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Browsers: Firefox 3.5 now available.
- 7/2/09 1:00 AM
Firefox 3.5 now available.
by MarkFlax - 7/2/09 1:00 AM
The long awaited Firefox v 3.5 has arrived. Many of the new features are underthe hood, eg it natively supports HTML5 and embedded Ogg video content. The new version is available direct from Mozilla here;
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/
Or if you already use Firefox, goto Help > Check for Updates to let FF upgrade itself and check that your Add-ons are still available. The upgrade preserves your bookmarks and other settings, but some add-ons may not be available for the upgraded version.
Or check out CNET's Download.blog for a review here;
http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10276351-12.html
I upgraded myself yesterday. The browser looks and feels the same, and I have had no issues so far.
Mark
Upgraded
by denjones - 7/2/09 6:17 AM In reply to: Firefox 3.5 now available. by MarkFlax
I also upgraded to the newer version and have found it to be bug free and quicker. I like the newer tab functions. I recommend the upgrade.
Denny
Firefox 3.5
by morninglory - 7/15/09 3:09 PM In reply to: Upgraded by denjonesMaybe you can help me; I upgraded to FF 3.5 and lost most of my bookmarks. I am thinking of going back to FF 3.0 but don't know how.
I have Windows XP Home, sp3 HP Pavilion, etc.
Thanks for any info on this. Except for this glitch I am OK with 3.5.
Betsy H.
N.C.
Didn't you backup your bookmarks?
by Kees Bakker - 7/15/09 3:24 PM
In reply to: Firefox 3.5 by morninglory
That's really easy. Control-shift-B or Bookmarks>Manage Bookmarks and choose backup (or import to restore).
Bookmarks should be included in your regular backup.
When I installed and uninstalled Firefox 3.5 I had the setup.exe of a not too old version saved on my harddisk at home. And at work I went to http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-older.html and downloaded 3.0.11. I even could have gone to http://www.oldapps.com/firefox.php but they didn't have my local language version there.
Be sure to delete your Firefox profile when downgrading.
Kees
You may be fortunate.
by MarkFlax - 7/16/09 2:25 AM
In reply to: Firefox 3.5 by morninglory
Firefox creates it's own backup file of Bookmarks, called bookmarks.bak. It will be in the old Firefox version profiles folder if that folder has not been deleted.
If you do a search for bookmarks.bak you may find it. If so, rename it bookmarks.html, then import that into FF3.5 from Bookmarks > Organize bookmarks > "Import and backup" > Import HTML.
I hope that works for you.
Mark
Missing bookmarks in FF 3.5
by morninglory - 7/16/09 5:04 AM In reply to: You may be fortunate. by MarkFlax
Thanks Mark & Kees, I actually found my "missing" bookmarks in the Library. I guess I will leave them there since the Library also changed when I upgraded from FF 3. I really depend on the CNET forum when I need an answer; keep up the good work!
Regards, Betsy from NC
(NT) Glad you found it, and thanks for reporting back.
by MarkFlax - 7/16/09 9:39 AM
In reply to: Missing bookmarks in FF 3.5 by morninglory
I downloaded FF 3.5 and it does things I did not expect.
by bus - 7/2/09 9:09 AM In reply to: Firefox 3.5 now available. by MarkFlax
I decided to stick with it. You may like it but watch out, it takes some getting use to.
The Interactive Closing Menu is no longer there. All I can seem to do with this FF 3.5 is delete all history at closing with no option to decide if that is what I want to do at session end. When browsing, I don't know a head of time if I want to keep cookies and other data till I end the session. In the past, I used the Interactive Closing Menu to decide at session end, what to do with the session data. If you still use the Interactive Closing Menu like I have just described then this version of Fire Fox can be a pain, until you get a custom to it. I am guessing that if you let the browser keep the Private Data and then when you want to dump private data, you can do it just as effectively using a third party program. Removing the data via your AV or maybe a cleaner program will do just as good a job as when using the Interactive Closing Menu that was used in older versions of FF. But now, you must remember to do it or set FF to dump all the time.
I deactivated Location Aware Browsing because most websites figure out were you are from by your IP address or some other info you provided. Seems stupid to do it again and I just feel it may get in my way. Sometimes I want to know things about where I'm not at.
The private browsing feature only deletes private data (history and cookies) as you go. It does nothing to hide your IP address which is what I think of as making you private on the web. As I understand it, the only way to get close to private browsing requires a proxy sever between you and the web. When using such a proxy system, it slows things down but no one can tell where you are coming from.
