Firefox 2.0, the next version of Mozilla Firefox has officially been released. I assume that the automated Firefox Update system should prompt Firefox 1.5.x users to upgrade over the next few days, although it currently seems to be unaware of the update.
For those who don’t want to wait (like me), Firefox can be downloaded from Mozilla.com.
I’ll leave the question of “what’s new?” to the Mozilla Press Release
What’s New in Firefox 2
Improvements to the user interface, security tools and options for customization, combine to deliver a rich, engaging, safer and more productive Web browsing experience for all.
Tabbed browsing. Firefox popularized tabbed browsing, enabling multiple Web sites to be viewed as separate tabs contained within a single browser window, and improving people’s efficiency by helping them better organize their desktops. In Firefox 2, tabbed browsing has been further improved with the addition of individual close buttons on each tab, enhanced tab navigation features, and a session restore system that automatically restores previously-open windows and tabs when a new browsing session is started.
Spell checking. Modern Web sites are increasingly complex with the rollout of new, rich Internet applications, such as word processors, spreadsheets and blogging tools. Inline spell checking in Firefox 2 automatically checks for spelling errors and suggests corrections as users interact with Web sites, bringing a common desktop feature to the Web.
Search. Search is one of the most frequently used features of the Web. With Firefox 2, Mozilla improves the browser’s integrated search capabilities, making it even easier for users to find the information they are looking for. The new Search Suggestions feature dynamically updates a drop-down list of suggested search terms as users enter text into the search bar for Google, Yahoo! or Answers.com search engines.
Web feeds. Firefox users can now take better advantage of the frequently updated content offered by Web sites, with increased options for handling Web feeds. Users now see a preview of the content being offered and are given the option to subscribe to a feed as a Live Bookmark, using a Web service such as Bloglines, My Yahoo!, or Google Reader, or with a desktop application.
Identity theft protection. In addition to its award-winning safeguards for blocking drive-by installation of spyware and unwanted pop-up windows, Firefox 2 helps protect users from identity theft by quickly informing them when they surf to a questionable Web site. To protect users’ privacy, Phishing Protection is active by default with a local blacklist that updates hourly, rather than sending information to an external online service. An enhanced mode is available where users may optionally elect to have Firefox check the validity of Web sites with a third-party Web service, such as Google, prior to loading the site. Phishing Protection provides warnings, advice and guidance when Firefox encounters a Web site that appears to be fraudulent or malicious.
Proven security model. Mozilla’s open and transparent community-driven security model helps ensure Firefox provides the safest possible online experience. Thousands of security experts and technical contributors from around the world examine and analyze the Firefox source code, uncover potential threats and vulnerabilities, and work together to quickly identify and address emerging threats. This open, distributed, innovative approach to security puts people’s interests first and delivers the safest Web experience possible.
Customization. No other browser can be customized like Firefox 2. With thousands of add-ons that enhance the browser’s functionality and features, Firefox lets users personalize their Web browsers to fit their interests and style.
For more information on Mozilla Firefox 2 and how it delivers an easier, faster and safer online experience, visit www.mozilla.com/firefox/features.html.
Mozilla Firefox 2 is available now as a free download from www.getfirefox.com.
Oh, and Microsoft released Internet Exploder 7 rather recently…hardly worth a mention really!
Samuel
October 25th, 2006 at 06:44pm
Remember back in late September when Leo Laporte was the guest on Samuel’s Persiflage? Well here’s an extract from the transcript:
Leo Laporte: And so I thought, “Boy, you know” … in fact, I think I said it out loud, which was my mistake. “Boy, we really should have a legal podcast with actual attorneys who know this stuff talking about it.” I said it, and the next day I got hundreds of emails from attorneys, saying, “I’ll do it!” (laughing).
Samuel Gordon-Stewart: (Laughing.)
Leo Laporte: So I — I … one of them was very compelling, a woman I had known for years, Denise Howell, who is a very well-known legal blogger, attorney, an expert in IP, Intellectual Property law, and former Counsel with Electronic Frontier Foundation and had — and knows everybody; has a — has a great voice. And I — and she said, “You know, I’d — I’d love to host this, and I will do all the work. I’ll put it together. I’ll edit it.” And … and I said, “Okay, Denise!” (laughing).
Samuel Gordon-Stewart: (Laughing.)
Leo Laporte: And so she’s gone out and pretty much duplicated my equipment setup. She’s — she’s lined up great people. In fact, the first one has Hank Berry, who was the guy who … the — the Counsel, the Legal Counsel, for Napster. I mean, this guy is really an interesting fellow. This … he’s on the panel, but it’s a — a number of different people. He’s now a partner at Hummer Winblad, which is one of the … actually, I guess he’s been at Hummer for a while. He’s a former CEO of Napster, but he’s been at Hummer for … for about six or seven years. They are a venture fund that specializes in software, and they’re great. So Hank knows everything and … and is really gonna’ be a great panelist. That’ll be the first episode, which, depending on when this comes out, will either be out already or out soon.
