Firefox 4 Will Push Edges of Browser Definition

Chris Blanc writes "Mozilla Lab's push is to blur the edges of the browser, to make it both more tightly integrated with the computer it's running on, and also more hooked into Web services. So extended, the browser becomes an even more powerful and pervasive platform for all kinds of applications. 'Beard wants the new online/offline, browser/service to be more intelligent on behalf of its users. Early examples of this intelligence include the "awesome bar," which is what Mozilla calls the new smart address bar in Firefox 3. It offers users smart URL suggestions as they type based on Web searches and their prior Web browsing history. He's looking to extend on this with a "linguistic user interface" that lets users type plain English commands into the browser bar. Beard pointed me towards Quicksilver and Enso as products he's cribbing from.'"

Comments

"Blur the edges of the browser"

[Raineer]

Cleartype fonts will clear that right up.

This is all wrong!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Surely Firefox is going in the wrong direction! IMHO, blurring the edges of the browser should be the job of the Window Manager.

I'll get my coat..

Beard...

[Naughty Bob]

From his picture in TFA, Chris Beard, VP of Labs for Mozilla, has no beard, despite his high-up position within the open source movement.

Does open source play by ZZ-top rules now?

Seriously

[joppinkaru]

I don't WANT the edges pushed. I just want a browser, really. I just want to look at web pages, maybe even post to the occasional online forum (like Slashdot). I don't want a huge bloated thing that will suck up all my system resources and take two minutes to fire up. I just want a simple, standard-compliant, browser. Please, just let Firefox be that and make a new program to do all that other crap. What other Windows Vista features can I expect in Firefox 4?

Re:I hope they implement this as plugins

[iONiUM]

You're not the "average" user. You know how I know?
a) you're on slashdot
b) you used && in your comment, perhaps by mistake
c) "I am not at all into social networking."

On the plus side you definitely belong here!

Re:AwesomeBar

[CaptainPatent]

I vote we tag this awesome article "AWESOMEBAR" Until now, I just thought the AwesomeBar was what Chuck Norris ate for breakfast!

It's EMACS all over again.

[serviscope_minor]

Firefox will be a great OS. The only thing it lacks is a decent browser.

What we need is the browser equivalent of vi. And it actually exists. How wierd is that?

Re:Some recommended commands

[Yvan256]

Score: 5, Confused

Didn't Microsoft already try this?

[Itchyeyes]

integrated with the computer it's running on, and also more hooked into Web services So Firefox 4 is going to have Active X?

Summary of all comments

[radl33t]

"Get off my lawn"

Re:Some recommended commands

[FredFredrickson]

There are no nutrients in [rock]. Dragon kills you. You are dead. [Restart?]

Re:AwesomeBar

[geekoid]

Nope
the Awesome Bar is what Chuck Norris shits out every morning.

Re:I hope they implement this as plugins

[Tumbleweed]

&& and I am not at all into social networking.

And if you keep using programming terminology like '&&' instead of 'and', YOU NEVER WILL BE.