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Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Firefox Histroy and Reference 

FireFox History

Main article: History of Mozilla Firefox
The Firefox Logo (source)
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The Firefox Logo (source)

Dave Hyatt and Blake Ross began working on the Firefox project as an experimental branch of the Mozilla project. They believed that the commercial requirements of Netscape's sponsorship and developer-driven feature creep compromised the utility of the Mozilla browser. To combat what they saw as the Mozilla Suite's software bloat, they created a pared-down browser (then known as Phoenix, today known as Firefox), with which they intended to replace the Mozilla Suite. Ben Goodger currently works as the lead developer of Firefox. Logo for Firefox Browser, intended tor use to reference the name of the browser and thus this use is fair. ... Logo for Firefox Browser, intended tor use to reference the name of the browser and thus this use is fair. ... A logotype, commonly known as a logo, is the graphic element of a trademark or brand, which is set in a special typeface/font, or arranged in a particular, but legible, way. ... Netscape Communications Corporation was the publisher of the Netscape Navigator web browser as well as many other internet and intranet client and server software products. ... Creeping featurism, or creeping featuritis, is a phrase used (usually within the sphere of software and information technology) to describe the (often erroneous) idea that more features make a thing or product better than the previous version. ... Software bloat is a derogatory term used to describe the tendency of newer computer programs to use larger amounts of system resources (mass storage space, processing power and/or RAM) than older programs. ... Ben Goodger (born in London, England) is a former employee of Netscape Communications Corporation and the Mozilla Foundation and lead developer of the Firefox web browser. ...

Features

Main article: Features of Mozilla Firefox

The developers of Firefox aim to produce a browser that "just works" for most casual users. Those interested can add (as extensions and plugins) many features not packaged with Firefox. Mozilla Firefox has some features that distinguish it from other browsers like Internet Explorer. ...

Usability and accessibility

Screenshot of performing "Find as you type". The user typed "ency" and the browser highlighted the first matched text found with green.
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Screenshot of performing "Find as you type". The user typed "ency" and the browser highlighted the first matched text found with green.

Developers put in a large amount of work towards simplifying Firefox's user interface. As a result, the interface appears less cluttered than that of many other internet suites. The design of Firefox's option panels leaves many of the infrequently used options found in the Mozilla Suite not visible in Firefox. This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... Look up Green in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Green is a color seen commonly in nature. ... Internet suite - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Firefox supports tabbed browsing, which allows users to open multiple web pages in the same browser window. This feature originated in the Mozilla Suite, which in turn had borrowed the feature from the popular MultiZilla extension for Mozilla. Firefox also belongs in the group of browsers which early on adopted customizable pop-up blocking. An example of tabbed document interface, illustrated with Opera In the area of graphical user interfaces, a tabbed document interface (TDI) is one that relies on tabbed panes to hold child windows. ...

The browser has a number of features which help users find information. First, Firefox has an incremental find feature known as "find as you type". With this feature enabled, a user can simply begin typing a word while viewing a web page, and Firefox automatically searches for it and highlights the first instance found. As the user types more of the word, Firefox refines its search.

Firefox also sports a built-in search toolbar with an extensible search engine listing. By default, Firefox allows users to search Google, Yahoo!, Amazon.com, Creative Commons, Dictionary.com, and eBay. Users may download more search plugins (including one for Wikipedia) from the Mycroft project or remove any unwanted ones. ... Amazon. ... Version 2 of Some Rights Reserved logo Some Rights reserved logo No Rights reserved logo The Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organization devoted to expanding the range of creative work available for others to legally build upon and share. ... Dictionary. ... The title of this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... A search plug-in provides the ability to access a search engine from a web browser, without having to go to the engines page first. ... The open source Mycroft project created Mycroft, which provides a collection of search plugins for Mozilla-based web browsers. ...

