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Official Firefox version for OSx86 available in March
ZDNet reports that an official version of Firefox for Intel Macs will be available in late March. The official release is being targeted for the release of Firefox 1.5.0.2.If you need to run Firefox before March on your OSx86 machine, there are a few possible choices:1. Use Apple's Rosetta to run a PowerPC version of Firefox. 2. Run the preproduction OSx86 version of Firefox Josh Aas and other Mozilla developers have been working on since last year. Note that you will be required to disable the use of Flash and will be without the use of some Java Applets with this version. Also available in a preproduction Intel Mac OS X version on the same Mozilla wiki is their mail client, Thunderbird for OSx86.The ZDNet article also mentions that Apple has been very helpful to Mozilla developer Josh Aas with the process of creating native builds of Mozilla software for OSx86. Props to Apple and Macromedia for cooperating with open source development![via ZDNet Australia]
Optimized Firefox with OS X form goodness
Sure, there are G4 and G5 optimized versions of Firefox 1.5, but neither can compare to the new OS X-style infused version. The BeatnikPad Journal picked up on the efforts of a Mozilla forum user by the name of Pu7o to build a version of Firefox 1.5 that includes the far more attractive form widgets (no, not Dashboard widgets) of OS X. This brings Firefox one (tiny) step closer to at least looking like a true OS X app, as the BeatnikPad notes that these kinds of changes might not come straight from Mozilla until Firefox 3.0. As of this writing, only a G4 build is unofficially available from the BeatnikPad post; a G5 build is coming soon.Another bonus from this modified and optimized version for all you OS X-theme users out there is that this version of Firefox actually makes the browser use the form widgets default to OS X. This should allow your theming app of choice, such as Unsanity's Shapeshifter, to finally apply its style to Firefox.
Open letter to Mozilla: Where Firefox goes wrong on OS X
Firefox, inarguably, is one of the coolest browsers available and a necessity if you're using Windows. On OS X however, I've been on the fence during Firefox's existence as there are a number of ways that Firefox and Mozilla have gone wrong and ruined the browser's user experience.First up is Mozilla's directory of addons. Useful as they may be, these sites are still clunky as you have to always have to adjust what you're searching for - even when you're already browsing a specific section. Further, with the mountain of extensions and themes piling up, there really needs to be a way of limiting what addons you see to the version of Firefox you're using. Before I found Foxmarks, I was browsing the addons directory for a bookmark synchronizing extension, and Bookmark Synchronizer kept appearing in the results, even though it only works with Firefox 1.0. While this frustrates me, I'm sure it's even more confusing for all those users out there who can barely tell the difference between Firefox and Internet Explorer.Next on the list is Firefox's lack of OS X-ability. While Windows XP is lagging behind with barely 20th century technology (hence the need for things like Firefox's password management), OS X already has a bunch of goodies baked in - like the Keychain and universal spell checking - that Firefox really needs to take advantage of. Virtually all other OS X apps place application and web passwords in OS X's Keychain, a centralized resource the whole OS can use. One merely needs to copy the keychain database file (and know its password, of course) in order to back up a record of all the passwords they need to remember. Throw in .Mac service which can effortlessly sync your Keychain (amongst other things) with multiple Macs and you'll be on the next level of synchronization heaven. Let's also not forget OS X's built in, universal spell checking engine which offers a simple keyboard shortcut for a pop-up definition window. In other browsers like Safari, OmniWeb and even Camino, there are no plugins or extensions needed to gain any of these essential 21st century computing features.So please, Mozilla, answer the call of us Firefox fans who are hoping for a more OS X-ified and more powerful version of your most fantastic of browsers. Mac users everywhere will thank you, and I bet we'd even buy a few tshirts too.
Synchronize Firefox bookmarks with Foxmarks
Remember that Bookmark Synchronizer extension for Firefox that synchronizes bookmarks between computers? Well it broke in Firefox 1.5, hurling me back into the Safari/Firefox dilemma as I really, really need that synchronizing goodness - I just have far too many bookmarks (over 1000 ) to keep track of between two Macs.Well Eureka! Foxmarks to the rescue! In fact, it brings a couple new tricks to the table besides allowing for basic FTP/HTTP bookmark synchronizing: if you don't have your own hosting space, they provide hosting for you (for free) to sync your bookmarks with. If that wasn't already nice enough, they also offer the .Mac-like ability to sign into your account and access your bookmarks from any computer through a web interface - allowing almost anywhere-in-the-world access to your bookmarks.While I just found this extension last night, their bookmark hosting service unfortunately suffered a power outage on Dec. 31st which, at the moment, means you can only use the extension to sync bookmarks with your own hosting service. Rest assured, they're working diligently to open the doors for hosted bookmark syncing, but if you're like me and you have your own space you'd like to use, I can verify this extension works like a charm. Sync away!
IE 7 adopts Firefox RSS logo
Internet Explorer 7 will offer support for subscribing to RSS feeds, much like Safari and Firefox. This has been known for a long while, however, what icon Microsoft would choose to represent the fact that a page has a feed has been up in the air. Wonder no more. Microsoft has decided to use the icon that Firefox uses which doesn't look anything like the icon that Safari uses. Makes me wonder if we will see Apple adopt the little orange icon which seems to be fast becoming a standard.
Death to IE on Mac! Long live Safari!
All support for the Macintosh version of Internet Explorer will cease on December 31, 2005 and all official distribution of the browser will cease on January 31, 2006. In other words, IE is finally dying. You won't be able to download it from Microsoft anymore. Instead they will recommend that you use Safari or Firefox. On a broader note, this means that fewer sites can justify having IE only versions of their sites. They cannot say, "Well, get IE for Mac and it should work." No. Start clean-coding your sites for Firefox and Safari compatibility or lose 6 percent (and growing) of your customers.
Cross-platform Firefox on a stick
A USB stick, that is. Our pal Jordan Running over at DownloadSquad found a cross-platform version of Firefox you can install on an external drive, such as a USB flash drive, iPod shuffle, or iPod nano, that can be plugged into and run on both Windows and OS X. There's some simple file editing involved, but once you get over that minor hump you'll have one fully portable copy of Firefox - including all your search history, settings, extensions and bookmarks - ready to roll in your pocket that can run on Windows and OS X.One word of caution: I'm pretty sure that not *all* Firefox extensions are going to work between Windows and OS X. Some extensions are platform independent, others most certainly are not. Your portable Firefox should run just fine on both OS's, but the platform dependent extensions will simply be disabled.
