Dearest Firefox,

I want to start by saying that I have enjoyed the time we’ve spent together. You showed me a web without limits. It started as just tabbed browsing. Back when I was using Internet Explorer (oh, how I was shrouded in darkness when you found me), I would have eight different windows open. You came in and cleaned up my life. You made it simple. You made it clean.

Then, you introduced me to ad blocking software. With your AdBlock Plus plugin, you made it possible to go to MySpace without feeling like I was entering a strip club. You protected me from drive-by spyware and kept me safe in all the darkest corners of the internet.

And let’s not forget the AwesomeBar. When Firefox 3 came around, you introduced me to intelligent address bars. I don’t think I’ve typed the full URL of a website in ages, you know me so well. “F” is for Facebook, “G” is for Gizmodo, “L” is for Lifehacker, “H” is for hulu. Do I even need to say it anymore? You already know.

….The thing is, though….lately I feel like we’ve been drifting apart. You keep getting bogged down lately. I know the add-ons I’ve installed are partly to blame but what’s up with the increasing memory usage all the time? When I start you in the beginning of the day, you’re using maybe 60-70MB of RAM. By lunch you’re using 300? I know I open a lot of tabs, but I close nearly as many. Where is this coming from?

Yeah, I know, it’s not like my machine can’t handle it. One of the machines I use you on frequently has 6GB of RAM on a 64-bit operating system. You’ve got plenty of room to spread out. Which leads me to my next question: why do you lag? Is it an add-on I’ve installed, is it the sites I’m going to? I mean, I know Gizmodo has never been known to be lightweight, but you grind nearly to a halt repeatedly. This behavior is unacceptable. I remain consistently confused by this behavior. I’ve been willing, though, to accept your shortcomings because of the wide array of options you give me. You’ve been very generous with what you allow me to do with my browsing experience, and no one else can match that.

Until now.

I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that I’ve been hanging out with Chrome lately. It all started when I started playing around with Google Wave. As you know, Google Wave is incredibly javascript heavy and…well, you’re not exactly the best on that front. So, Chrome decided to help me out. One thing led to another and…well, I started checking Gizmodo and Facebook on Chrome and found that it was fast. Crazy fast. Maybe part of that is psychological, maybe I just expect you to be slower after all the jams we’ve had, but one way or another, Chrome felt really zippy.

And then it happened. Chrome opened up their extensions gallery. It seemed I needed to have the beta build for it, but you know I don’t have an issue with that. Heck I’ve run several beta versions of you before. So no problem. And as I explored the extension gallery, I saw it.

AdThwart.

Not just another ad-blocker, but actually derived from the very AdBlock Plus plugin you introduced me to. Same ad block list, same clutter-free internet. And that was just the beginning. A unified notifier for Gmail/Reader/Wave? A collapsible Google Tasks bar? A QR-code generator for URLS?

And get this. The YouTube HTML5-ifier. It replaces Flash-based YouTube videos with HTML5 compliant versions. Aside from being able to see a possible Flash-free future of YouTube, I can simply right-click to download a video. Even your Download Helper extension, though it is useful for sites besides YouTube, can’t do this.

And it doesn’t hurt that it’s a zero-restart install for extensions. One of the most annoying things about installing an extension with you is that I have to close and reopen you just to get or remove a new extension. Heck, even to disable one! If I’m in the middle of something else (and I usually am), I have to pause, save, close up whatever I’m doing to give you a chance to restart. Not so with Chrome.

It’s become clear that Chrome has what it takes to become a powerhouse. Great extensions, easy installs, and it’s got speed to boot. Chrome has offered me all the features I came to love from you, and added so much more. If I were to dare to be so bold, I’d say I could actually find myself happy with Chrome. Though it would be a bittersweet transition.

That’s not to say you’re not without advantages, by the way. I have yet to find a comparable extension for Ubiquity. More than a few times, I’ve tried to Ctrl-Space to bring up my favorite quick-task powertool. But it’s not here. I do miss that about you.

Except that’s not even about you, is it? There could just as easily be an extension to come out for Chrome that would be just as good. And I think that’s the heart of the problem. I think it’s high time you stopped relying on the success of others through you as though it were your own success. There’s a lot of potential for improvement in your core system. Both in improving the internals and cleaning up the externals. The sandboxed process approach isn’t bad either.

I don’t want to say this is good-bye. As you know, the browser wars (indeed, all tech wars) are for fair-weather fans. As Linus Torvalds said, “Use the best tool for the job.” I eagerly look forward to the day that I can call you the best tool once again. But it’s becoming increasingly difficult to do that. You used to be the obvious choice. Now, I have a hard time pointing out which of your features stands out above the rest.

For now, I will be using both Chrome and Firefox. You each currently have your place, and there’s really no clear-cut winner between the two of you. There’s no one feature making one of you indisputably better than the other. There used to be. But not anymore.

Chrome is certainly shiny and new. Slick, clean and fast. But Firefox….you and I have a history together. You’ve been my browser for five years. And I don’t want to leave you.

So, please. Give me a reason to stay.