Additionally, Firefox supports the "custom keyword" feature introduced by the Mozilla Suite. This feature allows users to access their bookmarks from the location bar using keywords (and an optional query parameter). For example, using a custom keyword, a user can type "google apple" into the address bar and be redirected to the results of a Google search for "apple". When a user enters words into Firefox's address bar without a search keyword (or with the "goto" keyword), Firefox automatically redirects the user to the first result yielded by a Google search for the words. 1) A bookmark is a thin marker, commonly made from paper or leather, used to keep ones place in a printed work and so be able to return to it with ease at some time in the future. ... Google, Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG), is a U.S. public corporation, initially established as a privately-held corporation in 1998, that designed and manages the Internet Google search engine. ...

Naming

The project which became Firefox started as an experimental branch of the Mozilla Suite called m/b (or mozilla/browser). When sufficiently developed, binaries for public testing appeared in September 2002 under the name Phoenix. The phoenix from the Aberdeen Bestiary. ...

The Phoenix name survived until April 14, 2003, when it changed due to trademark issues with the BIOS manufacturer, Phoenix Technologies (who produce a BIOS-based browser). The new name, Firebird, provoked mixed reactions, particularly since the free database software Firebird uses the same name. In late April, following an apparent name change to Firebird browser for a few hours, the Mozilla Foundation stated that the browser should always bear the name Mozilla Firebird in order to avoid confusion with the Firebird database server. However, continuing pressure from the FLOSS community forced another change, and on February 9, 2004, Mozilla Firebird became Mozilla Firefox (or Firefox for short). April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Trademark - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... BIOS, in computing, stands for basic input/output system. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... It has been suggested that Free Software Replacements be merged into this article or section. ... Firebird (sometimes called FirebirdSQL) is a relational database management system offering many ANSI SQL-99 and SQL-2003 features. ... Firebird (sometimes called FirebirdSQL) is a relational database management system offering many ANSI SQL-99 and SQL-2003 features. ... The phrase Free/Libre/Open-Source Software (FLOSS; see also the similarly derived FOSS) refers to both Free Software and Open Source Software. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Mozilla Foundation chose the name "Firefox" for its similarity to "Firebird", but also for its uniqueness in the computing industry. To avoid any potential further name changes, the Mozilla Foundation began the process of registering Firefox as a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in December 2003 [5]. As "Firefox" already existed as a registered trademark in the United Kingdom, the Mozilla Foundation licensed the name from the trademark's owner. Firefox may refer to: Mozilla Firefox, a web browser. ... Computer industry is a collective term used to describe the whole range of businesses involved in developing computer software, designing computer hardware, the manufacture of computer components and the provision of information technology services. ... Trademark - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides patent and trademark protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions and corporate and product identification. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Branding and visual identity

Various logos used during the development of Firefox

The adoption of a new visual identity marks one of Firefox's most visible enhancements from its previous versions. Some people have noted that free software frequently suffers from poor icon and user interface design and from a lack of a strong visual identity. Such opinion held that the early releases of Firefox sported "reasonable" visual designs, but did not regard them as of a standard equivalent to many "professionally" released software packages. The release of Firefox 0.8 in February 2004 saw the introduction of new branding efforts, including new icons. Jon Hicks designed the icon for Firefox 0.8 and up. Mascots at the Mascot Olympics in Orlando, FL. A mascot is something, typically an animal or human character used to represent a group with a common identity, such as a school, professional sports team, or corporation. ... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → // February 29, 2004 Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns as president of Haiti and flees the country for the Central African Republic. ...

The logo depicts a stylized Red Panda (according to the Mozilla FAQ), an animal which is sometimes called "fire fox" (the Red Fox is another such creature). The specific logo won selection because it makes an impression, while still not "shouting" with overdone artwork. Binomial name Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), the most familiar of the foxes, has the widest range of any terrestrial carnivore. ...

The Firefox icon functions as a trademark used to designate the official Mozilla build of the Firefox software. Although Firefox uses open source core software, free licensing does not extend to the artwork. For this reason, software distributors who distribute patched or modified versions of Firefox may not use the icon.

