Grren_bean's blog - Mozilla Firefox Articles

Mozilla Updates Firefox 2 Plans

2005-02-03T09:27:00.000+08:00

The Mozilla Foundation has unveiled at least part of what lies ahead for its popular browser, Firefox, as it moves into its second iteration.

Lead engineer for the project Ben Goodger noted that the new roadmap for Firefox 2 will include an alpha release developer preview in March and a beta release preview in April.

Mozilla Updates Firefox 2 Plans

National ISP Offers Firefox to Customers

2005-01-28T10:00:00.000+08:00

The Mozilla Foundation's popular open-source Web browser Firefox took another step forward in mainstream acceptance with the announcement that Speakeasy, a Seattle-based national broadband ISP, is offering a customized version of Firefox 1.0 to its customers.

The Speakeasy Edition of Firefox is currently available as a download from Speakeasy. It will also be distributed as part of Speakeasy's self-install broadband service kits to its residential customers starting this month.

National ISP Offers Firefox to Customers

Does Google Need a Browser?

2005-01-27T09:11:00.000+08:00

When Mozilla engineer Ben Goodger announced he had started employment with Google two weeks ago, the tech world gasped at the thought that the world's most popular search engine Latest News about search engine might have painted a red target on Explorer.

But with open source Latest News about open source development as the guiding principle behind Firefox, the notion of knocking off Microsoft's dominant browser is probably not a realistic goal.

Does Google Need a Browser?

Google snaps up top Firefox programmer

2005-01-26T09:37:00.000+08:00

Google has hired the lead programmer of the Firefox Web browser, the newest step in the search engine powerhouse's encroachment on Microsoft's turf.

Ben Goodger announced Monday on his blog that he took a job with Google on Jan. 10. The move is the latest of several that are fueling speculation that Google plans its own Web browser.

Google snaps up top Firefox programmer

Firefox Passes 20 Million Downloads

2005-01-25T15:57:00.000+08:00

Two and half months after Firefox's 1.0 launch, the Mozilla Foundation has more to celebrate than non-stop media coverage: Firefox has surpassed 20 million downloads. The milestone comes just days after new tallies of Web browser usage shows strong gains by the open source newcomer, which is slowly chipping away at Internet Explorer's dominance.

Last November, Microsoft IE product manager Gary Schare told BetaNews, "We think that getting the first set of early adopters is a lot easier than getting the next set, and then crossing over into the mainstream is pretty difficult." But Firefox is refusing to relent, garnering up to 270,000 downloads per day.

Firefox Passes 20 Million Downloads

Mozilla Is Gaining on Godzilla

2005-01-13T09:44:00.000+08:00

How's this for a mismatch? On one side, you have Microsoft, the world's largest software company, with $37 billion in revenues and 57,000 employees. On the other is the Mozilla Foundation, a nonprofit with a $2 million budget and just 16 employees wedged into a single room in a Mountain View (Calif.) office park.

It's Godzilla vs. Mozilla, and Mozilla is a midget. Yet the pipsqueak is pulling off a feat that would have seemed preposterous a year ago. It's taking chunks of share from Microsoft in the Internet browsing market. According to a survey released Jan. 12 by Web site analytics firm WebSideStory, Mozilla's free Firefox browser has grabbed a 4.6% share over the past six months and seems well on the way to its stated goal of 10%.

Mozilla Is Gaining on Godzilla

Firefox Makes Gains as RSS Reader

2005-01-13T09:39:00.000+08:00

The open source Firefox web browser has made headlines as it chips away at the dominant market position of Microsoft's Internet Explorer. But Firefox is also grabbing market share as an RSS reader, according to new data from RSS service provider Feedburner, which says the browser is now the third-most popular RSS client in its usage stats.

Feedburner's data, based on an analysis of its 800 most popular feeds, show that web-based feedreader Bloglines is the clear market leader with 32.8 percent of the volume, followed by the NetNewsWire client for Mac OS X with 16.9 percent. Firefox is next with 7.8 percent, placing it ahead of established RSS clients including Pluck (7.2%), NewsGator (4.5%), FeedDemon (3.8%) and the web-based My Yahoo (2.6%).

Firefox Makes Gains as RSS Reader

Group aims to capitalize on Firefox success

2005-01-11T13:12:00.000+08:00

Following up on the success of the Firefox open source Web browser, released by the Mozilla Foundation last fall, open source software developers are readying some new products aimed at a consumer market still dominated by proprietary software.

Mozilla, which recently introduced an e-mail program called Thunderbird, is working to combine it with the foundation's Sunbird calendar application in a project, code-named Lightning, that could compete with Microsoft Corp.'s ubiquitous Outlook program. Lightning's developers are planning their first general-user release for mid-2005.

Group aims to capitalize on Firefox success

Startups Take To The Open-Source Trail

2005-01-05T10:01:00.000+08:00

Boutique services company MozSource now offers e-mail technical support services for the Mozilla Firefox browser and Thunderbird e-mail client.

