Archive for July, 2009
July 22nd, 2009
As part of the Mozilla Corporation’s ongoing security and stability process, Firefox 3.0.12 is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux users as a free download from firefox.com.
We strongly recommend that all Firefox 3.0.x users upgrade to this latest release. If you already have Firefox 3, you will receive an automated update notification within 24 to 48 hours. This update can also be applied manually by selecting “Check for Updates…” from the Help menu.
For a list of changes and more information, please see the Firefox 3.0.12 release notes.
Note: Firefox 3.0.x will be maintained with security and stability updates until January, 2010. All users are encouraged to upgrade to Firefox 3.5 by downloading it from firefox.com or by selecting “Check for Updates…” from the Help menu when using Firefox 3.0.12.
July 22nd, 2009
Based on a custom theme that was originally made for the Maxthon browser, SoCool-Calx brings a colorful, yet simple design refresh for Firefox.
I am afraid there isn’t much more of back story about it that I could find, because much of the conversation about it on the Web is all in like Chinese, so enjoy it for what it is – a great looking theme for Firefox. I also found another theme by the same name, (SoCool) however couldn’t get it to install correctly after downloading it via Mozilla’s site.
Go download the SoCool-Calx theme for Firefox, and let me know what you like (or dislike) about it.
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© Mitch Keeler 2008 | Check out my personal blog and my hosting podcast too!
July 21st, 2009
Here’s the business approach of the then-current CEO of a very well-known Internet company. (He’s gone now.)
- get eyeballs looking at my site
- find or create content that keeps them at my site as long as possible
- monetize them as much as possible while they’re there.
There are times when each of us will be happy to be a pair of eyeballs with a wallet attached, to be a “monitizable unit.” In our physical lives this is a little like going to the mall. I may “window-shop” and I may enjoy a comfortable environment. But there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that the point of the mall is to for people to purchase things.
There are times, however, when being a wallet attached to eyeballs is not enough. The possibilities available to us online should be broader, just as they are in the physical world. Sometimes we choose to skip the mall and go to the library, or the town square or the park or the museum or the playground or the school. Sometimes we choose activities that are not about consumption, but are about learning and creation and improving the environment around us.
We have public spaces for these activities in our physical lives. We have public assets, and the idea of building some part of our infrastructure for public benefit as a necessary complement to private economic activity.
Mozilla strives to bring this public aspect , this sense of compete human beings, the goal of enriching the full range of human activities to the Internet. We envision a world where the Internet is built to support these varied aspects of the human experience; a world where robust economic activity lives alongside vibrant social, civic and individual enrichment.
We’re building this world so that we can all live in it.
July 21st, 2009
With Firefox 3.5 out the door, the Mozilla guys are hard at work brainstorming around what Firefox 3.7 might look like. To help with the brainstorming, they have released a few mock-up screenshots of what Firefox 3.7 might look like. There has been nothing finalized thus far, but it is still fun to check out and see what they have in mind for the next big design refresh of our favorite browser.
- Embracing Glass: Toolbar and Tabs using Glass. Buttons translucent and slightly glossy to meld with the toolbar. Raised 3D lookachieve tactile "feel".
- Page Button: Connect the Page button to the left side of the tab area. Directly connected to the Page.
- Tools/Bookmark Bar: Connecting the Tools button to the side of the Window to emphasize the fact that it is used for customizing and changing the UI. Adding a button next to that to toggle the Bookmarks Bar which is turned off by default.
What do you think thus far? I kind of like the idea of removing the menu bar, as long as all the important aspects are still easily reached (maybe via “tools”). However, not sure if I want everything to be as see-through as it is in the example. Here are two more screenshots:
How do you feel about the proposed Firefox 3.7 changes? Are you excited or annoyed? Give me your opinion!
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© Mitch Keeler 2008 | Check out my personal blog and my hosting podcast too!
July 21st, 2009
There have been several highlighter extensions I have seen over the years for Firefox, however this one might be my favorite. The ultra light-weight Highlights add-on for Firefox simply highlights selected text on web pages with a right-click of the mouse.
To highlight text on a web page, select the text, right-click (’Ctrl+Click’, on Mac OS X) and select ‘Highlight’ menu from the popup. The default yellow highlight color can easily be changed, by clicking the “Highlights” icon on the status bar, and choosing the color picker. To remove the highlights, simply refresh the page.
No matter if you are doing research or you just like to highlight interesting points while you read, the Highlights extension is an excellent way to mark your spot on the Web.
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© Mitch Keeler 2008 | Check out my personal blog and my hosting podcast too!
July 21st, 2009
Do you use a lot of Google services? The Firefox add-on, GButts, will help you get quick and easy access to any Google service you want, next to your address bar or anywhere else you might need it.
Here are all the Google services you can quickly show or hide via the extension.
You can customize how much space you want to save with the options across the bottom (by making the menu a toolbar or a drop down menu). You also have the option of a horizontal or vertical menu. You can then right-click on your toolbar, go to “Customize” and then drag and drop the GButts Toolbar you created on to your toolbar layout – anywhere you might need it.
If you are a heavy Google user – the GButts add-on should be right up your alley.