Customizability

A typical XPInstall confirmation dialog
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A typical XPInstall confirmation dialog

The design of Firefox aims at high extensibility. Through extensions (installed via XPInstall modules), users may activate new features, such as mouse gestures, advertisement blocking, proxy server switching, and debugging tools. Wikipedia editors using Firefox can even download a customised toolbar. Many features formerly part of the Mozilla Suite, such as the ChatZilla IRC client and a calendar, have become Firefox extensions. This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... A typical XPInstall confirmation dialog XPInstall (Cross-Platform Install) is a technology used by Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird and other XUL-based applications for installing Mozilla extensions that add functionalities. ... A spiral mouse gesture in the computer game Black and White. ... A debugger is a computer program that is used to debug (and sometimes test or optimize) other programs. ... An early toolbar on a Xerox Alto Computer In a graphical user interface on a computer monitor a toolbar is a row, column, or block of onscreen buttons or icons that, when clicked, activate certain functions of the program. ... ChatZilla is an IRC client for Mozilla web browsers written in XUL and JavaScript. ... Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a form of instant communication over the Internet. ...

One can view the extension system as a ground for experimentation, where one can test new functionalities. Occasionally, an extension becomes part the official product (for example MultiZilla, an extension which added tabbed browsing to Mozilla, eventually became part of standard Mozilla).

Firefox with Noia eXtreme theme
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Firefox with Noia eXtreme theme

Firefox also supports a variety of themes/skins, which change its appearance. Themes consist of packages of CSS and image files. The Mozilla Update web site offers many themes for downloading. Beyond adding a new theme, users can customize Firefox's interface by moving and manipulating its various buttons, fields, and menus, and likewise by adding and deleting entire toolbars. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1023x734, 232 KB)Mozilla Firefox with Noia eXtreme [1] theme. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1023x734, 232 KB)Mozilla Firefox with Noia eXtreme [1] theme. ... In computing, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a stylesheet language used to describe the presentation of a document written in a markup language. ...

A Firefox installation can keep all extensions and themes available on the Mozilla Update site up-to-date through Firefox's interface, which periodically checks for updates to installed themes and extensions.

Additionally, Firefox stores many hidden preferences that users can access by typing about:config in the address bar. This mechanism enables features such as single-window mode and error pages, or speeding up page rendering by various tweaks. Experimental features like HTTP pipelining often lurk hidden in the about:config menu. The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... HTTP pipelining appeared in HTTP/1. ...

Cross-platform support

Firefox, running under the Linux operating system
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Firefox, running under the Linux operating system

Mozilla Firefox runs on a wide variety of platforms. Releases available on the primary distribution site support the following operating systems [15]: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (947x701, 87 KB)Firefox running under the Linux OS. I, the author release this under the GPL. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (947x701, 87 KB)Firefox running under the Linux OS. I, the author release this under the GPL. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Firefox does not officially support Windows 95, but reportedly functions properly after the application of a few tweaks [16]. // Microsoft Windows is a range of operating environments for personal computers and servers. ... Windows 98 (codename Memphis) is a graphical operating system released on June 25, 1998 by Microsoft. ... Windows Millennium Edition (originally codenamed Millennium and Georgia), also known as Windows Me, is a 32-bit graphical operating system released on September 14, 2000 by Microsoft. ... Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, and was succeeded by Windows 2000 (still based on Windows NT). ... Windows 2000 (also referred to as Win2K, W2K or Windows NT 5. ... As of 2005, Windows XP is the current desktop version of the Microsoft Windows operating system. ... Microsoft® Windows Server 2003 logo The successor to Windows 2000 Server, Microsofts Windows Server 2003 (codename Whistler Server, also known as Windows NT 5. ... Mac OS X is the latest version of the Mac OS, the operating system software for Macintosh computers. ... WWDC 2005, at Moscone Center The Worldwide Developers Conference, commonly abbreviated WWDC, is an annual trade show for Apple developers. ... Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) (founded 1968) is a U.S.-based multinational corporation that is best known for designing and manufacturing microprocessors and specialized integrated circuits. ... Tux, a cartoon penguin frequently featured sitting, is the official Linux mascot. ... The XOrg Foundation Open Source Public Implementation of X11 (the XOrg Server) is the official reference implementation of the X Window System. ... XFree86 is an implementation of the X Window System. ... Windows 95 (codename Chicago) is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit graphical operating system released on August 24, 1995 by the Microsoft Corporation. ...