The speed and smaller cache claim, I can't tell if it is so from my user point of view. What I see when FF 3.5 opens is the same amount of time that it took for FF 3.0.11. The anti-virus program may be the biggest factor here when it comes to speed of page load and when browser start up is concerned. Most AVs scan as you go, and that is what mine does, so unless a browser is a resource pig, the Av scan function is more likely the real slow down culprit.
That Interactive Closing Window
by MarkFlax - 7/2/09 1:42 PM
In reply to: I downloaded FF 3.5 and it does things I did not expect. by bus
I hadn't seen that before in previous FF versions, so may be it was a setting you had specifically chosen for your browser. But I wonder if it is still there. In FF Tools > Options > Privacy tab, under History, does your option still say "Remember history"? If so, click that, and a pull down box will appear.
If you select "Use custom settings for history" a new set of options appear, much like previous versions. Is your Interactive Closing Window the "Clear history when Firefox closes" option? Or is it the option above, "Keep until.... Ask me every time"?
Although many believe that browsing under a Proxy server keeps them anonymous, that isn't really the case. Your IP address is still needed otherwise you would not receive any web pages at all, so the Proxy server has it. Hence the proxy server knows all about your browsing history. Add to that your ISP also knows what you do, there is enough information there that you are not truly anonymous.
I agree though about the memory usage. I also can't tell if FF loads quicker, or leaves a smaller footprint, at the moment.
Mark
More on Interactive Closing Window
by bus - 7/3/09 8:14 AM In reply to: That Interactive Closing Window by MarkFlax
Hi Mark
Thanks for your reply. I went back to another computer I have that is still using FF 3.011. The check box in the option section that is no longer (or I can't find) in FF 3.5 was "Ask me before deleting private data". By checking that box/option and checking the box/option "Delete private data on closing" the Interactive Closing Menu would come up and provide you with options on what to delete depending on what you setup in the advance options. I started doing this back in the FF1.? days. I remember finding instruction on Mozilla web site. I believe it was under tweaks or maybe tricks. Given that it is strange to setup, maybe I'm one of the few who even noticed it was no longer there. I do remember finding one review of FF 3.5 mentioning it as being gone. I feel a little lost without it.
As for the private browsing function, I agree with your points about the ISP and proxy sever provider still being able to tell where you went and who you are. So much for privacy while browsing. Here is where I find the problem, I'm not sure that it was a good idea to call it "Private Browsing". It just implies so much more than a history and cookie clear function. Maybe it should be called ClearAsYouGo? One review I read referred to the Private Browsing function as porn surf button. Given that negative view, I can see why the folks at Mozilla would settle for Private Browsing. As far as I'm concerned the function was already there in the older version but just not so obvious. OH well I can adjust.
Have they fixed the "work offline" glitch?
by flingwing - 7/3/09 9:02 PM In reply to: Firefox 3.5 now available. by MarkFlax
Does anyone know if FF fixed the problem that regularly sends your FF into "work offline" mode?
That's a really big hassle when working with FF. If it hasn't been fixed, I wonder what the technical problem is?
That's a new one to me
by MarkFlax - 7/4/09 3:42 AM
In reply to: Have they fixed the "work offline" glitch? by flingwing
I've never had FF move to Offline mode, so I can't help with that one.
Sorry.
Mark
What operating system?
by John.Wilkinson - 7/4/09 6:51 AM
In reply to: Have they fixed the "work offline" glitch? by flingwing
That was a known issue for a while with Ubuntu and other Linux operating systems, but was fixed in an update some time ago. Other than that, reports have been spotty, with installed extensions possibly causing the issue.
Let us know.
John
My history with FF Offiine
by flingwing - 7/4/09 8:51 PM In reply to: What operating system? by John.Wilkinson
Thanks, this glitch was mentioned here a few months ago. Then, I learned it was something to do with the Network Manager, but no fix was available.
I just Googled “firefox offline mode” and received “about 421,000" hits. A lot of aggravated people are out there and I’m one of them. Every time FF suddenly jumps into offline mode unannounced, it’s like someone slipping their foot out in front of you when you run by.
I just read one fix that says “go to ‘about:config’ and [set] toolkit.networkmanager.disable to true”. Before just now, I’d never even been to “about:config” for FF, so I’d surely need to be careful <grin>.
I see the internet now has a lot of suggested fixes, but some sound dangerous and most are confusing - to me. Any suggestions? I’m running Win XP Pro with a broadband USB modem.
Addenda to my last . . .
by flingwing - 7/6/09 9:49 AM In reply to: My history with FF Offiine by flingwing. . . after posting my last, I went to "about:config" to see about resetting "toolkit.networkmanager.disable". Huh?! My FF doesn't even have that perameter listed.
And that reset suggestion came from the MozillaZine website, itself http://kb.mozillazine.org/Toolkit.networkmanager.disable.
They're out to get me, I think <grin>.
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