[LeeG]

Well I might as well chime in-

I am writing this from firefox, and I really like it, is quite nice, but there is a flash animation for classmates.com above where I am typing, and (I can only assume that is the problem) it is causing me MASSIVE slowdowns in firefox. Activity monitor shows >80% processor usage by firefox. Though it feels faster than safari at times, safari feels more polished and stable (I know this is still a beta).

Also, when going from 0.7-->0.8 I found:

-Scroll bars have disappeared
-The icons for the search engine selected (top right) are generic, though correct when you choose the drop down menu

Features I'd like:

-Add the command-up arrow and command-down arrow to jump to the top and bottom of pages (safari has it, and I have gotten quite used to it for jumping to the top of a page).

Overall I am thrilled, mostly because it will offer a fast, standards compliant CROSS-PLATFORM browser - which can only help reinforce web standards as more people adopt it- and because M$ wont get off their a$$ and actually innovate in the browser world (why should they? they already acheived monopoly) its nice to see someone pushing the envelope.


Hmmm, safari for windows is not such a bad idea - they make no money off it now, and they are not going to get someone to get a mac because of it (unlike ilife) - but the more browsers on the windows side the better? Who knows..

Lee

[starman]

Originally posted by MindFad:
Oh, so close. I can't bring myself to do it.

DO IT

Mike

[Vader�s Pinch of Death]

Originally posted by superfula:
His argument is just as good as yours.

Argument? I am just asking for some benchmarks to see if it is really faster or one of those "it feels snappier" claims.

[Catfish_Man]

Originally posted by LeeG:
Well I might as well chime in-

I am writing this from firefox, and I really like it, is quite nice, but there is a flash animation for classmates.com above where I am typing, and (I can only assume that is the problem) it is causing me MASSIVE slowdowns in firefox. Activity monitor shows >80% processor usage by firefox. Though it feels faster than safari at times, safari feels more polished and stable (I know this is still a beta).

Also, when going from 0.7-->0.8 I found:

-Scroll bars have disappeared
-The icons for the search engine selected (top right) are generic, though correct when you choose the drop down menu

Features I'd like:

-Add the command-up arrow and command-down arrow to jump to the top and bottom of pages (safari has it, and I have gotten quite used to it for jumping to the top of a page).

Overall I am thrilled, mostly because it will offer a fast, standards compliant CROSS-PLATFORM browser - which can only help reinforce web standards as more people adopt it- and because M$ wont get off their a$$ and actually innovate in the browser world (why should they? they already acheived monopoly) its nice to see someone pushing the envelope.


Hmmm, safari for windows is not such a bad idea - they make no money off it now, and they are not going to get someone to get a mac because of it (unlike ilife) - but the more browsers on the windows side the better? Who knows..

Lee

Try removing the custom theme. That's causing a lot of your problems.

[bmedina]

Originally posted by Vader�s Pinch of Death:
Argument? I am just asking for some benchmarks to see if it is really faster or one of those "it feels snappier" claims.

Maybe he doesn't have time to do benchmarks. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be able to offer his experience.

It's not like these boards are the pinnacle of objectivity.

[bmedina]

Originally posted by superfula:
Hardly. Load any page and it's slower. Hell it's slower than Omniweb 5, and that's still a beta. 1.2 is quite a bit more sluggish all around than 1.1.1. Uses quite a bit more system resources too. It's a freakin ram hog

Weird. Everyone I've talked to has unanimously praised the 1.2 update for its speed increase.

[mactropolis]

Originally posted by Krypton:
It uses the system resource for stripes (like any other OS X browser) so they will be more subtle on 10.3, but in your face on 10.1.

The theme is really just the toolbar buttons.

So with Firefox's new XUL technology it now relies on the native system resourses for the interface then?

Because I remember in the full Mozilla application suite when it was on the "Classic" theme, it was a horribly fake OS X-looking interface that only tried to immitate the OS X Aqua look and I doubt it called the real Aqua system resource for strips. But w/ Firefox, the interface is more genuinly OS X and it acts/looks like a normal Carbon application instead of a hideous immation.

