News about Ajax and XUL in 2008

The photo of the day

Why is this picture so remarkable? Simply because this is not a picture, it is actually a 3D view of New York from Google Earth made with data collected by multiple contributors.
Click on the image for a larger view.
December 18, 2008.

A photo gallery offline with Gears

Gears is revolutionizing how software is distributed. Now, just connect to a site hosting the application to operate either online or offline, and click the offline button to add the application to his office and run it at any time without to be connected to Internet. But Ajax is essential for the online use, and that makes the advantage of combining the two technologies. A demonstration of Ajax with Gear in a gallery of robots, which is a tutorial for developers.
November 27, 2008.

Another JavaScript framework

JxLib is another Ajax framework that includes the library Mootools, and provides a set of components to create web interfaces. It is easy to see what is being proposed through the tree of components in the tab of examples. If the display is instantaneous on new browsers like Firefox 3.1 or Chrome, however, there is a delay in loading elements for each page.
November 12 2008.

XULRunner in a different OS

Sugar is a totally different environment for a computer. It is based on XULRunner for the browser and various free frameworks for other components. There are no files, folders or software but just an environment where people can write, draw, surf and everything we do is saved automatically. It is intended rather to education and runs on Linux.
October 31, 2008.

Flock 2.0 is released

Flock is unlike Chrome a browser with a rich interface full of gadgets and features, dedicated mainly to the social web and it connects to many sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube... The code of the browser is that of Firefox 3 and it inherits its capabilities.
October 15 2008.

Geolocation in Firefox 3 with Geode

Geode is an extension that determines the location of a Net surfer with precision (Mozilla says 10 m!), and that enables Web applications to take advantage of this by providing a service adapted to the user. If you want to join such a service, you must download the extension and for this, or to see the functions of the API.
The API geolocation is a standard, it is based on a W3C specification.
October 8 2008.

US $ 2 millions for an idea

That is what Google offers to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the society. You have an idea to change the world? Something that is useful to all? Go to the site dedicated to the project 10 to 100th, complete the form to explain your idea or make a suggestion. Three rounds of selection will be held, the top 100, then 20 and finally among them a group of experts will designate the 5 winners who will share $ 10 millions.
September 24 2008.

Birth of the Web Foundation

Tim Berlers-Lee, co-inventor of the World Wide Web and the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) announced on 14, the Web Foundation, established with $ 5 million. The purpose of the foundation is to promote the free Web, to understand how the Web works to anticipate future needs, to make it safer by preventing piracy.
September 15 2008.

The Google's browser

It is called Chrome, is very attractive according to the presentation that is made, which also includes a comic book offered by Google, and should be available for download on 2 or 3 September.
A browser designed for Web applications with a fast JavaScript compiler, which is also very simple to use, very safe as well.
2 September 2008.

Ultraspeed JavaScript

Firefox 3.1, in addition to a better support to HTML 5, incorporates a JavaScript compiler, TraceMonkey, which will replace the current SpiderMonkey interpreter. The compilation on the fly of JavaScript code will provide an atonishing gain in speed, up to be 40 times faster, as shown in these graphics of benchmarks. The largest gains are achieved on the processing of control structures, but the graphics are also at least two times faster, which will help the new Web applications made of buttons and other widgets.
August 27, 2008.

Best extensions for Firefox 3

Mozilla has announced the selection of the best extensions for Firefox 3. Among the new extensions, Pencil can extend Firefox in a construction tool of graphical interfaces. HandyTag helps users to find bookmarks by keywords. A second contest also has rewarded old extensions improved in updates.
August 22, 2008.

Firefox 3.1 for September

Firefox 3.1 will be released in September in final version (and not in August as planned). An alpha version is already available. New features in Firefox 3.1:
- Canvas: support for audio and video tags.
- HTML 5: better compatibility with the text API.
- Ajax: access to data from another site with XMLHttpRequest and Access Control, whose future is controversial because Internet Explorer does not implement it and will use the XDomainRequest object instead.
- CSS: better compatibility with CSS 3.0.
And many other new technologies like the integration of download in the interface and use of Gecko 1.9.1.
For XUL, a search widget and drag and drop between windows.
Source Mozilla.
August 13, 2008.

