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Mozilla Launches Experimental Voice Search, File-Sharing and Note-Taking Tools For Firefox (techcrunch.com)
Firefox has just launched three new Test Pilot experiments that bring voice search, built-in note taking and a tool for sending large files to the browser. From a report: While the new voice search, which currently works on the Google, Yahoo and DuckDuckGo homepages, and note-taking features are browser plugins, the new Send tool is web-based and allows anybody -- no matter which browser they use -- to send files up to 1GB in size. It encrypts the file as it is uploaded and gives you a link you can share with your friends and co-workers. Files are automatically deleted after one download or after one day. That's not exactly the most novel concept (and Mozilla has often been criticized for diverting its attention from its core competencies), but the built-in encryption and the open-source nature of the tool do make up for that.
and more bloat.
I just wish they'd spend some development time to actually improve the browser, rather than let it continue on the decline it's been engaging in for years now.
I wish they'd get accelerated video working on Linux instead of shit like this. I know they don't care because Linux is such a low percentage of users; but seriously, how long do we have to wait?
As a firefox user, I wonder if I'll ever see an emoji?
Or if I could actually watch netflix in my browser.
Glad to see they're working on features that will be so beneficial to their users.
Hopefully they use checksums on their file transfers, so they only need 1 copy of the 1080i version of the latest cam recording of latest movie.
I'd like FF to stop break when it updates. every other update it does breaks java and flash and I have to uninstall java flash and FF multiple times before it starts working again. making it less of a memory hog would be nice too. This is just more shit I wont use.
So we have a couple more reasons for FireFox to crash? Awesome.
Voice-to-text wrappers are a nice touch - but they really shouldn't be a 'browser' feature - but a system feature that can be used in ANY application, so you don't have to tweak it separately for every tool you use.
Note taking is also an occasionally neat thing - but not something you want constrained to the browser developers controlling. Browser developers shouldn't have an interest in getting a piece of that pie, or shaping that 'market', even between open source options.
And file sharing tools? That's an odd technology to push into - not too removed from HTTP/FTP (filezilla) logic at times, but very fiddly even for companies that devote their full focus on it. That said, I'd love it if the 'default' tools could smoothly resume arbitrary download after an interruption, integrate multiple downloads from identically hashed sources, and so on... but companies that take such tools on as secondary interests tend to let such tools fall to dust shortly after trumpeting their first launch. Also, something better done through an official plugin, rather than integrating directly.
Honestly though, these should all be officially supported PLUGINS ("add-ons"), not integrated components. Oh, and they should focus on NEVER BREAKING PLUGINS - they've basically killed half the plugins I've liked about their browser over time, due to their allergy to backwards compatibility options.
Want to know what makes for a good base product over time? Become a platform that bigger hits work with smoothly. Support that platform, and make a brand out of the efficiency, stability and reliability of that platform. Don't try and redefine yourself every two weeks. Let the plugins redefine what can be DONE with your platforms instead - best of both worlds.
Don't just slap a new forced coat of paint or end-user feature on, and pretend that you're trendy - you're not a public traded company, you shouldn't have to play that game.
Ryan Fenton
If your organization has any restrictions on sharing information, this is just another hole to monitor and / or plug.
Help save the critically endangered Blue Iguana
Opera had a voice feature several years ago, but I don't recall it being very popular and it wasn't one of the things they brought in the new version. Who is the target audience for a feature like this?
Win95 had voice input that worked pretty well. I remember playing Need for Speed by voice.
My guess is that Dragon Naturally bribed MS to stop it.
You mean you're not white-listing in such situations?
...Want to know what makes for a good base product over time? Become a platform that bigger hits work with smoothly. Support that platform, and make a brand out of the efficiency, stability and reliability of that platform. Don't try and redefine yourself every two weeks. Let the plugins redefine what can be DONE with your platforms instead - best of both worlds....