Is this because of the new XUL technology in Firefox that allows it to use more native OS technology instead?

[superfula]

Originally posted by bmedina:
Weird. Everyone I've talked to has unanimously praised the 1.2 update for its speed increase.

Everyone? Go take a read through a 1.2 thread here. Some webpages may load faster than 1.1.1, but through and through, the app is quite a bit slower.

Vader: My apologies if I was harsh earlier. Quite a long day yesterday.

[Immortal K-Mart Employee]

Originally posted by bmedina:
Maybe he doesn't have time to do benchmarks. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be able to offer his experience.

It's not like these boards are the pinnacle of objectivity.

Ya he must really be short on time is Firefox is .5 seconds faster at loading pages and he doesn't have the 30 seconds to do a couple tests to back up his claims. Nevermind Mr. Busyman!

[brutal]

Well, I decided to give it another shot, and this time I added this to my user.js:

/* Enable=true Disable=false pipelining */
user_pref("network.http.pipelining", true);
user_pref("network.http.proxy.pipelining", true);
user_pref("network.http.pipelining.maxrequests", 4);
user_pref("network.http.max-connections", 24);
user_pref("network.http.max-connections-per-server", 8);
user_pref("network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server", 4);
user_pref("signed.applets.codebase_principal_suppo rt", true);
/* Last value in milliseconds (default is 250) */
user_pref("nglayout.initialpaint.delay", 0);
/* Turn on timer-based reflow management */
user_pref("content.notify.ontimer", true);
/* Sets the allowed time between reflows in microseconds */
user_pref("content.notify.interval", 10);
/* Set the number of reflows to do before waiting for the rest of the page to arrive */
user_pref("content.notify.backoffcount", 200);

..and now it FLIES!

Definately the fastest browser around.

[ryaxnb]

Originally posted by Vader�s Pinch of Death:
The new Safari is so damn good I can't see any reasons to switch to this or Omniweb other then for some geek thrill.

How about Site Preferences, VisiTabs and workspaces?

[Toyin]

Originally posted by superfula:
Well looks like Safari just became the 3rd best browser for the Mac. Too bad 1.2 was such a bad update. Whatever happened to the quick, simple browser Safari used to be.

Anyway, is there a way one can import safari book marks into Firefox?

Did you check Version Tracker? Searching for Safari + Export came up with..... Safari Bookmark Exporter

As for Firefox. The GUI is much better than the Firebird I downloaded earlier this week. The bookmarks bar is exactly like Safari's. In all honesty, Firefox is sevral times faster than Safari handling my Exchange Webmail. I'd argue that it's faster than my PC at work.

As for the rest of the web, there were a few pages that FireFox got stuck on (including these forums) where I went into Safari and had the page loaded before Firefox did. It's a great start, but I'll be using it for me email only.

[Catfish_Man]

Originally posted by superfula:
Everyone? Go take a read through a 1.2 thread here. Some webpages may load faster than 1.1.1, but through and through, the app is quite a bit slower.

Vader: My apologies if I was harsh earlier. Quite a long day yesterday.

This really must be system dependent. The only reason I'm considering Safari as an option for my primary browser is because of how much faster 1.2 is on my machine. If it weren't for that I'd be using Omniweb 5 beta or Camino.

[gorgonzola]

I really like Firefox, and it even has Type Ahead Find, which I miss in Camino (though I hope it will be in Camino 0.8). I have no real interest in Safari until it implements bookmark keywords, unfortunately.

In any case, I find it insane that Firefox seems to have no keyboard combos to switch tabs. You have to keep clicking on them. Am I missing something?

[brutal]

Originally posted by gorgonzola:
I really like Firefox, and it even has Type Ahead Find, which I miss in Camino (though I hope it will be in Camino 0.8). I have no real interest in Safari until it implements bookmark keywords, unfortunately.

In any case, I find it insane that Firefox seems to have no keyboard combos to switch tabs. You have to keep clicking on them. Am I missing something?

I'm at work now, so I've only tried this on the PC version, but ctrl-tab switches tab.

