The über weather extension for Firefox has been updated to version 0.7.9.2, introducing a bunch of fixes. Those who already have ForecastFox installed can simply hit the Update button in the Firefox extension window. Before upgrading or installing, please read the note below carefully.

Please note that version 0.7.5 and higher "pings" our server when it is installed or uninstalled. No information is sent other than what version is being installed or uninstalled, and on what program (Mozilla vs Firefox). We simply increment a value in a database everytime it gets pinged so that we can have a rough usercount. You can see the statistic page that we use here. By knowing how many users we have and how many users upgrade, we will have a better idea of what we need to work on. For example, we will know if we should spend time supporting Mozilla and Netscape, and if we need to support migrating/upgrading from early versions. Thank you for understanding.

Changes since 0.7.8

• Added: Deer Park (Firefox 1.1) Compatibility
• Added: Moon phase and number
• Fixed: Bug 10387 - Forcastfox can not display non-ASCII characters in customize dialog and tooltips.
• Fixed: Bug 10400 - Long forecast summary is truncated in tooltip
• Fixed: Bug 10401 - Location code bug (doesn't handle single quotes)
• Fixed: Bug 10424 - preferences can't contain single quotes (fixes some upgrade/profile issues)
• Fixed: Not pinging downgrades to 0.7.1/0.7
• Fixed: Upgrade from 0.7.1/0.7 causes a problem with creating and renaming profiles.
• Fixed: Options and About dialogs are no longer modal with the main browser window.
• Fixed: (0.7.9.2) Profiles and settings being lost on firefox startup.

Anyone know of a good weather based panel for Opera 8?

Gervase Markham has blogged about the recently popped-up article on Slashdot.org about the Firefox trademark and Debian issues.

Firefox Trademark and Debian

<sigh>. Why is it the press never actually bother to ask the people involved before running with a story? Or, for that matter, actually reading the sources? RTFA clearly doesn't just apply to Slashdot posters.

The Mozilla Foundation has applied for or is going through the process of applying for our trademark in the USA, the EU and other countries. The EU trademark gives us coverage in all EU countries, including Germany. We have a licence with the Firefox trademark holder in the UK; as a gesture of goodwill, we even have a link to them on firefox.com. Getting this worked out was one of the delaying factors in announcing the Firefox name, way back when. Having said that, the law provides protection for trade names even if a trademark has not yet been applied for.

We are currently discussing with Debian how we can come to an arrangement so that Debian can ship Firefox still being called "Firefox", while we make sure that "Firefox" remains a mark of quality. The main issue is not with Debian itself - everyone agrees they ship quality software - more with the rights that are passed on to someone who modifies and redistributes Debian's package.

Neither Debian nor any other Linux distributor is expected to be covered by the general trademark policy, as the article erroneously implies - that's not even a suggestion. We understand their needs are different. We have agreements with many Linux distributors which gives them the flexibility they need in shipping software inside their system, and we would like to have one with Debian.

Rather than try and summarise or soundbite the position, I encourage anyone interested to actually read the thread (and the previous threads on this topic from several months ago). And ignore ZDNet's attempts to create a mountain out of a molehill.

Asa Dotzler has added a new blog entry trying to reiterate his motivations. Here's a snip...

I don't hate the Opera browser. My criticism of the feature set and user interaction complexity is not intended to "bash Opera" as many seem to think. I've pointed out what I think needs to improve if Opera is to gain a significant user base. If you're paying much attention, you'll see that the people making the Opera browser also believe that it needs to be easier to use. The move away from complexity, between the 7.5 app and the 8.0 app, seems very much in line with making Opera easier to use and I think makes Opera viable to a somewhat larger audience. A bit more cleanup, and removing the advertising or dropping the cost much closer to 0, I think are necessary (though not sufficient) steps to becoming a mainstream browser. If Opera can start taking significant market share away from IE, I will be cheering right along with the Opera users.

Firefox isn't there yet either. We've got plenty more to do to make the web easier to use. We've also got a ways to go on improving our distribution channels. The next year is going to be crucial for Firefox and while I'm confident we're up for the challenge, we're not yet where we need to be.

Unfortunately Opera Watch was quick to point out to a comment by Asa Dotzler himself which kinda makes his peace attempt failing.

Opera gets significantly less than half of it's income from the desktop browser. Unfortunately, you all are probably right (though you got your figurers quite wrong) that Opera cannot afford to just give away the browser and maintain the organization they have today. That's a shame because it means that Opera will probably not achieve any significant mainstream penetration until they can find a better revenue model.

I think that's also a useful distinction between Opera and Firefox. Opera's goal is clearly "making money" (and I'm assuming that just like corporations in the US, they're required by law to do what's best for their stockholders - make money, and not necessarily what's best for their users). It's really unfortunate that the desktop browser is a necessary revenue generator for Opera right now. It means that the money has to comes first and the user experience is secondary to that. The trade-offs may mostly be small, but the in-browser advertising is probably not small in the minds of the hundreds of millions of users who are using a browser without in-browser advertising.

