SillyDog701

[beanboy89]

The Mozilla Corp. is making the first beta of Mozilla Firefox 2.0, codenamed Bon Echo, available to testers.

The changelog lists all the changes and new additions since Firefox 1.5.x.x:

There is a lot in Firefox 2 Beta 1 that we invite you to play around with and give us feedback on:
* Built in Anti-Phishing protection.
* Search suggestions now appear with search history in the search box for Google, Yahoo! and Answers.com
* Changes to tabbed browsing behavior
* Ability to re-open accidentally closed tabs
* Better support for previewing and subscribing to web feeds
* Inline spell checking in text boxes
* Search plugin manager for removing and re-ordering search engines
* New microsummaries feature for bookmarks
* Automatic restoration of your browsing session if there is a crash
* New combined and improved Add-Ons manager for extensions and themes
* New Windows installer based on NullSoft Scriptable Install System
* Support for JavaScript 1.7
* Support for client-side session and persistent storage
* Extended search plugin format
* Updates to the extension system to provide enhanced security and to allow for easier localization of extensions
* Support for SVG text using svg:textPath

For a list of bugs fixed since Firefox 2.0 Alpha 3, see this Bugzilla search.

Downloads (all [tt]en-US[/tt]):
Windows Installer
Linux tar.gz file
Mac OS X Disk Image
For other operating systems and locales, see the FTP Directory. Download mirrors.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1a3) Gecko/20060621 SeaMonkey/1.1a

[Fulvio]

The releases same the same old thing:

Where is the mail client?

Firefox 2 Beta 1 works with whatever mail client is the default on your system. However, we recommend Mozilla Thunderbird, our next generation email client and the perfect complement to Firefox.

But, I have not been able to get one person to explain to me, in a reasonable way what they mean. If they mean that a mail client has links, and FF2.0 is default, it is a true statement, but there is no mention of a why to get from FF2.0 to the mail client.

I know that IE7 beta had left out a link to mail, but it was done intentionally, because there had been accusations that IE was linking to OE, which is untrue. Now, IE is going to reintroduce the link to mail.
I know that it is a minor point, and that anyone can get to their mail client, if they know how to do it, but a simple optional icon should be present. May be an extention will come out.
Another question, not answered, in the Release Notes is the statement that it has the

* Ability to re-open accidentally closed tabs

. How?

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1b1) Gecko/20060712 BonEcho/2.0b1

[Antony]

screenshot:


I haven't noticed any difference between this release and previous Bon Echo.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; PPC Mac OS X Mach-O; en-US; rv:1.8.1b1) Gecko/20060710 Firefox/2.0b1

[beanboy89]

Another question, not answered, in the Release Notes is the statement that it has the

* Ability to re-open accidentally closed tabs

. How?

Under the "History" menu (formerly named "Go"), there is a "Recently Closed Tabs" option.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1b1) Gecko/20060710 Firefox/2.0b1

[James]

So far it's looking great. It would appear that my weather, ad-block and site advisor extensions are working so that's a plus. As for the mail icon, I simply use the mail icon in the Quick Launch tray to go over to my T-bird mail. No problem.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1b1) Gecko/20060710 Firefox/2.0b1

[Fulvio]

James, I know about ways around the lack of Mail icon. I can program my keyboard, among other things. It is a matter of principle. Not everyone understands what we do.
FYI, I found out that there were more questions about the lack of a mail link in IE7 beta than anything else, and that is the reason why it will be put back.
I was given the explanation that it was done to reduce clutter. If it is an icon, it my clutter, and why should anu one care. But, there the FirefoxMenuButtons extention which can add, at the last count 41 buttons, and the author shows an example where all of them are in the various toolbar! But, he said that a Check Mail would be difficult. Hid Send Mail is excellent, though, giving me access to the Address Book, and Compose part, but no check Mail.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.4) Gecko/20060508 Poweranemone Firefox/1.5.0.4

[beanboy89]

A small observation I made: On Windows, it appears that the application icon for Mozilla Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 has somewhat changed to reflect the updated Firefox icon. Here's a screenshot I created, with the icon from Firefox 1.5.0.4 on the top and Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 on the bottom:

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.4) Gecko/20060516 SeaMonkey/1.0.2

[Fulvio]

I don't understand. Did you create a shortcut icon identical to that of 1.5.0.4, or whay?
The shortcut icon for Bon Echo has been a bluish-tinged globe, while 3.0 (Minefield) is a rather ominous, and a bit smaller globe with a fuse at about 10-11 o'clock.
I rather keep them different, but 3.0 is scary. Alaska looks in trouble!

