Jan 21

Firefox 3.6 released

FireFox, Software updates No Comments »

Available via Firefox software update or download from here

What’s New in Firefox 3.6

Firefox 3.6  is built on Mozilla’s Gecko 1.9.2 web rendering platform, which has been under development since early 2009 and contains many improvements for web developers, add-on developers, and users. This version is also faster and more responsive than previous versions and has been optimized to run on small device operating systems such as Maemo.

Notable Firefox 3.6 features include:

  • Available in more than 70 languages – get your local version.
  • Support for a new type of theme called Personas, which allow users to change Firefox’s appearance with a single click.
  • Protection from out-of-date plugins to keep users safer as they browse.
  • Open, native video can now be displayed full screen and supports poster frames.
  • Improved JavaScript performance, overall browser responsiveness, and startup time.
  • The ability for web developers to indicate that scripts should run asynchronously to speed up page load times.
  • Continued support for downloadable web fonts using the new WOFF font format.
  • Support for new CSS attributes such as gradients, background sizing, and pointer events.
  • Support for new DOM and HTML5 specifications including the Drag & Drop API and the File API, which allow for more interactive web pages.
  • Changes to how third-party software can integrate with Firefox in order to prevent crashes.

Developers can find out about all the changes and new features at the Mozilla Developer Center.

Jan 21

Setting up Google DNS in Mac OS X

Chrome, FireFox, Safari, Snow Leopard No Comments »

1 month ago Google announced on their official blog that they were offering the use of their DNS server to the public.

Today, as part of our ongoing effort to make the web faster, we’re launching our own public DNS resolver called Google Public DNS, and we invite you to try it out.

Why use Google’s DNS?

The average Internet user ends up performing hundreds of DNS lookups each day, and some complex pages require multiple DNS lookups before they start loading. This can slow down the browsing experience. Google have suggested that using their DNS will speed up internet usage and browsing.

Using Google’s Public DNS for Snow Leopard

  • Step 1 (System Preferences):
    Open your system preferences and select the Network panel (it will be in the Internet and Wireless section).
  • Step 2 (Network preference pane):
    In the Network preference pane, make sure your network connection is selected (Airport or Ethernet) and click “Advanced”.
  • Step 3 (DNS tab):
    Open the DNS tab in the next panel and add Google’s DNS servers using the “+” button.
    DNS Server 1 (preferred): 8.8.8.8
    DNS Server 2 (alternate): 8.8.4.4
  • Step 4 (Delete old servers):
    Delete all your old servers or move them to botton (hold Command + mouse click and move)
  • Step 5 (Save work):
    Then just “OK” and “Apply” your way back out of the various dialogs and you should be good to go.
  • Step 6 (Testing):
    Test that your setup is working correctly; see Testing your new settings
tags: dns, google, internet

Sep 04

Hidden Firefox Settings

FireFox No Comments »

Even if you are a regular Firefox user, you still may not know about the advanced configuration options. To get these options type:

about:config into the Firefox address bar.

And press enter .
firefox

Clicking “I’ll be careful, I promise!” brings up a huge list of preferences, most of which aren’t accessible from the normal Preferences dialog. As the list is so long, the best way to find things in it is to start typing the name of the preference into the “Filter” box at the top. Once you have found the one you want, double-clicking it allows you to change it.
In list below you will see 10 hidden FIREFOX 3 preferences (only some work in Firefox 2). Continue reading »

tags: browser, configuration, preferences