Download Squad http://downloadsquad.switched.com Download Squad http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Download Squad http://downloadsquad.switched.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[ViewMarks for Firefox makes bookmarks visual and huge]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/22/viewmarks-for-firefox-makes-bookmarks-visual-and-huge/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/22/viewmarks-for-firefox-makes-bookmarks-visual-and-huge/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/22/viewmarks-for-firefox-makes-bookmarks-visual-and-huge/#commentsFiled under:

viewmarks

In these days of social bookmarking, ViewMarks is a Firefox add-on that sticks with the old-fashioned way of storing your bookmarks on your own computer. But this is the default behavior for Firefox anyway, so why should you get excited about ViewMarks?

It's all in the graphics -- basically, ViewMarks saves a thumbnail along with each bookmark. The result looks kind of like the Speed Dial feature used by Opera and Chrome (and Firefox, too, if you install an extension). But it applies across all of your bookmarks and folders, not just the select few that you use every day.

If you already have existing bookmarks (and who doesn't, really?), ViewMarks will not poll all of them for screenshots upon installation. Instead, as you visit each website, ViewMarks will capture its screenshot and then use it. Any new bookmarks that you add will get a screenshot the moment you add them, of course.

One odd quirk on my system was that ViewMarks kept resizing the browser window to a certain size. I suspect it did that in order to get the screenshot just right, but it really shouldn't do this. Except for this one annoyance, this can be a nice add-on if you're the visual sort.

Download SquadViewMarks for Firefox makes bookmarks visual and huge originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>addonsbookmarksfirefoxmozillascreenshotsthumbnailsviewmarksMon, 22 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Firefox 4 UI update brings snazzy, new alert pop-ups]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/20/firefox-4-ui-update-brings-snazzy-aero-friendly-alerts/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/20/firefox-4-ui-update-brings-snazzy-aero-friendly-alerts/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/20/firefox-4-ui-update-brings-snazzy-aero-friendly-alerts/#commentsFiled under: ,

Lest you think blogger Long Zheng is all about Microsoft apps, our Australian friend has a keen eye on all kinds of bleeding-edge software. -- including Firefox 4. Today he noticed a change in the Firefox 4 nightly build -- sexier, semi-translucent alert dialogs, complete with a blur effect to obscure the webpage content in the background.

The new alerts fit well with Firefox 4's default Strata theme, and they definitely look nicer than those with the native Windows chrome. The blur effect is also a nice tweak, and it helps ensure your focus goes where it should when an alert box appears -- to the alert.

Download a nightly build of Firefox 4 to see the alerts in action. To test, just visit a page like this one and paste javascript:window.alert("Downloadsquad copypasta for testing shiny new Firefox 4 alerts") in your address bar and hit the enter key.

Download SquadFirefox 4 UI update brings snazzy, new alert pop-ups originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alertfirefox 4Firefox4interfacemozillanightlytweakuiupdateuxSat, 20 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mozilla Labs Rainbow updated to version 0.2 -- now works with Windows and Linux as well as Mac OS X]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/18/mozilla-labs-rainbow-updated-to-version-0-2-now-works-with-windows-linux/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/18/mozilla-labs-rainbow-updated-to-version-0-2-now-works-with-windows-linux/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/18/mozilla-labs-rainbow-updated-to-version-0-2-now-works-with-windows-linux/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Mozilla Labs RainbowRainbow, Mozilla Lab's audio and video recording plug-in for Firefox 4, has just been updated to version 0.2. Recording to open formats, Rainbow now supports both audio and video recording on Windows, and audio recording on Linux, meaning it's not just Mac users that can get in on the action. The update also brings with it numerous bug fixes and the ability to specify custom recording resolutions, bit rate, encoding quality and channels through JavaScript. Mozilla has also added preliminary support for writing multiplexed media frames to a websocket. [Wesley, stop speaking gobbledegook! -Ed]

If you want to record video or audio direct from your browser, Rainbow, although still a little rough around the edges, is certainly worth checking out if you're a Firefox 4 user. Download Rainbow 0.2 for Firefox 4 here.

