Mozilla Links Newsletter

Mozilla Links - English Edition
Issue # 25 - January 24, 2005
_______________________________________

On November 9th, the highly anticipated Firefox 1.0 arrived. If you'd been
using Firefox Preview Release or a Release Candidate there was no news at
all feature-wise, since most changes were related to bug fixes or under the
hood improvements.

And, on December 6th after a fast cycle of releases and release candidates,
Thunderbird 1.0 saw the light and joined the wild success that Firefox
started about a month earlier. By December 17th it achieved its first
million downloads. Now Firefox proudly counts around 19 million downloads.

So, what's next? For Firefox, some days ago Ben Goodger, Firefox lead
engineer, announced (http://www.bengoodger.com/software/mb/options/prefwindowv...)
some modifications coming to the Options window and also Kevin Gerich,
member of the Mozilla Visual Design Team announced (http://kmgerich.com/archive/000083.html)
some work in progress on the same Options window. Firefox 1.1 is targeted
for March 2005 and should bring mainly internal enhancements. The roadmap
was also updated recently (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/firefox/roadmap.html).

For Thunderbird, mozillaZine reported (http://www.mozillazine.org/talkback.html?article=5922)
that the Thunderbird crew is testing inline spell checking. With this
feature, Thunderbird will check your spelling in your preferred language
while you are composing an e-mail. A screenshot is available at https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/attachment.cgi?id=171212

Thanks for reading. Please send any comments via http://newsletter.mozdev.org/contact.php
.

Percy Cabello
Mozilla Links

__________________________________


In this issue:

1. BETTER MOZILLA
      - Review: fireFTP
      - PowerTip: Customize Find As You Type Sound
      - PowerTip: Hide the Favicons

2. NEWS
      - Mozilla 1.7.5 Released
      - Nvu 0.70 Released
      - Adobe Reader Updated
      - Mozilla Update Updated
      - E-mail Based Support For Mozilla Products Now Available
      - Netscape New Proposal: Hybrid

3. MOZILLA PROJECTS

4. POLL

5. CONTACT INFO

________________________________

1. BETTER MOZILLA
________________________________


Review: fireFTP 0.86.1
______________________

Developed by Mime Cuvalo

fireFTP (http://fireftp.mozdev.org/) is a
useful and powerful extension that brings full FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
support to Firefox. FTP is an efficient and widely supported protocol for
moving files across the Internet. By default, Firefox support for FTP is
limited to downloading files from FTP servers (addresses that start with
ftp:// in the location bar). fireFTP allows you to log on to an FTP server
and browse local and remote folders. Then you can select a file in either
location and drag it to the target to upload or download. You can also set
permissions for files on the remote server (Unix-like Read, Write, Execute
for owner, group and world users).

You can start fireFTP on a new window or tab and among its advanced
features are support for proxy servers, custom FTP ports, auto reconnect
and auto refresh of remote folders.

Future versions are expected to automatically handle FTP links in web
pages, add a toolbar button, allow drag and drop from desktop, show upload
progress and other enhancements. fireFTP works on Windows, Mac OS and
Linux, and is available for free as a small 55 KB download in about 10
languages.

PowerTip: Customize Find As You Type Sound
__________________________________________

Contributed by Percy Cabello

When you are looking for text in a web page using Firefox's Find as You
Type feature, it will play a sound when the text entered can't be found. To
deactivate this, enter about:config in the location bar. A list of all
preferences will be shown. Look for preference
"accessibility.typeaheadfind.enablesound". You can find it faster by typing
a few characters in the Filter text box, for example "sound". Double click
on the preference and its value will change to "false".

To customize the sound, again in the about:config preferences tab, look for
the preference "accessibility.typeaheadfind.soundURL", double click on the
preference and enter the path for the sound file you want to play. For
example, if "the file is located at "c:\mybeep.wav", you would enter
"file:///c:/mybeep.wav".

For either change you will need to restart Firefox to make it effective.

PowerTip: Hide the Favicons
___________________________

Contributed by Percy Cabello

Favicons are those small icons that identify websites in tabs and
bookmarks. If you want to avoid using them for cleaner, less colorful look,
enter "about:config" in the Location Bar. A list of all preferences will be
shown. Look for the preference "browser.chrome.favicons". Double click on
the preference and its value will change to "false". From now on tabs and
bookmarks will not display the favicon of the site.

