Slashdot Mirror
Apple Quietly Releases Safari 3.2
99BottlesOfBeerInMyF writes "Yesterday Apple quietly slipped out an update to their Safari Web browser to version 3.2. The notable feature is that it finally adds anti-phishing technology, an area where Safari has lagged behind competitors. Aside from that, it provides some security fixes, improved JavaScript performance, and a slightly newer version of Webkit, pulling their Acid3 score up to 77." Apple forums across the Net are reporting frequent crashes in Safari 3.2, some possibly caused by 3rd-party add-ons, others perhaps related to the anti-phishing feature.
A bit off-topic: Both Safari 3.1 and 3.2 (@ Tiger) freezes the loading progress randomly, but ping google.com still works. I have tried to reset Safari, but it didn't help.
Personally I don't use Safari (I don't have a Mac, nor do I use MS Windows). I just thought I would take the time to rant about "anti-phishing" things.
I always turn such "features" off on my own computers, and would do so on any computer where I was the "tech support" (after appropriate consultation and education).
Why? Because blacklists don't work. Want to not get phished? Simple instructions that even the most computerphobic person can understand:
When you want to go to the website of your bank, credit union etc., type in what you see on the printed material you have in front of you! (Alternatively, for the more computer literate folks, create a bookmark/favourite after having typed in the address from the printed material from your bank. And only access it via that link.)
Never trust a link via an email, never trust a link from another website, not even if the address looks the same. (Character encoding, bad eyes and other things can make two strings look the same, even when they aren't.)
Simple advice and works for everyone whom I've told it to. (The same with, "don't download files from your email unless you were expecting them, which is a bit over the top, but the slightly more complicated, don't download executable files got reduced somehow.)
End rant.
I did have a look at the article, and to be frank, there isn't anything exciting in there. It seems that the only reason this got to the front page is that Safari crashes a lot. Umm..., I guess I don't care.
I wank in the shower.
Safari is based on Webkit, which can achieve an almost perfect acid3 score. Anyone using windows or macosx can easilly try it.
Apple forums across the Net are reporting frequent crashes in Safari 3.2, some possibly caused by 3rd-party add-on
Yep, PithHelmet (anti-ad plug-in) causes 3.2 (Mac, of course) to blow up every time when using multiple tabs. Removing its bundle from /Library/Application Support/SIMBL/Plugins/ made it stable as a rock again (no problems at with about 15 tabs open, with varying kinds of embedded content), but, sadly, I'm buried with ads again.
An update addressing one of the most important shortcomings of one of the most important web browsers;
We really need sarcasm tags.
I'm sure they attempted to force it on every user with iTunes... hardly quiet.
I hear they're working on iLube to adress this problem.
If you quote this signature there'll be 72 copies of Windows ME waiting for you in Heaven.
Its odd that Apple released this version quietly. Last time a major point release was available, Steve Jobs was walking down the streets of Cupertino firing a shotgun into the air screaming, "Time to download the next motherf*cking version of Safari!" followed by USC Trojan band playing John Philip Sousa marches.
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
It's the most important for mac users. Mac users may not be the majority but I don't think it's contentious to say they're an important minority.
Apple Quietly Releases Safari 3.2
Great, now you've gone and blabbed their secret to everybody.
It also now supports EV-SSL. That and the anti-phishing were two major beefs of companies like PayPal.
What's more, Safari is playing a great role in creating an "arms race of web standards". All in all, I'd say Safari, though not as much as Firefox, is more *important* than IE.
Worse, I downloaded Safari for Windows for testing and they tried to force iTunes on me. They said it was a security update. I've since removed their update 'service' (like servicing a cow) and I guess I'll have to update Safari manually.
Admittedly, this was a while back and maybe they've cleaned up their act. Then again, Firefox 3.0.4 refuses to install because I need to run as an account with more rights than a full administrator. All I need now is Opera to give me grief.
I tell you the real annoying bug. It erases cookies sometimes. Yes, the file itself (~Library/Cookies/Cookies.plist). It was documented by unsanity and said to be fixed at least on Intel but we, poor PPC users who made the mistake of jumping to Leopard still suffer from it.
http://www.unsanity.org/archives/apple/apple_hates_bug_filers.php
Ironically, it generally hits you when you report a bug to Apple, that is where the title comes from.
I had to restore 2.2 MB of cookies from Time Machine today.
Windows version is there too and it is a serious sounding security update.
The actual release notes are at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3298
You should subscribe to Apple Security Updates mailing list for non PR infested update announcements.
http://lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/security-announce
TFA doesn't call this out at all - does this update the Mac version only or is Windows also at 3.2?
TFA provides a link to download the Windows version.
How does putting Safari 3.2 on Software Update, where by default it will be received by every internet-connected Mac OS X user in the world, count as a release that was "quietly slipped out"?
Granted, they're the new Bad Guy on /., but can we be a little less lazy and more accurate in our snide characterization of Apple's activities?
shortcoming yes, important web browser? Dude Im a mac users, a claimed Apple zealot, and all that and even I dont see the importance in Safari.
There are four major HTML rendering engines right now, two of which are commercial (Microsoft's Trident and Opera's Presto) and two of which are open-source (Mozilla's Gecko and Apple's WebKit). Of these, only WebKit is really growing right now - more and more browsers are being built on it. Safari is the reference implementation for a WebKit-based browser. That's why Safari is important.
In addition to Safari (and the mobile version of Safari used on the iPhone and iPod touch), WebKit is also used by Adobe AIR, Google Chrome, and Nokia's S60 browser. Also, Konqueror is still using their own KHTML, but they're working on switching over to Apple's fork, eventually.
$x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
$x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
I have one word for you:
iPhone
See now how important Safari is? Oh, and WebKit is used on Nokia phones too, and it's becoming a major player on the embedded browser market.
---- You know how some doctors have the Messiah complex - they need to save the world? You've got the "Rubik's" complex
"iPhone Bitch!"