Download SquadMozilla Labs Rainbow updated to version 0.2 -- now works with Windows and Linux as well as Mac OS X originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audiofirefoxlinuxmacmozillamozilla FirefoxMozilla labsMozillaFirefoxMozillaLabsos xosxrainbowvideowindowsThu, 18 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Copy Fixer for Firefox and Chrome lets you easily copy the URL and page title]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/16/copy-fixer-for-firefox-and-chrome-lets-you-easily-copy-the-url-a/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/16/copy-fixer-for-firefox-and-chrome-lets-you-easily-copy-the-url-a/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/16/copy-fixer-for-firefox-and-chrome-lets-you-easily-copy-the-url-a/#commentsFiled under: , ,

copyfixer

Here's an operation I need to do quite often: copy both the page title and its URL. For some reason, neither Firefox nor Chrome provides a way to do this in one fell swoop. I need to activate the address bar in order to copy the URL, and I'm not even sure there's a way to copy the page title (I usually just type it out manually).

Copy Fixer is an add-on for Firefox and Chrome that provides a simple and elegant solution. With Copy Fixer, if you hit Ctrl+C when nothing is selected, your clipboard is populated with something like this:

Download Squad
http://downloadsquad.switched.com/

That's it. It's just the page title and the URL and nothing more. I tried out the Chrome version, and it worked perfectly. It did require a restart to begin working, though, but maybe that's due to the Canary build I'm using.

The add-on is very minimalistic. There's no UI to speak of, and there are no preferences. One option that I wish the developer would add is a way to wrap the title and the URL with arbitrary strings and lose the line break. This way, the add-on could be used to produce Markdown-friendly links - page title surrounded by brackets, followed by the URL surrounded by parentheses. Maybe that will come in the future!

Download SquadCopy Fixer for Firefox and Chrome lets you easily copy the URL and page title originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>addonsbrowserscopy fixercopy pasteCopyFixerCopyPasteextensionsutilitiesTue, 16 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Firefox Friday: a round-up of this week's Firefox releases and news]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/12/firefox-friday-a-round-up-of-this-weeks-firefox-releases-and-news/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/12/firefox-friday-a-round-up-of-this-weeks-firefox-releases-and-news/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/12/firefox-friday-a-round-up-of-this-weeks-firefox-releases-and-news/#commentsFiled under: ,

firefox 4 logoStop! Stop your Friday afternoon it's-only-two-hours-until-weekend procrastination! Focus on this tab for just a moment because I have a lot to tell you. We've covered so much Firefox news this week that you can't possibly have read it all. You need this round-up like you need a Friday beer.

Enough waffling... let's rock.

Firefox 4 Beta 7 has been released for Windows, Mac and Linux


Almost two months late, Mozilla finally squeezed out the first feature-complete Firefox 4 Beta. Beyond the fact that FF4 has a staggering number of new features, it's not clear why the browser is slipping so behind schedule. Still, if everything goes to plan, we should see three more beta releases followed by a release candidate around February or March.

If you haven't yet tried out Firefox 4, now's the time to take it for a spin. There are still plenty of rough edges, but my guide should walk you through most of the cool new features. Most importantly, thanks to the inclusion of a suped-up JavaScript engine in this new build, you'll quickly notice that FF4 is now as fast as Google Chrome.

Continue reading Firefox Friday: a round-up of this week's Firefox releases and news

Download SquadFirefox Friday: a round-up of this week's Firefox releases and news originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 12 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>birthdaybrowserscachecosplayf1ff4firebirdfirefox 4firefox friday fiveFirefox4FirefoxFridayFivemozillamozilla labsMozillaLabsperformancephoenixround-uproundupFri, 12 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Your guide to Firefox 4 and its shiny new features]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/11/your-guide-to-firefox-4-and-its-new-features/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/11/your-guide-to-firefox-4-and-its-new-features/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/11/your-guide-to-firefox-4-and-its-new-features/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Firefox 4 - new look
Firefox 4, with the release of Beta 7, is as good as finished. From now until its release in early 2011, no new features will be added, no significant changes will be made -- Beta 7 is, for all intents and purposes, Firefox 4.

Unlike Firefox 3.5 (private browsing) and 3.6 (personas!!), version 4 has a significant number of new in-your-face features -- features that will take a little getting used to... like tabs-on-top! There are tons of neat little additions that improve your surfing experience, too. Many of these will exist in the background, under the hood, but it still helps to know exactly what your new browser is capable of; did you know that Firefox 4 is as fast as Chrome, for example?

