4 ms·

A First Look At Firefox 5

39 points by Garbage 16y ago

Bossman 16y ago
Interesting. Could really take off. Seems like something Google would do (in terms of the website specific options) for Chrome.
btn 16y ago
Anyone taking bets on whether these features will have any compatibility with Microsoft's msSiteMode API in IE9? http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg131029.aspx http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg131029.aspx
- reedF211 16y ago
  Why should Firefox have to comply with a Microsoft specific API?
  - btn 16y ago
    I didn't say that they had to. But, having a single API is preferable to writing everything twice but in a slightly different way. Although, Microsoft aren't doing themselves any favours by not even trying a standardisation path.
- thristian 16y ago
  The Facebook picture in the article is taken from this page: http://areweprettyyet.com/5/desktopApps/ http://areweprettyyet.com/5/desktopApps/ ...which links to bug 605222, "add support for .website shortcuts, msapplication meta information in Windows 7": https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=605222 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=605222 ...which links to the exact MSDN page you're talking about.
reedF211 16y ago
Firefox has done some amazing work with 4.0 and the planned 5.0 release. It seems they were caught napping by Chrome for a while but now have gotten their act together.
blocke 16y ago
"the browser interface is planned to be more responsive" So when does Mozilla get around to ripping Firefox wide open on an operating table and not letting the surgeons leave until each tab has it's own process? Not switching back until I see a modern process architecture. Screw one tab being able to affect the responsiveness and stability of another or even worse... The browser's chrome. shudder
- thristian 16y ago
  Firefox 4 already runs plugins in separate processes. Running each tab in its own process is codenamed "electrolysis" for reasons beyond my ken: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Electrolysis https://wiki.mozilla.org/Electrolysis I'm guessing Electrolysis will get some more loving once the panic of shipping Firefox 4 has abated.
  - elgenie 16y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis is a chemical process that can be used to separate out elements -- picking that as a codename for splitting up tabs into processes seems reasonable.
  - sgreenlay 16y ago
    Based on the current Roadmap, tabs as separate processes using electrolysis (e10s) is a goal for Firefox 7 https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Roadmap https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Roadmap
- pcwalton 16y ago
  I agree. In fact, I gathered all the patches that have been floating around to do just that into a repo today: http://hg.mozilla.org/users/pwalton_mozilla.com/oop-tabs/ http://hg.mozilla.org/users/pwalton_mozilla.com/oop-tabs/ There is a lot (and by that I mean a lot - like, really basic stuff like focus) that doesn't work still, but the core of a multi-process Firefox is standing up already.
- sandGorgon 16y ago
  Not switching back until I see Linux on an equal priority to Windows (even XP !): https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox3/Firefox_Requirements#Platform_Support https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox3/Firefox_Requirements#Platf... http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/01/16/0657240/Why-Linux-Loses-Out-On-Hardware-Acceleration-In-Firefox http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/01/16/0657240/Why-Linux-Lo... P.S. Other browsers, supported by commercial entities, can be excused for doing this. Not Firefox.
cfontes 16y ago
I think chrome just got mozilla now... it's clearer and simpler than firefox. I was a passionate user of firefox but this last chrome edition got me hooked. Maybe a FF with a smaller top panel would get me back, but I doubt it.
- eftpotrm 16y ago
  I'm all for clear and simple and I do get frustrated with Firefox's growing slowness, but.... Chrome just doesn't have enough features. It's too stripped out. I miss Firefox's better bookmark and history handling. I miss that I can open huge numbers of tabs and still see them, not just have a squished list of tabs with no information on them. I miss the better dev tool infrastructure. I hate the way Chrome periodically just blanks tabs and forces a reload. Chrome to me feels like a better IE; OK, but basic. Not what I want from a browser.
- larrik 16y ago
  A smaller top panel? Really? I switched to Chrome because of 3 major things: 1) I can open and close it at least 3 times in the time that it takes Firefox to open. If a Firefox extension needs updates, then it's more like 12 times. 2) I had to occasionally open all of my bookmarks from a folder (15 or so). Doing this in Firefox would take something like 15 minutes, and most of the tabs would just fail. Chrome would do it nearly instantly, and act like it was no big deal. 3) The newer Firefoxes completely broke the shift-reload to clear the cache option. I still haven't found a decent way to force a complete fresh page load in Firefox 3.5+, which means it's a nearly useless for development. Chrome works great this way, and Firefox used to, but now Firefox creates a duplicate tab instead with the same shortcut? Wha? (I'm not actually sure which version of Firefox broke this) Combine this with things like the fact that Chrome will let you have a regular session PLUS one or more Incognito sessions (extremely useful for developing websites with login or other state, or even just for keeping two different GMails open), or that the default tab behavior in Firefox has always been pretty weak, and Firefox just has a long way to go to win me back. It makes me sad, because all things being equal, I'd rather support Mozilla than Google any day.
  - pcwalton 16y ago