Firefox ported under Qt

This is the result of a joint effort of the Mozilla Foundation and Nokia (new owner of Trolltech, the creator of Qt). The sources are available on the Mozilla site to compile an experimental binary software. There is actually a compilation option for Qt in the build script. Using Qt does not mean that XUL is no longer used, only the graphics library on which is based XUL changes. Qt would be more efficient than GTK.
Reference OSNews.
August 7, 2008.

Concepts for the Mozilla browser, call for participation

Mozilla need for your ideas to design the Web browser of the future. This may be just an idea, expressed in a simple sentence, or a prototype, a model. Some projects are presented on the page of the new.
August 6, 2008.

Official record

A Guinness World Record is registered for the most software downloaded in 24 hours. 8,002,530 people downloaded Firefox 3, 15 days ago.
July 3, 2008.

Internet Explorer 8 and XDomainRequest

The new version of Internet Explorer is disappointing in some respects. No support of HTML 5 and Canvas. Another aspect of the schism between Microsoft and the rest of the world, is the introduction of the object XDomainRequest to communicate between different sites, while the W3C is achieving the Access Control specification whose it is the purpose. According to an article in reference at the bottom of the specification of the new object, Microsoft was not satisfied with the spec of the W3C and has decided to follow his own path.
June 21, 2008.

How many downloads?

You can get in real time the number of downloads of Firefox 3. For the Download Day, 8 300 000 copies have been downloaded.
June 18, 2008.

Where to get Firefox 3?

Firefox 3 may be downloaded. Choose the system and the language. You can install it next to the version 2 provided you rename the directory and the name to Mozilla Firefox 3, and it is recommended, otherwise Firefox 2 will be replaced by the new version.
June 17, 2008 (2h).

Should us download Firefox 3?

Tomorrow you can participate in a record and make Firefox 3 the software most downloaded in a day. But what you will get in the new final version of the browser? The list of new features provided by Firefox 3 will convince you undoubtedly you need to participate in the challenge! This new version is not only more convenient to navigate, but it includes also the functions of HTML 5 that turn the browser into a platform of Web applications, in connected mode or not.
June 16, 2008.

Flock 1.2

New version for the social browser, download it on Flock.com. A description of Flock is available on this site. This version adds integration to Digg and bug fixes.
Mai 3, 2008.
Updated: The Flock site is closed.

Record attempt for Firefox 3

The Download Day 2008 is an attempt to beat the record for the most downloaded software and include it in the Guinness. That's what Mozilla wants to accomplish with the release of Firefox 3 and surfers are invited to rush to all download it the first day. This will be in June. The exact day should be June 17.
May 29, 2008.

Data Project

Mozilla plans to put a program in Firefox that would allow to know the traffic of each website. It is sufficient that 1% of the 170 million users agree to install the plugins to have reliable statistics. Source TechCrunch.
May 14, 2008.

A lightbox with no framework

To build a lightbox and display text or images in a box, only two CSS descriptors are required. And some JavaScript code is added to dynamically change the contents of the box. JavaScript and CSS lightbox.
May 13, 2008.

Wubi and Ubuntu

Ubuntu 8.04 is released in final version. The major feature of this Linux distribution is the Wubi Installer. This tools allows to install Linux from Windows just as any Application for Windows, into a folder and without to create a partition.
April 24, 2008.

OMS, a free codec by Sun

Besides the licensed audio codecs (MP3) and video (Xvid, MPEG 4), free solutions exist as Ogg and Vorbis. Codecs become particularly important with the future advent of HTML 5 which provides multimedia tags and encourages free formats. It faces competition from Flash and Silverlight for the creation of Web applications, and each advocating their proprietary format. Sun has decided to actively support an open source video and audio format, the Open Media System (or Open Media Stack), more efficient and more comprehensive than other current free formats.
April 15, 2008.

Safari 3.1 for Windows available

On the Apple site, you can download the final version of the MacIntosh browser for the PC. The firm claims a speed display double that of Firefox and IE. The rendering is nice and som options replace FF plugins such Snapback that creates a point of return at a site visit.