Gee, I said about the same thing, and it was marked flamebait.
Mozilla needs to decide whether they want a rich browser or a minimalist one. The Firefox strategy used to be to remove as many features as possible in order to make the browser more like Chrome, while encouraging the development of extensions that replace those features. The problem was that Chrome only started as a barebones browser out of necessity, and have been steadily adding stuff while Mozilla was removing them. Meanwhile, the Chrome-like rapid release schedule was causing problems with compatibility, weakening Firefox's extension ecosystem. But while abandoning the minimalist strategy might seem like a good choice, I don't think Mozilla has a coherent plan of what to do next. These additions seem haphazard, putting in a bunch of complex functionality should come after solving the basic problems. As long as I need separate extensions for mouse gestures or rebinding hotkeys, integrating a dropbox clone into the browser should be pretty low on the priority list. I guess this is a common problem in open source, unpaid hobby developers will want to work on te new and interesting stuff, and nobody wants to do the housekeeping. There may be a lesson to be learned here: open source projects should be a lot more careful than commercial ones about removing features, because they will have a hard time convincing their coders to develop the same thing again if they change their mind later.
Perhaps the bell rings once global usage drops below 5%, after almost reaching 50% in 2009.
They'll probably either insist that they not include this filesharing feature or insist that there be some sort of screening of files to ensure there isn't any piracy going on.
Mozilla- please stop it!
Stuff like that needs to be in ADDONS, that is why we have ADDONS! If you want to make it something official, then release your own addon for those features. If you REALLY think it should be included, make it an included addon that we can still easily turn off and/or uninstall.
No kidding ? I need to switch back to firefox just now
So, if I want to share a 1 GB file with 3 friends, I need to upload it 3 times? And send 3 different (non-encrypted) emails?
Or I could just use GDrive or Dropbox, which don't have this awful limitation. Seems to me that they forgot usability an only thought about privacy and security.
So now it looks like they want to emulate Edge? Guess what? Edge is declining marketshare as people migrate to 10. No one wants it or care about cortona or MS pen and OneNote integration. At least folks wanted Chrome
http://saveie6.com/
I read a few comments here and I think there is something worth pointing out. This is part of the Test Pilot program and only is in your browser if you've opted in on the Test Pilot program and only then is it "added" to your install.
Do note, this isn't me condoning anything here, I'm just merely trying to point out that if you aren't in the Test Pilot program, then you're not seeing these tools/invasion of privacy/wherever you stand between those two points. I don't know what the ultimate intention is here and honestly I forgot my asbestos suit at home so I'll abstain from any flame.
Just have a look at this: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/201...
I've just installed firefox again... and it no longer seems slow and bloated!
Good lord, people. These are *extensions*, not built into the browser. Mozilla is piloting them as side projects to show that they can walk and chew gum (while making Firefox competitive again, but all of that news suspiciously never gets mentioned here on Slashdot).
It's like you guys ignore everything that actually goes on at Mozilla, only to live in your little bubble of ignorance, and come out every time there's something you can (wrongly) interpret to get on your pulpit and preach to Mozilla whatever you feel they should be doing (which almost invariably is what they're ACTUALLY doing at the time).
Oh well. I guess I should be happy you're here instead of in a voting booth, etc etc.
the new Send tool is web-based (...) It encrypts the file as it is uploaded
How did they implement key exchange with recipient? Encryption is of little value if the operator also transmits the key.
I draw similarities between tablets and workstations/desktops:
I use firefox as a casual test platform to mess around on but to get real work done I use chrome.
Firefox has turned into a Chinesium toy that has a use for a few moments, breaks extremely quick and needs to be replaced often.
I remember playing http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/star-trek-bridge-commander using the voice recognition. So immersive to play it that way. Of course, there were times I was seriously concerned about the intelligence of my officers, though.
In case you missed it, Firefox is not a browser, but an operating system.
