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Firefox 4′s First 48 Hours

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 12:24 PM on March 25, 2011

Firefox 4 was released a few days ago after what seemed like the most Beta versions a product has ever had (12 + the RC I think it was).  It had a lot to live up to since Firefox 3 is the record holder for the software with the most downloads in the first 24 hours – 8,002,530.  Plus, a week earlier, Microsoft released Internet Explorer 9 and did some strutting about their more-than-just-respectable 2.35 million.

The Mozilla blog just posted an interesting graphic depicting the numbers surrounding Firefox 4′s first 48 hours of life.  Among the numbers was the surprising fact that the high, but not record, download rate on day one (7.1 million) was surpassed on day 2 (8.75 million).  They also put some perspective on those numbers by pointing out such facts as the 48 hour average was 5,503 downloads per minute and the peak was 10,200 per minute.

If you haven’t yet installed it, then you can visit the Firefox download page and perhaps become part of the next Mozilla graphic.  I think they can rest easy that Ed Bott’s dire prediction can be written off for now – both Firefox 4 and IE9 are solid browsers that have a big place in the market.

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Posted in browsers, Firefox

Comments 3 Comments

First Look At Firefox 4.0 Beta 7

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 7:50 PM on November 13, 2010

firefox logoIf you are using the  Firefox 4 Beta edition then you may have noticed a couple days ago that Beta 7 became available.  You may even have received it automatically.  If you didn’t then go ahead and download it.  I have been using it for a couple of days and I like what I have found so far.

The first thing you will notice is the speed.  It’s faster than any previous version of Firefox.  This is relative of course – all modern browsers are pretty quick.  Chrome is generally considered the fastest at the moment, but I think Beta 7 can, at least, match it.  According to Mozilla this is due to new graphics acceleration and the compiler, JagerMonkey.

There also seems to better support of Add-ons, which has always lacked in past Beta versions.  I only use a handful of add-ons, but all of them now work except Evernote Web Clipper.

As for graphical changes, I have only noticed one.  It’s minor, but I will mention it anyway.  And honestly I think it does provide a better look than Beta 6.  It’s the “loading” signal in the tabs.  I can’t really describe the prior animation, but here’s what the new one looks like.

But, I saved the best part for last.  and I need to temper it by pointing out that this version has only been available, and in use by me, for two days.  However, if you were using Beta 6 and experienced occasional problems with Flash crashing and web sites freezing then, at this moment, I can say those issues appear to have been resolved.  The problem wasn’t rampant either.  An occasional web page would show the Lego blocks in place of Flash and every once in a while, usually in Google Reader, the browser would freeze and I would have to open Task Manger to close it and then restart it.  For the past two days I have had neither of these problems though.

The bottom line is, if you’re using the latest stable release of Firefox 3 then upgrade if you are adventurous and a little bit tech savvy.  If you are using Beta 6 then upgrade ASAP.

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Posted in Firefox

Comments 1 Comment

5 Firefox Add-ons You Must Have

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 5:51 AM on September 6, 2010

If you use Firefox as your primary browser then you’re probably familiar with extensions (or add-ons).  There are an almost endless number of them available, but here are five that I find indispensable and I add whenever I set up a new PC.

Xmarks

Xmarks is, by far, my number one Firefox extension.  It’s simple, works across all platforms, and all browsers (not just Firefox).  It backs up your bookmarks and saved passwords and allows you to easily add them to a new browser or PC.  It also supports multiple profiles – for instance I have a set of bookmarks for my desktop and laptop, but a separate set for my HTPC.

Evernote

Evernote is another of my favorites.  It’s great for taking notes – either by picture, text or verbally.  It’s compatible across multiple platforms and browsers, including all mobile operating system’s.  Save a note of any kind and it will sync online and be available anywhere else where you want to access it.

Download Helper

Download Helper is, per their web site:

DownloadHelper is also a free Firefox extension for downloading and converting videos from many sites with minimum effort.

It works very well for snagging  videos from multiple sites and it’s compatible with Windows, OS-X, and Linux.  It puts a simple icon in your Firefox toolbar and you can go from there.  I love browsing YouTube videos, saving them and then watching them via my HTPC on the big screen.

Web of Trust

Web of Trust is a great add-on that protects you from questionable links (yes, GNC has a perfect rating).  It puts an icon next to each result from your search as well as links on whatever wen site you are on.  Click the little icon and you will see the ratings for the particular site.  You can also add your own rating.  It gives a pretty darn good reference of what you are clicking on and how safe it is.

NoScript

NoScript will cause all sorts of problems when you start using it!  Sorry, but that needed to be said first.  You need to be prepared to have your favorite sites broken.  And, by favorite, I mean pretty much everywhere you go on the web.  But, you can add the sites you trust and make them fully operable again.  Simply right-click anywhere on the page and you’ll see an option for NoScript.