A setback for Gecko

Although the Mozilla Foundation has paid $ 10000 to support Gnome, developers of the user interface for Linux have decided to replace Gecko by WebKit into their browser Epiphany. The main reason is the slow development of Gecko. In addition WebKit, renderer for Mac Safari and KDE uses technology already included in Gnome.

Adobe AIR for Linux

Adobe joined the Linux Foundation, which promotes the use of Linux, and makes available for download a Linux version of Adobe Integrated Runtime, which also works on Windows and Mac. A more and more serious competitor to XUL, to achieve RIA running on the Web or on the desktop. (March 30, 2008)

Open Office 2.4 is out

With this new version you can customize icons in toolbars, and a lot of new features.

The multimedia player Miro 1.0

Miro is a video player similar to Windows' Media Player, but cross-platform and open source, supported by Mozilla. It is based on XUL and recognizes virtually all formats including AVI, WMV and MP3. The version 1.2 is available for download. (March 25, 2008)

Extend Firefox 3 contest

After the contest for Firefox 2, Mozilla offers to programmers a challenge for Firefox 3. Developers are asked to take advantage of new features of Firefox 3 to create new extensions, but Firefox 2 extensions transposed and improved are also eligible. Dates: March 17 to July 8, 2008. You can win trips and computers.

Ulteo Application System available

Created by the founder of Mandriva, Ulteo, based on Linux, offers online applications such as Open Office, which run on the browser. Ulteo Application System that is now available to download, allows as Prism to install them locally on the desktop and to work with remote applications.

Prism is now an extension for Firefox.

Under Firefox 3, it is now possible to directly convert a Web service into an application on the desktop. That with a new extension.

Firefox: 500 million downloads

Number given by the Mozilla Foundation. (February 23, 2008)

Photoshop under Linux

Google sponsors improvements in Wine, the emulator of Windows software, to allow Photoshop running perfectly under Linux. Picasa from Google runs under Linux thanks to Wine, and Flash 8 from Adobe too.

MySQL is now a product of Sun

For $ 1 billion, the creator of the Java language has acquired the database engine which powers most Web sites, blogs and forums. This acquisition excites the world of open source software, but the new owner says that nothing will be changed in the development and the release mode of MySQL. Sun hopes that more companies will use MySQL rather than a Microsoft solution.

155 583 825 websites in january 2008

According to the Netcraft society it is the number of sites in the World. In December, 5 million new sites have emerged. 50% sites have an Apache server, and 35% a server from Microsoft, but that includes blogs. Google gets 5% of the market thanks to blogs hosted on its servers.

Android, the race is started

Since today, January 2, and until April 14, 2008, it is possible to participate to the Android Developer Challenge and win up to $ 10 millions by building an application for the Google's mobile platform. In the first phase, 50 programmers will earn 25000 Dollars, and may participate in the second phase. What is especially sought are innovative applications that deliver a better mobile experience, in all areas of focus...

A new search engine is born ... and dead (updated December 2009)

After months of questioning, Wikia has just put online the alpha version of its search engine based on the collaborative principles of Wikipedia, also founded by Jimmy Wales. It is a multilingual service and that is surprising for a new product. The engine provides relevant results close to those of Google but does seem to give a premium for encyclopedic content. Wikia is based on the Grub software purchased to Looksmart, and allowing contributors to refine the results. (January 7, 2008).

Updated December 2009: the search service is replaced by an answer service.

Netscape is over

The blog of netscape announced the end of support for the browser that was at the base of Mozilla and Firefox, late January. The netscape.com site had become a digg-like, but it has been renamed Propeller.com. Now the domain is redirected to aol.com.
Netscape was acquired by AOL for 4.2 billion Dollars in 1999. (December 28th 2007)

Knol, an improved Wikipedia announced by Google

A detailed study of this new online encyclopedia.

The SDK for Android, the Google's platform is out

Note that US$ 275.000 may be earned by making a software for Android before the end of March 2008. See the video of a demo for a first application.

Firefox 2 extensions contest.
Take your Firefox Add-on idea to the masses. Runs until December 31st, 2007. (Nov 10, 2007)

Flock 1.0 released.
A social Gecko-based browser, perfect for bloggers. (Nov 3, 2007)

Prism available on Linux and Mac.
(Nov 2, 2007)