Firefox 21 Arrives 246
An anonymous reader writes "Mozilla on Tuesday officially launched Firefox 21 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. Improvements include the addition of multiple social providers on the desktop as well as open source fonts on Android. In the changelog, the company included an interesting point that's worth elaborating on: 'Preliminary implementation of Firefox Health Report.' Mozilla has revealed that FHR so far logs 'basic health information' about Firefox: time to start up, total running time, and number of crashes. Mozilla says the initial report is pretty simple but will grow 'in the coming months.' You can get it now from Mozilla."
Re:Meh (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:multiple social providers on the desktop (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't have any social features in my firefox. What? Do you just install every plugin every website you visit suggests to you?
Oookkkaaayyy.... (Score:2, Insightful)
You know, I feel like I only just upgraded to Firefox 20. In fact, there hasn't even been a 20.1 yet. I really like Firefox, I do. Some of the new web development tools (which I've only just discovered) are really nice. But, to be frank, apart from those, I can't tell the difference between 18, and 20. And looking at the changelog, I can't see anything that says, "I'm a major new version that breaks compatibility with previous versions".
So, I want to ask again (and I'm beating a horse that is not only dead, but buried, and decomposed, with only a few bones and other hard items left), what's the point of these fast track updates?
Many of the new features (e.g. the web developer tools and the Social API (only useful for people who actually use "social websites", i.e. not me)) would be better off as plugins. Instead, Mozilla should be focusing on things that actually improve both the user experience and the safety of browsing the web. So, perhaps blocking third party cookies by default, building in a simplified RequestPolicy-like tool (with a blacklist of ad networks and trackers), and maybe even improve the shitty bookmark system. But no, they want to improve the Social API.
I'll continue to use Firefox, it's better than the alternatives. But it's the plugins that really make it better, not the superfast increase the numbers (and hide useful UI - luckily that can be fixed with plugins).
Re:multiple social providers on the desktop (Score:5, Insightful)
I miss that too.
Does anyone honestly care? (Score:3, Insightful)
That was what, 2 years ago now I think? And so now we've since had 17 new "versions", it maybe deserves to be 3, at best. My point here?
They come out too frequently, with too few changes, and frankly very few people honestly care at this point.
Re:Firebug is awesome (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:multiple social providers on the desktop (Score:2, Insightful)
You know what idiotic thing they did? They combined Download and Web History. So since FF20, when you clear one, they both go. The reason they give is because Options such as that are hard to maintain. BS. Not to mention that silly, huge, Download dialog. Are they trying to scare people away or what?.
Re:No. .Just No. (Score:4, Insightful)
> What are your concerns with Firefox 21 versus 17?
> Is it the social api? Is it the health report?
I don't think it's anything this sensible, I think it's just the version number. I don't really understand what issue people have with it, but that seems to be what's exciting most people. If they just versioned the new releases as point releases there wouldn't be half as many comments to this story. I think having mostly small incremental changes in new full version numbers has really upset some people's sense of normal software conventions and their brains have melted.
Still no support for TLS 1.1 / 1.2 (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Firebug is awesome (Score:3, Insightful)
Firebug does things Chrome's inspector doesn't do, and vice versa. It's worth having both tools to test with, especially if you work on a variety of projects. It's hardly worth getting "religious" about it, because both environments are free. But I suppose if you MUST pretend one is better than the other, go ahead.
Re:Oookkkaaayyy.... (Score:5, Insightful)
You know, you're absolutely right. I'm swearing off Firefox. Which browser did you say was as user-configurable as Firefox again?
Until Mozilla's douchebaggery rises to the level of anyone else's, we're all going to sit right here and take the ass-fuckings Moz keeps handing out every few months.
Re:Firebug is awesome (Score:5, Insightful)
Every time this topic comes up, someone like you mentions how you can disable every single "spying" thing... but fail to provide specific details about how/where to do so. Occasionally, they'll tell you to "google it" or "look it up yourself." I find that very curious.
Re:multiple social providers on the desktop (Score:4, Insightful)
Firefox just comes with the Social API, as with addon APIs, you have to install something, otherwise it's just potential.
There you go again, bringing logic and reason to an emotional argument. Won't somebody think of the delusional paranoids!
'somebody's a badass' (Score:5, Insightful)
See, this isn't a response...and it sure as siht isn't a 'zinger' or a 'witty retort'
so the hell what, Cromium exists? That does not answer parent's point at all...
in fact, it actually proves you wrong and him right, if anything, b/c the link was to a Google product's homepage. exactly the kind of useless information the parent was bemoaning...
jeez way to prove his point for him