Firefox

First Look video: Firefox 3

There's no doubt that the browser wars are back in full swing, with updates in the past week to Opera, Songbird, and a new Flock beta.

The training wheels are finally off Firefox 3, too. If you haven't checked out the five beta versions and three release candidates because you were worried about stability, security, and the all-important extension compatibility, take a look at the new Download.com review for the world's most popular open-source browser, for Windows and Mac.

Want something a bit more visual? Hot off the presses, this Firefox 3 First Look video showcases … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 747: Get Firefox (if you can)

It's Firefox Download Day! In bummer news, Mozilla's site was down by at least 10:12 a.m. (about the time we started our show). So, that's a bad start, then. In other news, AT&T customers using phones other than iPhone will, indeed, have to pay full price for a new iPhone. That's just how the cell phone world works. And the blogosphere takes a legitimately outrageous situation and wildly exaggerates the outrageousness by repeating old information over and over. Sigh. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 747

Firefox Download Day To Start … Read more

Problems delay Firefox 3 launch

Web site problems held up the launch of Firefox 3 on Tuesday.

The Get Firefox site went down near the 10 a.m. PDT launch time. Mozilla, the for-profit subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation that oversees Firefox development, said it was having technical difficulties with the site.

Mozilla hopes to set a 24-hour record for most downloads with Firefox 3, but the delay shouldn't affect that much. "The 24-hour period starts when the site goes live," spokeswoman Melissa Shapiro said.

Update 10:51 a.m. PDT: Mozilla said in a blog posting that the site should be … Read more

Meet Larry, Firefox's friendly passport officer

I recently spoke with Johnathan Nightingale, Mozilla's "Human Shield," the man who designed the security interface within Firefox 3. One of the big changes is how Firefox communicates the authenticity of a given site. Located on the left hand side of the address bar is a tiny icon associated with the site. Sites using Extended Verification Secure Socket Layers (EV SSL) go an additional step.

Nightingale explains: "If you go to PayPal.com, for instance, that will expand out and it'll say PayPal Inc USA because PayPal is a site that presents this enhanced identity … Read more

Firefox 3: Join the chat

The non-beta, non-release-candidate, real version of Firefox 3 is launching today. It's an important product: The browser is not just a frame for static Web pages anymore, and hasn't been for a long time. The browser is a platform for Web applications. For a growing proportion of users and developers, the browser is more fundamental to their use of technology than the operating system.

So I am not surprised by the interest in this new version of Firefox, and I will not be surprised at all if Mozilla meets its goal of pushing out 1 million downloads of … Read more

Hold off on Firefox version 3

I love Firefox. Usually it goes hand-in-hand with Defensive Computing, as Firefox is more secure than Internet Explorer. But not today, not with the release of version 3 of Firefox.

Don't install Firefox version 3. Not today. not for a while.

Like all new software, Firefox 3 is best kept at arms length. Version 3 was a long time coming and, no doubt, features lots of new code. At the risk of repeating myself, all new software contains bugs and design flaws. Let the rest of the world debug it for you.

This is not to pick on Firefox … Read more

Firefox 3 Download Day, June 17 2008

Today is Firefox 3 Download Day 2008. Those of us on the west coast should be on the lookout starting at 10am to download the latest and greatest version of Firefox and put more nails into the IE coffin.

Besides the fun of ruining Microsoft's day, the Mozilla team is going for a world record. You can learn more about it here.

Firefox 3: New front in the browser war

Update 12:23 p.m. PDT: The official Firefox 3 download site is live; the record-setting attempt began at 11:16 a.m. PDT. Update 10:53 a.m PDT: See this separate blog post on the Mozilla download site troubles. Update 10:02 a.m. PDT: Mozilla is having some technical issues with the site but expects the download to be available shortly. Update 6:43 a.m. PDT: I added the scheduled launch time, 10 a.m. PDT.

Mozilla plans to release Firefox 3 on Tuesday, and the open-source project is opening a new front in the browser … Read more

Flock catches up with Firefox 3 in sophomore release

Sequels aren't always as good as what comes before them (see Indiana Jones 2) but when it comes to technology and software, newer usually means better.

Flock, the self-proclaimed social browser, is catching up with the times this week with a new version for brave Windows and Mac beta testers that employs technology from the upcoming Firefox 3. Dubbed version 2.0, the new Flock is largely a behind-the-scenes operation, including such FF3 niceties as the controversial "awesome bar", improved render speeds, and the new bookmarking system, along with in-browser security notifications--which should keep the phishing sites … Read more

Featured Freeware: Better Gmail

Web-based email clients tend to evoke passions not dissimilar to those that govern which browser you use to check them. If Gmail is your fave, and you use Firefox to check it, Better Gmail is must-have extension.

Properly called Better Gmail 2 to distinguish itself from the previous version of the plug-in which had been designed for the older version of Gmail, Better Gmail introduces a highly useful collection of Greasemonkey scripts bundled into one convenient package.

The features come fast and furious, but should appeal to users looking for everything from skins to keyboard shortcuts. It can force an … Read more