It's not the only startup hunting for revenue from open-source projects. Such companies represent a growing number of cottage services springing up around projects such as Mozilla, Linux (news - web sites), Apache and MySQL.

Startups Take To The Open-Source Trail

Browsers: A return to arms

2005-01-05T09:59:00.000+08:00

For a market segment Microsoft was said to have won decisively in the mid-1990s, the company spent a lot of time in 2004 putting out fires on the browser front.

Like the ghost of the Netscape browser rising to haunt its slayer, Firefox emerged with a vengeance from the Mozilla open-source group, which was founded by Netscape in 1998 and last year spun off by parent company Time Warner. Firefox started off the year a prerelease, name-challenged project by a group that had lost much of its credibility after chronic delays and significant setbacks.

Browsers: A return to arms

Firefox: A Browser for Embedded Applications

2004-12-31T10:00:00.000+08:00

One reason Firefox will be of interest to developers is its modular plug-in architecture. While it's significantly simpler than Eclipse, another open-source project design for application development, Firefox already has a host of plug-ins that enhance its functionality.

Unless you've been ignoring the Internet, you're probably aware of Firefox 1.0. This open-source Web browser has garnered a significant following, though not a following that severely impacts the reigning king, Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Firefox: A Browser for Embedded Applications

Firefox Ad Boosts Downloads

2004-12-24T08:57:00.000+08:00

Last week's two-page advertisement in the The New York Times paid for by fans of Mozilla's Firefox browser is bringing in more downloads, a Mozilla employee said Wednesday in an online blog.

The ad, which ran in last Thursday's edition of the newspaper, celebrated the November launch of Firefox 1.0, the alternative browser which has been nibbling at Microsoft Internet Explorer's dominance. The advertisement featured the names of the thousands of people who contributed to the Mozilla Foundation's fundraising campaign.

Firefox Ad Boosts Downloads

Ready, Aim, FireFox

2004-12-24T08:54:00.000+08:00

Mozilla FireFox, the Open Source browser, was "officially" released at the beginning of November. Unusually for an Open Source product there was also an advertising campaign which included – believe it or not – a two page advert in The New York Times. In theory FireFox is a 1.0 release, and tradition insists that 1.0 releases of PC products are buggy, but I can confirm that it isn't. I was an early adopter of the product and I have now been running it under Windows XP for about 6 months. This is the penalty (or reward) of being an industry analyst – you sometimes become an early adopter. However, I volunteered with enthusiasm because I had been experiencing "pop-up" hell with Internet Explorer and had become mouse click sick.

Remarkably, after a month of its official release, there have been over 10 million downloads. Thus FireFox has already notched up an estimated 5 percent share of the browser market. The estimate is probably accurate, because Internet Explorer's market share has dropped a corresponding 5 percent since May. Official market share figures from OneStat give 7.35 percent and from WebSideStory, 6.89 percent, but both figures apply to all Mozilla-based browsers including old versions of Netscape. So, given its ecstatic reception (10 million downloads qualifies as ecstatic in my view) does this mean that the browser wars are back on? The answer is almost certainly yes – in a way.

Ready, Aim, FireFox

The fox is in Microsoft's henhouse (and salivating)

2004-12-21T09:39:00.000+08:00

Published by the Mozilla Foundation, a nonprofit group supporting open-source software that draws upon the skills of hundreds of volunteer programmers, Firefox is a Web browser that is fast and filled with features that Microsoft's stodgy Internet Explorer lacks. Firefox installs in a snap, and it's free.

Firefox 1.0 was released on Nov. 9. Just over a month later, the foundation celebrated a remarkable milestone: 10 million downloads. Donations from Firefox's appreciative fans paid for a two-page advertisement in The New York Times on Thursday.

The fox is in Microsoft's henhouse (and salivating)

Linux can gain from the Firefox ad

2004-12-21T09:38:00.000+08:00

The Linux desktop community could learn something from the Firefox constituency.

Mozilla took out an ostensibly dual-purpose ad in the New York Times yesterday. One reason was to thank everyone who contributed to the open source browser project and, as such, the ad included some 10,000 names, in small print of course.

Linux can gain from the Firefox ad

Resellers Not Embracing Firefox Despite Its Popularity

2004-12-21T09:36:00.000+08:00

Several recent announcements have highlighted the growing popularity of the open-source, Mozilla-based, multiplatform browser Firefox 1.0. Yet spot calls to resellers found none of them peddling the increasingly popular and free Firefox browser to Windows desktop customers.

The first announcement by WebSideStory Inc., a Web analytics firm that uses Web beacons to track the aggregate online behavior of more than 30 million Internet users on a given day, found that in the "one-month" period from Nov. 5 to Dec. 3, Firefox's online usage share in the United States grew 34 percent, from 3.0 percent to 4.1 percent, compared with growth from 2.7 percent to 3.1 percent for the "month" from Oct. 8 to Nov. 5.