Samuel Gordon-Stewart: Well, I’m going to try and get this out before the end of September, because I try to do … I try to do one episode of Samuel’s Persiflage each month. That varies, depending on — on my workload. But I’ll try and get it out before the end of the month (laughing); but I’m just thinking that it’s starting to look like it’s going to be the not-quite-September edition.
Leo Laporte: (Laughing.) Well, it’ll be a race between This Week in Law and Samuel’s Persiflage. We’ll see who comes out first.
Well Samuel’s Persiflage came out first by a country mile, and I’m pleased to be able to announce that, at long long last, Leo has released This Week In Law. It looks like episode one came out a couple days ago and is filled with interesting information, including a rather interesting discussion about the Creative Commons licence, which as you may have noticed, is used on this blog.
It’s a pity about the sound quality, but dodgy audio seems to be the norm for the first few episodes of any TWiT.tv podcast…and it looks like the majority of the issues are due to poor recording setups at certain people’s ends…and at one stage it sounds like somebody is snapping pencils in half. I’m sure they’ll work it all out in a couple weeks.
Samuel
October 25th, 2006 at 08:23am
Yesterday while I was having lunch…or was about to have lunch…but certainly before I finished lunch (Yes, I know it doesn’t matter and that I should just get on with the story, but this minor details is going to bug me all day) John Stanley was reminiscing about how, when he was in school, he always brought the newspaper with him and read it at lunch time…and how all the other kids thought he was odd for doing it…now I remember, he said that before I started my lunch, it was during my lunch that he received an email from a listener who speculated that John only brought the paper to school for the racing form guide, and then John mentioned something about a two cent per wager betting operation he had going…and he chatted with a caller about how it was “probably illegal”.
It was actually rather interesting to me that he mentioned that (bringing the newspaper, not the betting operation), because it reminded me of myself in high school and college (not that I really need reminding…it wasn’t that long ago)…I never brought a newspaper to school, but I do remember in high school, especially in year ten, how I would, during morning roll call (Contact Group “Stephens One” to be precise), spend most of the time looking at the Daily Telegraph for a bit of amusement…often having a chat with the kitchen assistant at the same time.
Of course I had other odd habits…from mid 1999 until about mid 2003 I was a 2CA fan, and made sure that it was no secret, naturally enough this meant that I was “different” and had completely different musical tastes to the vast majority of students, although I think people got used to that by Year 10.
In mid-2003, amidst illness and behavioural issues, I switched back to 2CC, which was far more engaging than music radio ever could be…I distinctly remember when I was bed ridden for a week that 2CC helped to keep me sane…2CA, excellent station that it is, just didn’t have enough conversation to keep my mind active…and I suppose that is a good thing in some ways, as it helped me to rediscover my love of talkback radio.
By the end of 2003, when I was only required to attend high school for tests and to hand in assignments, the radio was with me pretty much all day, in fact George Moore, who was filling in for John Laws, was the first person to read out one of my emails on the air…from memory it was a light hearted comment about how Peter Costello could retire from politics and start his own lottery “Peter’s Costellotto”.
In college the radio was an essential part of my life…it was my escape from the day-to-day goings ons of academic life, I listened to it between classes, during morning tea and lunch, on the way to and from College, and even sometimes during class. It did lead another student to make a comment on RiotACT that I was the scariest thing at Dickson College…but I think for the most part, people were mature enough to accept that it was one of my eccentricities.
I actually seriously doubt that I would have made it through college if it hadn’t been for 2CC, amongst other things, it did help me to maintain my sanity in what was a very busy, confusing, demanding and ultimately rewarding couple of years.
It’s actually funny to think that 2CC was the first common link between me and my bus driver friend…for the majority of my time at Dickson, he drove the bus that I caught of a morning, and whilst it may have only been a few minutes of Mike Jeffreys most days, and a few extra minutes of John Laws on others (depending on what time I started in the morning) and a coversation in the middle of it all, it was enough for a friendship to begin…and that friendship was another thing which helped me get through college.
I must admit, it was always nice after a busy day at college, to spend half an hour listening to Mike Welsh whilst I did all sorts of thing relating to bus travel…waiting for the bus, catching the bus, riding on the bus, getting off the bus, walking home from the bus stop…
I’m making college sound quite arduous here…well it wasn’t, I quite enjoyed it for the most part…but life in general would have been an awful lot harder without these outside influences.
So what does all this have to do with John Stanley and his newspapers…well not much really…it’s just interesting that we both had a similar habit, we were both interested in news during our school years, and we tend to agree with each other on a lot of issues. It’s also a good excuse for a trip down memory lane.
Samuel
October 25th, 2006 at 06:20am