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Filed under: E-mail, Mozilla

Mozilla outs Thunderbird 3.1 alpha

by Lee Mathews Feb 5th 2010

Mozilla finally released version 3 of their Thunderbird desktop email client last December, and they now have their attention focused on a minor bump to 3.1. Last night the first alpha build was made available, and it sports the usual handful of changes and improvements.

Among the tweaks are enhancements to stability and memory usage, better IMAP access, fixes for smart folders, filters, and attachment handling. The Thunderbird interface is also being re-tooled -- so far the changes are fairly subtle.

Thunderbird 3.1 is also dropping support for Windows ME and older as well as Mac OsX prior to 10.4 Tiger. But hey, if you're still running an OS that old you're probably not too concerned with running up-to-date apps either...

Ready to take it for a spin? Testers can download alpha builds for Windows, Mac, and Linux from the Thunderbird early release page.

Tags: alpha, email, imap, lanikai, mozilla, pop, thunderbird

Filed under: Developer, Mozilla, Browsers, Mobile, Android

Pre-alpha screenshots reveal progress on Firefox for Android

Androidby Jay Hathaway Feb 3rd 2010

Mozilla's Firefox browser may not be available for Android yet, but they can prove they're working on it. Some screenshots of a pre-alpha version of the browser have slipped out, and they show the full Firefox interface instead of the mobile UI we've seen on Maemo devices. That will probably change, though, according to Moziilla developer Vladimir Vukićević. As you can see from the screenshot above, they're running the full Firefox UI right now to put the maximum strain on the Gecko rendering engine. If the full UI works in testing, the mobile version should have no problems.

As for progress on features, Vladimir reports that "mouse events sort of work, toplevel windows sort of work, keyboard doesn't work yet but shouldn't be hard to hook up. This is running in an emulator at the moment for ease of debugging, but it's working just fine on physical hardware as well." So, the Android version is in pre-alpha and the Windows Mobile version is in alpha, but there are no plans to bring to Firefox for Mobile to other platforms, according to Mozilla's wiki. Sorry, iPhone, BlackBerry and Symbian users!

[via AndroidCentral]

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Tags: android, browser, fennec, firefox, firefox mobile, FirefoxMobile, mobile, mozilla

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers, Mobile

Get your Nokia N900s ready, because Firefox for Maemo RC3 is out now

by Jay Hathaway Jan 28th 2010

The folks at Mozilla are on a roll this month: first, they got Firefox 3.6 out the door and onto the desktops of millions of users, and now they're delivering Firefox to the palm of your hand. That is, if you own a Maemo phone, like the Nokia N900. Firefox for Maemo just got its third release candidate, which indicates it's quite close to a final release. RC3 cleans up a few bugs and addresses an issue with plug-ins, especially Flash.

Although it may disappoint some users, Mozilla has pulled plug-in support -- not add-on support, mind you -- from this latest release, because Flash apparently performed horribly in the browser. Some sites, like YouTube, worked well, but Mozilla decided to take the Apple route and leave Flash alone altogether. Firefox isn't as closed as MobileSafari, though: you can manually enable plugins again via about:config if you really want Flash. Apart from the Flash situation, RC3 has managed to speed up page load times significantly and introduce more responsive panning and zooming.
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Tags: fennec, firefox, maemo, mobile, mozilla, n900, nokia, release candidate, ReleaseCandidate

Firefox 3.6 is available for download now

by Sebastian Anthony Jan 21st 2010

Stop the press! Firefox 3.6 has just been released and is available for immediate download.

