| Do you use Firefox? |
| Yes |
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88% |
[ 8 ] |
| No |
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11% |
[ 1 ] |
| Firefox? Huh? |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
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| Total Votes : 9 |
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| Author |
Message |
CJ Cregg
Commodore
Joined: 05 Oct 2002
Posts: 1254
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 Wed Nov 30, 2005 4:45 am Overhaul for Firefox web browser |
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| Quote: | By Mark Ward
BBC News technology correspondent
The people behind Firefox are planning a big marketing push for the latest version of the open source web browser.
Firefox 1.5 is due to be available for download on 29 November, marking the end of a thriving year for the browser.
Analysts say Firefox has grabbed a 10% share of the browser market and it claims to have a core of 40-50 million dedicated users.
Firefox maker Mozilla is now planning more regular updates and to take swift action on security lapses.
Engine overhaul
The Firefox web browser had its first birthday on 9 November 2005 and in the last 12 months has been downloaded by a huge number of web users.
In early November, it celebrated its 100 millionth download.
Over the past 12 months, Firefox has chipped away at the hold that Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser has over web users.
Figures released in early November suggest it is now on 10% of web users' computers. But Microsoft's Internet Explorer still leads the field with a global share of around 85%.
Firefox's popularity has been helped by the fact that users can contribute to how it develops. Many have written extensions that add specific functions to the browser, such as a RSS feed reader.
"The last year has been phenomenal in terms of adoption, demand and the feedback we receive from a growing number of people," said Chris Beard, vice president of products at the Mozilla Corporation which oversees Firefox development.
The Mozilla Foundation was started by browser maker Netscape and it became a non-profit company in order to drive development of the software.
Mr Beard said the user base tended to be concentrated among the biggest users of the net but now Mozilla was planning a push to get the software adopted by more consumers.
He said it was looking to work with net service firms and computer makers to get the browser in front of users who had not seen it before.
At the same time, it will step up efforts to spread the word about Firefox and is seeking videos from fans of the ways they use the software.
Many more websites were also tweaking their webpages to ensure they render properly. Mozilla will also put tools in the next release of the browser that let people report webpages that look strange when viewed via Firefox.
At the same time Mozilla is planning regular updates to Firefox every six to nine months and to move quickly to close security loopholes.
The release of Firefox 1.5 marks a big overhaul of the browsing "engine" inside the program, Mr Beard told the BBC News website.
New browsers are also continuing to appear. Most recently a browser called Flock launched that tries to make it easier for users to manage what they do on the web, such as remember places of interest and store pictures, in one place. |
http://www.mozilla.com/
Go upgrade to 1.5 and if you don't already have Firefox Get it! 
Firefox is SO much better than rubbish Internet Explorer
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Hitchhiker
Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 3514
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Wed Nov 30, 2005 8:18 am |
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I do not want to turn this into another debate. . . -_- But . . .
Firefox 1.5 is a marked improvement. I particularly like this part:
| Mozilla wrote: | | Firefox 1.5 is also the first browser to meet government requirements that software be easily accessible to users with physical impairments. |
That's a big step forward for the web standards and accessibilities movements.  It's good to see that some browsers are taking these sorts of challenges seriously, and still creating a great product.
By the way, check out John T. Haller's Portable Applications. This includes a portable version of Firefox that (get this) you can run from any Windows computer, simply by having it on your USB drive. His 1.5 release is only RC3, however, so I'm waiting to upgrade my Portable Firefox to 1.5 until he has a stable version out.  But it's awesome for using whenever you aren't on your own computer.
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TrekkieMage
Office Junkie
Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 5335
Location: Hiding
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| Wed Nov 30, 2005 4:47 pm |
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Yay! They've really done an amazing job. First of all with a well done program, then they've made it very accesable to change, and they've done a great job getting the word out.
I most certainly will be upgrading when it comes out
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Brightstar82
Rear Admiral
Joined: 08 Apr 2005
Posts: 4394
Location: A Borg Cube....Where Else?
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| Wed Nov 30, 2005 5:29 pm |
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I dont use fire fox at all I use Internet explorer. I found fire fox slowed my computer down to much
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Wed Nov 30, 2005 5:46 pm |
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I downloaded the new version this morning. Seems spiffy, except some of my extensions need updates before they will work properly.
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LightningBoy
Commodore
Joined: 09 Mar 2003
Posts: 1446
Location: Minnesota, U.S.A.
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| Wed Nov 30, 2005 5:59 pm |
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Opera all the way. I rarely use FF or IE.
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Wed Nov 30, 2005 6:03 pm |
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Awesome! I'm installing this new edition of Firefox in a bit. I love Firefox!
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Hitchhiker
Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 3514
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Wed Nov 30, 2005 6:03 pm |
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| Puck wrote: | | I downloaded the new version this morning. Seems spiffy, except some of my extensions need updates before they will work properly. |
Yeah. Which is why some people may want to wait on downloading the new version. 1.0.7 is stable enough that, if you like lots of your extensions (GreaseMonkey, for me, is one that won't work in 1.5), then wait a bit.
| LightningBoy wrote: | | Opera all the way. I rarely use FF or IE. |
Yay! Opera is also a wubbable browser.
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Seven of Nine
Sammie's Mammy
Joined: 16 Jun 2001
Posts: 7871
Location: North East England
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| Thu Dec 01, 2005 6:38 am |
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I already run Firefox from my MP3 player, but it would be nice to have one that will remember my settings here.
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