Tag Firefox

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Mozilla Releases Firefox 8 Today

Nov 8, 11 3:19 PM
Mozilla Firefox word mark. Guestimated clear s...

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I don’t want to repeat what others have already wrote about the release of Firefox 8 today!  I just want to emphasize that Firefox 8 is safer for users, but will be a pain for some application developers.  I’m not sure if that even sounds about right, because some web developers might not care.  Nonetheless, it’s good to know that users don’t have to worry how certain third party software they install onto their computers might automatically install toolbars and extra Firefox extensions without the knowledge of the users, because Firefox 8 will notify the users if they want to allow third party software’s extensions or toolbars to be added to their Firefox browser or not.

Mac OS X Lion’s users might be disappointed with Firefox 8 in one aspect.  It is that Firefox 8 isn’t yet added an easy button to allow full screen mode.  Unlike Firefox 8, Google’s Chrome 15 has visibly displayed two slant arrow heads button (i.e., one arrow head slants up and the other slants down) at the uppermost right corner so when users hit on it, Google’s Chrome will go into full screen mode instantly.  Of course, users can go into full screen mode with Firefox 8 on Mac OS X Lion by go to View > Enter Full Screen or using shortcut keys, but somehow it seems these methods are somewhat cumbersome.  In case non-mac users have no idea, full screen mode isn’t a big deal to Windows at the moment, but this feature is a big deal for Mac OS X Lion.

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Firefox Version 9 Aurora To Boost Javascript Performance And Improve Experiences For Users And Web Developers

Oct 1, 11 12:50 PM

Aurora is version 9 of Firefox.  Firefox’s stable version is 7.0.1, and it already has a beta in progress which is Firefox version 8.  What after Aurora?  Well, there is a nightly built which has been bumped to version 10 of Firefox.  Confuse yet?  Don’t be, because if you’re a regular user of Firefox who only wants to play with the stablest version there is of Firefox, then Firefox version 7.0.1 will be perfect.

So, what about Aurora?  According to sources, Aurora utilizes a new feature known as type inference to boost Javascript’s performance.  Regular users don’t really have to know what type inference is though, because it’s more of how one algorithm is able to smartly assign data types to particular variables.  According to sources, Javascript’s performance can be improved by assigning correct data types to variables.  Technically, I don’t know the true meaning of using type inference, but I surmise it has to do with the efficiency of memory.  If my guess is correct, the efficient memory allocations will help boost Javascript’s performance, but do take this deduction with a grain of salt.

Aurora carries a new feature known as Data Management Window, and this feature allows users to specifically assign which websites can access users’ information such as browsing data, cookies, passwords, and so on.  To access this feature, one has to type about:permissions into the URL address bar.

For web developers, Firefox Aurora comes with better support for HTML5, DOM level 3, server-sent events, networking technologies, and tools such as Scratchpad, Web Console, Web Developer Menu and others.

Aurora supports Mac, Windows, and Android.  I’m not sure if Aurora is available for Linux or not, because I’d not heard anything of Aurora and Linux.  Nonetheless, I might update this post on Aurora and Linux compatibility when I’ve the chance to test Aurora out on Linux.  I don’t have an Android device, therefore I can only repeat what the source says about Aurora on Android.  The source says that Android users will have a new look and feel of Firefox through Aurora.  I guess the only way to find that out for Android users is to download Aurora and test it out.

In conclusion, Aurora has a solid feel to it when I’m using it.  It feels really fast!  With faster Javascript, Aurora can load websites with heavy Javascript elements faster.  With better tools and support for HTML5, Firefox Aurora is definitely making it easier for web developers who want to create applications and add-ons for Firefox.  Other experimental features are in the work, and a noticeable experimental feature is Data Management Window.  I recommend users to test out Aurora!  Users can download Aurora through Cnet and Mozilla’s official website at here.

Sources:  http://www.ghacks.net/2011/10/01/firefox-9-features-changes/, http://www.ghacks.net/2011/09/04/firefox-9-gets-big-javascript-performance-boost/, http://blog.mozilla.com/futurereleases/2011/05/27/firefoxaurora/

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Firefox 4.0.1 (Build 1) Update

Apr 17, 11 1:00 AM

Don’t be surprised when Firefox 4 asks you to do an update to Firefox 4.0.1, because it’s the latest build to update several security issues.  Some of you will notice Firefox 4 will automatically ask you to do this update, but many of you will not have this option yet.  Firefox 4.0.1 is going to be released on April 26th, but it’s rolling out first for users who are on beta update channel.  Wanting to use beta update channel to get the latest Firefox?  Use this link here to do so.  Also, there are still several known issues with Firefox 4.0.1, and this is why it’s only at version of Firefox 4.0.1 (Build 1).  Expecting build 2 to be released sometimes soon, I guess.

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