39 points by Garbage 16y ago

Interesting. Could really take off. Seems like something Google would do (in terms of the website specific options) for Chrome.

btn 16y ago

Anyone taking bets on whether these features will have any compatibility with Microsoft's msSiteMode API in IE9? http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg131029.aspx http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg131029.aspx

reedF211 16y ago
Why should Firefox have to comply with a Microsoft specific API?
- btn 16y ago
  I didn't say that they had to. But, having a single API is preferable to writing everything twice but in a slightly different way. Although, Microsoft aren't doing themselves any favours by not even trying a standardisation path.
thristian 16y ago
The Facebook picture in the article is taken from this page: http://areweprettyyet.com/5/desktopApps/ http://areweprettyyet.com/5/desktopApps/ ...which links to bug 605222, "add support for .website shortcuts, msapplication meta information in Windows 7": https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=605222 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=605222 ...which links to the exact MSDN page you're talking about.

reedF211 16y ago

Firefox has done some amazing work with 4.0 and the planned 5.0 release. It seems they were caught napping by Chrome for a while but now have gotten their act together.

blocke 16y ago

"the browser interface is planned to be more responsive" So when does Mozilla get around to ripping Firefox wide open on an operating table and not letting the surgeons leave until each tab has it's own process? Not switching back until I see a modern process architecture. Screw one tab being able to affect the responsiveness and stability of another or even worse... The browser's chrome. shudder

thristian 16y ago
Firefox 4 already runs plugins in separate processes. Running each tab in its own process is codenamed "electrolysis" for reasons beyond my ken: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Electrolysis https://wiki.mozilla.org/Electrolysis I'm guessing Electrolysis will get some more loving once the panic of shipping Firefox 4 has abated.
- elgenie 16y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis is a chemical process that can be used to separate out elements -- picking that as a codename for splitting up tabs into processes seems reasonable.
- sgreenlay 16y ago
  Based on the current Roadmap, tabs as separate processes using electrolysis (e10s) is a goal for Firefox 7 https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Roadmap https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Roadmap
pcwalton 16y ago
I agree. In fact, I gathered all the patches that have been floating around to do just that into a repo today: http://hg.mozilla.org/users/pwalton_mozilla.com/oop-tabs/ http://hg.mozilla.org/users/pwalton_mozilla.com/oop-tabs/ There is a lot (and by that I mean a lot - like, really basic stuff like focus) that doesn't work still, but the core of a multi-process Firefox is standing up already.
sandGorgon 16y ago
Not switching back until I see Linux on an equal priority to Windows (even XP !): https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox3/Firefox_Requirements#Platform_Support https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox3/Firefox_Requirements#Platf... http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/01/16/0657240/Why-Linux-Loses-Out-On-Hardware-Acceleration-In-Firefox http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/01/16/0657240/Why-Linux-Lo... P.S. Other browsers, supported by commercial entities, can be excused for doing this. Not Firefox.

cfontes 16y ago

I think chrome just got mozilla now... it's clearer and simpler than firefox. I was a passionate user of firefox but this last chrome edition got me hooked. Maybe a FF with a smaller top panel would get me back, but I doubt it.

eftpotrm 16y ago
I'm all for clear and simple and I do get frustrated with Firefox's growing slowness, but.... Chrome just doesn't have enough features. It's too stripped out. I miss Firefox's better bookmark and history handling. I miss that I can open huge numbers of tabs and still see them, not just have a squished list of tabs with no information on them. I miss the better dev tool infrastructure. I hate the way Chrome periodically just blanks tabs and forces a reload. Chrome to me feels like a better IE; OK, but basic. Not what I want from a browser.
larrik 16y ago
A smaller top panel? Really? I switched to Chrome because of 3 major things: 1) I can open and close it at least 3 times in the time that it takes Firefox to open. If a Firefox extension needs updates, then it's more like 12 times. 2) I had to occasionally open all of my bookmarks from a folder (15 or so). Doing this in Firefox would take something like 15 minutes, and most of the tabs would just fail. Chrome would do it nearly instantly, and act like it was no big deal. 3) The newer Firefoxes completely broke the shift-reload to clear the cache option. I still haven't found a decent way to force a complete fresh page load in Firefox 3.5+, which means it's a nearly useless for development. Chrome works great this way, and Firefox used to, but now Firefox creates a duplicate tab instead with the same shortcut? Wha? (I'm not actually sure which version of Firefox broke this) Combine this with things like the fact that Chrome will let you have a regular session PLUS one or more Incognito sessions (extremely useful for developing websites with login or other state, or even just for keeping two different GMails open), or that the default tab behavior in Firefox has always been pretty weak, and Firefox just has a long way to go to win me back. It makes me sad, because all things being equal, I'd rather support Mozilla than Google any day.
- pcwalton 16y ago