Slashdot Mirror
Firefox 3.2 Plans Include Natural Language, Themes
Shrike82 writes "Mozilla have described plans for the next version of their popular web browser, Firefox. Mozilla's "Ubiquity project" is set to become a standard feature, allowing "users to type natural language phrases into the browser to perform certain tasks, such as typing 'map 10 Downing Street' to instantly see a Google map of that address, or 'share-on-delicious' to bookmark the site you're currently visiting on the social news site."
Also of interest is so-called "lightweight theming" allowing users to customise the browsers design more easily. The launch date is still somewhat unclear, and Mozilla are apparently unsure if version 3.2 will be released at all, apparently considering going straight to Firefox 4."
save users a heap of bandwidth and build the entire Internet into the browser. Mozilla: the only browser that doesn't need a 'net connection! It'd have around the same amount of bloat.
Sounds... shit.
Come on, Firefox was meant to be a lightweight extensible browser. I don't want more features. If they want to ship these features, they should be making extensions.
Weird you should say that. Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 is the fastest Firefox browser yet. The Places feature saves me tons of time by not having to manually go through hundreds of bookmarks. I have far fewer memory leaks then past versions. I can customize Firefox to be as simple or as complex as I wish.
While Mozilla maybe adding features, it sure isn't looking like bloat to me.
IE7 is a steaming pile of crap, but it is better then IE6's steaming pile of crap and vomit.
They want to make Ask Jeeves all over again in the url bar?
Don't search keywords do this better, and in a more controlled way? I set up a google maps search keyword of "map", then I know what happens when I type "map address". Similarly with other keyword constructs. Keywords let me build on the browser's functionality in predictable ways. Ask Jeeves? Remains to be seen.
(Although I am given to understand it is the FBI's premiere tool to search for terrorists.)
Use the Firehose to mod down Second Life stories!
That's your example of natural language? Map as a transitive verb and a fairly specific reference? How about: "show me where the prime minister's house is on a map"?
use natural language
comment story positive
example show
search +5 funny
Didn't she make films with John Holmes?
Why, without your clothes, you're naked, Miss Dudley!
Compared to IE, I'd rather use a DILLO for most things.
There, fixed it for you
Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
Enough with the super-uber-awesome search crap. Give me an MSI (that I don't have to build myself), give me a way to push settings via group policy, and most of all give me a browser that I can centrally manage even half as easily as I can manage IE. Oh, and lemme just give some space here:
^ That's where you run-off-to-google-up-some-snark-for-my-reply folks can put your links to tools like FirefoxADM that haven't been touched in almost four years, or to frontmotion and their "give us a 150 bucks and we'll roll your MSI for you" service. Take this example; I want to change the homepage on 50 PC's, each with two or three different users. In IE it's a one-line group policy change. Firefox? roll up your sleves, you'll be there a while. Maybe push out a new prefs.js file into each user's profile. Maybe roll up a CCK custom XPI. Or just roll your own MSI and have it re-install the entire damned browser.
Until Chrome, Firefox, and Opera get over circle-jerking themselves about getting IE's sloppy seconds market share, there's not even enough motion to say that there's a even a "browser war" going on. I really hoped that Mozilla would take a decent swing at the enterprise market. Instead they're doing 110mph down the netscape road towards a bloated browser. Meanwhile, Chrome and Opera aren't doing much more than pulling on to the on-ramp of the same road, and touting how you'll go do the same path, only in style!
There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em.
Chuck doesn't like it when people try to keep tabs on him. It will most likely show your current location because he'll be standing behind you snapping your neck.
Will be stored in an information cache?
You can already download a snapshot of wikipedia (which we all know is the end-all source of infinite, accurate information on all things worth knowing.) GPS units can hand you maps and routes for pretty much anywhere a typical person needs to go with a single DVD update. I don't know of a handy, portable dictionary/jargon download but given its size relative to the maps/wikipedia, there must be some out there. All we need is some more advanced diff-tools and we've got it all local all the time.
Really, the Internet is just needed for updates, interaction with other humans (or at least their avatars/slashdot personalities), shopping, and porn.
He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
Meh, I'd rather keep Firefox lightweight and just use keywords.
When I type "map 10 Downing St" it already goes to a google map. Same with "fromhome 10 Downing St", it will give me directions from my house.
Natural language could work, but I'd rather have other, more search-focused companies do all the natural-speech algorithms, then just use Firefox as a sort-of-API via Keywords.
I don't get it with Firefox. They have (had) the goal of producing a lean and fast browser with additional functionality being provided by plugins which I think they have pretty much achieved. Personally, I think they have left out a whole host of features (such as ad blocking and quick dial for example) which should be in the core but I'll let them off because they are easy enough to add in. But including this sort of browser bling in the core is just nuts.
It's the age old problem though - you have to be seen to be doing something even if what you have is really good already. I'd actually rather they put their efforts into working harder with other browser manufacturers to make sure that pages rendered the same on every platform. While none of the alternative browsers on their own is much competition to IE if there was essentially zero cost in moving from one alternative to another there is real competition.
I used to have a better sig but it broke.
Natural language? Natural for who?
Will we have to have versions for the West Coast, East Coast, down South...Ebonics?
I can see it now "Yo Yo Yo...show me the mother fuckin' U.I. site...Word!"
No, not Word. OpenOffice.org Writer. Microsoft has trademarked the word 'Word'.
Besides, Word doesn't work on all supported platforms, so it would be considered discrimination against AAVE speakers running Linux. Or BSD.
Ignore this signature. By order.
Natural language? Natural for who?
Will we have to have versions for the West Coast, East Coast, down South...Ebonics?
Wait, wasn't there some kind of rumour that a number of people worldwide didn't actually speak English ?
What's the status of that real language thingy in German, French, Italian, Croatian, Hindi... How does it work with characters from the depth of Unicode ?
May contain traces of nut.
Made from the freshest electrons.
Strangely, my browsing consists of more than sitting on the Google homepage.
Open four tabs in each - digg, slashdot, thestar.com and cnn.com. Firefox comes into a pretty significant lead already, but now trying actually doing anything.
But you keep on benchmarking sitting in an essentially empty browser if that makes you feel special.