Slashdot Mirror
SeaMonkey 1.0 Released
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."
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."
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 It's nice to see what plugins you have installed and what insecure out of date versions your running.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.