It's safe to assume that this is the Release Candidate 2 that has been in the wild for just two days, so if you've already read the release notes for RC2, you can skip this! For those of you that haven't kept up to date with our (very extensive) coverage of Firefox, here's a brief run-down of Firefox 3.6's features, fixes and improvements.
  • Personas -- the 'biggest' new feature is integrated Personas support. Personas are Firefox's personalization system -- if you've ever wanted a pretty (or ugly...) picture on the background of all your Firefox menus, now's your chance! There's now over 35,000 themes, so there's definitely a lot of choice -- whether you'll find more than a handful of them pleasing to the eye is another matter entirely.
  • Stability -- a lot of bugs have been fixed between 3.5 and 3.6! There have also been some changes in the way add-ons interact with Firefox, which should reduce the number of crashes you experience. The original roadmap for Namoroka/Firefox 3.6 isn't actually all that exciting -- it was intended to evolve rather than revolutionize Firefox. 3.6 was never intended to be crazy, just more user-friendly, more readily-adopted, to further swell their user base.
  • SPEED! -- no, not the amphetamine, but sometimes using Firefox 3.6 feels a bit like it! From updates and changes to the JavaScript engine that allow asynchronous execution, to little tweaks in all the right places, 3.6 generally feels a bit snappier. Tabs open a little faster, as does the browser itself.
  • Security & Safety -- finally, Firefox will warn you when you have out-of-date add-ons! There's now a highly-visible warning when add-ons need updating, much like the 'do you want to save your password?' bar that pops up at the top of the page. With updated add-ons comes greater browser stability and security.
For full release notes and change logs, check out the Firefox site itself.

Why are you still reading? Go and download Firefox 3.6 already!
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Tags: browser, firefox, firefox 3.6, Firefox3.6, internet, mozilla

Filed under: News, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Mozilla, Browsers

Mozilla will unleash Firefox 3.6 tomorrow!

WindowsMacLinuxby Jay Hathaway Jan 20th 2010

It's finally official! Mere days after it hit Release Candidate 2, the finished version of Firefox 3.6 comes out tomorrow. It's been confirmed over at Mozilla's official blog, where there's also an intro video from Mike Beltzner, Director of Firefox. (Or, you can watch the video after the jump.)

Beltzner runs through all the new features in 3.6, including quick theming with Personas - which is up to a whopping 35 THOUSAND themes now. Firefox now also scans for plugins that need to be updated, for extra stability and security. Beltzner also focuses on designer features like CSS gradients, accelerometer support and web standards support.

The timing of this release is perfect, since IE is currently shedding users thanks to its role in China's attack on Google. If Firefox is going to take a bite out of IE and hold off the WebKit contenders like Chrome and Safari, now's the time to do it. So, along comes Firefox 3.6, marketing itself as the best choice for security and stability ... looks like a good sales pitch to me, even if you're not in love with add-ons.
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Tags: browsers, final, firefox, firefox3.6, google vs china, GoogleVsChina, mozilla, release

Filed under: Developer, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Mozilla, Browsers

Firefox 3.6 Release Candidate 2 now available, just one week after RC1

WindowsMacLinuxby Jay Hathaway Jan 19th 2010

Mozilla is already making good on its promise of more frequent updates to the Firefox browser, pushing out an update to the release candidate of Firefox 3.6 just a week after the first RC became available. As we told you last week, Firefox 3.7 has been dropped from the development cycle to make these more frequent updates possible. Is Firefox delivering significant new features, though? Indeed it is!

Although 3.6 RC 2 is a "security and stability" update, it includes all the things that make Firefox 3.6 great -- faster load times, improvements to JavaScript, no-restart theme changes with Personas -- and it also fixes some stability issues caused by the way third-party software interacts with Firefox. Linux users should pay special attention to this release, as it fixes a Javascript bug that only affected the Linux version of RC1.

Firefox 3.6 is on schedule for final release on January 26th. Looks like this "frequent updates" thing is working out for Mozilla so far.

[via CNET]

Tags: browsers, firefox, firefox3.6, mozilla, release candidate, ReleaseCandidate, update

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

Firefox Friday Five

by Sebastian Anthony Jan 15th 2010

It's Friday AGAIN! Amazing how, like clockwork, Friday continues to occur every seven days. Incidentally, while on the topic of the day/night cycle, what part of the Earth is shown in the Firefox logo to the right? I presume that little lump is meant to be the United Kingdom, but the rest... I don't know!

News from Mozilla and Firefox has actually been pretty slow this week, probably because they're all in crunch mode and working around the clock to get Firefox 3.6 out of the door. Even so, I've done my best to collate the most interesting Firefox news from the past week!

1. Mozilla Prism nears V1.0 public release
If you're like me, you've probably not heard of Mozilla Prism before now. But it's neat -- maybe even very neat. It's just like Fluid, but this is for Windows and Mac, and supported by the full communist force of Mozilla and Firefox!

As Lee mentioned in his article on Prism, web browsers are still complex pieces of software. With Chrome there has been a push towards making things easier to use, but surfing the 'Net is still tricky and dangerous compared to standalone desktop applications. With Prism you can create desktop shortcuts for web apps and sites like Gmail and circumvent the browser entirely. Let's not forget how much malware could be avoided by staying away from 'live' web browsers...