Resellers Not Embracing Firefox Despite Its Popularity

Key Biscayne teen is brain behind Web browser

2004-12-20T09:32:00.000+08:00

After working for Netscape at age 14, Key Biscayne resident Blake Ross has become at the ripe old age of 19 the co-creator of a hot, new ultra-fast Internet browser called Firefox.

With its official version released just last month, Firefox has been downloaded more than 11 million times and is already the world's second-most used browser, though it is still far behind the preeminent Internet Explorer of Microsoft.

Key Biscayne teen is brain behind Web browser

Firefox is hot; Thunderbird's not — for good reason

2004-12-20T09:29:00.000+08:00

Among the online world’s hottest commodities, nothing sizzles quite like Firefox, the new Web browser by the California-based Mozilla Foundation that’s causing sleeplessness in and around Seattle, Microsoft Corp’s home turf.

Since Version 1.0 of Firefox went public about a month ago, about 10 million Internet Explorer users have seen the white-hot light and switched, gnawing off a huge chunk of IE's dominant market share (about 4 percent of it) while easing their security concerns. (This week, Microsoft announced five new security flaws in IE, bringing the total this year to 45 — or about 43 more than many people consider tolerable. And last week, Penn State University implored its 80,000-plus students and faculty to stop using IE purely for security's sake.)

Firefox is hot; Thunderbird's not — for good reason

New York Times runs Firefox ad

2004-12-17T10:01:00.000+08:00

Fans of the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox browser who funded an advert in The New York Times will finally get to see their names in print on Thursday.

The ad was initially expected to run within a few weeks of the launch of Firefox 1.0 in the beginning of November, but publication was delayed due to the technical challenge of fitting the names of all the donors onto a single broadsheet page.

New York Times runs Firefox ad

Firefox ad readied as market share increases

2004-12-16T10:35:00.000+08:00

The Mozilla Foundation, an open-source group founded by Netscape Communications to develop its browser and spun off last year by AOL Time Warner, has been executing an unorthodox, volunteer marketing campaign. To mark last month's official launch of the Firefox browser, the group planned to take out a full-page New York Times ad thanking financial contributors.

That fundraising and marketing scheme inspired so many contributions that Mozilla volunteers ran into technical difficulties squeezing all their names onto a single ad. Now, with the unsolicited help of an Adobe Illustrator engineer, the group has surmounted those problems and submitted the ad to the Times for what volunteers expect will be a pre-Christmas run date.

Firefox ad readied as market share increases

Thunderbird, Firefox, and Transitional Applications

2004-12-16T10:34:00.000+08:00

These last few months have been extremely exciting for the talented developers at the Mozilla project. Their Firefox browser has re-ignited the browser wars and done what no one thought possible -- taken a substantial market share away from the security-problem-plagued Internet Explorer. Last week, various news outlets were reporting that Penn State University had joined a growing chorus of warnings, issuing a statement to staff and students, advising them to dump Internet Explorer and use alternate browsers such as Firefox. When I visited their site, I discovered that this is not the first time they have issued this warning. A few months ago, even US-CERT and the Department of Homeland Security suggested that users might want to use a different browser to deal with these security issues.

Still, despite a seemingly endless parade of security issues, Microsoft's browser has managed to hold on to its position for an amazingly long time. Time, however, has a habit of chipping away at the sturdiest of empires. As I write this, over ten million copies of Firefox have already been downloaded since version 1.0 was released, just over a month ago. Meanwhile, version 1.0 of the Mozilla Thunderbird email package has just become available. It will certainly be fascinating to see how well it does in enticing people away from Microsoft's email package.

Thunderbird, Firefox, and Transitional Applications

Firefox's Share of Browser Market Grows 34 Percent in One Month, According to WebSideStory

2004-12-15T10:02:00.000+08:00

The U.S. browser usage share of Firefox, the upstart Mozilla-based browser that has become a champion of the open source movement, has grown by more than a third over the past month, according to the latest independent study from WebSideStory (http://www.websidestory.com), a leading provider of on-demand Web analytics. In the one-month period from Nov. 5, 2004 to Dec. 3, 2004, Firefox's online usage share grew from 3.03 percent to 4.06 percent. This compares to a gain of 13 percent during the previous month, from Oct. 8 to Nov. 5. WebSideStory is a recognized authority on global Internet user trends and has been since 1999. The company's sample size consists of more than 30 million daily Internet users for more than 200 countries. These visitors pass through more than 20,000 sites worldwide using WebSideStory's on-demand Web analytics services, including its flagship service, HBX (http://www.hbxondemand.com). WebSideStory publishes monthly user trend reports at http://www.websidestory.com/datainsights/.

Firefox's Share of Browser Market Grows 34 Percent in One Month, According to WebSideStory

Firefox surpasses 10 million download mark

2004-12-15T09:59:00.000+08:00

Firefox, the open-source challenger to market heavyweight Internet Explorer, has surpassed 10 million downloads in a little more than a month since the browser was released in November.

