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Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 Adds Private Browsing

Posted by kdawson on from the more-features-late-in-the-game dept.

CWmike was one of several readers to point out the release of Firefox 3.1 Beta 2, the first version of its flagship browser to switch on the much faster TraceMonkey JavaScript engine and sport a working privacy mode dubbed "Private Browsing." An ancillary addition to Private Browsing is a new addition to the "Clear Recent History" dialog box allowing users selectively to erase the last hour, the last two hours, the last four hours, today's, or all browsing history — previously, the wipe was all or nothing. This beta includes support for "web worker threads," a developing specification that will let Web-based application developers run background processes to speed up their apps. One feature present in Beta 1 is gone in the new beta: Ctrl-Tab switching. According to the developer, the UI needs more work; the feature probably won't be in the final 3.1.

23 of 216 comments (clear)

  1. selective history deletion by Firkragg14 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    No more suspicious empty history porn fans.

    1. Re:selective history deletion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Most distros, if you set up a user with a UID less than 1000, it doesn't show up anywhere on login screens, etc, but still functions normally. Name it something deceptive like httpdaemon and bury the home directory somewhere within /etc and tada, your own fully featured stealth pron user. No guarantees, but my SO hasn't found it after three years...

      Poisted AC for obvious reasons (ie, she reads /.)

  2. Javascript speed by Ed+Avis · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If the new Javascript engine is turned on, does this mean that the new Firefox beta gives a larger e-penis than Chrome or the latest Safari?

    Seriously, I am thinking it might be time to start learning Javascript (to a higher level than just being able to copy and paste snippets to autoscroll the page and other simple effects). It's not perfect but it has wide support and mindshare, which is more important than any technical criterion. What I want to do is display simple graphs in the browser of things like stock prices, based on information fetched over SOAP (yeah I know SOAP is a bit clunky, but it's the interface I have). Can more experienced programmers recommend Javascript tutorial sites (at a higher level than 'copy and paste this snippet of code to get cool smilies!') or a good set of libraries?

    --
    -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
    1. Re:Javascript speed by Azeroth48 · · Score: 3, Informative

      learn jQuery.. one of the best lib ever made for javascript! http://jquery.com/

      --
      This is where we are, our rock we stand, among the world, looking forward, eternally.
    2. Re:Javascript speed by JuanCarlosII · · Score: 3, Interesting

      jQuery is probably good starting point if you want to be able to do simple things very quickly and easily. If you are interested in actually learning the language itself as opposed to just how to do things in one particular library then I'd also recommend looking at Prototype. Prototype reveals a little more of the native DOM than perhaps jQuery allows so IM(NS)HO is a better primer for someone looking to grasp the fundamentals of the language, whereas jQuery is probably the best for actually "getting stuff done". I also cant recommend John Resig's book Pro Javascript Techniques enough, although it may be pitched slightly high for a beginner. Reading it seriously changed the way I thought about JS (and subsequently my entire career/life/destiny) so if you're an enthusiastic amateur looking to progress then I think it's perfect.

  3. Nothing new by fxkr · · Score: 4, Informative
    Isn't this what Distrust is for? And that one is even better:
    1. Activate it.
    2. Surf.
    3. Deactivate it.

    It then deletes everything that happened between 1. and 3., but keeps what happened before you activated it.

    1. Re:Nothing new by MadKeithV · · Score: 3, Funny

      I need a "give me back the last 10 minutes" option!

  4. Re:Think Same. by theaveng · · Score: 4, Funny

    What is private browsing?

    Sometimes pegged with the catchy moniker of "porn mode", while in privacy mode..... URLs are not recorded in the browser history, cookies are not saved and other evidence is purged from the computer at the end of the session.

    This sounds like something I need.
    All the time.
    Every day.
    24/7.

    --
    FOX NEWS.com should be BANNED from television and internet. Have the Congress take it over and give us Truespeak.
  5. Because some people don't quite get it by grasshoppa · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If your workplace has you going through a proxy, no amount of stealth in the browser is going to help.

    I have had a ton of people requesting I install Chrome for them ( which violates policy anyway ) because they mistakenly think that the privacy feature will hide their browsing habits from the logs.