Making wrappers available for the platform is a great idea. I just wish it better wrapped, you know, the operating system.
Many of us don't want or need applications with an extreme feature set. They are complex, hard to maintain, and difficult to make secure.
Mod parent up. I'm tired of the games of crippling software functionality in the name of aiding incompetent IT staff and leadership
Why don't those Mozilla imbeciles spend a a few days making Firefox so that releases some memory after it is done with it? It's normal to have FF sitting there WITH NO OPEN WINDOWS using 1.5-2 GB of RAM.
> Voice-to-text wrappers are a nice touch - but they really shouldn't be a 'browser' feature - but a system feature
Didn't you get the memo? The browser *is* the system!
> that can be used in ANY application
Thou Shalt Not Have Any Application Beyond The One Browser.
Diversity is evil, diversity is death.
And who needs filesharing?
firefox users are asking for mozilla to:
* not ruin extensions
* stop ruining the user interface
* quit adding bloat
* use less memory
(while making Firefox competitive again, but all of that news suspiciously never gets mentioned here on Slashdot).
Maybe because they're not?
Just last week I finally threw in the towel on FF on my home machine. Random hanging just got too annoying. Guess I won't be changing back, since they're getting even further from what I want in a browser.
Voice-to-text wrappers are a nice touch - but they really shouldn't be a 'browser' feature - but a system feature that can be used in ANY application, so you don't have to tweak it separately for every tool you use.
I agree that the system should provide voice-to-text or voice control capability.
Note taking is also an occasionally neat thing - but not something you want constrained to the browser developers controlling. Browser developers shouldn't have an interest in getting a piece of that pie, or shaping that 'market', even between open source options.
Do one thing and do it well. Oh, make it easy for plugins to extend functionality. Note taking should be a different app.
And file sharing tools? That's an odd technology to push into - not too removed from HTTP/FTP (filezilla) logic at times, but very fiddly even for companies that devote their full focus on it.
File upload should be part of the browser, IMHO. I'm not sure I like how they implemented their gigabyte upload.
That said, I'd love it if the 'default' tools could smoothly resume arbitrary download after an interruption, integrate multiple downloads from identically hashed sources, and so on... but companies that take such tools on as secondary interests tend to let such tools fall to dust shortly after trumpeting their first launch.
You can't do that for arbitrary downloads; the web server needs to fully support appropriate HTTP headers (such as chunked transfer encoding and byte serving)
Perhaps note-taking tool would be useful to write things about your tab sessions, bookmark groups, sites and authors, topics of interest, research subjects and so on. So you can have a try at organizing and be able to reason about what you're doing.
It's debilitating that computers and programs allow you to bookmark, save page, keep tab open, enter tags, do web 2.0 crap etc. but you can't just easily write and keep it in the context of what you're doing, as was possible on paper. With a pen or pencil you could write in the phone book, on the walls, on a piece of paper taped to the oven's handle, on free paper, in a book's margin, add a sheet with some overview or summary or notes to any kind of folder, dossier or school lesson or homework. .txt stored in a single place in the home directory or on the desktop, putting them all in a single specific note-taking app, putting them on a webmail (specific notes feature or sending mail to yourself) or why not putting everything into a big word processor document.
That is, you can put things in context and computers offer a lot of bad possibilities : writing dozens of small
Taking notes in a browser could be useful, as they're notes about your browsing or perhaps notes about a specific browser based task like buying a train ticket. /path/to/music directory. So it'd be in context!, and it would work equally well for a porn or work directory. Er, I meant a documents or work directory.
They're stored in the same place as the bookmarks and history and the current tab session : the browser profile.
I could imagine a music player or file manager that allows me to take notes about the music collection : which music I really like, what I'd like to get in better quality or different version, which music I should procure, what genres and artists should I keep on USB drive/SD/mobile device, whatever. It could be a simple file manager feature that allows me to write and review notes (as free-form text) in a pane or window, when I visit the