The free Web browser from the Mozilla Foundation surpassed 10 million downloads on Saturday as Web surfers continue to move away from Microsoft's market-dominating IE. The milestone highlights growing frustration with the security vulnerabilities that have dogged IE during the past few months. Nearly two dozen holes in the Web browser have been discovered during the fall, ranging in degrees of seriousness.

Firefox surpasses 10 million download mark

Firefox: The revolution begins here

2004-12-03T10:32:00.000+08:00

You know how sometimes you find a product or service and just have to evangelize it to everyone you know? Maybe you really like the Braun Oral-B electric toothbrush. You love playing Halo 2 on X-box so you tell everyone how cool it is. This sort of “viral marketing” is what companies pray for, since it expands outward through the culture at logarithmic rates, and it’s essentially free. And it’s also only going to expand.

In the “old days,” how many people could you proselytize to with a horse and buggy? Now, if you like something, you can shoot out an e-mail to 20 of your friends with a button push or text an instant message from your cell phone.

Firefox: The revolution begins here

Outsourced Netscape Merges Firefox, IE

2004-12-01T08:55:00.000+08:00

AOL has unveiled a prototype of its revived Netscape Browser, which serves as a test bed for several new features. The new Netscape is based on Firefox, but with a twist - it includes support for switching to Microsoft's IE engine.

BetaNews has also learned that Netscape's development was not done in-house by AOL, but rather outsourced to Canadian software firm Mercurial Communications.

Outsourced Netscape Merges Firefox, IE

Who's Using Firefox?

2004-12-01T08:51:00.000+08:00

The Firefox Web browser has been causing a commotion among users and snaring snippets of market share from Microsoft's Internet Explorer since June--long before Version 1.0 of the open-source software was officially released earlier this month.

But statistics suggest that corporate users aren't the major group fueling the growth of Firefox. The new browser's most dramatic spikes in usage are on weekends, according to Chris Hoffman, director of engineering at the not-for-profit Mozilla Foundation, which developed Firefox.

Who's Using Firefox?

Add-ons Extend Firefox Growth

2004-11-30T14:45:00.000+08:00

The recent success of the Firefox movement -- thousands of volunteers spreading the Gospel of Mozilla to every corner of the Internet -- is spawning a new kind of growth.

Nearly 1,000 enthusiasts have spent this month celebrating the release of Firefox 1.0 at 394 launch parties around the world, from the U.S. to Pakistan, Vietnam to Chile.

Add-ons Extend Firefox Growth

Browser Wars Back On

2004-11-24T09:33:00.000+08:00

The Mozilla Foundation's release of Firefox 1.0 earlier this month reignited the browser wars on consumer desktops. But on corporate machines, the free open-source browser faces an uphill battle in its effort to challenge Microsoft Corp.'s dominant Internet Explorer.

eWEEK Labs spoke with a number of IT managers who applaud Firefox 1.0 as a viable competitor to IE. But citing a lack of support from application vendors and deployment costs, most said they are sticking with IE—for now.

Browser Wars Back On

FireFox Sets the World Ablaze

2004-11-24T09:31:00.000+08:00

Blake Ross, a Stanford sophomore, is perhaps one of the most influential people in his school at this very moment. In fact, in the world of technology, he could well be one of the most influential people in the world.

Blake is the man leading the push behind the increasingly popular Mozilla FireFox browser. Working through the Mozilla Foundation, Blake and his team have recently launched the browser to compete directly with Microsoft’s incumbent Internet Explorer browser.

FireFox Sets the World Ablaze

OOoFf! Bringing OpenOffice.org and Firefox to Retail Channels

2004-11-23T09:55:00.000+08:00

Holiday shoppers looking to outfit their PCs with an affordable alternative to costly Microsoft office suites and less-than-secure Internet browsers will get their wish this season with the release of OOoFf! The new OOoFf! product -- the combination of two leading cross-platform software programs, OpenOffice.org and Firefox -- is available immediately at www.oooff.com and will appear shortly on store shelves at major electronics retailers.

The OOoFf! package includes the necessary software for installation on personal computers running Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh and Linux operating systems. OOoFf! contains both OpenOffice.org 1.1.3, a complete Microsoft-compatible office suite, and Firefox 1.0, one of the fastest, most secure Internet browsers on the market -- bundled together for hundreds less than Microsoft alternatives. To view box samples of OOoFf!, visit www.oooff.com.

OOoFf! Bringing OpenOffice.org and Firefox to Retail Channels

Mozilla's browsers global usage share is 7.35 percent according to OneStat.com

2004-11-23T09:53:00.000+08:00

OneStat.com, the number one provider of real-time web analytics, today reported that Mozilla's browsers have a total global usage share of 7.35 percent. The new Mozilla's Firefox has a total usage share of 4.58. The total usage share of Mozilla was 2.1 percent at the end of May. Microsoft's Internet Explorer still dominates the global browser market with a global usage share of 88,90 percent which is 5 percent less as at the end of May.