This guide will fully prepare you for Firefox 4. It will teach you how to work with the big-hitters Panorama and Sync, and also introduce some other features you might not have heard about. If you're already using the Beta, this guide might teach you some new tricks. If you're holding off until the official launch in 2011, that's fine too -- bookmark this page and check back later!

You might find, after reading this guide, that you suddenly feel compelled to try out Firefox 4. It really is rather good.

Continue reading Your guide to Firefox 4 and its shiny new features

Download SquadYour guide to Firefox 4 and its shiny new features originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>css3featuresff4firefoxfirefox 4Firefox4guidehtml5jaegermonkeyjavascriptmozillapanoramatabsThu, 11 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Firefox 4.0 beta 7 brings faster JavaScript, WebGL, is now feature-complete]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/11/firefox-4-0-beta-7-brings-faster-javascript-webgl-is-now-feature-complete/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/11/firefox-4-0-beta-7-brings-faster-javascript-webgl-is-now-feature-complete/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/11/firefox-4-0-beta-7-brings-faster-javascript-webgl-is-now-feature-complete/#commentsFiled under: , ,

A new beta release of Firefox 4 has finally been made available. What was the hold-up, you ask? Well, with Firefox 4.0 beta 7 being tagged as the feature freeze, Mozilla had to make sure that everything they planned on being built-in by default was ready for prime-time testing. And since there's no shortage of new features and improvements in Firefox 4, it stands to reason that beta 7 took a little while to get here.

What's new in Firefox 4 beta 7? Taking center stage is the kicked up duo of TraceMonkey and JägerMonkey, which have combined to make JavaScript handling every bit as fast in Firefox 4 as it is in Google Chrome. Hardware acceleration has also been turned on by default, bringing faster page rendering via your GPU -- whether you're running WIndows XP, OS X, or Windows 7.

There's also better HTML5 support, WebGL for 3D awesomeness, and Firefox 4 beta 7 can now utilize OpenType fonts on Web pages. You're looking at the final version of Firefox 4, really. Since no new features will be added from this point forward, it's all about squashing bugs and preventing crashes between now and launch day.

We'll have more Firefox 4 coverage throughout the day, so stay tuned!

Download Firefox 4 beta 7

Download SquadFirefox 4.0 beta 7 brings faster JavaScript, WebGL, is now feature-complete originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 06:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betabrowserfeature completeFeatureCompleteff4ff4b7firefox 4Firefox4mozillawebThu, 11 Nov 2010 06:51:00 EST<![CDATA[Firefox is 6 years old today]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/09/firefox-is-6-years-old-today/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/09/firefox-is-6-years-old-today/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/09/firefox-is-6-years-old-today/#commentsFiled under: ,

On this day, November 9, way back in 2004, Firefox 1.0 launched. On that day, the Internet changed for ever, its makeup indelibly altered. Firefox made the Web more secure, faster, standards-compliant -- and, most importantly, it made the Web open.

Before Firefox there was only Internet Explorer and Netscape -- a war that had no winners and many scrolling marquee losers. Firefox changed everything with its radically different, 'build a better browser and they will come' approach. And today, with some 30% of the market and the richest feature set of any browser, that approach has paid off.

If you have a little time, take a look at the Firefox 1.0 release notes -- it's a fun trip down memory lane. How fast the Internet moves -- it seems like only yesterday that I was holding a Firefox 1.0 launch party in my university bar. We had a banner and everything!

[via OMG! Ubuntu!]

Download SquadFirefox is 6 years old today originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>birthdayfirebirdfirefoxfirefox 1Firefox1mozilla firefoxMozillaFirefoxTue, 09 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Improve Firefox's text-finding abilities with Mozilla Labs Find Suggest]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/08/improve-firefoxs-text-finding-abilities-with-mozilla-labs-find/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/08/improve-firefoxs-text-finding-abilities-with-mozilla-labs-find/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/08/improve-firefoxs-text-finding-abilities-with-mozilla-labs-find/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mozilla Labs Find Suggest
Firefox's text-finding abilities (Ctrl+F) have long been a bone of contention for Download Squad. Barely a day goes by without Lee strolling over to my wing of the bunker and exclaiming expletively about it. Erez even ranted about it back in July! Fortunately, Mozilla Labs' latest add-on, the latest in the Prospector series, will make things a little better: Find Suggest.

