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Antony
Joined: 18 Jun 2002
Posts: 11914
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 06 Feb, 2007 8:43 am Netscape 9 will support Firefox 2 Extensions |
[sdp=82164] |
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News from (official) Netscape Blog, Chris Finke (a Netscape developer) mentioned that Netscape 9 will be based on Firefox 2.0 (confirms macallan1824's speculation). Since Netscape uses the same architecture as in Firefox, it is safe to say that most Firefox 2 extensions will work in Netscape 9 without modification. With this feature, Netscape 9 users won't be left along without the ability to use Firefox's huge list of extensions developed by third parties.
| Quote: |  It has been established that Netscape 9 will be based on Firefox 2.0. One of the greatest things about Firefox is its community of extension developers - if you want a feature that is not built into the browser, chances are that someone has written an extension to add it. We've even released several extensions of our own for people who use Firefox with Netscape.com.
However, chances are that you've run into an extension you'd like to install, only to find that it's not compatible with your browser version. This is because extension authors must test and update their extension every time a new browser version comes out to ensure that it works properly with that version of the browser.
Since Netscape 9 will share an architecture with Firefox 2, it is very likely that most Firefox 2 extensions will work in Netscape 9 without modification. This is why Netscape 9 will allow you to install extensions that list Firefox 2 as a compatible version but do not explicitly list Netscape as well. This feature will give all users of Netscape 9 immediate access to Firefox's wealth of custom extensions without having to wait for each author to update the extension's compatibility file. |
UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3
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Fulvio
Joined: 19 Jun 2002
Posts: 10531
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| 06 Feb, 2007 5:03 pm |
[sdp=82175] |
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I will believe that when I see it. Very few extentions are usable with NS8.x, even with the Mr Tech Local Install extention, which, itself cannot be updated from 5.3.1.1.
UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20060912 Netscape/8.1.2
"I've got a very poor sense of direction. I keep forgetting which way is forwards."
WinXP, SP2, FF2.0.0.16, FF3.0.1, TB2.0.0.16, IE7.0, Opera9.51, SM1.1.11, Safari3.1.2, Sygate5.6; AVG8.01, JRE1.6_05 |
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macallan1824
Joined: 29 Sep 2005
Posts: 121
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| 07 Feb, 2007 4:10 pm |
[sdp=82197] |
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| Fulvio wrote: | | Very few extensions are usable with NS8.x, even with the Mr Tech Local |
fwiw, I've about 25 installed and working happily. Unfortunately some have to older versions, but that's usually due to the FF 1.0x heritage of NS8.
Assuming the NS9 teaser went through some tech review, then it seems to imply that NS9 will have the same GUID as FF, hence all FF 2.0+ extensions will install. How they run will depend on what 'UI and other enhancements' are in NS9....
.......therein lies the issue...... NS8 had a huge raft of 'enhancement' which made it different from FF 1.0x, but it also created issues with themes, extensions as well as porting the enhancements to newer versions of FF.
NS9 seems to be attempting to reduce these issues, but may be much less differentiated from FF than NS8 was.....
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Fulvio
Joined: 19 Jun 2002
Posts: 10531
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| 07 Feb, 2007 5:16 pm |
[sdp=82198] |
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It may depend on the extention. I have only two, Forecastfox and Mr Tech Local Install, and they are old versions. Installation of newer versions of extentions have failed. But, I am not interested in the total number of extentions. Just a few good ones.
UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.1) Gecko/20061204 Firefox/2.0.0.1
"I've got a very poor sense of direction. I keep forgetting which way is forwards."
WinXP, SP2, FF2.0.0.16, FF3.0.1, TB2.0.0.16, IE7.0, Opera9.51, SM1.1.11, Safari3.1.2, Sygate5.6; AVG8.01, JRE1.6_05 |
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James
Joined: 12 Jul 2002
Posts: 1493
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Dr Lobster*
Joined: 29 May 2006
Posts: 156
Location: Norfolk, UK
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| 07 Feb, 2007 5:27 pm |
[sdp=82200] |
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maybe i'm being silly, but why do they even bother with netscape? i shouldn't think anybody really 'recognises' the netscape brand anymore.
the whole exercise seems pointless - if it has the same engine as firefox / seamonkey, why not use those browsers instead? wouldn't it benefit everybody if the programmers of netscape to joined in with the mozilla team and help implement any additional features into those browsers rather than maintain an entirely separate branch which seems to be pretty much the same thing as we all have in all but name and skin? it's a whole load of duplicated effort which seems entirely and utterly pointless to me.
i haven't use the browser for years and have no intention of doing so, it's dead, it died long ago, leave it alone and help make the current crop of browsers better. that's what i'd do, anyway.
UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.1) Gecko/20061204 Firefox/2.0.0.1 |
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macallan1824
Joined: 29 Sep 2005
Posts: 121
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| 07 Feb, 2007 5:45 pm |
[sdp=82202] |
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| Fulvio wrote: | | I have only two, Forecastfox and Mr Tech Local Install, and they are old versions. Installation of newer versions of extentions have failed |
I'm using the latest ForecastFox Enhanced, Ver 0.9.3.1, installs fine straight from the authors site for NS8.1.
It's one of the few extensions where the authors have supported NS8 directly.....
....most of the others I've had to 'adapt' the install file to get them to install. Almost all work fine once installed....
UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20060111 Netscape/8.1 |
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macallan1824
Joined: 29 Sep 2005
Posts: 121
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| 07 Feb, 2007 6:18 pm |
[sdp=82203] |
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| Dr Lobster* wrote: | | but why do they even bother with Netscape?....... it's a whole load of duplicated effort which seems entirely and utterly pointless to me. |
maybe to you, but I moved over to it well over a year ago, when Firefox broke for the 3rd or 4th time when it upgraded itself, due to a 'corrupt profile'. This was acceptable during the beta releases, but after FF 1.00 was available, it was too much.....
....why the problems...?
Well unfortunately the 'less is more' design point of Firefox left a bit too much out, e.g. with tab handling.. So to get it to behave as I wanted, I needed a bunch of extensions, and there lies the problem. Extensions are great for additional nice to have function you can do without if it don't work with a new release, or an author just stops fixing the bugs.... but when they are mandatory to provide the minimum browsing experience you're after, and don't work, it's very frustrating....
...So I have been very happy with NS8 as it includes almost all of the feature set I was stuffing extensions into Firefox for, but without the previous Firefox upgrade hassle.........
So it Netscape want to throw $$ at it, fine, they'll only continue if they can see a return, and while they do, I'll use it if it has the features I'm after.....
fwiw, The IE integration in NS8 is still the most seemless solution of any Gecko based browser and organising all the security options into a single place is still useful...
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Fulvio
Joined: 19 Jun 2002
Posts: 10531
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| 07 Feb, 2007 6:40 pm |
[sdp=82204] |
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I think that there are many different experiences which make people go one way or another.
In my experience NS8.1, first, and now 8.1.2 have been the worst experiences I ever had. I have had to uninstall/reinstall 6.x at least 20 times, because of several problems.
And, as I said before, extentions which worked were very rare.
I, just have never had problems with Firefox, and, I do take a lot of chances. I am using the new 1.5.0.10RC, and I have eight extentions. About the same as 2.0.0.1, which is my default.
One of the extention is IE Tab, with which I can accomplish the same things which can be done with NS8.x.
UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.10pre) Gecko/20070207 Firefox/1.5.0.10pre
"I've got a very poor sense of direction. I keep forgetting which way is forwards."
WinXP, SP2, FF2.0.0.16, FF3.0.1, TB2.0.0.16, IE7.0, Opera9.51, SM1.1.11, Safari3.1.2, Sygate5.6; AVG8.01, JRE1.6_05 |
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macallan1824
Joined: 29 Sep 2005
Posts: 121
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| 07 Feb, 2007 7:12 pm |
[sdp=82206] |
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| Fulvio wrote: | | I think that there are many different experiences which make people go one way or another. |
Agreed, and choice is a good thing here, it spurs on innovation and development. We've all experienced the problems when one product has a monopoly....
| Fulvio wrote: | | And, as I said before, extensions which worked were very rare. |
Agreed again, but there's a reasonable set up on UFAQ
| Fulvio wrote: | | One of the extension is IE Tab, with which I can accomplish the same things which can be done with NS8.x. |
This is where I feel we have to be careful over how our own ideas are presented, to avoid misunderstanding. There are many things that you can do with the IE integration in NS8 that cannot be achieved with IEtab, here are a few......
- Enabling ActiveX on a per site basis
- adding entries into the Firefox history list for IE sites
- using the same download manager for both IE & FF modes
- Same RMB menu for both modes.
- Blacklisted/whitelisted sites for a profile are obeyed in both modes....
- far more consistent UI across both modes, (no favourite/bookmark issues)
- Ctrl+ increasing font size (NB. keyboard shortcuts for changing the font size have finally appeared in IE in Ver7....!)
Now these points may not be important to you, hence IEtab provides you with an excellent solution for the odd page you need IE for. Whereas for me, UI consistency and control is important, so for me the NS8 solution is much more useful.
My point....? ......While you've had a torrid time with NS8, that isn't true for everyone..... Also choice is good and experimenting with different options should be encouraged, even if this means we won't always agree......
UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20060111 Netscape/8.1 |
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Antony
Joined: 18 Jun 2002
Posts: 11914
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| 07 Feb, 2007 8:42 pm |
[sdp=82209] |
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| Dr Lobster* wrote: | | maybe i'm being silly, but why do they even bother with netscape? i shouldn't think anybody really 'recognises' the netscape brand anymore. |
There are still a few old-time Netscape users like the name "Netscape".
To best of my observation, most of those Netscape users/supporters (as in Netscape.com's message board and the newsgroup) show a totally different attitude to mainstream Firefox activists (as in MozillaZine.org Forum) in following basic ways: they are not (open source) extremists, they don't rush to the latest version of the software, and they don't demand everything to be open-source.
UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en-US; rv:1.8.1.1) Gecko/20061204 Firefox/2.0.0.1
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Fulvio
Joined: 19 Jun 2002
Posts: 10531
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| 08 Feb, 2007 11:23 am |
[sdp=82222] |
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To: Mcallan1824, thank you for the useful information. I hope that the same problems encountered in 8.x, persist in the upcoming 9.x.
UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20060912 Netscape/8.1.2
"I've got a very poor sense of direction. I keep forgetting which way is forwards."
WinXP, SP2, FF2.0.0.16, FF3.0.1, TB2.0.0.16, IE7.0, Opera9.51, SM1.1.11, Safari3.1.2, Sygate5.6; AVG8.01, JRE1.6_05 |
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