I'm sure glad that Firefox isn't in that compromised position. Firefox gets to do what's right for the user first and foremost. Maybe Opera can find a way to do more with less or generate more from their embedded story so they don't have to sacrifice desktop user experience for revenue. Like I said in the top post here, I think that's a necessary condition for mainstream penetration and getting beyond the 1-2% market share it's got now.

The Mozilla Foundation has released the first alpha release of the Deer Park. Deer Park Alpha 1 is the developer's preview of the upcoming Mozilla Firefox 1.1, but is not intended for the normal end-user. Therefor, if you want to try it, remember, it's an alpha release!

New in this release are the santize feature (delete private data), instant back/foward (disabled by default), SVG support and much more.

The popular weather extension for Mozilla Firefox, dubbed ForecastFox has been updated to version 0.7.8.1 and now includes support for Netscape Browser 8.

• Fixed: Encoding of strings for translations (may need more work).
• Fixed: Links in Mozilla dialogs not working.
• Fixed: Radar can now be shown when current conditions is disabled.
• Added: New images!
• Fixed: Import not correctly migrating files from previous versions.
• Fixed: Options dialog changed focus incorrectly when validating inputs.
• Fixed: Old error information retrieved sometimes.
• Fixed: Forecastfox not being in the right position when next to throbber/update icon.
• Fixed: Forecastfox breaking when too many days are selected.
• Fixed: Default severe weather tooltip to text only.

Asa Dotzler, who is now having a break for a week, announced before he left a new round of release candidates for the first alpha release of Deer Park. What is Deer Park? Deer Park is the developer 's preview on the upcoming Firefox 1.1 release and is not intended for end-users.

new deer park a1 testing builds

Yesterday we took what was supposed to be the final change into Deer Park Alpha 1 - the change to the theme and extension version from what we had on the 1.0 branch. This caused some fallout and we're looking for additional testing to make sure there aren't any unknowns in the area of extension updating.

Please grab one of the builds below and give it a whirl. If you find any additional problems with extension or theme update or install, please let me know here. Thanks.

• windows
• linux
• mac

The first bench of Deer Park 1.1 Alpha 1 release candidates have been released. What is Deer Park? Deer Park is the codename for the upcoming Mozilla Firefox 1.1 release and is without branding in order to keep end-users away from an early developers preview release.

deer park alpha 1 candidate builds available for testing

We're pretty much there and have a round of builds that are very, very close to what we will ship as Deer Park Alpha 1 (what will eventually ship as Firefox 1.1)

If you'd like to help us test these candidates, please grab one from the links below. Note that for our alpha releases, we know there are feature and polish issues that we haven't completely worked out but we want to get the core code out to our community so they can test out major Gecko and platform changes ASAP.

The Gecko included in this candidate build is about one year of development improved since the Gecko that shipped in Firefox 1.0. We've also made major changes to the extension system. XUL application developers, extension and theme developers, and web developers are the primary audience for the upcoming Alpha.

Oh, one other note, we've also added (thank, Robert) a new feature called "Reporter". This is a wizard for reporting broken websites. You can install this from the custom install and access it from the Help menu. Please report any broken websites you find in this candidate or the actual Alpha build using the new Reporter tool.

These are candidate builds, not the final Deer Park Alpha 1. If these candidates test out well, we'll be shipping Deer Park Alpha 1 real soon. Also note that the naming and the artwork/branding changes are intentional, not bugs.

Opera users will recognize the new santize feature, known as delete private data. Also new is the instant back/forward functions in the browser, which is disabled by default and can be found in many Opera versions. This release also feature SVG which contains is a richer set of support than Opera's Tiny SVG and also allows for use through Mozilla's XML features.

Opera Watch reports that CNET.com has reviewed six major browsers, including Opera and Firefox. The first place is taken by Firefox, with the second spot suprisingly taken by Netscape (ugh) shared with Safari. On the third spot, shared with IE and an IE shell, is Opera 8.

Daniel Goldman shares his comments on some of the CNET.com reviewer's remarks.

NewsForge has reviewed both Opera and Firefox side-by-side, giving an overall comparison of the two rebel browsers.

Overall, I have been happy with both Opera and Firefox. Both are rich in features, and though only Firefox is open source, both browsers offer many options for customization beyond mere cosmetics. I cannot say that one browser is superior to the other. If one is willing to consider both open and closed source options, than picking one of these browsers over the other will likely come down to issues of convenience, personal preference, or the particular tasks one typically uses his browser for. One user may choose Opera for its one-time install with no assembly required, while another may choose Firefox because of a handful of extensions he simply cannot do without. Perhaps Opera's integrated mail and chat clients or method of RSS implementation will win over one user, while another will gravitate towards Firefox's lack of banner ads and choose Mozilla's Thunderbird for email.

As for me, I'll be sticking with Firefox as my main browser for now. All else being equal, I prefer to use an open source application, and there are some Firefox extensions that I really miss when I'm on Opera (notably Adblock, GooglePreview, Linky, and the Web Developer toolbar). On the other hand, I'll likely keep using Opera at work, where most of my browsing involves RSS news feeds and other forms of research. Others, however, will make different choices. At the end of the day, both Opera and Firefox are excellent browsers, with a lot to offer any user. No one has to settle for the default, and Mozilla and Opera are both doing their part to see to it that no one does.