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SeaMonkey 1.0 Released

Posted by Zonk on from the enjoy-your-aquatic-simians dept.

johkir writes "SeaMonkey has been released. Mozilla.org's open source internet suite features a state-of-the-art web browser and powerful email client, as well as a WYSIWYG web page composer and a feature-rich IRC chat client. For web developers, mozilla.org's DOM inspector and JavaScript debugger tools are included as well. It also has a few nifty features, of particular interest: drag&drop reordering of tabs, support for a common inbox for multiple email accounts, SVG, , and phishing detection."

9 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. For those of us who don't follow mozilla.org... by dghcasp · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What exactly is SeaMonkey? Based on this summary of features, it sounds exactly like Mozilla.

    1. Re:For those of us who don't follow mozilla.org... by harrkev · · Score: 2, Interesting

      So, is it Firefox and Thunderbird thrown together in one executable? Or is it something more or less. I guess what I want to know is:

      1) Compatability with Thunder/Fire themes and extensions.
      2) Does it share the same security holes, or will it have its own ;)
      3) Will it be udated as often as Thunder/Fire?

      --
      "-1 Troll" is the apparently the same as "-1 I disagree with you."
    2. Re:For those of us who don't follow mozilla.org... by ShagratTheTitleless · · Score: 3, Interesting
      What missing features or options were you disappointed by?

      Missing: The "New Tab Button" on the Tab Bar. It's removal flew in the face of consistency (You can remove tabs with a button on the bar but to add them you must navigate a menu or use a keyboard combo). At the same time Firfox added the ability to create a new tab by double clicking blank space in the tab bar which works well until you have several tabs and no more easily clickable blank space. This is poor design. I would suggest amending it by always leaving a little free space on the bar but at that point why not just put the button back? I am aware you can get it back with an extension but it often doesn't theme right and disapears around upgrade time.

      Missing: "About Plugins" Menu Option. It's nice to see what plugins you have installed and what insecure out of date versions your running. Firefox has the info but no UI access to it (why no link in advanced options?). Since Firefox is supposed to be simple and secure it should probably check popular plugin versions and offer to update them or send you to a download instead.

      Missing: Performance. I remember when the design goal for Firefox was "Lean and Fast". The Suite Browser seems snappier on my system.

      Missing: Modern Theme. A lot of people don't like it but it really is useable.

      Missing: Plugins that can persist across minor upgrades. Every time a buddy of mine upgrades Firefox I have to fix his plugin that allows him to stream videos to Windows Media Player instead of dowloading them completely before playback. Every time I think about telling him "Nevermind, just fucking use IE".

      While I still recommend Firefox to friends, it seems sometimes they are going backwards from their initial plans (hidden features bloat, pigheaded design decisions from on high).

      --
      Sometimes at night I imagine the darkness is filled with horrible things with too many teeth, like Julia Roberts.
  2. WYSIWYG by ZephyrXero · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So how does the Sea Monkey web editor compare to Nvu? If it's better, that'll really suck having to download a whole suite just for that one component. Why Mozilla Corp/Foundation hasn't released it's own editor still is beyond me...

    --
    "A truly wise man realizes he knows nothing."
  3. IE? by ZachPruckowski · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Well, IE officially fell behind again. I mean, it sounded like that new beta was competition for Seamonkey/Firefox, but ten minutes after that's out, Mozilla obsoletes it. Was this scheduled?

  4. When will lightning strike? by baldinoos · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Continuing the old Mozilla suite is fine, but one thing I am missing is a way to integrate my email and calendar. Mozilla "Lightning" was supposed to do this but the page hasn't been updated since January of 2005. Anyone have any clue if this is still on the Mozilla radar?

  5. Re:What's new: by AeroIllini · · Score: 2, Interesting

    canvas tags! Boooo!

    What's wrong with <canvas> tags? I think they are a revolutionary idea.

    Once they become part of the HTML5 spec (and WHATWG is working on it now), then suddenly web developers will have a way to show those corny Flash movies without needing a plugin. The browser will support dynamic bitmap refresh natively. Eventually, it will support 3D rendering natively too, probably through OpenGL. Imagine playing Doom in a web browser, with no plugins. Or a contractor showing clients around a virtual model of their home before construction begins.

    Does it have the potential to be horribly abused? Of course. So does the <script> element, and even the &nbsp; element. And who can forget the abuses of the <embed> and <object> elements?

    Does it offer limitless opportunities for a more dynamic website? Yes.

    Does it mean the fragmented world of browser+plugins is converging to browser+JavaScript/AJAX? Yes.

    Plugin functionality with no plugins--just JavaScript and a <canvas> tag. I like it.

    --
    For security, the MD5 hash of this message and sig is 09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0.
  6. Internationalization? by pe1chl · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Is there still an i18n project? I see two local builds, but not the long list of language packs.
    Are the current i18n groups willing to translate Seamonkey or will this have to be setup completely from scratch?
    Presumably a Mozilla 1.7 translation can be used as a basis...

    I would like to install a Dutch version at work, but I see no mention at all of Seamonkey on the Mozilla-NL site. It is centered around Firefox and Thunderbird these days, but still had a Mozilla 1.8a translation last year.

  7. Re:Am I just confused? by Crispy+Critters · · Score: 2, Interesting
    "However, a large number of people wanted a standalone browser."

    This sounds like a rewrite of history, although it may be part of the story.

    More importantly, there was a set of Mozilla developers who were tired of working with a vast code base where each decision had to be made by a committee and was endlessly criticized by posers who never wrote a line of code. These developers decided to write a new browser front end on their own so they could have fun again coding and be accountable to no one.

    Amazingly, the new front end became wildly popular, even though the logo and the name are completely different animals. (Foxes are cool, but red pandas a.k.a. firefoxes are cooler.)