Recommended Firefox version?

Hi, I got a new laptop and am using Windows 7 64 bit for the first time and was looking for recommendations for which version of Firefox to use. The most important factor for me would likely be browsing speed. Is the latest version the best option or would you recommend an older one?

I also read recently about some that use Firefox portable but seem to use it installed and not on USB. Are there advantages to doing that and would you recommend it? I've never used a portable browser but am I right in thinking that if using any portable browser off USB it would be significantly slower for browsing than regular hard drive install? Or is that not so? And are there significant security/privacy benefits of using portable browser off USB?

Thanks.

roark

 

Firefox 15 Beta 2 is the best Firefox I have used to date. Even though it is Beta 2, it is more stable than the official 14.0.1 and faster + no crashes!

v14.0.1 crashes a lot randomly for me

http://forums.pctweakers.net/showthread.php/155-Firefox-15

 

Why do you think an older version may be better?
As for the comment above mine, quite a few people disagreed with it in another thread but to no avail.

 

Older versions of Firefox are not recommended due to vulnerability/security issues. I'd get the stable version 14.0.1 which is the most recent. Beta's are .... well .... beta's.

+1 @vasa1

 

Portable version have several advantages so a lot of people use them even on their hard drive.

If you're not sure which version you want, portable's an excellent way to go cause you can try it and easily remove it if it's not what you want. Sometimes installers come bundled with stuff you don't need or want. With portable you can simply delete any of this bloat. I haven't noticed portable apps being slower than full install. They seem the same to me. I just copy the portable app to Program Files and treat it like any other program. Works great.

 

You can try PaleMoon which is based on Firefox.
http://www.palemoon.org/

 

The latest stable version.

 

Waterfox is a x64 browser based on Firefox and is well developed.

http://waterfoxproject.org/

 

From a security standpoint it is always prudent to run the current version. With third-party ad and privacy protection such as AdBlock Plus. I use Easy List & Easy Privacy

 

I'm sure that was a typo that should have read as 15, not 5. I also agree.

 

Yes sorry, thanks for spotting that out

corrected now

 

Thanks for all the replies. I am a little surprised that almost all are for the latest version as I had expected some for older like Firefox 8 and maybe even earlier. One question about latest FF. I read recently about some silent update feature it now uses to autoupdate. I don't really like those type of features and wish to update at my choosing. Can that feature(if I describe it accurately) be easily turned off? Or is it like Chrome updater(I think) that cannot be avoided?

Thanks again.

roark

 

During install, choose the custom mode and then uncheck the box that says "install maintenance service". Then once installed, go to settings, and in the advanced menu check the "never check for updates" box. You'll have to periodically manually check for updates.