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Posted in Firefox

Comments 1 Comment

Firefox 4 Beta 4

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 8:10 AM on September 1, 2010

Recently Mozilla released the Beta 4 version of Firefox 4.0.  Like all Firefox Betas in the past it will break your add-ons, but it also adds some REALLY cool new eye-candy.  The biggest additions are Panorama and Sync, but there’s also a slick new interface.

The first thing you’ll notice is the interface – specifically the toolbars.  It’s not vastly different and you won’t be lost, but it’s definitely different.  It’s cleaner and more modern and the tabs are in a different place.  It has a very “Windows 7-ish” type of interface.  I found the tabs being moved to a different location to be the toughest part to get used to.  At the far right of the tabs bar you will will find options to group your tabs and also to list all of your tabs.  If you work with lots of tabs, like I do, this is a great new feature.  The other toolbars are all there, just as you know them, but the icons are different and fewer.  That part will not slow anyone down and it really does look better.

(click picture to view full size)

The next thing you will notice is what Mozilla is calling “Panorama”.  It’s essentially a Window’s 7 type view that shows all of your opens tabs when you hover over the Firefox icon in your Window’s toolbar.  It sounds simple, and it is, but it is also very useful.  Once you hover over the icon then you will have to choose which tab you want to click on.

(click picture to view full size)

The last big feature in version 4 is called Sync.  You can actually download a Sync add-on for Firefox 3.5 and 3.6 here.  It allows you to encrypt and save your settings, bookmarks, passwords, and other cuntomizations so that you can not only restore them if you change computers, but also keep them the same across multiple PC’s and mobile devices.  You can set it up by clicking Tools and then Set Up Sync.

And that brings me to the add-ons.  As I said, Firefox betas frequently break these, but they are normally fixed quickly.  Sync is an obvious swipe at my favorite Firefox add-on, Xmarks, which has done all of this (except customizations) for a while now.  I set it up, but for now I consider it a backup solution in case Xmarks has a problem.  Until it’s been tested and retested I don’t want to trust my settings to it.  It’s an interesting feature though, and building it in to the browser puts Mozilla at the forefront, once again, in the browser battle.

As of this writing the Firefox add-on, Xmarks, has been updated to be compatible with 4.0, but most are still not there.

(click picture to view full size)

Despite the lack of support for add-ons, which, as I said, is common in Firefox betas, this latest version is worth checking out.  And, add-ons are coming quickly.  The interface, with its aero-glass look, plays nicely in Windows 7.  Sync is cool and Panorama makes it especially worth the download.  You may not want to put it on your production machine quite yet – not because of stability issues because there aren’t any that I can see – but, because of the add-ons that you may need.  If you don’t rely on those, though, then go for it.

(click picture to view full size)

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Posted in Firefox

Comments 1 Comment

Firefox’s Tab Candy Extension

Posted by susabelle at 6:30 AM on July 27, 2010

An Introduction to Firefox’s Tab Candy from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

I think I’m in love.  This is exactly what I’ve needed for a very long time.  I keep a lot of bookmarks, which are organized in folders, but I also tend to leave Firefox open for days and days with the tabs open that I need.  To be able to group tabs and create the groups I need to hold the things I need together…I’m just in awe.  Can’t wait for this to get out of Beta.

My only request?  Let me share those tabs and the tab candy in the cloud, so that I can access my tab candy’d stuff no matter what computer I’m using (since I float between at least four on a daily basis).  This would be totally awesome for me!

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Posted in Firefox

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Microsoft Gets No Love From IBM

Posted by susabelle at 1:26 PM on July 2, 2010

“Firefox is now the gold standard for what an open, secure, and standards-compliant browser should be.”

So says Bob Sutor, vice president of Open Source and Linux at IBM.  The new default browser for half a million IBM employees worldwide is now Firefox.  All newly deployed computers at IBM offices will be set with Firefox as its default browser, and IBM has gone so far as to recommend that home and business customers it deals with use Firefox as well.   They are also encouraging vendors who may be supplying to IBM to be sure their products are Firefox-friendly.

As a Firefox zealot myself (I’m not just a lover of Firefox, I preach its gospel as well), I am happy to see this.  I’ve been using Firefox since almost the beginning, on every Windows or Apple-based machine I have any control over.  I have successfully dissuaded the parents, siblings, children, and spouses of same to leave the Internet Explorer foolishness behind and use Firefox exclusively.  The only time I use Internet Explorer at all is when I’m using our backwards and stodgy business systems at my job, and we are still on IE 7 with no plans to move forward anytime soon. (We were on IE 6 until about four months ago because newer versions are not compatible with our business systems.)

