Slashdot Mirror
Firefox/Thunderbird Plugins: Is Less More?
comforteagle writes "I've published the first of a two part look at the new dynamic duo of Mozilla's Firefox and Thunderbird. While most folks thus far agree with the 'less is more' mantra when it comes to the base applications, the plugins seem to be a different story. Hey, there's little wiggle room to debate that the firefox base application (the subject of the first article) isn't the shizzle, but how about the add-ons and plugins? For that matter, do you agree that less is more. or is too little included?"
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Having a program that is simple (and small!) is nice, especially when you can add on the features you want.
However, for it to be successful in the mainstream the customization has to be super easy and painless.
I have had difficulties in the past with customizing Mozilla/Netscape, particularly with trying to switch to small buttons/icons, and that's frustrating.
Yes, but when you don't want Flash, this is wonderful. The flash ad shows up as a button that you have to click on instead of having something playing background music or talking to you in the background...
Good stuff.
site gone from the planet, article text:
There are two wildly successful open source projects right now that are sweeping across Windows, Mac & Linux desktops. Firefox and Thunderbird. Both applications have two distinct characteristics. They are stripped down versions of their predecessor - the Mozilla bundle, and both are based on a plugin structure allowing users to include only features they want or need permitting them to remain simple to use.
In this first of two installments we take a look at Mozilla's Firefox web browser.
Mozilla Firefox is the next generation open source Internet browser from the Mozilla Foundation, and is set to succeed Mozilla Navigator as the default browser for the Mozilla suite of applications at some point in the near future. Firefox and its sister project Mozilla Thunderbird (the new Mozilla mail and news client) are standalone projects which can be run in isolation from one another, making it possible to replace your tired standard browser with a fresh copy of Firefox without getting all the extra bloat you won't use. It's exactly this approach and thinking which lies at the heart of the project and is behind its phenomenal success. The Firefox project was started in 2003 with the aim of becoming the best browser for Microsoft Windows as a result of the disillusionment of a group of developers with the current Navigator program. The group wanted to create a browser to illustrate what a browser could be if it was based on the Gecko layout engine and XPFE with no commercial constraints and no feature creep. At the same time they aimed to strip down the user interface and redesign it until it achieved the goal of being an efficient easy to use way to access the web. Simplicity was and is the projects goal with the embracing of the "less is more" adage, something which I believe they have achieved.
".. if only all open source programs were like this."
At the time of writing Firefox is currently version 0.8 and fully workable as it approaches its milestone 1.0 release. Its release schedule is focused not on deadlines but rather when the browser is ready after the bugs have been squashed and the appropriate features have been implemented. The positive affect of this is that its not a project which is pressurised to fulfil commercial deadlines and therefore focuses more on the quality of the product. This approach can often be found to be lacking in open source programs as they increasing comply with commercial demands.
The method of installation of the program depends on what operating system you are using. If you're using Windows or Mac OS X then there's an easy to use installer which will quickly and without fuss install the program for you. Linux users on the other hand are slightly disadvantaged as there is no installer for the precompiled version although one is planned for 0.9 and above. And of course as with any other open source application the source code is also available for you to compile from scratch if you feel so inclined.
"Firefox really excels in its simplicity, which is a real credit to the developers. They've managed to keep a tight control on the features included in the browser by saying "no" to a lot of submissions. There is no clutter in the browser and the whole experience is one which is focused solely on how a normal user accesses the internet."
Once you've got Firefox installed and loaded you're instantly struck by the simplicity of the program and the feeling that it "just works", this is mainly a result of the less is more attitude which the developers have applied throughout. The user interface throughout the program is well thought out and intuitive, everything is exactly where you'd expect to find it so there's no hunting for this or that as with so many other programs out there. The simplicity of the user interface also has something to do with the fewer features which Firefox has, which makes it harder to clutter up the menus. Overall the menus and dialogues have been well thought ou
You mean this one?
I don't understand. One exists. Did you not know that, or not like the way it is implemented?
so offer different downloads.
- 1 package with only the barebone browser.
- 1 package with the browser and x of the most used plugins. perhaps an option during install to manually select which plugins to install or not(custom install)
- 1 package with the browser and the whole shebang.
ofc some sort of verification would be needed before a 3rd party plugin would be added to an "official" download...
People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
I'm glad to see the legacy of E-40 getting distilled all the way down to Slashdot.
Although I'm waiting for it to be an option on Babelfish.
Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
If there's a plugin to filter out that word (especially when used in this context), now would be a great time to point that out to me.
True story.
Right now, it's called Nvu. Glaz says he'll be contributing the code back to Mozilla.org so they can make a stand-alone Composer app.
h p?Nvu
http://www.nvu.com
See also Glaz's blog:
http://glazman.org/weblog/dotclear/index.p
Does anyone else get annoyed that the little popup shows up after a download saying it's completed but you can't click on it to bring the file up? heh.
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. - Benjamin Franklin
Oh, sorry, I mean "dependinizzle oizzle hoizzle yoizzle arizzle feelinizzle."
Pipizzle youizzle choicizzle oizzle texizzle througizzle. Iizzle's lightlizzle testeizzle, buizzle whizzle reallizzle careizzle? Iizzle's stilizzle thizzle shizniizzle.
I'd love to know how I got redundant since this is the second post.
Slashdot is proof that Sturgeon's Law applies to mankind.
Is Less More? No. Needless to say, less is a program similar to more, but which allows backward movement in the file as well as forward movement and much more. So less is actually more than more, more or less. Unless you prefer more rather than less. See: more(1) and less(1).
Sincerely,
Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
"Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
Oh yeah, I can see hip-hop lingo going over really well in the tech sector...
Fat Secretary: Ok, Excel won't even open up..
Me: Word?
Fat Secretary: No Excel.
Me: No, I mean "word" as in, "Fo' Sheezy."
Fat Secretary: I don't understand, you mean "Format C:\?"
Me: NOOOO!
Fat Secretary: Opps! I already hit enter...
Me: Hold on a sec... You wanna make noise? Make noise... I'll make a phone call, my niggas comin' like the Gotti boyz.
I like big butts and I cannot lie.
FYI:
"Fo' shizzle, muh nizzle" is a bastardization of:
"Fo' sho', muh nigga," which is a bastardization of:
"That assumption would be correct, my African-American friend."
Brought to you by:
-Xeon
Real programmers can write assembly code in any language. -- Larry Wall