"It seems that people are switching from Microsoft's Internet Explorer to Mozilla's new Firefox browser. The total usage share of Microsoft declined 5 percent and the total usage share of Mozilla increased 5 percent," said Niels Brinkman, co-founder of OneStat.com.

Mozilla's browsers global usage share is 7.35 percent according to OneStat.com

Minneapolis PR Upstart Joins Web-Browser War

2004-11-23T09:50:00.000+08:00

The New York Times ad for Firefox has become a cause celebre sight unseen. It's part pat-on-the-back souvenir for Firefox fans, part anti-Microsoft clarion call and part reality check for average PC users who think Internet Explorer is the only Windows browser worth considering.

A small public-relations agency in downtown Minneapolis' Warehouse District has become a high-profile combatant in the Web-browser war, one that software giant Microsoft surely thought it had won years ago.

Minneapolis PR Upstart Joins Web-Browser War

One week on, Firefox nudges towards five million

2004-11-19T10:42:00.000+08:00

The open source browser Firefox has surpassed four million downloads in just over a week according to the spreadfirefox.com web site.

Up until yesterday the total number of downloads of the browser stood at 4,275,712. We can expect the number to surpass five million sometime today. Downloads of the Firefox browser have steadily grown with each point release, having doubled from 3 million for version 0.8 to 6 million for version 0.9.

One week on, Firefox nudges towards five million

Mozilla’s Firefox key to free culture

2004-11-19T10:39:00.000+08:00

On the list of new clubs coming to NYU this year is Free Culture, an organization dedicated to "build[ing] a bottom-up, participatory structure to society and culture, rather than a top-down, closed, proprietary structure," a very noble cause that I've more or less paraded here over the last year or so.

In English, that basically means bringing control back to "the people" - we lowly bottom-feeders - rather than leaving it in the hands of massive corporations that look down on us from high.

Mozilla’s Firefox key to free culture

Firefox fortune hunters

2004-11-18T08:39:00.000+08:00

Just because Firefox is free and open source doesn't mean developers aren't cashing in on the popularity of the Mozilla Foundation's new browser.

On the contrary, new businesses are cropping up to provide organizations ranging from museums to software companies to the U.S. Department of Defense with Mozilla-based applications--for a fee.

Firefox fortune hunters

Netscape Revived With Firefox Backing

2004-11-18T08:37:00.000+08:00

Despite media reports and industry pundits over the years relegating Netscape to Internet history books, AOL has restarted the browser's development. The company plans to bring back a refreshed Netscape browser based on Firefox, which will incorporate an enhanced user interface and several new features.

A prototype of the new Netscape will debut on November 30 to a limited number of beta testers, AOL told BetaNews.

Netscape Revived With Firefox Backing

Will Firefox Ignite Enterprises?

2004-11-18T08:35:00.000+08:00

Many users are celebrating Mozilla's release of Firefox 1.0, its open-source Web browser. The beta version was downloaded some 8 million times. But will its benefits be compelling enough to convince enterprises to make the switch from Internet Explorer?

The debut of the full-release version of an open-source browser that can actually challenge Microsoft's Internet Explorer has been cause for celebration among open-source advocates.

Will Firefox Ignite Enterprises?

Review: Ten Extensions Enhance Firefox

2004-11-10T10:05:00.000+08:00

Firefox is taking the world by storm. Its preview release has already chalked up more than 5,000,000 downloads. And it's even begun (albeit in a small way) to have an impact on the market share of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser. Firefox is clearly off to a great start and it certainly should be—it's a great browser.

Today is the day that the official, 1.0 release of Firefox is shipping. We looked at the Firefox technology preview back in September, and found a lot to like. Now that the official 1.0 release is out, we thought we'd take a look at some of the more interesting extensions.

Review: Ten Extensions Enhance Firefox

Firefox Browser, a Microsoft Rival, Fully Released

2004-11-10T10:01:00.000+08:00

The free Firefox Web browser, which has chipped away at the market dominance of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer, has been readied for a full release including new features designed to make it more stable, backers of the program said on Tuesday.

The Mozilla Foundation, a network of programers that jointly develops the Firefox browser, said the final release of Firefox version 1.0 will attract more users to the browser and away from Internet Explorer.

Firefox Browser, a Microsoft Rival, Fully Released

Mozilla Firefox: The Searcher's Browser

2004-11-10T09:58:00.000+08:00

Firefox has emerged as the first browser in years to seriously challenge Internet Explorer—with good reason. Firefox has superior security and anti-scumware features, it works on Windows, Linux, MacOS X and other operating systems, and it's free.

Best of all, Firefox offers lots of goodies for searchers, both through a built-in Google search toolbar, as well as dozens of free extensions created by an active open-source developer community.

