Originally released in late 2004, Firefox is a relatively new web browser on the block compared to Microsoft's older and ubiquitous (to the point of being the focus of antitrust litigation) Internet Explorer (IE). You may have heard some of the hype about Firefox--there are compelling reasons for trying it out, not the least of which is its ability to keep you organized while online.

Firefox's most compelling feature may be its "tabbed browsing" system (for readers who are still using Internet Explorer 6, a similar tab system has also been built into Internet Explorer 7). Have you ever found yourself juggling a number of browser windows (and various office applications windows) on your desktop? The more windows you have open, the more cluttered your desktop becomes and the more confusing it becomes to find what you're looking for. Firefox solves this problem by allowing you the option of opening web pages in new tabs instead of in new windows. Multiple web pages can be open at once, and all are conveniently accessible through tabs lined up at the top of a single Firefox browser window.

If you're using tabs to view several pages, you can bookmark all of them at once by selecting the "Bookmark All Tabs" option. You can save these bookmarked tabs in a general bookmarks folder, or you can create a new folder with a specific name, such as "Legal Research-2007-06-18." When you're ready to work with your bookmarked tabs again, just navigate to the proper folder in the Bookmarks menu and either select the "Open All in Tabs" option or select individual bookmarks to open.

Another great feature is the ability to select multiple home pages/start pages, which will each open in a separate tab every time you launch Firefox. If there are several web pages you check every morning, you could set them all as home pages--one might be your law firm's webpage, another could be a customizable start page including all of your RSS feeds, and a third might be the webpage of an online research source you use frequently. When used with customizable start pages, the multiple home page function can go a long way towards keeping you informed and organized online.

Tips for using FireFox:
Additional free plug-ins are available for extending the features of Firefox. For tabs, the Tabs Mix Plus plug-in is very useful, as it includes options for: issuing a warning before closing multiple tabs; loading the current page on new tabs; viewing the close tabs button; and displaying tabs in multiple rows.

To cycle through your tabs quickly, hold down the CTRL key and press either the "Page Up" or "Page Down" key repeatedly.

For related information, see LTRC Site-tation posts on Customizable Home Pages and Personalized Google Homepage.