[Krypton]

Originally posted by gorgonzola:
I really like Firefox, and it even has Type Ahead Find, which I miss in Camino (though I hope it will be in Camino 0.8). I have no real interest in Safari until it implements bookmark keywords, unfortunately.

In any case, I find it insane that Firefox seems to have no keyboard combos to switch tabs. You have to keep clicking on them. Am I missing something?

It is in Camino, but you have to press '/' first to initiate type ahead find because lots of people moaned about accidentally finding stuff

[Krypton]

Originally posted by brutal:
I'm at work now, so I've only tried this on the PC version, but ctrl-tab switches tab.

Try 'Command' + 'No. of Tab'

E.g. press 'apple + 2' to select 2nd tab.

[SOLIDAge]

wow
i had no idea about the search option for bookmarks
this is a feature that i've always thought should be in Safari...and it is not.

I set my father up w/ Firefox (he was using an older Mozilla on Windows 2000) he loves the clean interface and the google bar, and the tabbed browsing (i know...he's a slow adapter of technology)

all in all, typing this from firefox...and if there was an easy way to transfer my bookmarks in from safari...i just might take the plunge

P.S i don't like how option+down doesn't scroll down the page anymore , i hate using page down on a powerbook

[Turias]

Originally posted by gorgonzola:
In any case, I find it insane that Firefox seems to have no keyboard combos to switch tabs. You have to keep clicking on them. Am I missing something?

CTRL-PgDown/PgUp works on the Linux version. Maybe it's the same for the Mac version?

[SOLIDAge]

i wasn't THAT impressed w/ Firefox's speed
til i found this tip to make it fassst
http://www.mozillatips.com/modules.p...article&sid=45

1)type in about:config in your browser window

2)scroll down to nglayout.initialpaint.delay and set the value to 0

boom, instant speed. (sure it just doesn't render it all at once, but it seems alot faster)

[gorgonzola]

Originally posted by Krypton:
It is in Camino, but you have to press '/' first to initiate type ahead find because lots of people moaned about accidentally finding stuff

Hey! It *is* in Camino. Thanks a bunch.

As for the Firefox thing, it just seems too cumbersome with a lot of tabs to figure out which number each thing is. So it goes.

[mactropolis]

Originally posted by gorgonzola:
Hey! It *is* in Camino. Thanks a bunch.

As for the Firefox thing, it just seems too cumbersome with a lot of tabs to figure out which number each thing is. So it goes.

CONTROL+Pg. UP / Pg. DOWN works in Firefox. I've been using this shortcut for years on every platform I've run Mozilla on. You don't need to use APPLE+Num to manually switch tabs. Go read the Moz keyboard guide at mozilla.org.

[Spliff]

For f**ks sake! When the hell are they going to add support for the Services menu in OS X?

It greatly reduces the usability of the browser for me. Without support for the Services menu, I can't select a URL or a bit of text in a browser window and then send it to Mail.app or BBEdit or Bittorrent or MacJournal or TextEdit or Stickies.

Arrrggghhhh!!!!

How hard is it to add support for the Services menu? I mean, really?

[hudson1]

Does the Mac version of Firefox support Favicons in the Bookmarks menus? Mine doesn't seem to but my PC version at work does. Is it one of those hidden users prefs that must be unconvered and then turned on?

[ryaxnb]

Originally posted by mactropolis:
So with Firefox's new XUL technology it now relies on the native system resourses for the interface then?

Because I remember in the full Mozilla application suite when it was on the "Classic" theme, it was a horribly fake OS X-looking interface that only tried to immitate the OS X Aqua look and I doubt it called the real Aqua system resource for strips. But w/ Firefox, the interface is more genuinly OS X and it acts/looks like a normal Carbon application instead of a hideous immation.

Is this because of the new XUL technology in Firefox that allows it to use more native OS technology instead?

I don't think so; Classic just wasn't designed to look OS X-ish; it's a crossplatform theme based on Netscape 4. As an example of how Mozilla can look better, check out the Pinstripe Theme for Mozilla

[ryaxnb]

Originally posted by brutal:
Well, I decided to give it another shot, and this time I added this to my user.js:



..and now it FLIES!

Definately the fastest browser around.

