I installed the session saver plugin for Firebird based on a recommendation by Asa. I tried it out a little tonight, and I think its great. It basically stores all open tabs so you can reload them next time you open your browser. I've wanted this feature for a while, as I constantly have a number of tabs open that I haven't finished reading, and bookmarking the pages are collecting the link for the next time I'm on is a pain. If you have similar problems, you should check it out.
Recently in Mozilla Category
Scribe, a Firebird extension, allows you to save entries from a form to a file and to load files into a form. For those of using form based CMS systems for our blogs, like MovableType, it's an interesting tool. I've yet to try it, but you might want to.
I was always a Netscape user. Like many others, I converted family members, classmates, friends, anyone who would listen. When the Mozilla project was kicked off, I followed closely, playing with the early Milestones (4!) as I waited for something usable. I've never used IE.
When I read today that AOL had begun the process of leveling the Netscape division, I was sad. Just like many others, I immediately jumped to the worst conclusion possible: this is the end of Mozilla.
As I reflect and read more, I'm positive I was wrong. This can only lead to good things. Mozilla has had plenty of time to become too valuable to other companies in order for them to let it just die off. For instance, the Mozilla browser has become an important app for RedHat, Sun, IBM, and embedded users. I think it's unfortunate that Apple made the choice that it did regarding Safari, as had Gecko been chosen, Apple would have picked up where AOL left off. The flipside of that decision is that the khtml engine seemed to be fine without AOL, so Gecko and Moz should be alright as well.
It's going to be very interesting to see what happens in the browser world over the next few months. With Safari gaining ground, IE being put on ice until the next version of Windows, and Mozilla focusing on marketing their products more we're about to see some competition in the browser market. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think the competition is going to involve money (an issue in itself). However, it will involve making the web a better experience for everyone.
Before I wrap up, I'd like to touch on the money issue. Browsers are free. It will be interesting to see if a "for pay" browser doesn't emerge to compete with Opera. I think the mode of thinking goes like this: 1) IE is not effectivley being improved. 2) Netscape is dead. 3) Do you want a better browsing experience? Buy our browser for a few dollars. Hell, if anyone from Apple is listening, maybe you should consider a cross platform release of Safari with iTunes. One person's trash (IE's user browser marketshare) is another person's treasure.
In any case, for those Netscape developers who might not have known, there are a lot of us who really appreciated the work you did. To the Mozilla developers (and I realize there's some overlap) your products are great, your community thriving, and your energy high. Keep up the good work and your user base will continue to grow and reward you.
Of interest:
AOL Cuts Remaining Mozilla Hackers
ex-mozilla.org
Mozilla.org/Mozilla Foundation
Mozilla Found. Press Release
Mozilla Development Roadmap
It's been a while since I've posted about Mozilla. However, I haven't become less of a fan.
Mozilla recently turned five. I was using the original milestones my freshman year in college, four years ago. I loved Mozilla then, and I still love it now. A great program built by the people for the people that was useful and felt like you were giving it to the man at the same time made it my browser of choice. As a tech on campus, I eagerly awaited the Netscape releases built on Mozilla code and rolled them out as soon as possible. I preached web standards and increased my knowledge as much as possible. Mozilla became my most favorite application of all time.
And then I installed phoenix. It was mozilla but better. Open a whole series of tabs in a window with a single click? I was there. Clean interface, easy to use, small footprint. Beauty.
Over the last few weeks Phoenix development has slowed down. Suddenly, though, today, the new Moz roadmap was published. Mozilla and Phoenix will be merged, with Phoenix becoming one of the central development items. I couldn't be happier. This will lead to nothing but good things.
Creating a Skin for Mozilla
I worked through most of this tutorial, and it turns out that is is usable as far as skinning Phoenix goes. As soon as I have some inspiration, I hope to have a phoenix skin for people to test out.
