Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Mozilla 1.5 Alpha Available

Posted by timothy on from the excellence-improved-upon dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Mozilla.org released Mozilla v1.5 alpha today, with flavors available for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. Some of the new features include Composer enhancements, Chatzilla logging, multiple tab window closing confirmation, and quicksearch support in about:config. A more detailed rough changelog is also available. In a somewhat related note, Mozilla 1.4 has been downloaded over a half million times in the past 3 weeks (not counting mirrors)."

23 of 437 comments (clear)

  1. sweet by qewl · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now I can enjoy some new and completely unnoticeable changes!!

    --

    (\_/)
    (O.o) This is Bunny. (> <)
    1. Re:sweet by TummyX · · Score: 5, Funny


      tell me about it... I thought Firebird and Thunderbird was supposed to be integrated into 1.5a. That sucks. I guess we'll have to wait until 1.6.

      Why would you want to integrate a database into a webbrowser?

  2. Re:stats? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    If the RIAA was counting, we'd have to consider how much bandwidth each user has, and how many times they could download it within a month. So, by their method, Mozilla has been downloaded 72 billion times in the past 3 weeks.

  3. omg 500!! by atari2600 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Those guys actually list about 500 issues they've taken care of with this release. Go people go!
    some useful ones imho
    *Mozilla crashes when magnifier is used
    *Browser crashes when javascript closes a window [@nsDocShell::InternalLoad]
    *Save As > withoua> extention result is a html fila> and a directory > *When saving a .zip file "as...," Moz appends a .x after the .zip extension
    *mozilla can't subscribe to existing imap folders
    *Browser crashes on HTTPS urls - Trunk M140RC1 [@cert_get_next_general_name
    *Loading personal certificates
    *pop3 password failed error msg missing

  4. Bloat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Has the Mozilla crew ever thought of quit making the browser as one giant, bloated super-applicaton and separate all the components into distinct, different programs in the spirit of IE/Outlook/FrontPage as well as Safari/Mail/iCal?

    I know Firebird/Thunderbird/Dodobird exist but they seem like separate distinct projects, and the apps are definitely not as stable as stock Moz; trust me, I've used em all.

    I mean, does my web browser REALLY need an IRC client?!

    At this rate, Moz 1.6 will have an included oral sex plugin.

    1. Re:Bloat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      At this rate, Moz 1.6 will have an included oral sex plugin.

      Fuck, I just installed Firebird.

    2. Re:Bloat by rolocroz · · Score: 5, Funny
      At this rate, Moz 1.6 will have an included oral sex plugin.

      Some people tell me Mozilla sucks, but this would be proof.
      --

      I meta-mod all positive moderation Unfair, because it's abuse of the system.

  5. Re:Firebird based? by reaper20 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Read the updated roadmap, they're not going to make it for 1.5 it seems. Considering that Mozilla recently gained its independance, and a good portion of fulltime gecko developers have been let go, I think they're due for a milestone or two of of getting their bearings and realigning around the *birds.

    Besides, IE7 comes with longhorn, Mozilla has plenty of time, and is already in the lead, Firebird and Thunderbird are already proving to be ready for prime time .... give them a month or two to straighten things out, it'll be worth it.

  6. My settings by Skeme · · Score: 5, Informative

    I always set

    user_pref("dom.disable_window_flip", true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_move_resize" , true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature .close", true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature .directo ries", true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature .locatio n", true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature .menubar ", true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature .minimiz able", true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature .persona lbar", true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature .resizab le", true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature .scrollb ars", true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature .status" , true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature .titleba r", true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature .toolbar ", true);
    user_pref("dom.disable_window_status_chang e", true);
    user_pref("browser.block.target_new_window ", true)

    to keep crappy web pages from disabling my menus.

  7. Mozilla Firebird seems better by dyj · · Score: 5, Interesting

    At least if you just want the browser, Mozilla Firebird seems already much better than Mozilla.

    I have been using a recent nightly build of Mozilla Firebird as my primary browser, and it has been very stable and already feels much more polished than Mozilla.

    Small things like the Ctrl-Enter shortcut and automatic mouse scrolling make Mozilla Firebird feel more like a polished product than Moziila does.

  8. Re:Firebird based? by tfreport · · Score: 5, Informative

    I was thinking the same thing. Apparently that was the plan but they have been forced to change things (perhaps due to the Netscape break).

    Buried deep in the To Do list on the official Roadmap page is one small but significant change. This is the passage that has been added. (There are probably other changes today as well but that is the one I noticed and pertains to this question).

    It's clear now that we will not be able to switch to Mozilla Firebird by the Mozilla 1.5 final milestone. Instead, we expect Mozilla 1.5 to coincide with Mozilla Firebird 0.7. But we intend to implement the new application architecture in the next several milestones, till most of the community is won over to the new apps.

