Firefox 3

So, Internet Explorer 8 is supposed to ship with a compatibility mode defaulted to on, which is a big step in the right direction. I figured Firefox 3 would have to be pretty darn shiny to keep up. And it is.

Security was given a lot of thought, it seems, both from the user's perspective and the developers'. The warning messages aren't cryptic anymore; broken SSL certificates, for example, have warning messages designed for more of a layman. Malware sites are blocked via blacklist. It integrates smoothly with an external antivirus.

All of the extensions I use work just fine, with quick reinstalls of a few. The Add-On management is much, much slicker; no more going to a separate website to find and install things, and restarting Firefox is *fast* to get new Add-Ons up and running.

Full screen zoom (everything gets larger for my old eyes). Vista integration is slick. OS/X integration with Growl for notifications. OS/X forms feel more like something in Safari, which is an interesting choice.

Bookmarks can be tagged, instead of foldered. (Read that last one again!) You can use a webmail client (Gmail) as the handler for a mailto: link.

Last and largest, they plugged the terrible problem with memory leaks, and it runs noticeably faster on my laptop. I'm saying install this one immediately if you're a Firefox user, and possibly consider migrating to Firefox if you're not. A++.

The only thing missing is a sync between instances of Firefox on different machines, which is something under development with Mozilla Weave. So far, mostly good with that, but that's a full other post, and a currently open problem in Bugzilla.

Firefox Extensions

It's been done a lotta times. Here it goes again. The Firefox extensions I find most useful:

• AdBlock. Block any image or page element, with wildcard support. Never view ads again.
  
• All-In-One Gestures. It's really nice to right click, drag left, and go back a page.
• BugMeNot. Bypass compulsory web registration on otherwise free content.
• Del.Icio.Us. Easy interface to the social linking network.
• Firebug. Edit and debug CSS and JavaScript in real time.
• Forecastfox. For my non-dev browser, view the weather for the next few days.
• Google Browser Sync. Keep all my computers' links in sync with each other.
• IETab. Bring up an IE window in a Firefox tab.
• JSView. Easily view external JavaScript files.
  
• SwitchProxy. Easily switch between SSL tunnels.
• Web Developer. Cavalcade of web design doodads.

Google Browser Sync is heavyweight, but pretty much necessary for me, across two laptops and two desktop machines. ForecastFox should probably be done with a stand-alone application, but the stand alone apps are even heavier weight. With all eleven add-ons active, Firefox still runs just fine on all of my machines, so game on.

Firefox Extension, MacWorld Conference

So, for those of us who work in a quieter office, I think there's a Firefox extension I want. Before any web page plays any sound or music, I want a warning tone. So if someone links me to a site that has a song playing in the background, I want a four count beep (beep beep beep beep) and then whatever the actual sound is.

That way, I at least have a second to turn down my speakers to a reasonable volume after I've been tricked into clicking on a link to a Rick Astley video.

Anyone know if something like that exists for Firefox? Safari?

In other news, MacWorld is today. Rumor mill suggests a 16 GB iPhone, 1.1.3 software release, Open SDK release, but still no GPS. On the laptop front, a thinner/lighter model, possibly with an all solid-state drive. Also, wireless everything; hard drive with integrated wireless, or ubiquitous wireless networking in a laptop using WiMax, EDGE, or EVDO. iTunes might become a Netflix-like video rental. Should be interesting. 9 AM PST, no live webcast this year.