Cool!

[ryaxnb]

Originally posted by SOLIDAge:
wow
i had no idea about the search option for bookmarks
this is a feature that i've always thought should be in Safari...and it is not.

I set my father up w/ Firefox (he was using an older Mozilla on Windows 2000) he loves the clean interface and the google bar, and the tabbed browsing (i know...he's a slow adapter of technology)

all in all, typing this from firefox...and if there was an easy way to transfer my bookmarks in from safari...i just might take the plunge

P.S i don't like how option+down doesn't scroll down the page anymore , i hate using page down on a powerbook

As for the P.S. try Space and Shift+Space (shift for up.)
And don't forget the Safari bookmark exporters.

[ryaxnb]

Originally posted by Krypton:
Try 'Command' + 'No. of Tab'

E.g. press 'apple + 2' to select 2nd tab.

Ctrl+Page Up, Ctrl+Page Down. Not Command, Control.

[adamw]

I have not been able to get url address completion working in Firefox (or *bird, for that matter) in Mac OS X. In windows I can type "macnn" and hit Control+Enter and the url completes with www. and .com added. This is a huge time-saver and I haven't found a similar shortcut in the Mac version. Likewise, I haven't found anything similar in Safari.

Any ideas?

[LeeG]

At least in safari, I just type 'macnn' and hit return - it just works.

This has been a recent complaint of mine about windows - it doesn't do this. But I guess if I used control+enter it would work in windows - learn something new everyday.

Just type the word in the address bar - yahoo, apple, macnn, etc and hit return, the browser will do the rest-

Lee

[adamw]

Just type the word in the address bar - yahoo, apple, macnn, etc and hit return, the browser will do the rest

True, and this works in Firefox too. However, with both Safari and Firefox this significantly increases the time until the page is loaded. The logic that tries to intelligently infer that 'macnn' should have a www. and .com around it takes a second to work itself out. Whereas when the user can complete it it's that much faster.

I just wish the key mapping from Win to Mac was the same, or at least existed.

[Big Mac]

I am terrifically impressed by the speed of Firefox, and remarkably, the interface! Granted, it's still not truly native, but it's far better than what I was expecting. Now I'm truly conflicted, but I don't want to make that sound like a bad thing. This is a really great development for the Mac! And has anyone noticed that only the OS X download link is featured prominently on the FireFox homepage? I'm not anywhere near switching from Safari to Fox, but the quality of the browser has taken me aback.

Tell me something, though, why has Camino withered while this project has taken off? And, additionally, if we're to trust FireFox, how do we know it won't begin to languish in the same fashion?

[trash80]

well Firefox is the future of Mozilla browsing so i think its pretty safe as long as Mozilla exists and i can't see that going away anywhere soon.

[Big Mac]

Thank you for the reply, trash80, but could you tell me what makes you believe FireFox is the future of Mozilla? Is there some important pronouncement I've missed?

[adamw]

And has anyone noticed that only the OS X download link is featured prominently on the FireFox homepage?

If you mean the 'Download Now' link in the upper left, it is just autodetecting what OS you're running. When I visit it on a Windows machine it shows the Windows download link. Nice touch, although it doesn't seem to work for Linux (depending on the browser used).

[brutal]

Originally posted by Big Mac:
Thank you for the reply, trash80, but could you tell me what makes you believe FireFox is the future of Mozilla? Is there some important pronouncement I've missed?

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Mozilla.org announced that they've ceased development of the Mozilla suite to concentrate on Firefox and Thunderbird - so it would seem as these apps are the future of Mozilla..

However - I might be terribly wrong

[trash80]

Originally posted by Big Mac:
Thank you for the reply, trash80, but could you tell me what makes you believe FireFox is the future of Mozilla? Is there some important pronouncement I've missed?

yes Mozilla planned to cease developing their app suite and split it into a dedicated browser (Firebird/fox) and e-mail (Thunderbird) plus some smaller apps like the Calendar. they did this and its been very successful though enough people want the suite to remain so that could well be kept too. the HTML rendering is the same code anyway.

