Firefox 3 & Internet Explorer 8 (new)

[redbeacon]

Paving the way for the new Firefox 3...

 

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Mozilla has released Firefox 3 (beta 1), where this beta is targeted for web developers and the testing community.

 

Based on the Gecko 1.9 engine – which has been under development for 27 months, consisting of nearly two million lines of code – the beta is designed to showcase Firefox's increased performance, stability, and security, while maintaining an easy to use, customizable interface.

 

Firefox 3 beta 1 brings malware and web page forgery protection, as well as a button that displays security information for the current site. The new version automatically checks plugin versions and can disable older, insecure versions, as well as preventing automatic plugin updates if the connection method is insecure.

 

Antivirus integration will inform any active antiviral software when it is downloading a file, and the new SSL error pages provide clearer definitions and deal with problematic content in a stricter manner.

 

In addition to increased speed and reliability, Mozilla has made a number of refinements enhancing ease-of-use and personalization. A new download manager increases efficiency when looking for transferred files, and Firefox now supports resumable downloads.

 

Web pages can be zoomed into, scaling the layout, text, and images for better visability. Plugins can now be enabled and disabled in the Add-on Manager, and web based protocols such as "mailto:" links will now coordinate with web sources, such as a webmail client.

 

At its current stage, Firefox 3 beta 1 offers over 30 fixes and additions, and Mozilla says that more will be added and refined as the beta stage progresses.

 

** Again, this is "beta", meaning that this is an unfinished product, released for web developers and technology buffs to "test it out to see whether it's nice or not".

 

So whilst we have not heard of it or tried it out, as with any software designated as "Beta", do expect minor problems such as Firefox 3b crashing on you, it behaving erratically, and any unforseen symptoms. And please, do not do Internet Banking or Credit Card transactions on this unfinished product. Goodness knows what may happen. Cheers ~Nelly

[redbeacon]

Testers can now download Firefox 3, in its 3rd beta stage

 

Firefox 3.0 Beta 3 is available for download from Mozilla's developer FTP site [here], according to Brazilian enthusiast site Blog.MacMagazine. Blogger Rafael Fischmann reports that a casual browse of Mozilla's public FTP server revealed the latest beta, which sports a very Mail-inspired, but slender interface. The popular browser takes a few design cues from other Apple applications as well, with the URL field resembling that of iPhoto's search field.

 

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/5420/12firefoxinae8.th.jpg

what Firefox 3 beta looks

like on the Macintosh. (Click to enlarge)

 

Fischmann hypothesizes that, based on what he sees, it appears to be a final implementation of the beta before it reaches Gold Master, or distributable status. He estimates that Mozilla will have finalized the Firefox 3 code by April 2008.

 

Observation: Firefox 3.0 Beta 3 has supposedly been available for approximately eight days.

[redbeacon]

Internet Explorer 8 is here!

The newest incarnation of the Internet Explorer browser is now available for sampling (i.e.: beta)

~ ReadWriteWeb, March 05, 2008

 

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/7427/ie8beta1011iw4.th.jpg

Remember smart-tags for Office 2003? In IE8, it's called "Activities". (see below)

 

Microsoft's next-generation web browser, Internet Explorer 8, has arrived. In a surprising move, after the demo of IE8 and its new features at a MIX08 conference in Las Vegas, the startling announcement was made: "It's available for download now".

 

Microsoft promises, amongst many new features, standards compliance. This step means that it should place IE 8 among the rarified company of such standards-friendly browsers as Firefox and Apple's Safari.

 

Features-wise, expect Facebook and eBay integration, and the ability to work intelligently with AJAX web pages. What's most notable about IE8, though, is more than a sum of its parts. If anything, this launch shows that Microsoft is not taking a chance on Firefox's small successes in creeping into the browser market share.

 

"IE8 will behave like a good boy, just like Firefox and Apple Safari"

 

There were hints that IE8 would be a remarkable offering as they promised that IE8 will adopt Standards Compliance. One of this was the announcement of IE8's passing of the Acid2 test (a test for standards compliance) marked a milestone in IE8's development.

 

Moreover, IE 8 features a a new "super standards mode" rendering mode, enabled by default. This is a huge change from Microsoft's previous backwards compatibility fixation, and it promises that webpages will definitely display with the exact same hassle- and problem- free standards, just like Firefox, and Apple Safari browsers.

 

Other Standards Compliance highlights and tidbits apart from Acid2 compatibility include: CSS 2.1 support, HTML/DOM improvements, intelligent AJAX functionality for the back/forward browser buttons, and IE8 "Developer Tools"

 

WebSlices

 

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Webslices: After subscription to a news website, where

users can simply click on a button to

view the latest news, without the need to go to the website itself

 

Touted as something that looks like RSS, "WebSlices" lets users subscribe to a chunk of live content on a web-site (such as a snippet of an ever changing news column), and lets the users open up that content later in their free time, but in a slimmed down window. All this, without having to visit the web site itself.

 

Facebook (Blog), eBay, Yahoo! Live Maps, Me.dium Integration

 

Microsoft capitalized on their partnership with the popular social networking site, Facebook, to allow IE8 users the ability to get status updates from Facebook right from their browser toolbar.

 

Like Facebook, EBay will exploit this abovementioned new feature called "WebSlices, letting you view and track your auctions right from the buttons on your web browser.

 

Another WebSlice was integration with Live Maps. Highlight text on a page, like an address, and then right-click and choose Live Maps from the context menu to get a WebSlice preview of that location on a map in a small pop-up window.

 

Me.dium helps web surfers discover and view WebSlices directly from the sidebar. The Me.dium sidebar will alert users to the presence of WebSlices on any page – and even allows users to read each WebSlice, without leaving the Sidebar. In addition, Me.dium will make real-time recommendations for other WebSlices on other relevant web pages and provides direct links to them based on the real time activity of other Me.dium users.