Over the holidays we finally made some much needed updates to the blog. One of the biggest changes was moving off of the obsolete Weaver theme to the new (and very much improved) Weaver II theme. The color scheme has been updated to more closely match that of out main site. Some other new features and fixes include: When sharing a post on Facebook, the site logo is now the default thumbnail image. Previously Facebook would pick several images from the blog, none of which were the site logo. The correct Favicon should now show in all browsers. Consolidated share…
Articles by ElGuru
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The move away from Flash is ever so slow, but at least there is movement. Starting with Firefox 20 (due out in April 2013) Windows users will have support for H.264 videos via the Windows Media Foundation Playback. Also Firefox for Windows will be able to support AAC audio in MP4 and M4A files, and MP3 audio files without having to rely on third-party plug-ins such as Flash and QuickTime. This feature is available, but not enabled on the current Windows Firefox Nightly Builds. Those currently using (can also get it here) the current Firefox 20 wishing to take advantage of this…
It seems Benjamin Smedberg has had a change of heart (or was it all the negative feedback) in his earlier decision to discontinue the Firefox 64-Bit Windows builds. After I announced my decision to disable 64-bit Windows nightlies, there was significant negative feedback. After reviewing that feedback, and consulting with Release Engineering, I believe that we can keep a set of users happy by making a modification to the original plan. At this point, the Mozilla project does not have the resources to actively support this use case. Making these builds, however, is not a significant burden on our Release Engineering…
Changes are coming to way Firefox handles Private Browsing with Firefox 20 due out in early April 2013. In private browsing mode your browsing history is not saved and your existing cookies do not carry over into session, nor will any cookies from the private browsing session carry back to your main session. Currently in Firefox when you enable Private Browsing, your current session is saved and Firefox ‘restarts’ in private browsing mode. When you are done and select the Stop Private Browsing option, Firefox ends the sessions and ‘restarts’ back to where you left off prior, reloading your tabs…
Mozilla released an update for the desktop version of Firefox 17 on November 30th, 2012 with Firefox 17.0.1 to address these two issues: 17.0.1: Reverted user agent change causing some website incompatibilities 17.0.1: Font rendering issue in Firefox 17.0 bug 814101 Users should be prompted to update soon, or can manually check for update via Firefox Button > Help > About Firefox or download and install via the getfirefox.com site. Note: At this time there is not an update to Thunderbird 17.0.1.
Awhile back a user in Go Firefox! had posted their Firefox had been modified by Babylon. The translation software had added a bunch of bloatware into Firefox including a toolbar as well as making itself the default home page and search engine. A couple of other users have reported this issue as well. I happened to be checking the Mozilla Support site and saw one of the Hot Topic is How to remove the Babylon toolbar, home page and search engine. This is a very good step-by-step article with lots of screenshots that will help you get rid of Babylon…
DEVELOPMENTAL RELEASE Mozilla has released Thunderbird 18 Beta on November 29, 2012. New features/fixes in Thunderbird 18 Beta include: Zoom functionality is now availabile [sic] in the compose window. Additionally, ctrl/cmd + and ctrl/cmd – now change the zoom setting rather than the font size. Various fixes and performance improvements Users should be promoted to update shortly, or can check for updates via Help > About Thunderbird or downloading and installing Thunderbird 18 Beta from the Mozilla Thunderbird Channels page. Lightning users: When you update to Thunderbird 18 Beta, you should be automatically updated to Lightning 2.0b1 release. Thunderbird 18 final…
DEVELOPMENTAL RELEASE Mozilla has released Firefox 18 Beta on November 26, 2012. New improvements include: IonMonkey: IonMonkey is a new JavaScript JIT compiler that provides a more efficient way for Firefox to process JavaScript. With IonMonkey, Firefox will perform faster with Web apps, games and other JavaScript-heavy pages. Retina Display Support: Firefox Beta supports Retina Display for Mac users to make Firefox even sharper when watching movies, playing games and browsing the Web. Disable Insecure Content: Firefox Beta can disable insecure content on HTTPS secure websites to maintain the privacy of your communication with the website. You can enable the feature in about:config. Support…
DEVELOPMENTAL RELEASE Mozilla has released Firefox 18 Beta for Android on November 26, 2012. New improvements include: Search Suggestions: Firefox for Android Beta suggests search terms as you type, to make navigating the mobile Web even quicker and easier. When you start Firefox you will see a box asking you to opt-in to search suggestions when you start typing into the AwesomeBar. Click “Yes” to enable. For your protection, search suggestions are conducted over a secure HTTPS connection. Improvements to Phishing and Malware Protection: To protect users from malicious websites, Firefox for Android Beta warns users when they encounter websites that may…
Mozilla Engineering Manager Benjamin Smedberg had started a discussion on Google Groups about ceasing development of Windows 64-Bit builds last Friday (November 23rd). This had been purposed as well back in March of this year. Shortly before Mozilla’s Thanksgiving recess on Wednesday, Smedberg announced: Thank you to everyone who participated in this thread. Given the existing information, I have decided to proceed with disabling windows 64-bit nightly and hourly builds. Please let us consider this discussion closed unless there is critical new information which needs to be presented. The reasons for ending the development of the Windows 64-Bit builds were many but…