Chrome browser in the dust. In my own unscientific tests, I'd say that this assertion is correct. Ars Technica pegs Minefield as 10 percent faster than Chrome.
You can download the latest nightly build for Mac OS X, Linux, or Windows, but be warned: it's alpha code. While a quick scan of the Web shows few complaints as to stability, Minefield may not be for you. It doesn't support some of my favorite Firefox extensions (like Adblock Plus), but it actually has surprisingly good support for extensions, given that it's a fast-moving project.
Feeling brave? Or simply feeling like your browser is too slow? Give Minefield a try. It's a separate install so it won't affect an existing Firefox install. You have nothing to lose but your chains.

Think Firefox 3 is fast? Try Firefox Minefield | The Open Road - The Business and Politics of Open Source by Matt Asay - CNET News

[owcraftsman]

Sounds like it a worthy addition. I'll have to give it a try. I've been wondering if Firefox would address the most common complaints of slowness an bloat, that said, Firefox 3.03 is still by far the best thing going in the browser market. I love my addons....

[polobunny]

This is also more commonly known as Firefox 3.1 beta 2 for those wondering.

It's easy to make most of your extensions compatible, you simply need to disable addon compatbility check.

1. In the Firefox address bar type “about:config”
2. By-pass the warning screen (Anything worthwhile is a little dangerous!)
3. Right click in the list of settings, choose New > Boolean
4. Type the phrase “extensions.checkCompatibility” and press enter
5. Choose “false” as the value
6. Restart Firefox

[PTRMAN]

I was using something called Shiretako. Believe just a code name for a different Firefox beta.

[polobunny]

Shiretoko is Firefox 3.1 codename, Minefield is nightly builds for developers (currently at 3.1b2pre).

[owcraftsman]

Originally Posted by polobunny

This is also more commonly known as Firefox 3.1 beta 2 for those wondering.

It's easy to make most of your extensions compatible, you simply need to disable addon compatbility check.

1. In the Firefox address bar type “about:config”
2. By-pass the warning screen (Anything worthwhile is a little dangerous!)
3. Right click in the list of settings, choose New > Boolean
4. Type the phrase “extensions.checkCompatibility” and press enter
5. Choose “false” as the value
6. Restart Firefox

Are you saying this will work with Minefield and I wonder how far backward compatible this would be....say 2.0... or probably best to stick with 3.0+ ??

I see the Mozzie Crew has a sense of humor. This is the warning I got after typing in the address bar about:config

[polobunny]

Originally Posted by owcraftsman

Are you saying this will work with Minefield and I wonder how far backward compatible this would be....say 2.0... or probably best to stick with 3.0+ ??

I see the Mozzie Crew has a sense of humor. This is the warning I got after typing in the address bar about:config

This works with Minefield, yes. Some extensions might not work though, but most will.