________________________________

2. NEWS
________________________________

Mozilla 1.7.5 Released
______________________

The Mozilla Application Suite was updated on December 18th to the most
recent version of the Gecko rendering engine, which means it now supports
more web pages written for IE and the new Netscape Plugin API Extensions,
developed by a group of browser and plugin developers and vendors such as
Opera, Adobe, Apple, Macromedia, Sun Microsystems and the Mozilla
Foundation.

Get the most recent version here: http://www.mozilla.org/products/mozilla1.x/

Nvu 0.70 Released
_________________

Based on Firefox 1.0 code, on January 6th, Disruptive Innovations and
Linspire, Inc.  released Nvu 0.70, a Mozilla-based web page editor,
featuring improved horizontal and vertical rules, Site Manager now
supporting more than one site at a time, better drag and drop support of
external files in Linux, better support for PHP applications and some
several other enhancements.

Download Nvu 0.70: http://www.nvu.com/download.html

Adobe Reader Updated
____________________

Adobe has released Adobe Reader 7.0, an update of its ultra popular
electronic document reader application. Mozilla Foundation's Asa Dotzler
has a nice brief on this version improvements and tips for speeding it up
here: http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/asa/archives/007183.html

Adobe Reader download: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Mozilla Update Updated
______________________

Mozilla Update has been updated with a better look and a clearer
organization of content, making it easier to find the desired extension,
theme or, just added, plugin you may need.

Mozilla Update: http://update.mozilla.org

E-mail Based Support For Mozilla Products Now Available
_______________________________________________________

MozSource, the operator of the Mozilla Store announced the immediate
availability of e-mail support for Firefox 1.0, Thunderbird 0.9, Mozilla
Application Suite 1.7.x and Camino 0.8 on their respective minimum system
requirements. Extensions, themes and plugins are beyond MozSource scope. As
stated in their Terms of Service, a resolution is not guaranteed and
limited to the specific application capabilities and function.  During the
initial beta period, there will be a low US$ 4.99 per incident, with a 48
hour reply guarantee.

MozSource Support: http://support.mozsource.com/

Netscape New Proposal: Hybrid
_____________________________

On November 30th, Netscape unveiled a prototype of what should become the
next iteration of Netscape Navigator. Days before the announcement, rumors
about it being based on Firefox ran around the Internet. The major surprise
was that it not only is based on Firefox but also on Microsoft Internet
Explorer. So users who need to access some sites written for IE will now
have a chance to switch within the same interface to IE's rendering engine.
On January 17th, an updated prototype was released featuring a new
interface and based on the same Firefox 1.0 code.

Netscape prototype screenshots:
http://www.mozillazine.org/articles/article5691.html
________________________________

3. MOZILLA PROJECTS
________________________________

Contributed by Brian King

The independent status reports include news and updates from Mozilla
application and extension projects hosted on mozdev.org and elsewhere in
the Mozilla community.

The end of year is upon us again and as always it is a time for reflection
- a time to assess the hits and the misses in the Mozilla community. It was
a year when the standalone browser and email clients, Firefox and
Thunderbird, matured and released top quality 1.0 versions. It was a year
when other Mozilla projects, such as Sunbird[1], Camino[2] and Nvu[3]
really came into their own. It was a year when Mozilla was becoming more
recognised as a commercial application platform[4]. Yet we must not rest on
our laurels. The Mozilla Foundation and wider community must adapt to meet
the challenges ahead. One exciting new project to herald this new era is
Minimo[5], Mozilla browser for mobiles. Happy Holidays from the mozdev.org
team!  [1] http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/sunbird.html
[2] http://www.mozilla.org/projects/camino/
[3] http://www.nvu.com [4] http://news.com.com/Firefox+fortune+hunters/2100-1032_3-5...
[5] http://news.com.com/Mozilla+aims+for+mobile+browser+marke...