    Hmmm... At the bottom of the page, the Roadmap states that it was last changed July 22, 2003 - so it appears that they were forced to make the change and only sort of let it be known. Wonder what is going on?

    Well, until then, I will keep using Firebird. But for those migrating - another positive is that 1.5alpha is 1.4 Mbs smaller.

  9. about:config by cavegrub · · Score: 5, Funny
    After typing about:config and browsing to the bottom of the list...
    timebomb.first_launch_time 1034222022286000
    I always knew that IE had a built in crash timer, but Mozilla? ;)
    1. Re:about:config by cavegrub · · Score: 5, Informative

      A bit of explaination: the "timebomb" preference is a relic from the Netscape days. It provides a countdown until some final date, which when reached, the application will provide an expiration notice popup and request that the application stop working.

  10. Re:Why make a Windows version? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    That's odd, according to the half million download report, the Windows version is by far the most popular, with 71.5% of downloads. Speaking for myself, a Mozilla/Windows user, I use Mozilla because it works better and has more features. It's also not plagued by countless security issues.

  11. Re:still no MNG support? by idiotfromia · · Score: 5, Funny
    Other apps that display PNGs do not have this problem.
    Have you ever used Internet Explorer?
  12. Enough Mozilla, More Firebird! by Emperor+Tiberius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't know if I'm the only out there who's noticed, but, Firebird development has slowed considerably with all the Mozilla fuss. The next FB milestone (0.7 Indio) is going to be late almost two months in a few days. Meanwhile we've had the Mozilla 1.4 RC1, RC2, Final and 1.5 Alpha come out.

    CVS checkins to the Firebird suite have also lagged behind. Personally, I would like to see FB development accelerated instead of put on the back burner.

  13. Re:New feature I'd like to see... by Slurm-V · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have a grotty old PII 350 with 64mb on win98 (not SE - for some absurd historical reason that I no longer believe and I don't expect anyone else to either) and I use Moz exclusively for tabbed browsing and spam filtering goodness. It's faster than IE from my perspective and, unlike IE, doesn't fall over more often than a one legged man in a falling over competition.

    --
    Of course it's going off the rails. How else is it ever going to fly?
  14. Re:Firebird based? - not quite yet by patrickjolliffe · · Score: 5, Informative

    Unfortunately it may take a bit longer than that. It'll take a year to get something shippable to end users (brendan)
    This is disappointing to me as I use Firebird regularly and am really impressed, but I guess they (the developers) know what they are talking about.

  15. Re:Firebird based? by enomar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think you may be underestimating the innovation behind some of these alternate browsers. IE is just not keeping up. I have a seriously hard time using it anymore. Features like tabbed browsing and mouse gestures are now an itegral part of my browsing experience. They almost feel like...essential OS components.

    --

    :wq
  16. Re:Firebird based? by PeterHammer · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Mozilla probably will play a key role in spearheading the Linux movement

    That sounds like a boring dismisal of Mozilla. I use windows regularly at work, and at home, and Mozilla is my browser of choice. I have also successfully converted a number (probably around 20) regular joes who like to call me their tech geek

    I think Mozilla needs to promote a consumer oriented browser, particularly now that the AOL cord has been severed. It is certainly light weight enough if you strip all the geek features - Venkman, DOM inspector, Chatzilla, Composer etc... - and I think most web developers who target standards would agree that it is vastly superior to what IE would provide. My team would love to be able to drop IE as an obsolete monster. But its hard to convince users to install the whole Moz suite, let alone Netscape 7.1.

    Firebird needs to evolve. And it needs a grass roots movement promoting it. If every developer out there could convert 10 people - and those 10 convert 10 more. Well I don't have to tell geeks how to do math. Do I?

  17. Re:Firebird based? - not quite yet by Brendan+Eich · · Score: 5, Informative

    That quote from staff minutes was out of context. I was citing the agreement I'd reached with all-volunteer Mozilla Firebird developers before the Mozilla Foundation was announced, where 0.7 would coincide with 1.5, 0.8 with 1.6, etc. I went on to say to staff, at that meeting, that if we get more time from the developers, the schedule could be shortened.

    Now, we hope to hire a Firebird developer fulltime at the Mozilla Foundation, and we expect to go faster. No promises yet; the roadmap will be updated in due course.

  18. Mozilla tips ! by MythMoth · · Score: 5, Informative

    Lots of tips & tricks for mozilla at MozillaTips logically enough.

    They've got some good stuff already, but could probably use the extra traffic !

    D.

    --
    --- These are not words: wierd, genious, rediculous
  19. Re:Firebird based? by blibbleblobble · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Yeah, I'm sure we'll se ASSLOADS of innovation from IE7"

    Longhorn being a large, dumb animal which consumes vast quantities of resources and turns most of them into shit?

    pic