IBM is a huge player, and to make such a public statement says something about both Microsoft, and Firefox.  I am glad to see it, and hope more companies, especially big ones, will make the same move.

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Posted in Firefox, ie, Microsoft

Comments 5 Comments

Firefox 64-bit Needed for Windows7 – NOW

Posted by Jeffrey Powers at 1:17 AM on December 26, 2009

I remember when I decided to move to Firefox over Internet Explorer. IE6 was not cutting it and Mozilla was showing promise. Add to it all the security issues for some projects I was working on and the plugins to test code. I never thought I would move away from Firefox at that point.

Until Windows7 64-bit.

Everyone talked about how Firefox crashed, and in all reality, I didn’t see that problem. That was until I hit 64 bit mode. Firefox is still a 32 bit application, so I expected a few crashes during the inception.

Then the crashes started happening a little more than usual. I would be working – especially on a page that housed Flash – and the system would stop responding. I would restore what I was working on, but the same process would happen again within minutes. Just the other day I had the browser crash 6 times in an hour – halting my work every time.

Add to it the memory it starts to eat up. I pulled up Task Manager and watched how – while I was doing nothing in the program – the system was allocating more memory for it. Now you might think that it was because of Flash or a plugin I had installed, but I turned off all plugins and was on my homepage – which is a page I created with nothing but HTML links.

I decided to look for a 64 bit version of Firefox. One area said they are not even thinking of going 64 – at least not until version 4. I did find the alternate projects to FF 64. I installed a program called “Minefield”, which made me nervous to begin with. Who names a testing platform “Minefield”?

Alas, it wasn’t any better. I had no Adobe flash and it crashed within a few pages.

I don’t get it. It’s the only 32 bit program that crashes on a regular basis. I even tried compatibility mode, but the browser would still stop responding.

The big issue was the memory hog it became. I went to the about:config option to try and find a key that would limit or release memory. There was none that I could find. I might have overlooked it – anything is possible. But as far as I know, nothing to change how it works memory.

I didn’t think this would be a big issue for Mozilla. 64 bit OS has been around for a couple years now, and they have Firefox 64 for Linux and Mac users. But not for PCs

Therefore, for now I am using Chrome on the main system. Since the laptop is still 32 bit Windows XP, Firefox will be the browser of choice on that machine. It doesn’t crash there. I personally don’t like Chrome, but if I had to order the browsers I would use and like, it would be Firefox, Chrome, Opera, IE and then Safari.

Still, I implore Mozilla to get on the 64 Bit kick and get this browser out. I also want you to try and figure out why Firefox eats memory like a high scoring Pac-Man game. I like the plan of going to the ribbon style menu, but if it still causes crashes, I’ll have no choice but to switch off Firefox. After all, I cannot start working in a browser that might stop responding, especially if I am in the middle of writing a blog post.

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Posted in Firefox

Comments 8 Comments

Firefox 3.5 Mac Glitches

Posted by Nolan at 6:48 AM on July 9, 2009

Mozilla Firefox 3.5 Release NotesI upgraded to Firefox 3.5 about a week ago.  To be honest I have been unimpressed.  I am sure that somehow there is better protection under the hood.  Perhaps even a slight speed increase.  However, I have found more problems than obvious cures.

  1. Upon opening it freezes if having trouble loading the home page for some reason.  The standard “X” in the corner is unresponsive along with the normal top menu. Leaving no choice but to force quit the application and relaunch.  It used to crash and relaunch itself at least.
  2. Firefox will sometimes hesitate and freeze while opening a new tab.  For instance, I have three tabs running and click a link to open in a new tab.  Generally, I keep reading the prior open tab’s article while the new tab finishes loading.  On occasion my current tab freezes not allowing me to scroll down.  It stays frozen until the other tab finishes rendering.  Not all of the time, just part of the time.
  3. Most recently it started to runaway with the processor.  I had one tab open on a very basic text only page.  There was nothing trying to auto-refresh on the page.  And yet it ran away with 80% of both cores.  Yikes.  Something in there went horribly wrong.  Once again a force quit and relaunch.

So as a whole, every day I eagerly await an update to this update.  Granted I am still a fan, just a bit frustrated not unlike when portions of my favorite highway go under construction.  I’ll be patient, but please hurry.

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Posted in Firefox, Information

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WebnoteHappy – Strange Name, Great Program

Posted by fogview at 4:27 PM on June 30, 2009

WebnoteHappy_128I’ve been using WebnoteHappy for the Mac for a few weeks and love it. I’m always surfing the Internet researching things and have tried various ways of capturing content on web pages that I visit and want to remember. The common way to do that is with your browser’s bookmark feature. I used that for a while but wasn’t happy with the results. In the Windows world I use a program called Azz Cardfile, that allows me to paste the contents of a web page or a link to the page in what looks like an electronic card file. I can then add notes about the site and click on the link within the card file to go back to the site in my browser. The notes are searchable too.

