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Firefox 1.5.0.4 released
I swear, if developers keep adding decimals to their versioning systems, I might just have to start a petition or something. Firefox 1.5.0.4.3.2.1.12 is available with "improvements to product stability" and several security enhancements. I believe it should be available via Firefox 1.5's built-in updating system, or simply from Mozilla's Firefox page.[note: extra '.3.2.1.12' added for humor. Not intended as a real software versioning system - yet]
Read Joystiq from within Second Life
A recent update to Second Life that allows players to view the game's online help pages using a custom Mozilla browser has been hacked so that you can view any webpage. Although there's no way to type web addresses without some basic hacking knowledge, it's quite simple to change the homepage to Google or any other website. Of course you could always just tab-out and use Firefox, but this option has a much greater "geek cool" factor. Let's just hope Fox News doesn't cotton on to the possibility of people browsing "questionable" content from within SL. Anyway, the first commentator to post a screenshot of themselves commenting on this post from within Second Life bags themselves a star.[Via Clickable Culture]
Details of upcoming Thunderbird 2.0 release
Hawk Wings has tracked down some details on a tantalizing v2.0 update to Thunderbird, Mozilla's email client. New features at the top of my list are message tagging, a tabbed message viewer and a built-in notification system. It's great to see more developers bringing the tagging paradigm to email, as Scott Morrison has done with his MailTags plug-in for Apple's Mail.Check out Mozilla's Thunderbird development blog for the full (and lengthy) post of what's coming in this major release for Thunderbird, including plenty of Mac-specific features and fixes.
How Camino's icon came to be
I'm a sucker for good icons and good typography. This might have something to do with my bookish leanings, but be that as it may Mac applications sport some of the best icons around. I have long enjoyed Camino's icon, and now Jasper Hauser shares with us the story behind the icon (that sounds like it should be on VH1).One of the most interesting tidbits is that the blobs on the globe are designed to look like countries, but don't actually reflect any real countries.What are some of your favorite application icons?
Firefox 2.0 alpha released
DownloadSquad has noticed that an alpha release (read: not stable) of Firefox 2.0 is live, available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, and waiting for your clicks. I'm having a hard time tracking down any kind of official list of what's new in this next major point release, but after quickly running it I can tell you it's at least a bit zippier. I've heard reports of a much-updated UI, better bookmark management and more security options are all on the menu, though I'm sure (and I hope) there is much more planned for the official release.So check it out if you're interested in what's coming next, but for those of you who can't afford to deal with sketchy software, you might want to keep moving along.
Camino turns 1.0
Camino, the wonderful Mac OS X-ified Mozilla browser that could (and does), has turned 1.0. A number of features have been added in this official 1.0 release, including a new tab bar appearance, the ability to pause/resume downloads, form fill from Address Book, History searching and more. Check out their release notes for the full deets. This is a great milestone for a fantastic and zippy browser. If you don't need all the extensions, bells and other whistles of Firefox, I highly recommend Camino as a Mozilla browser that offers more of a Mac OS X experience.[via Ranchero blog]
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]
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.
Camino 1.0 alpha released
Camino, my favorite Firefox alternative that's OS X native and Mozilla-made, just reached 1.0 alpha status. The list of changes in the release notes is massive: faster page drawing speeds, new certificate management, downloads list saved between sessions.. let's just say that nearly every facet and function of the browser has received improvements, upgrades or new features. Go snag a copy at CaminoBrowser.org or peruse the full release notes if you have the time. On a side note: Since Camino is essentially a fully ported version of Firefox for OS X using both the Keychain and Services, would any heavy Firefox users out there want to chime in and let us know how well it performs, and if it plays with Firefox sites nicely?