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© Mitch Keeler 2008 | Check out my personal blog and my hosting podcast too!
July 18th, 2009
Today Mozilla Labs announced the release of Jetpack 0.4. The release is closely aligned with Mozilla’s goal of enabling open video and audio on the Web, and includes experimental support for recording audio directly to Ogg-Vorbis. These new audio encoding APIs will allow developers to build Jetpacks that record high-quality audio directly from within the browser, which can then be played back using Firefox 3.5’s new audio tag support.
To learn more about what’s new, see the Mozilla Labs blog post, excerpted below:
Hot on the tail of the Firefox 3.5 release, Jetpack is adding the ability to record audio directly to Ogg-Vorbis format on all major platforms (i.e. Windows, Mac, and Linux). Firefox 3.5 added the ability to play sound with the audio tag, and now you can record it. Live streaming coming soon. Check out the Voice Memo demo which lets you annotate any webpage you are looking at with your voice. You can also check out the Audio Recording API documentation.
Additionally this release enables the ability for developers to add features or functionality to any website being viewed in the browser using the “page mod” API Jetpack discussion group.
To learn more how to get involved in the Jetpack project, visit the Jetpack discussion group.
July 18th, 2009
Jetpack is an experiment in using open Web technologies to enhance the browser, with the goal of allowing anyone who can build a Web site to participate in making the Web a better place to work, communicate and play.
Aligned with Mozilla’s goal of enabling open video and audio on the Web, we are pleased to announce the release of Jetpack 0.4, which includes experimental support for recording audio directly to Ogg-Vorbis. These new audio encoding APIs will allow developers to build Jetpacks that record high-quality audio directly from within the browser, which can then be played back using Firefox 3.5’s new audio tag support.
This update to the rapidly evolving Jetpack APIs also enables the ability for developers to add features or functionality to any website being viewed in the browser using the “page mod” API.
What’s New?
Audio Recording APIs
Hot on the tail of the Firefox 3.5 release, Jetpack is adding the ability to record audio directly to Ogg-Vorbis format on all major platforms (i.e. Windows, Mac, and Linux). Firefox 3.5 added the ability to play sound with the <audio> tag, and now you can record it. Live streaming coming soon. Check out the Voice Memo demo which lets you annotate any webpage you are looking at with your voice. You can also check out the Audio Recording API documentation.
In Jetpack using audio is as simple as:
jetpack.future.import('audio');
jetpack.audio.recordToFile();
var path = jetpack.audio.stopRecording();
The result is an audio file encoded in Ogg-Vorbis, which you can then playback with jetpack.audio.playFile(), or if you choose to upload the file to a remote location, using the <audio> tag.
Page Mods APIs
As Greasemonkey has shown, empowering developers to add features and functionality to any website is a powerful way to enhance the user experience of the Web. The new Page Mods APIs makes this really easy to do. You can see them in action in the anti-procrastinator demo, or in the Page Mods API documentation.
Get Involved
Mozilla Labs is a virtual lab where people come together online to create, experiment and play with Web innovations for the public benefit. The Jetpack experiment is still in its infancy and just getting started. There are many ways to join the team and get involved:
- Install and play around with the initial Jetpack API and demos
- Write a JEP
- Report a bug
- Grab the source code and fix a bug or add a feature
- Discuss, debate and add to the design in the Jetpack discussion group
- Join us in #jetpack on irc.mozilla.org
We’re also looking for a full-time product manager and software engineers to join Labs and work on Jetpack! What title is better than Jetpack PM? Check out the career opportunities available.
– Anant Narayanan and David Dahl on behalf of the Jetpack development team.
July 18th, 2009
The first update to Firefox 3.5 has just been released. To get the update right now, all you need to do is go to Help > “Check for Updates…” in your browser. So what exactly is this new update fixing?
Both the slow startups for Windows users and the JavaScript memory corruption flaws have been fixed. After the update is in place, if you set javascript.options.jit.content to false via about:config, you can now go back in and set it to true again.
For more changes and updates in Firefox 3.5.1 – be sure to check out the release notes.
Add me on Twitter! Come follow my daily antics, links, tips and more @mitchkeeler on Twitter!
© Mitch Keeler 2008 | Check out my personal blog and my hosting podcast too!
July 17th, 2009
Editor’s note: Mozilla released a security and stability update for Firefox 3.5.x users on Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 6:34 pm PT. Check out the Mozilla Developer News announcement, reposted below, for more details.
As part of the Mozilla Corporation’s ongoing security and stability process, Firefox 3.5.1 is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux users as a free download from www.firefox.com.
We strongly recommend that all Firefox 3.5 users upgrade to this latest release. If you already have Firefox 3.5, you will receive an automated update notification within 24 to 48 hours. This update can also be applied manually by selecting “Check for Updates…” from the Help menu.
For a list of changes and more information, please see the Firefox 3.5.1 release notes.
Please note: If you’re still using Firefox 2.0.0.x, this version is no longer supported and contains known security vulnerabilities. Please upgrade to Firefox 3.5 by downloading Firefox 3.5.1 from www.firefox.com.