Matthew's Place on the Web
Firefox
Getting Closer: Firefox 3.6 RC Released
Jan 11th
Yesterday, Mozilla released the Release Candidate for Firefox 3.6. This release of 3.6 fixes more than 70 (Bugzilla reports 98) bugs since Firefox Beta 3.6 (revision 5).
Updated Strata 4.0 for Mac
Jan 5th
Just uploaded a small update to Strata 4.0 for Mac that adds support for the Tab Progress Bar and Fission extensions and fixes a small bug. Enjoy.
Mobile Firefox Release Canidate 1
Jan 2nd
Over the new years weekend, Mozilla released RC1 of the mobile version of their popular browser Firefox. Firefox for Maemo is part of Mozilla’s ongoing attempt to bring the Mozilla Gecko platform to mobile devices that has been in the works for years. This brings more browser choices to the mobile platforms of today and tomorrow. The current official builds only are only for Nokia N900 or N810, more devices will surely be supported in the future.
Strata 4.0 for Mac Released
Dec 24th
Today, Mac users can now enjoy the Firefox 4.0 look on Firefox 3.6. With the release of Firefox 3.6 close, this theme will be a nice addition to it’s release. To top it off, this theme support the Strata Home Tab extension to complete the look.
Strata 4.0 for Mac
Opera Seems to Like the Firefox 4.0 Look
Dec 22nd
Over at the design-noir Blog, it seems someone noticed that the new Opera 10.5 pre-alpha appears a little familiar. With Firefox 4.0 a ways away, but still in the minds of people such as the author of Strata40 and StrataBuddy, it seems that the new look is already a hit. Now Opera wants to try on this new look. Check out the new Opera look then compare it to the current Firefox 4.0 look.
Next Edition of JavaScript MAY Break the Scripts of Today.
Dec 21st
Jeff Walden, one of the Peer members of the Mozilla JavaScript module (SpiderMonkey) has brought to light some changes coming to their JavaScript interpreter in Firefox 3.7. These change will bring SpiderMonkey in line with the next edition of the JavaScript standard, ECMA-262. These count not only break existing code, but also introduce a new opt-in mode of execution for JavaScript called strict mode.
Jeff mentions that not only does the new standard add to it many features that where merely extensions to JavaScript present the current browsers, but they don’t behave the same way unless strict mode is turned on. He also elaborates how turning on strict mode can complicate things for existing code as well. As the saying, “if you do, and if you don’t.”
Jeff describes changes in detail and examples of where they are relevant, but also states that this may be only a small minority of JavaScript code currently in use on the Web. The truth is, we will only know when browsers start rolling out versions with these new changes. You can read more details about it on Jeff’s blog posting.
No Hickups from Firefox 3.6 BETA 5
Dec 19th
I’ve been running the betas of Firefox 3.6 my MacBook Pro and my Windows 7 PC, and both seem to have been doing pretty well with it. Looks really good so far, but it seems Mozilla says there is still work to be done.
Overall, Firefox 3.6 doesn’t really show off any new features at first, but there are some really good things for web and theme developers and users will now have a more stable browsing experience. Read the rest of this entry »
WIP, Firefox Strata 3.7 / 4.0 for Mac OS X
Dec 17th
After using Strata40 and Strata Buddy on my Windows computers, I really wanted to have a somewhat similar theme for Mac OS X on my MacBook Pro. Well, I looked and did not find one, so instead of waiting, I decided to start a Strata 3.7 / 4.0 theme for the Mac version of Firefox. It’s not finished, but it’s actually coming along nicely. I am making it for Firefox 3.6, so I will probably not release it until Firefox 3.6 is released. I still have the URL bar, the location and tab progress bars (which will require extra extensions) and a few more parts on the tab bar to finish. I’ll also be releasing it’s source (the Photoshop PSDs) here when I’m done if I can find a license similar to LGPL license for PSD documents.
For your viewing pleasure, here is the current state of the theme.
Current Strata 3.7 for Mac Firefox 3.6
You can compare it the to Strata 3.7 mockups on Wiki.Mozilla.Org
Strata40 and StrataBuddy give the perfect look to Firefox.
Dec 15th
With all the buzz about the mockups for Mozilla’s upcoming versions of Firefox, people just can’t wait to make their copy look that cool. Well, recently a theme called Strata40 by SpewBoy attempts to capture that new look. It provides the same clean look that Firefox 3.7 and 4.o hope to ship with.
Strata40 + Strata Buddy
This new look designed is designed to provide more straightforward interface by using fewer UI element in the same light as Google Chrome and Apple Safari. Many of the new elements and change aren’t directly translatable to the current Firefox version. For those element, you will need Strata Buddy also by SpewBoy, an extension that complements Strata40 by providing not only the missing functionality but also the ability to configure Strata40 to appear like any of the mockups for Firefox 3.7 or Firefox 4.0.
Strata Buddy is also “Embracing Glass,” as one of the bullet items on the mockup’s wiki article puts it thanks to the native portion of by Glasser extension. If you run Firefox on Windows 7 or Windows Vista, adding Strata Buddy and Strata40 to your install will make you love Firefox even more.
Firefox 3.5.6 Released
Dec 15th
Today Mozilla released a minor update to Firefox 3.5. This new version fixes several security issues and provide few stability, usability, and performance enhancements. Although no major change exist in this release, the usual security and stability fixes are reason enough to upgrade. As usual it is always to run the latest point release of any software like Firefox.