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Posts tagged Firefox
Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 9 to the masses
Mar 15th
Microsoft have released the final build of their Internet Explorer 9 web browser in an attempt to stem its steady loss of users to alternative browsers like Firefox and Chrome. IE9 features an enhanced user interface with the removal of unnecessary toolbars and the amalgamation of the address and search boxes into one field and the alignment of the address/search bar and tabs into one row. The new browser also offers impressive speed improvements and also great leaps in support for web standards like HTML5. Web standards are a common set of guidelines offered by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) that browser vendors and web developers are expected to adhere to to ensure a consistent experience across all software. Internet Explorer has been notoriously poor at this in the past, and Microsoft has sought to rectify their previous errors.
The improvement in web standards support will be welcomed with open arms by web designers such as us at Areatrade as it means less extra code is needed to ensure compatibility in all software. Microsoft has recently been calling for the small minority of users still stuck on version 6 of the software to upgrade to a newer version. Many IT departments have More >
Flock – The Social Web Browser
Dec 1st
Flock was first released in 2005 and is known for its social networking elements, for years the browser was based on the GECKO rendering engine, same as Firefox. In June it has swopped over to use Googles Chromium Engine in an attempt re-invent itself.
With the financial backing of Marc Andreessen, the founder of Netscape they have created the future of browsing and have been quick to react to the launch of RockMelt a start up looking for a piece of the social browsing market. Albiet a little cumbersome and not nearly as polished as Flock, it has ruffled a few feathers, competition is good.
See the into for Flock – better still download it – its free and take it for a spin.
Let us know what you think.
Firefox 4 Beta for Mobile Is Here
Oct 8th
Mozilla has just unleashed Firefox Beta for mobile on the waiting world.
Formerly codenamed “Fennec,” Mozilla’s mobile project is now simply called Firefox (Firefox).
The initial rollout is available for owners of Nokia N900 phones and any device running Android (Android) 2.0 (a.k.a. Eclair) or higher. Tested and supported devices include the Droid, Droid 2, Droid X, Desire, Evo, Galaxy S and more.
iPhone (iPhone) users, we’re sorry, but you’ll have to stick with the Firefox Home app in the App Store (App Store) for now. Mozilla has no plans to work on BlackBerry for now.
Mozilla says this mobile browser is “built on the same technology platform as Firefox 4 for desktop computers, just optimized for browsing on a mobile device.” The browser includes such features as syncing, add-ons and the Awesome Bar.
The product is still in beta; updates will be rolled out regularly before a final version is announced.
What do you think: Will you be downloading Firefox 4 for your phone?
Google Chrome Only Browser to Show Measurable Growth This Year
Oct 4th
All very unremarkable, except that Internet Explorer lost .75% share in the same interim, even amidst the release of its upgrade IE9.
Still, less than a percent movement in either direction is not especially worthy of note, until you consider change over time.
Of course, browser market share is a difficult thing to measure, as there’s no guarantee that these stats are 100% accurate. But the measurement in change over time does seem to suggest that Chrome is carving out a nice foothold in the browser war. 7.98% does not a winner make, so it will be interesting to see how things play out over the course of the next few months.
What is your favourite browser and why?….
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