    Oh, they try to be sneaky about it, sure. But that's what their after. I have half a mind to install it for them, then watch the logs to see what they don't want me to know about.

    --
    Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
  6. Re:Kudos for the improvements, but... by evilNomad · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Ctrl+Tab functionality is still there, they just removed the new interface that they had added in beta 1..

  7. Re:Kudos for the improvements, but... by Shining+Celebi · · Score: 5, Informative

    Don't know what the hell they were thinking with that. I hope there's still some method of switching between tabs without reaching for the mouse.

    You can still switch tabs with Ctrl+Tab, it's just the fancy effects to go along with it are gone, as well as it switching based on recency instead of order. It'll work the same way it does in Firefox 3. You can also switch between tabs with Ctrl+PageUp and Ctrl+PageDown.

  8. Re:Kudos for the improvements, but... by Billhead · · Score: 5, Informative

    Ctrl + Page Up/Page Down navigates through tabs.

  9. Mozilla Links by Bj�rn · · Score: 3, Informative

    There is a good article at Mozilla Links, about 3.1 beta 2.

    --
    Never express yourself more clearly than you are able to think. --Niels Bohr
  10. Re:Kudos for the improvements, but... by y5 · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Ctrl+Tab functionality is still there, they just removed the new interface that they had added in beta 1..

    Mod parent up. I'm using the latest nightly, and you can still CTRL+TAB. It just removes the screen previews from the previous beta, which IMO were slow and annoying.

    I wish the summary were more clear.

  11. Re:Seems top-heavy compared to Stealther by Auraiken · · Score: 3, Funny

    Or for those who want privacy in the engaged mode ;)

  12. Re:Kudos for the improvements, but... by creepynut · · Score: 3, Informative

    I suspect this is the reason: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox3.1/control_tab

    A few bug reports I found:
    https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=459303
    https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=463723
    https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=445476 (This seems to suggest it can be disabled, but I haven't tried Fx3.1 yet)

  13. Re:Privacy Browsing in IE 8 Beta by HisMother · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Safari has had it for years.

    --
    Cantankerous old coot since 1957.
  14. Re:Kudos for the improvements, but... by Phisbut · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Ctrl + Page Up/Page Down navigates through tabs.

    Ctrl+PgUp/PgDn requires the use of my right hand (either both hands with left on left-Ctrl and right on PgUp, or just the right with thumb on right-Ctrl). I still need to move my right hand from my mouse to the keyboard and back.

    Ctrl+Tab, right next to Alt-Tab, lets me keep a hand on the mouse (which is very much in use during a browsing session, especially with mouse gestures), without the additional movement needed to click on tabs. Ctrl+Tab is a much better use of both hands than Ctrl+PgUp/PgDn will ever be.

    --
    After 3 days without programming, life becomes meaningless
    - The Tao of Programming
  15. I've been using a simpler solution for a few years by Skapare · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My solution is that each time I start a web browser, it first runs through a script that creates a replica of the .mozilla directory in a unique place. The HOME environment variable is set to the unique directory. When it's done, I exit and just wipe out that directory.

    --
    now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
  16. Re:Think Same. by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Perhaps he's a Bart fan in Australia.

    --
    Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
  17. Re:I've been using a simpler solution for a few ye by JustinOpinion · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've been using a simpler solution for a few years

    I love Slashdot.

    Only on Slashdot would it be "simpler" to code a custom script that automatically runs when starting a particular application, generates a new temporary profile, sets an environment variable to use that profile, and deletes the profile on exit; rather than sometimes click a menu item marked "private".

    I'm not disagreeing that your solution is simpler, by the way. It is actually a great way to force a particular behavior in a robust way, and is simple to use once implemented. But it's only "simpler" for Slashdotters!

  18. Re:Kudos for the improvements, but... by louzerr · · Score: 4, Informative

    Firefox 3.1 beta ADDED NEW FEATURES to Ctrl+Tab. Those NEW FEATURES are buggy, and likely won't make it into the 3.1 final.

    They didn't BREAK anything ... just the opposite. Ctrl+Tab will behave in 3.1 just as it does in 3.0.

    --
    "The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away" -- "Step Right Up", Tom Waits
  19. Re:But there's always a little problem.... by daniorerio · · Score: 3, Informative

    or maybe just move out of the basement...