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Today marks the release of Phoenix Mozilla Firebird Firefox 0.8 (anyone else confused yet?) It has a new name, clearly, as well as a new icon and new branding stuff all over the place. We're assured that this name change is final, just like the Firebird one was. Let's hope some more open-source weirdos don't turn up to stymie this one with their complete lack of acceptance of two different software projects having the same name; especially since, after the initial shock and horror, the name is growing on me, and the new icons and logos are pretty neat.

But none of you care one little bit about all that, I'll wager. What might you care about? Well, when I announced the release of 0.7, one of the common questions was how to install Java and Flash. Here's the good news: version 0.8 for Windows comes with an installer, which means that, with any luck, both Flash and Java will recognise Firefox once it's been installed, and their installers/control panels will happily let you install them into the browser with no extra fuss. Another common problem has been downloading certain files from misconfigured Web sites, receiving a page of garbled text in the browser instead; this should now be resolved for the most part. Also included is a new download manager, which keeps all your downloads in a single window, and a new extension installer based on it. For Mac OS X users, the browser now also uses a more native-looking theme.

A bonus feature for me, and probably other Web developer types, is the inclusion of Document Object Model Inspector as an option in the installer. Previously it was necessary to compile it in yourself, with some modifications to the source code to make it work properly, or to find an unofficial build containing it.

I'm sure there's more exciting stuff in there I've forgotten about, as well, so head on down to the Mozilla Firefox product page today and grab a copy for yourself. I'll remind you of what I told you last time: it's a "technology preview", so don't expect it to be perfect, though in my and a great many others' experience, it's a lot safer and more stable than Microsoft's dated, insecure and generally lacking Internet Explorer. Still, if you're very concerned about using beta software, you might prefer the recently released Mozilla 1.6. Almost slipping under the radar with the excitement surrounding Firefox, its companion mail client, the non-renamed (as of yet, at least) Mozilla Thunderbird 0.5 was also released today, and is definitely worth picking up if you want a e-mail client in the Firefox style.

All are great products, and Mozilla browsers are strongly recommended for viewing CoN (hence my excuse for writing these non-Squenix-ish software release articles, you see), though I'm sure you can tell which our favourite is by the tone of this article. For more reasons to switch (probably), check the old news article about Firebird 0.7's release.

This post has been edited by Tiddles on 9th February 2004 18:00

Pick a name. And stick with it.
This is all I have to say.

It was enough to get me off my lazy butt and update to a new build. The one I had been using was from when I reformated my computer back in August. >_>

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"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." - Aristotle

It'll take me three months to go get this one, since it took that long for me to switch from IE after first hearing about Firebird it on CoNchat. Also, it'll be easier to D/L then, wont it...

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"Only the dead have seen the end of their quotes being misattributed to Plato."
-George Santayana

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here..."
-Abraham Lincoln, prior to the discovery of Irony.

Quote (Phoenix @ 9th February 2004 20:17)

Pick a name. And stick with it.
This is all I have to say.

I'm sure they would do, if they weren't threatened with legal action on both previous names. So let's all be nice about this one and maybe it'll stick, eh?

The name doesn't even matter in the long run, does it really?

It will become just plain old Mozilla when 1.0 comes around, no?

Actually, the Firefox branding is now going to be permanent, from what I hear. The reasoning was that Firebird was already becoming a better-known and better-regarded name than Mozilla, and it was deemed important to retain some connection with that identity (in the Fire- prefix).

So I don't think the normal "Mozilla Browser" name will ever be used, now. It would seem especially pointless to put a team on doing the Firefox visual identity if it were going to be thrown out in a few versions. But who knows? The roadmap changes all the time.

In any case, I believe it is still planned for Firefox and Thunderbird to take over as the flagship Mozilla offerings in the Mozilla "2.x" era.

UNF UNF! Get lost, IE, new default browser in town! =D

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~Status Report~

* Completed... Dragon's Head
* Completed... Soldiers of the Empire: Disciples (release pending)
* In Progress/Undecided... Of Love and Betrayal
* Planning/Assembly... Where it all Began

The new logo is fabulous.

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN? Or perhaps buying a really good looking shirt?

Ooh, I like this. I like this a LOT. I particularly like the Bookmark Toolbar thing, I don't know if that was there before...and it seems so fast.

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Hey, put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey, put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me

Dang straight, it's fast! I mean, Firebird was quick before, but MAN! It's like an F1 to a streetcar racer now. =D

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~Status Report~

* Completed... Dragon's Head
* Completed... Soldiers of the Empire: Disciples (release pending)
* In Progress/Undecided... Of Love and Betrayal
* Planning/Assembly... Where it all Began

It is darned fast, it just loaded 25 separate CoN threads in tabs, before I was done reading the first one.

Firefox, eh? The name is actually starting to grow on me, disturbingly enough. The logo is very nice, if not a little odd.

This post has been edited by Iain Peregrine on 10th February 2004 23:03

Boweth downeth to the flaming dog of godliness.

You write:

But none of you care one little bit about all that, I'll wager. What might you care about? Well, when I announced the release of 0.7, one of the common questions was how to install Java and Flash. Here's the good news: version 0.8 for Windows comes with an installer, which means that, with any luck, both Flash and Java will recognise Firefox once it's been installed, and their installers/control panels will happily let you install them into the browser with no extra fuss.

I have been unable to install Java that works on either Firebird or Firefox. I've followed the instructions but seem to be enabled for java script but not java applets.

If anyone could possibly walk me through installing java on Firefox I would be most grateful. I am most frustrated because I love Firefox.

MozillaZine might have more helpful advice, but I'll help as much as I can. It's a long time since I did this, though, so if anyone else has better advice, please do chime in.

First, you need to install the Windows installer version of Firefox 0.8. This is the standard version available via the main Firefox product page in the top left corner through the "Download now for Windows" link. The downloaded file should be named Firefox-setup.exe, and should take you through the process of installing into a specific directory, and create desktop and start menu shortcuts afterwards.

I only mention it since there are also zip builds, and builds packaged in .exe self-extracting packages, which aren't the actual installer version, and won't create the necessary registry entries for Java.

Once that's installed, head down to Java.com and follow their free download link in the top right. This should offer you a Mozilla XPI package which, I hear, is listed as "for Mozilla 1.2", but this is indeed what you want. Opening that download should install Java properly into Firefox, though it probably won't work until you close all your Firefox windows and start a new session.

Hope that helps. If you're still having problems after that, the older Java Runtime Environment 1.4.1_07 might work better (you want the JRE download link from that page), apparently, or using the registry patch from mozdev's Java FAQ.