Phoenix Help
I've been using Phoenix for about two weeks now and I'm enjoying it so far. I'm a big fan of the personal toolbar, using it to store folders containg categories of links. I did this in Netscape, then Mozilla, and now in Phoenix. In Phoenix, though, I can launch all links in a given folder into tabs in one window: all news links at once, all blogs at once, etc. I can minimize the window, let it load in the background, and then skim through everything at once. This has to be one of the greatest features added in recent browser history, behind tabbed browsing itself. I can't wait for Thunderbird, Phoenix's sibling mail reader to come out.
As far as I'm concerned, this is the real benefit of the way that Mozilla was developed: the initial gruntwork is done now, allowing people to expand and innovate on those ideas to create new and better applications. Congrats to the Phoenix developers, and good luck with future releases.
Creating Applications with Mozilla
This book, which can be purchased in print or read online for free, is about building a Mozilla based application. The original browser wars began because Microsoft was afraid that the Netscape browser would become a platform which would turn Windows into a commaodity and strip MS of its biggest cash cow. Mozilla could make that platform theory a reality, with this book being big step in that direction.
So I installed the small version of the Orbit theme and I love it. I might change the background color a little bit because it's really light, but otherwise, it gives a little more screen space and is nice looking too.
The link above takes you to a page where you can find some extensions for Moz. I'm really really loving the Tabbrowser extensions. Control click a bookmark to open it in a new tab. Sweet. I can open all my bookmakrs from a certain category in a window. So, I have a folder of web design bookmarks that I can open in one window and a folder of news bookmarks that I can open in another. Supposedly, its even possible to bookmakr a group of tabs so that one click does it all. Now if that's not a great feature, I don't know what is.
Yup. I love Moz.
I spoke with my grandmother today. She's interested in trying out Mozilla. If I can convert her, I'll be able to get some of my other family members to make the switch too. And even if I don't, like I said the other day: one more Mozilla user is one more Mozilla user, and on that note, if my grandma can do it, anyone can. Stay tuned for an article about the whole thing.
So I've been using the newest Mozilla release for a little while now, and so far I'm happy. There's a new icon to open a new tab right in the tab bar, which, wehn right clicked, gives a menu with all kinds of fun tag related things like reloading all of them, closing them, etc. The bog where links at the end of a line were displayed garbled and with text on top of itself seems to be fixed also. I haven't had it crash yet either, so the stability is still there. Another added fature is an icon in the bottom right to access the address book. All in all, so far an excellent release. Keep it up Mozilla developers!
I don't understand. Why are people so quick to dismiss Mozilla when it comes to gaining market share? Why are they so quick to call it a "techie broswer", and why is the implication that being a "techie browser" makes it unuseable for the rest of the planet?
My mom uses MSN and the MSN explorer. I've seen it crash many more times than I've seen Mozilla crash. As for it gaining market share, can't anyone understand that 1.0 was released not too long ago? That it takes time for people to change? That since Mozilla and Netscape use the same code base, use of one is practially equal to use of the other? That features like pop-up blocking and tabbed browsing are useful to everyone and that that alone can help it gain market share? Does anyone know what the hell that icon for history in IE is supposed to be? Isn't that icon just as cryptic as some of Mozilla's advanced fatures?
I'm kind of frustrated with all of the nonsense surrounding Mozilla. It's a great broswer with tons of neat features, many of which the average user won't touch, but that doesn't mean they won't use it, and it certainly doesn't deserve to be called a techie browser. Seriously: a lot of people's VCR's do way more than they can even comprehend, but there aren't models called "Techie VCR's" in comparison to the "VCR for idiots".
I think I'm going to try an experiment. I'm going to see what broswer my grandma uses, and I'm going to try to make her use Mozilla. If she can do it, anyone can. And hey, as far as I'm concerned, one more Mozilla user is one more Mozilla user.
The Mozilla 1.1 beta is out the door... Maybe it will have some neato bug fixes. I'm downloading now. Try it out, and we can compare our opinions (hint: I'm probably going to like it no matter what).
And so begins my quest to learn and conquer XUL, the language used to deign the interface of Mozilla. Hopefully I'll be able to contribute to the community while at the same time learning something. Yeah right.
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