You'll need Firefox 4 to use it, but you'll be glad to hear that no restart is required! Once it's installed, just continue to use Ctrl+F as usual -- but take note of the 'suggestions' that it generates. As soon as you start typing, it shows you every word on the page that matches your search string. The only real purpose of this, as far as I can see, is that it lets you see at a glance which potential matches are on the page.

Of course, you can click one of the suggestions -- and yeah, it saves you a few key strokes -- but you have to move your hand to the mouse to click! Hopefully the folks at Mozilla Labs realise the awful ergonomic implications of such an implementation and move swiftly to allow better access to Find Suggestions... with the Tab key, for example!

Download SquadImprove Firefox's text-finding abilities with Mozilla Labs Find Suggest originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>findfind suggestFindSuggestfirefoxfirefox 4Firefox4mozilla labsMozillaLabsprospectortext findTextFindMon, 08 Nov 2010 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Firefox 4 Beta for Android is now faster and smaller]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/04/firefox-4-beta-for-android-is-now-faster-and-smaller/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/04/firefox-4-beta-for-android-is-now-faster-and-smaller/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/04/firefox-4-beta-for-android-is-now-faster-and-smaller/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Firefox 4 Beta 2 for AndroidFirefox 4 Beta 2 for Android became available earlier today, and it promises to bring many improvements over the initial beta. First off, it will use up a lot less space -- a precious commodity for almost all Android smartphones. The second beta should occupy about 17 MB once installed, compared to the first version's whopping 43 MB (which is almost a third of the entire app space most Android devices have). However, if you've been using the initial beta, you'll have to uninstall that prior to installing the new version to see the space savings in action (due to some 'technical limitation').

Also in this version are a new theme, support for sharing links from the Site Menu, and the ability to undo closing a tab. Panning and zooming are now faster, and page load times have been reduced. Mozilla claims that on Android 2.2, Firefox 4 Beta 2 is 25% faster than the stock browser in the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark.

A Feedback button has been added to the Browser Controls panel that allows you to quickly voice your opinion on the browser, and crash reporting has been made a lot easier to use.

The next release will bring even more performance and usability improvements, alongside support for hardware acceleration and HTML5 video.

Download Firefox 4 Beta 2 for Android

[via Mobiputing]

Download SquadFirefox 4 Beta for Android is now faster and smaller originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidandroid appandroid appsAndroidAppAndroidAppsbrowserfirefoxfirefox for mobilefirefox mobileFirefoxForMobileFirefoxMobilemobilemozillamozilla FirefoxmozillafirefoxThu, 04 Nov 2010 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mozilla Labs' Lab Kit lets you keep up with the latest experimental Firefox add-ons]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/02/mozilla-labs-lab-kit-lets-you-keep-up-with-the-latest-firefox-experiments/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/02/mozilla-labs-lab-kit-lets-you-keep-up-with-the-latest-firefox-experiments/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/02/mozilla-labs-lab-kit-lets-you-keep-up-with-the-latest-firefox-experiments/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mozilla Labs Lab KitMozilla Labs has announced the availability of Lab Kit, an extension for Firefox 4 Beta that will automatically add, update or remove experimental features developed for Firefox by the Mozilla Labs team. The experiments will all be reviewed and approved by Mozilla Labs prior to being pushed to Lab Kit. Installation of the experiments will happen with no need for a Firefox restart.

Lab Kit initially comes with three experiments. Test Pilot collects structured feedback about your use of Firefox. Prospector - Speak Words improves searching from the Awesome Bar by making it behave a lot like Google Chrome's Omnibox. Contacts allows Firefox to better understand your online contacts. More experiments are surely on their way.

Once you have installed Lab Kit, Firefox will notify you whenever any major updates for experiments are available, and you'll be able to find out what has changed as well as what's currently included in the Lab Kit.

Download Lab Kit for Firefox 4

Download SquadMozilla Labs' Lab Kit lets you keep up with the latest experimental Firefox add-ons originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>browserbrowsersfirefoxfirefox 4Firefox4mozillamozilla FirefoxMozilla labsmozillafirefoxMozillaLabsTue, 02 Nov 2010 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Firefox Friday: Mozilla refuses to ban Firesheep, a more-Awesome Bar, delayed Firefox 4, and more]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/29/firefox-mozilla-refuses-to-ban-firesheep-a-more-awesome-firefox-4/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/29/firefox-mozilla-refuses-to-ban-firesheep-a-more-awesome-firefox-4/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/29/firefox-mozilla-refuses-to-ban-firesheep-a-more-awesome-firefox-4/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Firefox FridayThis week has been a busy one for Mozilla, and not in a here-are-lots-of-awesome-toys-to-play-with way.