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Tags: add-on, artwork, competition, content processes, ContentProcesses, electrolysis, firefox, jetpack, mozilla, prism, roundup

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Filed under: Mozilla, Beta, Browsers

Mozilla Weave Browser sync hits the release candidate phase

by John Burke Jan 15th 2010

If you need something to help keep your bookmarks and settings on Firefox synced across multiple computers, then Mozilla Weave is for you. We talked about Weave earlier in the year when it hit beta, but the bookmarking sync service is almost done, entering the "Release Candidate" phase earlier today.

Weave Sync 1.0RC takes into account a lot of the issues that were encountered throughout the beta testing. The "experience" has been customized to work well on laptop, desktop and mobile devices, and the developers say there is still some work to be done and a "few rough edges" that will be fixed.

If you've been with Weave through the beta or if you're just finding out about it, the RC adds some nice features and fixes including a much faster startup time, immediately available tabs when starting Weave on another computer, some theming options and no more annoying "master password prompt" that bugged a lot of us (including myself) during testing.

Tags: beta, bookmarks, Mozilla, release candidate, ReleaseCandidate, sync, Weave

Filed under: Utilities, Mozilla, Browsers

Strata40: easy-to-install tool lets you see the future of Firefox

by John Burke Jan 15th 2010


A new plugin and companion theme is promising to make your Firefox a little futuristic. Thanks to a Firefox lover from Australia, you can make your browser look like the proposed designs for version 3.7 and 4.0. While both are nowhere near ready for release, there have been some interesting mock-ups and proposals for what it will look like.

To take a look today, install his Strata40 theme and StrataBuddy addon. The theme provides the visual enhancements and teams up with the addon to provide the tweaks to the interface. The creator also suggests a few other cool addons to make the experience even more realistic.

I downloaded the theme and addon and have to say, whether this is what the future of Firefox will look like or not, it's still an awesome visual style and my new default theme. It clears up a lot of screen real estate and have enough options to keep even picky users happy. Check out the Strata40 developer page for more information.

[via CNET]
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Tags: addon, Firefox, Firefox 4.0, Firefox4.0, Mozilla, Strata40, StrataBuddy, theme

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

Firefox 3.7 dropped from Mozilla's development plan

by John Burke Jan 15th 2010

Mozilla has changed their entire strategy on how they will be developing their Firefox browser. There are plans to drop Firefox 3.7 from the schedule and the hope is to release "incremental updates throughout the year", the company says. This move marks a major change in the way that Mozilla operates.

Instead of adding features to the popular web browser at a few select times over the year, Mozilla wants to slip in new features and functionality every few weeks. What this means to us? Well, it means Firefox 3.7 is no more. Originally, the plan was to release version 3.6 and 3.7 a few months apart with features that would pave the way for version 4.0 next year. Apparently, a lot of work has been done on 3.6 causing it to be delayed slightly but packed with usefulness.

The new project, code names "Lorentz" is said to include Mozilla's new Electrolysis process - a method of making each tab its own process, much like the way Chrome operates. The developers also want to try and remove the connection between browsers and plug-ins allowing them to work separately in case of crashes.

It'll be interesting to see what comes out of Mozilla's labs and how Firefox continues to evolve, especially with this new development cycle.

[via ComputerWorld]
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Tags: 3.6, 3.7, electrolysis, firefox, Mozilla

Filed under: Design, Mozilla, Browsers

Mozilla celebrates five years of Firefox in pictures!

by John Burke Jan 14th 2010

Firefox recently celebrated its fifth birthday and decided to get a little creative in the process. A little while back, they challenged users to get artsy and create a design that reflected this milestone. There were almost no requirements for the design and people were asked to think outside the box and create a design that would rally the Mozilla community around their celebration.

The best of the best were picked out and featured on the Firefox blog. I thought it was a nice idea to get the community involved even though I'm not totally sure what they were celebrating with the pictures. Just cements the notion that Firefox is awesome and they have really, er, passionate users!