[Big Mac]

Originally posted by adamw:
If you mean the 'Download Now' link in the upper left, it is just autodetecting what OS you're running. When I visit it on a Windows machine it shows the Windows download link. Nice touch, although it doesn't seem to work for Linux (depending on the browser used).

Yeah, I suspected that was the case but was unsure. I'm not used to outfits appreciating the Mac enough to treat it that nicely. Usually (in the case of large firms) the Windows download link is prominently displayed, and the Mac link is less noticeable.

Thank you everyone for letting me know about this important development. I'm amazed I missed it, considering how often I look at the various news sites.

[ambush]

Quick Review:

Wow it kicks some Major Safari Arse.

Even at 0.8.

It's way FASTER (try loading ign.com and see)
Tabs feel faster
Overall interface is wayyyyy neater/prettier (sad that Mozilla beats Apple on this one)

Extensions, themes...

Watch out Apple!

[malvolio]

Originally posted by SOLIDAge:
i wasn't THAT impressed w/ Firefox's speed
til i found this tip to make it fassst
http://www.mozillatips.com/modules.p...article&sid=45

1)type in about:config in your browser window

2)scroll down to nglayout.initialpaint.delay and set the value to 0

boom, instant speed. (sure it just doesn't render it all at once, but it seems alot faster)

Hmmm, that line is not present in the "about:config" for my 2/16 build of Firefox 0.8.

[brutal]

Originally posted by brutal:
I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Mozilla.org announced that they've ceased development of the Mozilla suite to concentrate on Firefox and Thunderbird - so it would seem as these apps are the future of Mozilla..

However - I might be terribly wrong

ok, I guess I was wrong then..
Mozilla 1.7a was released today.

[brutal]

Originally posted by malvolio:
Hmmm, that line is not present in the "about:config" for my 2/16 build of Firefox 0.8.

install the ChromEdit-extension from http://www.texturizer.net/firefox/extensions/

and put this is your user.js:

user_pref("nglayout.initialpaint.delay", 0);

[hostvisions]

Firefox roxs. 'Nuff said.

[trash80]

Originally posted by brutal:
ok, I guess I was wrong then..
Mozilla 1.7a was released today.

according to the Firefox developer Mozilla 1.7 will be the base from which Firefox 1.0 will spring later this year. maybe after that the 2 will differ but i think the webpage rendering code will remain the same.

[malvolio]

Originally posted by brutal:
install the ChromEdit-extension from http://www.texturizer.net/firefox/extensions/

and put this is your user.js:

user_pref("nglayout.initialpaint.delay", 0);

Thanks! With that little tweak, Firefox now ranks as my fastest browser.

[mactropolis]

Originally posted by ryaxnb:
I don't think so; Classic just wasn't designed to look OS X-ish; it's a crossplatform theme based on Netscape 4. As an example of how Mozilla can look better, check out the Pinstripe Theme for Mozilla

That's true. Probably applying Pinstripe to Mozilla will make it better overall. The problem is, the theme insn't yet available for the full Moz app suite 1.5 and above. I e-mailed the guy and he said when he's done making Pinstipe for Thunderbird (e-mail & news app) only then he'll release an updated Pinstipe for Moz app suite. It says on this page (http://kmgerich.com/pinstripe/install.html) the theme in-compatible w/ Mozilla app suite 1.5 and 1.6 (which i run).

[Krypton]

I've just tried the very latest nightly, and Firefox appears at least to have become faster still since the last time I checked it (and even more so than Safari, which was very speedy at 1.2.1).

They're even sorting out the mess with the nightly graphics - there is just a plain blue moon in the about box now, which should be adopted for the icon when it's fully trademarked.

[Krypton]

It also seems to play nice with my Wacom pen now: touch wood

[Cadaver]

If only Firefox had some kind of spell checker, I'd replace Safari with it in a heartbeat. I find Apple's spell service just too useful (and SpellChecker X, which I own, is such a hassle).

Since the 0.8 release (and downloading nightlies every so often), I've not had Firefox crash a single time.

So I'm torn between Safari and Firefox. Both have their pluses and minuses.

[brutal]

If only Safari had a content-blocker like Adblock..