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1b1) Gecko/20060713 BonEcho/2.0b1

[Fulvio]

Another question, not answered, in the Release Notes is the statement that it has the

* Ability to re-open accidentally closed tabs

. How?

Under the "History" menu (formerly named "Go"), there is a "Recently Closed Tabs" option.

That is neat, except for one case, at least for me. A new tab was opened when I clicked on a link. I right click|close tab, while I was in the sillydog newsgroup. When I selected the Recently closed tabs, that Tab was the only one there, so I clicked on it, and the page opened. In the process, all other tabs closed. I had no choice to go back. So, reviving one tab kills the others?

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1b1) Gecko/20060713 BonEcho/2.0b1

[beanboy89]

I don't understand. Did you create a shortcut icon identical to that of 1.5.0.4, or whay?
The shortcut icon for Bon Echo has been a bluish-tinged globe, while 3.0 (Minefield) is a rather ominous, and a bit smaller globe with a fuse at about 10-11 o'clock.
I rather keep them different, but 3.0 is scary. Alaska looks in trouble!

All I did was, right click the exe file for Firefox and create a shortcut, then I dragged the shortcut to the desktop. I did the same process on both Firefox 1.5.0.4 and Firefox 2.0 Beta 1. The default icon must have changed sometime between 1.5.0.4 and 2.0b1.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1a3) Gecko/20060621 SeaMonkey/1.1a

[James]

Well... my preliminary evaluation is beginning to change. I found the beta 2 version to be considerably slower in rendering pages (at least on this computer). And I lost several of my favorite themes (i.e. Nemesis) as well as several of my favorite extensions. I understand that this is beta and I've learned a lesson. I uninstalled it and returned to 1.5.0.4 and things are pretty much back to normal. Beta software is just not for me.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.4) Gecko/20060508 Firefox/1.5.0.4

[Fulvio]

To beanboy: have you installed 2.0b1. I never install alphas or betas, if there is a .zip file. May be an unzipped file shows up differently. I, always, give a description to the unzipped folders. I had one from a 2.0a1, which was updated daily, till the 15th. The automatic updates stopped then, so I got a new .zip file. The present one is described as 2.0a3, although it is have been updated since then. The firefox.exe has been using the original desktop icon, which I rename daily.
This 2.0 is behaving no differently from 1.5.0.4. I don't bother with Themes, because they are mostly trouble. As for the extentions, I am using the Nightly Tester Tools extention, and everything I have is made compatible. I have only a few extentions, though.
FirefoxMenuButtons1.5
Forecastfox Enhanced 0.9.2
McAfee Site Advisor Firefox Extention22.0
MediaPlayerConnectivity0.6.3
Prefbar3.3

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1b1) Gecko/20060713 BonEcho/2.0b1

[beanboy89]

To beanboy: have you installed 2.0b1. I never install alphas or betas, if there is a .zip file. May be an unzipped file shows up differently. I, always, give a description to the unzipped folders. I had one from a 2.0a1, which was updated daily, till the 15th. The automatic updates stopped then, so I got a new .zip file. The present one is described as 2.0a3, although it is have been updated since then. The firefox.exe has been using the original desktop icon, which I rename daily.

I'm running both Firefox 1.5.0.4 and Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 from ZIP files. I did have the alpha builds installed, and they were from ZIP, too. Before unzipping 2.0 beta 1, I deleted my 2.0 alpha 3 build, which used the blue globe icon. I naver used the automatic update, nor have I used the installers in a long time.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.4) Gecko/20060516 SeaMonkey/1.0.2

[Fulvio]

So, if I get a new b1 build, having deleted the previous folder, I should get the Firefox1.5.0.4 shortcut icon. For me, I prefer to have different icons. In fact, I have still Thunderbird1.0.7, and also 1.5.0.4 and 3.0a1, for which I created different icon. I label them for what they are, but my eye is attracted by a different icon. Thanks for the explanation.

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.4) Gecko/20060508 Fireclam Firefox/1.5.0.4

[geffr]

I'm not sure if the beta is even supposed to be compatible with Win 98 SE, but I don't recommend the combination. I just tried the zip file & it crashed 3 times in the first minute or 2. Also permanently took out most of my themes & extensions even when going back to 1.5.04. Fortunately I backed up my profile before trying the beta so everything is back to normal.

I do remember reading that some future version of FF was intentionally no longer going to work with Win 98; is this the one?


Geff

UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win98; en-US; rv:1.8.0.4) Gecko/20060508 Firefox/1.5.0.4