First of all, Firefox 4 was pushed back to 2011. We had originally hoped to see it launch before the end of 2010, but in all likelihood we probably won't see before March or April 2011. There are still a bunch of Beta releases to get through, and then the Release Candidates. On the flip side, FF4 is already very fast and a joy to use -- as long as you don't mind the occasional hiccup, it's well worth the upgrade from FF3.6!

Then there was Firesheep, a sidejacking add-on that gets its name from Firefox, which Mozilla has decided not to ban. Mozilla retains the ability to blacklist add-ons, but generally only blocks add-ons that cause browser crashes. There have been a few add-ons blocked for 'security issues', though, which raises the question: is Mozilla simply looking at the bigger picture -- a Web made all the more secure because of awareness-raising add-ons like Firesheep?

Finally, the Nobel Peace Prize website was hacked to exploit a 0-day Firefox vulnerability. The hole was summarily patched and new versions of Firefox 3.5 and 3.6 were released.

It wasn't all bad this week though! Mozilla Labs threw out a few of very fun toys to play with (an auto-complete Awesome Bar!), and I've found a few other goodies to show you, too.

Continue reading Firefox Friday: Mozilla refuses to ban Firesheep, a more-Awesome Bar, delayed Firefox 4, and more

Download SquadFirefox Friday: Mozilla refuses to ban Firesheep, a more-Awesome Bar, delayed Firefox 4, and more originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>add-onbrowsersextensionfeaturesfirefox friday fiveFirefoxFridayFivefirefozmozillamozilla labsMozillaLabsoptimizedpale moonPaleMoonFri, 29 Oct 2010 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Mozilla's Rainbow plug-in brings audio and video recording to Firefox]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/29/mozilla-rainbow-firefox-audio-video-recording/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/29/mozilla-rainbow-firefox-audio-video-recording/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/29/mozilla-rainbow-firefox-audio-video-recording/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Mozilla has just announced a new Firefox plug-in called Rainbow that will let users access audio and video recording capabilities through the browser. It's similar to something Mozilla tried with audio recording while they were developing the Jetpack plug-in system, but Rainbow includes video as well. Rainbow records using open formats (Ogg Theora video and Ogg Vorbis audio), and you can set it to automatically upload the recordings to a server.

Rainbow is still pre-alpha software, and so far, it only works with Firefox nightly builds for Mac. The Firefox team is apparently working to bring Rainbow to nightly builds on other platforms as well, but won't make it compatible with previous versions of Firefox. Possibilities for Rainbow's future include capturing and streaming live video, adding support for WebM and VP8 video, and letting users install Rainbow without restarting Firefox.

Download SquadMozilla's Rainbow plug-in brings audio and video recording to Firefox originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audiobrowsersfirefoxHTML5mozillapluginsrainbowrecordingvideoFri, 29 Oct 2010 06:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Firefox 4 to ship at the beginning of 2011]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/27/firefox-4-to-ship-at-the-beginning-of-2011/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/27/firefox-4-to-ship-at-the-beginning-of-2011/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/27/firefox-4-to-ship-at-the-beginning-of-2011/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mike Beltzner, the Director of Firefox, has just confirmed that the Firefox 4 release candidates will appear at the beginning of 2011. The Firefox 4 Beta wiki has also been updated to reflect the goals, targets and deliverables of the last few months of the beta testing process.

The next release, Beta 7, which is due out in the next week or two, is the most important of them all. Mozilla has now ordered a 'code freeze' for Firefox, meaning no new features can be added -- Beta 7 will be, for all intents and purposes, Firefox 4. After its release it becomes a matter of getting the almost-finished browser into the hands of add-on developers, ironing out bugs, and ultimately delivering a stable release candidate.

In other news, Firefox 3.6.12 was released only a few minutes ago. It fixed a critical security vulnerability that was exploited earlier today on the Nobel Peace Prize website.