Check out the complete gallery and even some honorable mentions over at the Mozilla blog.
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Tags: Challenge, Creative, Firefox, Mozilla

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

Mozilla Prism nearly ready for first major release

by Lee Mathews Jan 12th 2010

Mozilla Prism - which helps provide a more desktop-like feel to web applications - is nearly ready for its debut release. Webmonkey reports that a near-complete version 1.0b3 is now available for download and that the finished product could be arriving very soon.

Why is Prism worth getting excited about?

If you're like me, some of the users you support still have a hard time grasping how to work a web browser. With Prism, I just zap a custom-created shortcut to a client's desktop and they click through to GMail or Google Docs as if it were any locally installed app. And yes, it's very similar to the "create application shortcut" option in Google Chrome.

Prism currently powers things like Zimbra and JoliCloud, and it can definitely help less savvy users feel more comfortable with web apps.

It's available as both an add-on for Firefox and as a standalone application, and you can download both versions here.

Tags: firefox, mozilla, prism

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

Firefox 3.6 finally hits the release candidate phase

by Lee Mathews Jan 6th 2010

It's been a long time coming but Mozilla has finally released Firefox 3.6 RC1. The first build is now ready to download from Mozilla's FTP servers and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

The original deadline for the final release of Firefox 3.6 was set for December 2009, but that was bumped back by Mozilla. In a discussion with CNet, Mozilla's Mike Shaver stated "[Mozilla has] always been more quality-driven than time-driven, but we understand timing in the market matters to our users and our competitiveness." Philosophy aside, Mozilla is probably thrilled to have finally gotten 3.6 to the release candidate stage.

One unintended benefit that has come from holding off on 3.6: it gives Firefox 3.5 more time to sit in the #1 position on the browser share charts. After all, as soon as users start moving to 3.6 the shift will probably allow IE to slide back into the first spot. IE8 has already closed the gap, moving within about half a percentage point.

Tags: 3.6, browser, browsers, firefox, mozilla, rc1, web

Filed under: Developer, Mozilla, Browsers

Mozilla misses Firefox 3.6 deadline, moves 4.0 back to late 2010

by Jay Hathaway Dec 28th 2009

Just when we thought Mozilla was getting Firefox 3.6 back on track to meet its December 2009 deadline, it looks like the release schedule has been extended again. Firefox 3.6, the next version of the browser, is now aimed for "early 2010."

Firefox 4.0 has also been pushed back from its original target of 2010, and is now due in "late 2010/early 2011." However, a beta of Firefox 4 is scheduled for summer of next year, so beta junkies can get their hands on it then. Just last week, we reported on some early images of the dramatic facelift Firefox will get in 4.0.

Some of the new features being added to Firefox 3.6 before the final release include tab matching - which shows you when an a page in your location bar is already open, so you can choose to switch to that tab instead of opening a duplicate - and even the ability to run plugins as separate processes, so they don't take down your whole browser.

We reported on that last week, but Mozilla's wiki indicates that it's a go for Firefox 3.6's final release: "out-of-process plugins in Q1 2010 shipped on 1.9.2 branch" is listed as a goal.

[via CNET]

Tags: browsers, firefox, firefox3.6, firefox4.0, mozilla, release date, ReleaseDate

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

Mozilla dev shares new info on Firefox 4 for Windows

by Lee Mathews Dec 21st 2009

It's no secret that Mozilla is working on a fairly major facelift for the next major version of Firefox. We've already seen some early concepts for Linux and Windows and there's even an easy-to-install Strata 4 theme (called Strata40) for current versions of Firefox.

On his personal blog Chromatic Pixel, Mozilla contributor Stephen Horlander has shared some more iterations of the Windows version. Early in the post, Horlander admits that Mozilla's undivided attention has shifted toward implementing a new theme for v4.0. Firefox 3.7 likely won't see a UI update.

One thing which is clearly getting a lot of attention is the application button. It's been tested in at least the five positions you can see in the bottom of the header image (and likely several others). Mozilla is taking a cue from Microsoft here, looking at the single-button menus in Windows 7 apps like Wordpad, Paint, and just about anything else with the Ribbon UI.

Personally, I'm a fan of the options on the top and bottom right - they seem like an efficient use of space and a good fit for widescreen monitors.

What do you think of Strata 4.0 so far? Where would you like to see the application bar placed? Does it even matter? This is Firefox, after all, so v4 is going to be as customizable as other versions have been.

[via IThinkDiff]

Tags: 4.0, default, firefox, interface, mozilla, strata, theme, UI, windows

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