When I moved over to the Mac world, I missed Azz Cardfile, but I finally found something better from HappyApps.com. WebNoteHappy works with your browser to capture (bookmark) a link to a web page you find interesting. You can then add notes and other information and even search your links and notes and launch the web page in your browser. This program also allows you to create folders to help you organize what you find. You can even create Smart Folders where you set up rules to automatically move items into folders. All the links and notes are stored in a common library and only pointers are stored within the folders so items can reside in multiple folders. As an example, I have a Photographer folder with a Wish List subfolder. I also have Wish List folder under Gadgets and the program allows me to store the same item in both places (if it’s photography related).

WebnotHappy

When you install the program it places a “bookmarklet” in your browser’s toolbar. When you find a web page that you want to remember, just click the “Webnote It” bookmarklet, and it opens up WebNoteHappy and generates an entry. You can then type any notes you want about the site and even add tags.

The program sells for $24.95 USD and you can try it for 30 days before you buy it. There is also a free WebnoteHappy Lite program that works the same way except it doesn’t have folders to organize your bookmarks. The program works with both Firefox and Safari browsers.

I started out with the Lite version and moved up to the paid version because I found the program was a great time-saver for me. When I installed the paid version it found all the items I had saved in the Lite version and I didn’t loose a thing. After I upgraded to the paid version I had a few questions and received very fast response to my questions.

If you use a Mac and want to get a little more organized, give WebnoteHappy or WebnoteHappy Lite a try.

73’s, Tom

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Posted in Firefox, Information, internet, mac, review

Comments 2 Comments

Intrusion Alert!

Posted by susabelle at 9:08 AM on June 1, 2009
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I’ve spent a good amount of time this morning tracking down what I thought was a rumor about Microsoft forcing a .net add-on to Firefox.  Turns out the rumor was true.  And it’s not a pretty thing to contemplate.

Any Firefox user receiving a Microsoft update to either XP or Vista (and possibly Windows 7 but I cannot confirm this) in the last two weeks will have gotten this forced push, right into Firefox, and wouldn’t even have known it.  If you go to Tools > Add ons, you should see an entry for Microsoft .net Framework Assistant 1.0.  You will notice that you can disable it, but that the “uninstall” option is grayed out, meaning it is stuck there unless you do some fancy footwork to remove it.

This particular add-on is not something you want to have installed, in my opinion.  Upon installation, it provides a ClickOnce capability that pretty much lets Microsoft do what it wants when it comes to your browser, as well as opening you up to all kinds of other nasties out there, since we all know the .net Framework is riddled with bugs that are not always fixed as quickly as they should be.  The biggest security flaw with the ClickOnce install is that it allows easy installation of malicious software from websites, without your permission and knowledge.

Microsoft claims they were “helping” by providing a plug-in that “people were asking for.”  This is not something I would have asked for, and to be honest, I don’t trust Microsoft all that much to begin with so find this explanation a bit questionable.  One of the reasons I use Firefox instead of IE is the level of security Firefox offers, as well as an understanding that Firefox will continue to keep their product a safe alternative to less secure browsers.  For Microsoft to provide a “fix” I didn’t ask for is intrusive, at the least.

As of this morning, Microsoft will be sending out a patch to the patch which will make the add-on easy to uninstall, but if you just can’t wait to have this thing gone from your system, I located these instructions (the aforementioned fancy footwork).  I tested the removal steps and they do work.

  1. Open Registry Editor (type regedit in the Start menu Search box in Vista or in XP’s Run window).
  2. Expand the branches to the following key:
    • On 32-bit systems: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Mozilla \ Firefox \ Extensions
    • On x64 systems: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Wow6432Node \ Mozilla \ Firefox \ Extensions
  3. Delete the value named {20a82645-c095-46ed-80e3-08825760534b} from the right pane.
  4. Close the Registry Editor when you’re done.
  5. Open a new Firefox window, and in the address bar, type about:config and press Enter.
  6. Type microsoftdotnet in the Filter field to quickly find the general.useragent.extra.microsoftdotnet setting.
  7. Right-click general.useragent.extra.microsoftdotnet and select Reset.
  8. Restart Firefox.
  9. Open Windows Explorer, and navigate to %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5\Windows Presentation Foundation.
  10. Delete the DotNetAssistantExtension folder entirely.
  11. Open the Add-ons window in Firefox to confirm that the Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant extension has been removed.

Posted in Firefox, ie, Microsoft

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