How This Book Is Organized

Like most For Dummies books, this book is organized into parts, which are divided into chapters.

When we began work on Firefox, we identified four key issues to focus on:

• Painless transition from other browsers

• A simplified browsing experience

• Online security and privacy

• Personal customization

Likewise, the first four parts of this book focus on those areas, and the fifth part encompasses additional reference material and little-known tips and tricks.

Part I: Getting Fired Up

This part introduces you to the fundamental concepts of the World Wide Web, explains Firefox's role in the system, and helps you begin using it. If you currently use another Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Apple Safari, this part can also help you make a smooth transition to Firefox by explaining terminology differences and showing you how to import your information, such as browsing history and bookmarks.

Part II: Ready, Aim, Firefox

After you've gotten your feet wet, this part helps you dive into the core activities you'll do online everyday — finding and downloading information, book-marking and revisiting your favorite sites, and printing. This is also your first glimpse of Firefox's innovative tabbed browsing system, which will forever change the way you surf the Web.

Part III: Outfoxing Hackers

This part explains some basic principles of online safety, outlines how Firefox protects you, and suggests additional steps you can take to protect yourself. It also offers a comprehensive look at the kinds of information Firefox records during your online travels — such as saved passwords and Web site history — and shows you how to clear this information.

Part IV: Dressing Up the Fox

This is the really fun part — the one that shows you how to customize your online experience, both how it looks (with themes) and how it feels (with preferences). If you want your browser to have a particular theme, this is the chapter to visit. As if that weren't enough, this part also introduces you to Firefox's powerful extensions system, which allows you to extend Firefox beyond its typical capabilities by installing tiny plug-ins with one click.

Part V: The Part of Tens

The usual cap on most For Dummies books, this part offers the poor geek's version of David Letterman's top ten lists, including the top ten ways Firefox makes your life easier and the ten things you don't know about Firefox but should.