Download SquadFirefox 4 to ship at the beginning of 2011 originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betaff4firefoxfirefox 4Firefox4release candidateReleaseCandidateWed, 27 Oct 2010 17:37:00 EST<![CDATA[Google Instant (sorta) comes to Firefox courtesy of an extension]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/26/google-instant-sorta-comes-to-firefox-courtesy-of-an-extension/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/26/google-instant-sorta-comes-to-firefox-courtesy-of-an-extension/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/26/google-instant-sorta-comes-to-firefox-courtesy-of-an-extension/#commentsFiled under: ,

File this one under "a screenshot doesn't do it justice," but if you've been wanting Google Chrome's Instant integration in Firefox, a new extension may be exactly what you're looking for.

It's called InstantFirefox, and it does precisely what you'd expect. Start typing in the Awesome Bar, and InstantFirefox refreshes the Google search results below in real time. The InstantFirefox experience isn't as smooth as what Chrome offers, but it's certainly a capable alternative for Firefox users.

Download InstantFirefox

[via Lifehacker]

Continue reading Google Instant (sorta) comes to Firefox courtesy of an extension

Download SquadGoogle Instant (sorta) comes to Firefox courtesy of an extension originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>addonextensiongoogle instantGoogleInstantinstantfirefoxsearchTue, 26 Oct 2010 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Mozilla pays 12-year-old $3000 for finding critical vulnerability in Firefox]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/22/mozilla-pays-12-year-old-3000-for-finding-critical-vulnerabilit/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/22/mozilla-pays-12-year-old-3000-for-finding-critical-vulnerabilit/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/22/mozilla-pays-12-year-old-3000-for-finding-critical-vulnerabilit/#commentsFiled under: ,

Alex Miller, a 12-year-old from San Jose, California, just cashed a $3000 check for finding a buffer overflow bug in 'document.write'.

The bug, which was was one the major security vulnerabilities fixed in this week's releases of Firefox 3.6.11 and 3.5.14, was discovered by Alex after spending 'about 90 minutes each day for 10 days'. In other words, he pored through code for 15 hours and made $3000, or $200 per hour. Not bad for a 12-year-old!

If you want to get in on the bug bounty hunting action -- because let's face it, if a kid can find a bug in 15 hours, an adult could do it much faster -- just head on over to Mozilla Developer Central. Check out the Firefox source and start looking!

Download SquadMozilla pays 12-year-old $3000 for finding critical vulnerability in Firefox originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alex millerAlexMillerbugbug bountyBugBountyfirefoxkidmozillaprodigyFri, 22 Oct 2010 15:17:00 EST<![CDATA[Firefox Friday: Open Apps, Open Games, Open UI... and the world's fastest JavaScript engine]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/22/firefox-friday-open-apps-open-games-open-ui-and-the-world-fastest-javascript/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/22/firefox-friday-open-apps-open-games-open-ui-and-the-world-fastest-javascript/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/22/firefox-friday-open-apps-open-games-open-ui-and-the-world-fastest-javascript/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Good afternoon! Firefox Friday has been decidedly absent from the luridly green pages of Download Squad over the last few weeks, but it returns today with vengeance.

A lot has been happening at Mozilla, with developments emerging on all fronts. As always we've covered the most important bits, but there's still a lot more to tell you about.

Let's crack on with the first and perhaps most telling titbit:

Mozilla has a new CEO: Gary Kovacs

John Lilly, after almost three years at the top, has stepped aside for newcomer Gary Kovacs. Kovacs has a ton of experience in product management (10 years at IBM), and also significant knowledge of rich media and the mobile Web (5 years at Macromedia, then Adobe). For further reading, Lilly has a great blog post introducing Kovacs.

With this appointment it's clear that Mozilla is fully invested in making Firefox the best browser, both on the desktop and on mobile devices. If you thought the difference between Firefox 3.6 and 4.0 was a big leap, you can only begin to imagine what 5.0 will bring with Kovacs at the helm.

Continue reading Firefox Friday: Open Apps, Open Games, Open UI... and the world's fastest JavaScript engine

Download SquadFirefox Friday: Open Apps, Open Games, Open UI... and the world's fastest JavaScript engine originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>browsersfirefoxfirefox friday fiveFirefoxFridayFiveinternetmozillawebFri, 22 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Firefox 4.0 beta 7 to get native SVG support]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/21/firefox-4-0-beta-7-to-get-native-svg-support/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/21/firefox-4-0-beta-7-to-get-native-svg-support/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/21/firefox-4-0-beta-7-to-get-native-svg-support/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Currently available in the Firefox 4 nightly builds, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) support is due to be rolled out with the next iteration of the Firefox 4 beta. For those not in the know, SVG is a family of 2D XML-based image formats that can be created as either static or dynamic images, similar to what you can do with GIFs. The benefit of using vector graphics over raster or bitmap formats, such as JPEG, GIF, or PNG, is that SVG images are scalable without pixelation. This scalability makes them ideal for sites that have various target formats. For instance, an SVG image will look equally as crisp on a tiny phone screen, or blown up on a huge 4K projector -- that's not something that can be said for raster images.