Since the Mozilla Foundation makes the Firefox source code available, users can also compile and run Firefox on a variety of other architectures and operating systems. Operating systems not supported by Firefox, but known to run the browser include:



Mozilla Firefox retains the cross-platform nature of the original Mozilla browser by using the XUL user interface markup language. Through Firefox's support of XUL, users may extend their browser's capabilities by applying themes and extensions. Initially, these add-ons raised security concerns, so with the release of Firefox 0.9, the Mozilla Foundation opened Mozilla Update, a website containing themes and extensions "approved" as not harmful. XUL (XML User Interface Language) is a user interface markup language developed to support Mozilla applications like Mozilla Firefox and Mozilla Thunderbird. ... In computing, skins and themes are custom graphical appearances (GUIs) that can be applied to certain software and websites in order to suit the different tastes of different users. ... Mozilla Firefox showing several extensions and a custom theme Extensions are software add-ons designed for the Mozilla Firefox or Mozilla web browsers. ... The main page of Mozilla Update Mozilla Update is a website to get add-ons for the Mozilla Foundations flagship products: Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird and Mozilla Suite. ...

The Mozilla Foundation had intended to make the Mozilla Suite obsolete and to replace it with Firefox. On March 10, 2005, the Foundation announced that official releases of Mozilla would cease with the 1.7.x series. The Foundation continues to maintain the 1.7.x branch because of its continued use by many corporate users, and because makers of other software still often bundle the product. The Mozilla community (as opposed to the Foundation) will release the next version. These community releases will be called SeaMonkey, and will start out at version 1.0 to avoid any possible confusion for organizations or people still wanting to use the original Mozilla Suite. The Mozilla Foundation will continue giving support (such as CVS hosting) for the Mozilla community developers. March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Computer software (or simply software) refers to one or more computer programs and data held in the storage of a computer for some purpose. ... SeaMonkey is the name of a computer software product that is the continuation of the former Mozilla Application Suite. ... The Concurrent Versions System (CVS), also known as the Concurrent Versioning System, implements a version control system: it keeps track of all work and all changes in a set of files, typically the implementation of a software project, and allows several (potentially widely separated) developers to collaborate. ..


Books

  • Granneman, Scott.
    • Don't Click on the Blue E!: Switching to Firefox. O'Reilly (2005), ISBN 0-596-00939-9.
  • Hofmann, Chris, Marcia Knous, & John Hedtke.
    • Firefox and Thunderbird Garage. Prentice Hall PTR (2005), ISBN 0131870041.
  • McFarlane, Nigel.
    • Firefox Hacks. O'Reilly (2005), ISBN 0-596-00928-3.
  • Reyes, Mil.
    • Hacking Firefox : More Than 150 Hacks, Mods, and Customizations. Wiley (2005), ISBN 0-7645-9650-0.
  • Yeow, Cheah Chu.
    • Firefox Secrets: A Need-To-Know Guide. O'Reilly (2005), ISBN 0-9752402-4-2.

References

July 13th is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... September 22 is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 19 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 31 days remaining, as the final day of November. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

Mozilla is a computer term that has had many different uses, though all of them have been related to Netscape Communications Corporation and its related application software. ... Mozilla Thunderbird is a free, cross-platform email and news client developed by the Mozilla Foundation. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Mozilla Calendar is an open source calendar and personal information manager based on the open iCalendar standard. ... A Personal Information Manager is a software application that keeps track of personal information such as: E-mails Address books Calendars Task lists Task scheduling (invitations etc) Notices There are several software packages that do this. ... Mozilla Calendar is an open source calendar and personal information manager based on the open iCalendar standard. ... The Book of Mozilla, 7:15, displayed in Firefox 1. ... The main page of Mozilla Update Mozilla Update is a website to get add-ons for the Mozilla Foundations flagship products: Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird and Mozilla Suite. ... The following designs were inspired by the OS-tan Anime Computer mascots, but were not designed by users of Futaba. ... The following is a list of web browsers. ... This is a list of the origins of computer-related terms (i. ... The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of web browsers. ...

External links

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# posted by JimmyO : 6:17 PM

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