Mozilla Firefox: The Searcher's Browser

German Firefox fans start fundraising campaign

2004-11-09T10:56:00.000+08:00

Following the success of the New York Times campaign, a Web site in Germany is raising money for a national newspaper ad.

Firefox supporters on Tuesday set up a Web site in Germany to raise funds for an ad in one of three German newspapers.

German Firefox fans start fundraising campaign

Firefox Is a Worthy Adversary

2004-11-08T11:29:00.000+08:00

Mozilla browser is less complete than Internet Explorer but is much more than just an anti-Microsoft statement.

Is computing not making the progress it used to, or did I just read a story about Microsoft's Internet Explorer losing a tiny bit of its overwhelming market share? I thought we'd gotten this browser thing down several years ago and had moved on. Apparently, I was mistaken.

Firefox Is a Worthy Adversary

Firefox's open source email partner makes it to version 0.9

2004-11-05T11:03:00.000+08:00

Thunderbird, the open source email client from the makers of Firefox, is one step closer to completion with the release of version 0.9.

This release incorporates two new ways of organising messages. Saved Search Folders lets you display messages based on previously set search criteria; for example, instead of filtering messages into a new folder, you could create a Saved Search Folder that lists all the messages received from a certain person over the past 30 days, even if those messages are stored in different folders and subfolders. Message Grouping groups messages in a folder by attributes such as date, sender, priority or a custom label. Other changes are listed in the release notes.

Firefox's open source email partner makes it to version 0.9

The Fox Cometh

2004-11-03T10:24:00.000+08:00

For the sixth month in a row, the market share of open source browsers Mozilla and FireFox and Apple's Safari browser have grown, slowly eroding Microsoft Internet Explorer's (IE) market share in the process.

While IE continues to be the market leader with 92% of the market, a recent online study by Active Network, "witnessed another marginal decline, this time a dip of 0.8 percent" according to the study.

The Fox Cometh

Firefox donations hit $250,000

2004-11-02T11:02:00.000+08:00

The Mozilla Foundation has raised a quarter of a million dollars in its 10-day fundraising campaign - over 300 percent of its original target

The Mozilla Foundation announced on Saturday that it had raised $250,000 during the 10 days of its fundraising campaign, securing donations from 10,000 individuals. The money will be used to promote the final version of Firefox 1.0 when it is released on 9 November.

Firefox donations hit $250,000

Give me Firefox, or give me death

2004-11-02T11:00:00.000+08:00

It’s not exactly taking to the barricades, or even the streets, but for $20 you can stick it to The Man.

The Man in this case is not a despot or a government. In the minds of nearly 10,000 web-surfing proletarians the iron fist is Microsoft, and the way to liberty is an open-source browser called Firefox.

Give me Firefox, or give me death

Comparing Mozilla Thunderbird, Firefox to IE, peers

2004-10-29T10:40:00.000+08:00

Mozilla has spurred thousands of tests in IT shops with its recent release of Thunderbird 0.8, Mozilla's latest e-mail program, and the preview version of the Firefox Web browser. IT pros have peppered SearchEnterpriseLinux.com with questions about the two new Mozilla offerings. In turn, we asked our resident expert Nigel McFarlane to answer the ones that popped up most often. McFarlane is a programmer and author of several books on IT, including Rapid Application Development with Mozilla from Prentice Hall PTR.

Comparing Mozilla Thunderbird, Firefox to IE, peers

Google to back Microsoft browser foe?

2004-10-29T10:38:00.000+08:00

LONDON (Reuters) - The Firefox browser is looking for allies in its quest to challenge Microsoft's dominant Internet Explorer and Web users are buzzing about a potential link-up with search company Google.

The Mozilla Foundation's Firefox software, which officially launches on Nov. 9, has already been downloaded by millions attracted by the promise of innovative features like tabbed browsing -- opening multiple Web sites within a single desktop window -- and fewer attacks by hackers and virus writers.

Google to back Microsoft browser foe?

Firefox 1.0 RC 1 Released

2004-10-29T10:35:00.000+08:00

Asa Dotzler writes: "Today we have our first Firefox 1.0 candidate builds available for testing. You can get these test builds from FTP. If you've already downloaded 1.0 PR (the 'feature complete' preview) and you're not really interested in testing and bug reporting, then you should probably stick with 1.0 PR for a couple more weeks and upgrade when we release the official Firefox 1.0.

Firefox 1.0 RC 1 Released

Scalix Linux messaging platform adds support for Mozilla and Firefox

2004-10-29T10:28:00.000+08:00

Linux messaging software vendor Scalix is shipping a new version of its enterprise email and calendaring platform. Scalix 9.1 adds support for the Mozilla 1.7 browser, Firefox Preview Release and the Thunderbird email application.

Scalix offers a standards-based email and calendaring platform for Linux. The software is based on HP's OpenMail technology, which Scalix has licensed and ported to Linux.