HTTP serverpost - 0.6, Merging the capabilities of HTML forms and XUL
interfaces.  For: Mozilla, Firefox, custom XUL applications Platform: All
Version 0.6 has just been launched.  The widget itself is fairly stable,
but largely unreviewed by the community at large. Any suggestions visitors
have at this point will be considered.  http://serverpost.mozdev.org/

Add N Edit Cookie - v0.2, Add and edit session only and saved cookies.
For: Firefox 0.9.x-1.0, Mozilla 1.7.x/1.8a4
Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac OS X
Version 0.2 has every promised feature and a very easy to use date/time picker
for
expiration date editing.
Notable Highlights:
- Adds cookies
- Edits cookies values, expiration dates
- Easy to use date/time picker for expiration dates
- Filter feature for locating right cookies
http://addneditcookies.mozdev.org/

HONcode Status v1.5 - HONlookup v1.4, Collection of Mozilla / Netscape plugins for
HON.
For: Firefox
Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac OS X
Extensions have been updated to be compatible with Firefox 1.0.
http://hon.mozdev.org/

Launchy - v3.6.0, Increase your link powers with external applications.
For: Mozilla, Firefox, Thunderbird, Camino
Platform: All
Notable Highlights:
- Fixed viewing source of URL with # or ?. More info
at http://bugzilla.mozdev.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7766
- Fixed bug when right-clicking on image that is a link.
More info at http://bugzilla.mozdev.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7803
- Updated JSLib to latest
- Added IrfanView
- Added options item to toolbar
- Fixed locale with app type
- Added Polish locale
- Added launchy.xml generator (http://gemal.dk/mozilla/launchy-xmlfile.html)
http://gemal.dk/mozilla/launchy.html

Calendar Help - 0.1, Help documentation for Calendar and Sunbird.
For: Mozilla Suite, Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird
Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac OSX
New version released December 6 documents most of Calendar/Sunbird's user interface,
and
works in Sunbird, Firefox, Thunderbird and Mozilla Suite. This is a complete first
draft
of the English help, with twelve chapters and three appendixes.
Notable Highlights:
- Active links from Calendar/Sunbird's user interface to the appropriate help
topics
- Table of contents, index and glossary
- Keyboard, menu and toolbar reference information
http://calendarhelp.mozdev.org/

Habari Xenu - v0.9.3, A Cool XUL News Aggregator
For: Mozilla, Firefox
Platform: Windows, Linux
Several improvements to the aggregator including better parsing, OPML support,
Firefox
support.
Notable Highlights:
- OPML Import/Export
- Easy Subscription to feeds
- Impoved feed parsing
- Custom Stylesheets through userContent.css
- Update All and Catchup Support
- Improved stability
http://habarixenu.mozdev.org/

MAF - 0.4.3, Mozilla Archive Format.
For: Mozilla, Firefox
Platform: Windows, Linux
Fixed a few bugs and added additional locales.
Notable Highlights:
- Now has vbs scripts for windows filetype associations
- Added Russian and Polish locale
- Added ability to save selected tabs
http://maf.mozdev.org/

jsLib - v0.1.235, Mozilla JavaScript Library.
For: Mozilla, Firefox, Thunderbird
Platform: All
Tweaked install code for solid installation both w/ EM and XPInstall. Lot's of
library
updates, additions to the jslib protocol (type jslib:help for more details), updates
to
documentation, addition of jsliblive chrome folder for easier testing and execution
of
XUL files, added jsLib top level DOM object, I am also working on an article to help
new
moz app developers get up and running quickly w/ jsLib.
Notable Highlights:
- Library Cleanup
- Protocol enhancements
- DOM top level jslib object for easier initialization
- Worked on potential global namespace collision declarations
- fixed lot's of bugs</li>
http://jslib.mozdev.org/

purgecontrol - 0.2c, Protect important emails from being accidentally deleted.
For: Thunderbird
Platform: independent
Updated to work with Thunderbird 1.0.
http://purgecontrol.mozdev.org/

cuneAform - 0.3.1, The Community Built Editor that Anyone Can Use.
For: Mozilla 1.4 and up, Firefox 0.4 and up
Platform: Any platform
cuneAform 0.3.1 now works with Firefox 1.0!  Some internal issues were also resolved.
If
you have used or are using 0.3 please upgrade to this new version. cuneAform 0.3 had
a
serious error with the installer.
New Features in 0.3.1:
- Fixed bug in xpi archive that prevented the installation (silent
update)</li>
- Improved About Box
- Added Nightly Support
- Updated .rdf's
- Should be ready for 1.0
http://cuneaform.mozdev.org/

