Mozilla scores enterprise email win: 130,000 French government PCs switch to Thunderbird

Filed under: News, E-mail, Mozilla, Open Source

A French website [Google Translate link] is reporting that 130,000 Tax Authority computer systems are soon to make a major switch to open source software. Email and calendar duties are being handed over to Thunderbird and the Lightning plugin. The move also includes a transition to OBM's open source groupware/collaboration/messaging platform.

When the General Directorate of Public Finance was formed, two tax agencies were combined. Their users were split, with 80,000 using Lotus Notes and 50,000 running Microsoft Outlook. In the end, the new agency's decision had a lot to do with a desire not to re-license Lotus Notes and Outlook and to simplify operations by supporting a single client.

Thunderbird had already made inroads with the French Department of Defense as well as the Misitry of Culture. The new migration brings the total number of installs to more than 200,000.

Always nice to see Mozilla adoption in the enterprise!

[via OSOR.eu]

Mozilla scores enterprise email win: 130,000 French government PCs switch to Thunderbird originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firefox 3.6 Beta 1 now available!

Filed under: Internet, Mozilla, Browsers

Let's not beat around the bush: Download the new version of Firefox now.

With that out of the way, here are the new features that debut with Firefox 3.6, straight from the release page:

• Users can now change their browser's appearance with a single click, with built in support for Personas.
• Firefox 3.6 will alert users about out of date plugins to keep them safe.
• Open, native video can now be displayed full screen, and supports poster frames.
• Support for the WOFF font format.
• Improved JavaScript performance, overall browser responsiveness and startup time.
• Support for new CSS, DOM and HTML5 web technologies.

These new changes mostly come from an upgrade to version 1.9.2 of Gecko, the HTML engine that does most of the rendering work in Firefox (and its light-weight sister Camino) -- and as with all version revisions, you will have to update most or all of your add-ons (there's even a compatibility checker!)

Developers should check out the notes for 3.6, if they haven't yet updated the add-ons they administer.

If you've heard enough, here are some direct download links to get you upgraded to the Beta ASAP:

• Windows: Firefox 3.6 Beta 1 Setup.exe
• Mac OS X: Firefox 3.6 Beta 1.dmg
• Linux: firefox-3.6b1.tar.bz2

Firefox 3.6 Beta 1 now available! originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mozilla release mockups for upcoming Firefox Linux releases

Filed under: Linux, Mozilla, Browsers

The folks at Mozilla have released the first mockup showing what Firefox 4.0 may look like on Linux... and it looks an awful lot like the Windows version.

Firefox 4.0 isn't due out for another year or so, but the developers have already stated a few goals for the project. One idea is to move the browser tabs above the location bar. Another is to consolidate the menus into a few tabs that will hang out next to the location bar. Both movies will free up space, allowing more of the browser to be dedicated to displaying web pages.

If the end result looks familiar, that's because it looks an awful lot like the default layout in the Google Chrome web browser.

Mozilla has also released some mockups of Firefox 3.7 for Linux. One of the most notable changes is that the interface will be more consistent across platforms. Firefox 3.7 for Linux will use the same Forward/Back buttons as the Mac and Windows versions, for example. The edges of the browser, tabs, and other elements will also be curved rather than angled, which will make the browser look more like the mac and Windows versions.

At this point, both the Firefox 3.7 and 4.0 mockups represent proposed changes and not finished products, so things may change by the time these browsers are actually released.

[via OMG! Ubuntu]

Mozilla release mockups for upcoming Firefox Linux releases originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firefox 3.6 has juicy Superbar integration with Windows 7 (and you can disable it)

Filed under: Microsoft, Mozilla, Browsers

Yesterday I told you about the new Firefox 3.6 Beta -- and today, I can show you a neat bit of Windows 7 integration. Windows 7 uses Microsoft's Aero window manager and theme -- you've probably heard about it, or learnt to hate it in Vista -- and in it there's a cool technology called 'Aero Peek'. As you can see in the screenshot above, in Firefox 3.6 Beta, Aero Peek is now fully enabled, and smoother than its implementation in 3.6b1pre.

Aero Peek lets you see what's going on in a particular program without having to actually click anything -- you can just mouse-over it on the alt-tab running-programs menu or on the Superbar. In Firefox 3.5 this works for the Firefox window itself, but not the tabs within. Now, in 3.6 Beta, you can see what's going on in any tab by hovering your mouse over the thumbnail. I do wonder if this requires massive disk-swapping though, or if it takes snapshots -- but I'm pretty sure Aero shows you the window contents in real-time. Either way, it's cool, and beats the hell out of tabbing through 20 different tabs to find what you're looking for.

Those of you that are already using 3.6 might have noticed another neat thing: when you have a bunch of tabs (10+ in our testing) open, you get a "buttonized" list of favicons and page titles, instead of thumbnails. You can still jump straight to a tab or see a preview from the Superbar.

Don't like the Aero Peek integration? You can easily disable it -- if you're worried about the potential performance hit -- just whack about:config into your Firefox address bar and set browser.taskbar.previews.enable to false.

[Download Firefox 3.6 Beta here]

Firefox 3.6 has juicy Superbar integration with Windows 7 (and you can disable it) originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Track Black Friday prices with Invisible Hand add on for Firefox

Filed under: Internet, News, Mozilla, Holiday Gift Guide, Search, Browsers, Web

We've covered Invisible Hand, the discreet shopping comparison add on for Firefox, which displays prices on items you are searching on the web. Just in time for Black Friday, the hand has trotted out a new add on which along with other improvements, incorporates Google search results.

