Want to try out 64 bit browsers? At this time, almost everyone is using 32 bit browsers, and the funny thing is that many people are using their 32 bit browsers on a 64 bit operating system that runs on a 64 bit machine. Two out of three isn’t bad for some, but for me, it’s like what on earth? 64 bit browsers are definitely faster than 32 bit browsers. Unfortunately, many 64 bit browsers are still under developments. Firefox is one of my favorite browsers, and the 64 bit version of it is known as Minefield. Getting Minefield at here.
64 bit provides faster applications as software written in 64 bit can read wider data unit at once. More in depth on 64 bit can be read at here. Performance wise, I think 64 bit browsers such as Minefield is outperforming Firefox 3+. Unfortunately, software developers are so slow to adopt this technology although it has been around for years. For an example, Adobe has not yet released a 64 bit Flash player that can run on 64 bit browsers. Using minefield, you will not be able to run Flash! Adobe people say they are working on 64 bit Flash player.
Why I praise Minefield even though Flash is not available? The whole idea is to experience the speed of a browser. Since Firefox 3.6, Mozilla folks have made their browsers HTML5 compatible. Minefield is HTML5 compatible.
So, there is no Flash with Minefield, but I can still play YouTube’s videos. How? Go to here, click on Join the HTML5 Beta at the bottom of the page (redo this whenever your browser is not remembering the setting after the shutdown of the browser), go to YouTube.com, type in the search box of YouTube for whatever terms to get the related videos to list, at the top of your browser and in the address bar, hit the End key on your keyboard to go to the very end of the YouTube’s search result address, and then type in &webm=1. By doing just that, you are demanding YouTube to list the videos that are playable in WebM format.
WebM format is working under HTML5 technology, and it boasts that the videos using WebM format can be played with very high quality picture, and great video playback performance even with an older computer. YouTube videos that are running under WebM format and HTML5 have the HTML5 badge. If a YouTube video fails to show HTML5 badge right on the control where playback’s timeline is playing nearby, then you know the video is not WebM and HTML5 compatible. To fix this, just go back to here, and rejoin the YouTube HTML5 beta experience. Repeat the process above that I had described such as adding &webm=1 to the end of YouTube video search address to pull up WebM and HTML5 compatible videos.
Here is a YouTube address that contains videos that plays under WebM and HTML5, but you have to go to here first, click Join the HTML5 Beta, and then refresh this page to play the video under WebM and HTML5 formats. If you are using a browser that is not supporting WebM and HTML5 formats, then you won’t be able to experience WebM and HTML5 formats at all, and YouTube may redirect you to a video that is using Flash in result of incompatible browser.
Vinh Nguyen