View Background Plus - v0.9, Opens all kinds of background images, not only those
in
BODY-tag.
For: Mozilla, Firefox
Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac OSX
Main features work as they should, but CSS definitions are only recognized if
embedded
inline in HTML element.
Notable Highlights:
- Go to <a href="http://www.imdb.com">IMDB</a> and try to save any of the
gallery
images. If that annoys you, you need View Background Plus ;)
- Quicksaving of background <strong>and</strong> normal images (slightly
experimental)
http://viewbgplus.mozdev.org/

ThunderFilter - v0.1, Utility to insert OO, RTF and Word files into mail.
For: Thunderbird
Platform: Linu
An extension to insert OpenOffice/StarOffice/RTF/Microsoft Word files into mail
composer
(Thunderbird). ThunderFilter do not attach files. This is the first release.
http://thunderfilter.mozdev.org/

Mnenhy - v0.7, Mozilla enhancements with special focus upon Mail & News.
For: Mozilla, Thunderbird and even Firefox
Platform: all
Mnenhy now displays X-Faces! The folder-dependent storage now stores preferences!
What's
Mnenhy? Mnenhy provides several tools and enhancements for use with Mozilla,
Thunderbird
and even Firefox:
- Custom header display for mail and news
- Folderstorage for storing threadpane layouts and preferences
folder-dependently
- Text codecs, e.g. ROT-13, Kenny, Base64 and many more
- Mozilla sidebar in MailNews
- Chrome Manager, a tool for manipulating the application's chrome registry
- Registry Viewer, a viewer for Mozilla's registry.dat file format
- Junk Tools with junk filter statistics and display of the 'undecided' junk
state
http://mnenhy.mozdev.org/

QuoteCollapse - v0.4, Collapse Quotes.
For: Mozilla, Thunderbird
Platform: All
QuoteCollapse collapses quotes (you guessed it!). This makes newsgroups with
complete
top quoting readable again, as well as those replies from people who don't know you
do
fcc...
Version 0.4 adds support for Thunderbird 1.0 and Mozilla 1.8a5.
Notable Highlights:
- Works with TB 1.0 and Mozilla 1.8a5
- Completely customizable
- Collapse/expand individual quotes, all subquotes, or by quote level
http://quotecollapse.mozdev.org/

AboutConfig - v0.4, about:config for TB.
For: Mozilla Thunderbird
Platform: All
The AboutConfig extension implements for Mozilla Thunderbird what about:config is
for
Mozilla Firefox and Suite. You can use it to change all preferences. Make sure you
know
what you are doing! If you don't know about:config you probably don't want to
use
AboutConfig. Updated for Thunderbird 1.0.
Notable Highlights:
Same interface as Firefox's about config.
Lean and mean preferences parsing.
Picks up localization from Thunderbird.
http://aboutconfig.mozdev.org/

Read more about each of these projects in the full report at
http://www.mozdev.org/status/2004-12-20-status.html

________________________________

4. POLL
________________________________

In our last issue, we asked if you would like to receive new releases, security
alerts
and new marketing campaigns announcements. Here are the results:

   Sure thing, make they come	   47%
   Yes, but limit them to no     44%
   more than once a week
   No way                         9%

This issue poll: Now that Firefox 1.0 is out what should be the next step?
   Focus on spreading the word and grab more market share
   Improve Live Bookmarks/RSS support
   Improve tab browsing
   Improve current theme
   Get under the hood and make it as slim and fast as possible
   Improve it. Period.
   I'm in net nirvana. Don't touch it.

Make your vote count at http://newsletter.mozdev.org

________________________________

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________________________________

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Visit: http://www.mozillastore.com/

****

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****

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Then, check the OpenOffice.org newsletter available at
http://www.openoffice.org/editorial/spotlightindex.html Open source just gets
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****

Your ad can be here! Visit http://newsletter.mozdev.org/mlsp.html for more details
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how to reach our 8000+ worldwide subscribers!

________________________________

5. CONTACT INFO
________________________________

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