Now, you can get your price results in real time so you know you're getting the best deal. My test drive of the hand went smooth, the results loaded up within a second or two and updates were very discreet. This is a real time saver for getting price results.

The add on will be officially released to the Mozilla site within a few weeks, but the first 200 Download Squad readers can download the beta version. Just click on the link below and key in invisibleDLS for the access code.

http://preview.getinvisiblehand.com/

Track Black Friday prices with Invisible Hand add on for Firefox originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mozilla Jetpack contest winner harnesses GPU power to process data

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

Mozilla Labs has announced a winner of the Jetpack .5 contest. While Jetpack is known primarily as a framework for allowing coders with a web development background to put together add-on type enhancements for Firefox, the winner 's project wasn't your run-of-the-mill sidebar hack.

Alex Miltsev's submission was jetpack-to-CUDA, and it provides Jetpack developers with a simple way to offload intense processing tasks to GPUs. CUDA (demo video above) is NVidia's parallel computing architecture - and with CUDA-capable chips in more than 100 million PCs, Miltsev's handiwork could enable some seriously cool (and powerful) Jetpack add-ons to be developed.

The runners up (not to take anything away from them) were much more standard Jetpack offerings - a Google Translate extension, link shortener and sharer, and Twitter client.

Kudos to Miltssev for his creative entry! Here's hoping we see some truly awesome things in future versions of Firefox and Jetpack as a result.

Mozilla Jetpack contest winner harnesses GPU power to process data originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Five essential addons for new Firefox users (Happy fifth birthday, Firefox!)

Filed under: Features, Mozilla, Browsers, Lists

Five years ago today, a new web browser arrived on the scene. Yes, it was Firefox 1.0. At the half-decade mark, Firefox has become a force to be reckoned with. Nearly one in four people on the Internet is now using Firefox - and that includes the entire population of Antarctica!

If Firefox users were a country, they'd be the third most populous in the world - behind only China and India - at 330 million people! 2009 has certainly been a big year for the Fox.

Mozilla's add-on site reports 4.3 million registered users using nearly 164 million add-ons. That's a lot of people using a lot of add-ons. If you're a new Firefox user, you might be having trouble deciding which are worth installing.

Since this is Firefox's fifth birthday, here are five add-ons that can make browsing better for just about anyone!

Continue reading Five essential addons for new Firefox users (Happy fifth birthday, Firefox!)

Five essential addons for new Firefox users (Happy fifth birthday, Firefox!) originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Firefox has a new logo: Furry fetishists rejoice!

Filed under: Internet, Mozilla, Open Source, Browsers

You are looking at the new logo for Firefox Mobile: The Pocketfox!

It looks more like some Harry Potter fan-art in my opinion -- someone with a Fawkes the Phoenix fetish -- but no matter! It's cute and very vibrant. It will certainly stand out, and ultimately that's what matters.

I can't help but wonder if the 'What's that in your pocket?' double entendre was intentional or not. I'd like to think the Mozilla developers have a sense of humor! If you want to find out more about Firefox Mobile (I don't think many people have heard of it), check out its 'Coming Soon...' page, which is full of juicy details about the new browser.

Mozilla have held a few contests recently. The one that's open at the moment -- 'Five years of Firefox' -- is open until December 9th. They're looking for poster ideas to celebrate their birthday. It feels like only yesterday that I held my Firefox 1.0 launch party...

What do you think of the new logo? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Mobile Firefox has a new logo: Furry fetishists rejoice! originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firefox for Mobile Beta now available... if you own a Nokia N810 or N900

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

All ten of you that don't own a BlackBerry or iPhone... rejoice! I just can't believe I get to use the new Firefox for Mobile logo twice in two days.

It might be buggy, it might be slow, but the Fennec web browser has finally been branded a Mozilla product and dubbed the 'Firefox for Mobile Beta 5'. If you want to see a picture of it up and running on a mobile handset, head on over to the NokiaExperts website.

Here's a quick run-down of the features and neat bits:

• AWESOMEBAR -- I had no idea it was actually called this. It's the searching-url-navigation-bar thing. I wonder how slow it searches through my web history, compared to the sluggish performance on my laptop...
• Security -- password manager, pop-up blocker, automatic updates -- all there!
• Add-ons -- you can find and install add-ons straight to the device (though I have no idea what kind of add-on compatibility there is...)
• Device geolocation -- it seems there's a JavaScript API call that lets developers/web sites geolocate the handset? Cool.
• Neat swiping stuff -- swipe left and right to expose and hide navigation and tabs.

Awesome! Now when do we see it on a device with larger-than-miniscule user base?

[via NokiaExperts]

Firefox for Mobile Beta now available... if you own a Nokia N810 or N900 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firefox 3.6 Beta 2 now ready for download, with 190 bug fixes

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers

The second beta version of Firefox 3.6 has arrived, following hot on the furry little heels of 3.6b1, which was only a week and a half old. Mozilla's touting a whopping 190 bug fixes in that time, many of them user-submitted. If you're using an older version of 3.6, you should definitely update.

In my personal experience with 3.6, I've found that most of my themes and several of my add-ons (including the essential Greasemonkey) haven't been updated yet. On the whole, however, it feels very fast (especially at startup) and has proven very stable.

All the major upgrades came in 3.6b1, but if you're using Firefox 3 or 3.5, here's what might entice you to give 3.6 a shot: it offers faster Javascript performance and startup time, built-in support for the Personas one-click theming system, full-screen video and poster frames. If you want to wait for the final version of 3.6, you'll be pleased to hear it's scheduled for December. If the quick turnaround on Beta 2 is any indication, Mozilla is back on track to make that deadline.

Firefox 3.6 Beta 2 now ready for download, with 190 bug fixes originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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