Scalix Linux messaging platform adds support for Mozilla and Firefox

FireFox is Looking Foxy

2004-10-27T10:16:00.000+08:00

FireFox, the Mozilla-based, open-source web browser "that could," recently achieved the magical plateau of version 1.0. Although it's still a beta release, FireFox has received a measure of credibility that finally made me stand up and take notice. So, lest I become one of the uncool kids, I decided to install it and gave it a whirl. My verdict: not bad indeed.

FireFox is also getting loads of positive press, thanks in part due to its relative immunity to the many recent security threats that have plagued Internet Explorer.

FireFox is Looking Foxy

Help Spread Firefox

2004-10-27T10:12:00.000+08:00

Recently, the Mozilla Foundation started a campaign aimed at placing its Firefox browser squarely in the lap of the world... quite literally... by settings its sights on a full page advertisement in the one of the worlds most read newspapers, the New York Times. This effort, which has gained an unprecedented amount of exposure and interest, is the first of its kind: a global advertisement completely designed and funded by the Open Source community and free software advocates. The interest is massive, being sourced by individuals and businesses alike.

This is a monumental effort, and one which we encourage you to take part in. It's not often that I've personally endorsed a venture such as this, but I think that this could be one of the most important moves the Mozilla Foundation can make at this stage in the game. Let's face it, even though Firefox downloads have spiked into the millions since the recent Internet Explorer flaws were discovered (and exploited as usual), there is still a lot to do to get the project into a more visible position. Internet Explorer, after all, still dominated the browser market. Like it or not, this is the way things are right now. In order to make a serious move into IE territory, a broad sweeping campaign needs to take place... and I believe that a full page in the NY Times is one hell of a place to start.

Help Spread Firefox

Firefox aims for 10 percent of Web surfers

2004-10-26T13:21:00.000+08:00

The Mozilla Foundation expects one in 10 Internet users to be browsing using Firefox within the next year.

Maybe the browser wars really are back.

Bart Decrem, the marketing contact for the Mozilla Foundation, told ZDNet UK on Friday that he expects the browser's market share to reach 10 percent by the end of 2005.

Firefox aims for 10 percent of Web surfers

Firefox smashes funding target

2004-10-26T13:13:00.000+08:00

Firefox's effort to raise funds for an ad in The New York Times was supposed to take 10 days. The money arrived in three days, and is still pouring in

Firefox hoped to raise enough money from donations to pay for an ad in The New York Times. Now it has more than enough.

The campaign started on Tuesday with the goal of getting 2,500 people to donate $30 or more to the marketing fund within ten days, with the aim of placing a full page ad in The New York Times. Any leftover money would be used fund other Mozilla projects.

Firefox smashes funding target

Firefox's Volunteer Launch Brigade

2004-10-20T09:37:00.000+08:00

John Musarra, a long-time Mozilla fan, is getting ready to help launch the forthcoming release of the Firefox 1.0 browser the old-fashioned way: by throwing a party.

But the coming launch, organized by volunteers, is also featuring a mix of traditional grassroots efforts along with a pitch for some big media coverage.

Firefox's Volunteer Launch Brigade

Five million Firefoxes released into the wild

2004-10-20T09:34:00.000+08:00

And it's still only a preview release...

Firefox browser passed the 5 million download mark on Monday, beating all previous records of a Mozilla-based browser, according to the Spread Firefox Web site.

The browser beat its initial goal of 1 million downloads four weeks ago and is still being downloaded at a rate of 125,000 per day, although one posting on the Web site expressed concerns that the rate of downloads appears to be tapering off.

Five million Firefoxes released into the wild

Using Firefox's mozex extension to call an external mail program

2004-10-19T09:21:00.000+08:00

I recently moved from Mozilla to Firefox 1.0PR for Web browsing on my Fedora Core 1 Linux desktop system. On that platform, Firefox doesn't do anything with mailto: links by default; it just prints an error message if you click on one. However, a Firefox extension called mozex allows you to use any external mail program for mailto: links in Firefox.

Note that Firefox on Windows does understand mailto: links, and will open the mailer you specify in your Internet Properties control panel. However, if you want to use an arbitrary program that doesn't register with that control panel, mozex works fine on Windows, and gives you other useful features I'll discuss below.

Using Firefox's mozex extension to call an external mail program

Rise of the Underdog Browser

2004-10-19T09:17:00.000+08:00

Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser dominance may be slowly eroding, but businesses are still creating Web sites and applications exclusively for IE users.

According to the latest numbers from Web analytics firm WebSideStory, IE usage has slipped almost 2 percent over the last quarter, as surfers migrate to Mozilla Firefox and Opera. But the early adopter crowd has learned that IE cannot be dumped entirely because of the oft-encountered "browser not supported" error message.