Daniel Holbert has put together some simple examples of SVG use, including a Firefox persona as shown above, which you can see using the current nightly of Firefox 4.

Download SquadFirefox 4.0 beta 7 to get native SVG support originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betafirefoxFirefox4mozillapersonassvgvectorThu, 21 Oct 2010 06:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Director of Firefox fires opening salvo at Apple's tyrannical Mac App Store]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/20/director-of-firefox-fires-opening-salvo-at-apples-tyrannical-ma/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/20/director-of-firefox-fires-opening-salvo-at-apples-tyrannical-ma/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/20/director-of-firefox-fires-opening-salvo-at-apples-tyrannical-ma/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mike Beltzner, Mozilla big-wig and Director of Firefox, has just tweeted his rather damning appraisal of the new Mac App Store. In the tweet he points to the Mac App Store Review Guidelines -- and boy are they draconian, even by Apple's cultish masonic standards.

Basically, you can forget about downloading any kind of demo or beta from the Mac App Store. If an app even exhibits a bug, it will be rejected -- does Apple know how many apps, open-source or otherwise, have bugs?

If you thought that was bad enough, the guidelines continue in a similar, it's-our-sandpit! vein: apps that require optional installations (such as Java) will be rejected; apps that require root privileges will be rejected; apps that require license keys or implement their own copy project will be rejected... and so on.

The strict, chaste censorship rules made popular with the iOS App Store are also present -- there won't be any pornographic or violent apps on the Mac App Store, I'm afraid.

Finally, it's fun to compare the startling differences between Mozilla's recently-announced Open Web Apps initiative and Apple's new offering. I know: open isn't everything, and Apple's vice-like control of the user experience is impressive -- but at this rate the Mac is fast becoming a 21st century re-imagining of 20th century AOL. "Don't try to peek over the wall -- this is all the Internet you need!"

Download SquadDirector of Firefox fires opening salvo at Apple's tyrannical Mac App Store originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appleappsmac app storeMacAppStoremozillaWed, 20 Oct 2010 18:06:00 EST<![CDATA[Mozilla counters Chrome Web Store with new cross-browser Open Web Apps spec]]>http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/19/mozilla-counters-chrome-web-store-with-new-open-web-apps-spec/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/19/mozilla-counters-chrome-web-store-with-new-open-web-apps-spec/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/19/mozilla-counters-chrome-web-store-with-new-open-web-apps-spec/#commentsFiled under: ,

Mozilla Open Web Apps

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With the official launch of Google's Chrome Web Store fast approaching, Mozilla today unveiled what they're calling "Open Web Apps."

Basically, this takes the idea behind Chrome's Web Store and makes it available for all desktop and mobile "modern browsers." Plus, it adds the word "open" to the name, which probably guarantees that it will receive bonus points from the open source community.

Open Web Apps will run in all supported browsers (Firefox 3.6 and later, Firefox for mobile, Internet Explorer 8, Chrome 6, Safari 5, Opera 10, and WebKit mobile), but it will allow each browser to compete on "app presentation, organization, and management user interfaces." Paid apps are supported, and the authorization system uses OpenID. Once paid for, an app can be used in all supported browsers. Open Web Apps will support geolocation, but this will be opt-in. You'll be able to distribute your Open Web App through any store you want and also directly to the user. And naturally, an Open Web App will be "installable" to the desktop or homescreen or to a dashboard inside the browser.
For more information, check out the video after the fold and the FAQ that Mozilla has put together.

Continue reading Mozilla counters Chrome Web Store with new cross-browser Open Web Apps spec

Download SquadMozilla counters Chrome Web Store with new cross-browser Open Web Apps spec originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>browserbrowsersmozillaOpen Web AppsOpenWebAppsWebStoreTue, 19 Oct 2010 16:32:00 EST