Rise of the Underdog Browser

I Love Firefox But Can't Escape Explorer

2004-10-18T08:51:00.000+08:00

Though I have a clear preference for the Firefox browser in my daily surfing, I can't seem to escape completely the grip of Microsoft's Internet Explorer. While IE is not my preferred browser, I find I have no choice in some situations.

Simply put, some Web sites just don't work properly without IE. Why?

I Love Firefox But Can't Escape Explorer

Unearthing the origins of Firefox

2004-10-14T11:31:00.000+08:00

Only 14 years old when the Netscape browser was first released in 1994, Ben Goodger is leading a key effort to preserve that browser's legacy.

Goodger, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, has spent most of the past four years working for AOL's Netscape division and then at the Mozilla Foundation AOL spun off last year to oversee the open-source development of the Mozilla and Firefox browsers.

Unearthing the origins of Firefox

New Firefox browser is smokin' as upstart challenges Internet Explorer

2004-10-13T09:17:00.000+08:00

The free alternative boasts better protection against annoying pop-up ads

There's a fox nipping at Microsoft's heels.

A new Web browser, called Firefox 1.0, introduced by the upstart Mozilla Foundation in September, is showing signs that it could make a dent in the near monopoly that Microsoft's Internet Explorer has carved out.

It's hardly a browser war, but for the first time in years, consumers are actively turning to a free alternative to Internet Explorer, with Firefox wracking up more than 1 million downloads in the first week following its release.

New Firefox browser is smokin' as upstart challenges Internet Explorer

Better browser now the best

2004-10-11T08:35:00.000+08:00

Once I turned my back on Internet Explorer, I never looked back.

Except for times when I use one online database that supports Microsoft's dismal excuse for a browser, I never have much use for the blue lower-case "e" on my desktop. And more people now agree with me than ever before.

I've already shared in this column my affection for the open source browser that used to be called Firebird but is now known as Firefox. It is, in my estimation, the very best Web browser in existence. I use it not only on my Windows machine, but on my two Apple Macintosh computers at home, even to the exclusion of Apple's own browser, Safari.

Firefox had been in developmental releases only -- numbered as versions 0.8 and 0.9 in order to indicate that it was still a work in progress. Even so, it has quickly become the best thing to happen to the Web in a long time and should probably cause browser developers in Redmond to start taking notes -- fast. It is available for free at Mozilla.

Better browser now the best

Netscape founder fears Browser War II

2004-10-08T09:09:00.000+08:00

The success of alternative browsers such as Mozilla Firefox may ultimately have the unexpected side effect of causing Microsoft to ratchet up the browser wars again.

This is the view of none other than Marc Andreessen, one of the founders of the browser company that Microsoft overcame in the late 1990s, Netscape.

Netscape founder fears Browser War II

Mozilla Firefox - The Future Of Browsing

2004-10-08T08:59:00.000+08:00

Since the recent security warnings surrounding Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser were issued, more and more people around the world have been turning to a small Open Source alternative spawned from the developers of the Mozilla browser: Mozilla Firefox . Though it is small in download size, don't let it fool you. There's nothing small about this application. It's one hell of a contender for the Internet browser throne. Can it topple the software giants flagship product? Yes, I think it can.

Sure, Internet Explorer dominates 90+ percent of the market, but I think people are starting to grow weary of the risks involved in using that program for any serious Internet tasks such as online banking. As we all know, the risk doesn't stop there, it extends to casual surfing as the unsuspecting user downloads tons of spyware, adware, and various other malware designed to either snoop into your personal online activities and habits or simply overwhelm you with advertising you really didn't want to see in the first place. This kind of activity, in my opinion, should be illegal in the first place. Nobody should be legally allowed to install software on your computer remotely without your express permission. Period. It's an invasion of privacy and akin to breaking and entering.

Mozilla Firefox - The Future Of Browsing

Outlook opens two Firefox window

2004-07-22T10:25:00.000+08:00

I checked my email with Outlook this morning. Saw an interesting link in a newsletter that I subscribed to.

I clicked on the link and a Firefox window opens up with the url, but at the same time a "Locate Link Browser" box pops up in Outlook. So I located the Firefox exe and selected it.

I thought everything was ok and went about surfing around. Then I clicked another link in Outlook, this time two Firefox window opens up with the link. Oh o!

Something is definitely wrong. So went searching for a fix. Finally found it! If you are having the same problem just follow the steps below.

Open "Windows Explorer".
Click the "Tools -> Folder Options..." menu.
Click the "File Types" tab.
Look for an entry with Extensions "N/A" and File Types "URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol".
Select the entry and click the "Advanced" button.
Select "open" and click the "Edit..." button.
Uncheck "Use DDE" and click "OK".
Repeat step 5 - 7 for the entry with Extensions "N/A" and File Types "URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy".
That's it!

Firefox - Make it your default browser

2004-07-21T17:46:00.000+08:00

Made Firefox my default browser today. This baby rocks. I hope more people will start using Firefox and see for themselves how good it is.