EasyList Forum

I used to like Firefox 1.0, but with 1.5 and 2.0, they really turned it into a bloated and slow product, at least on Linux. (I stopped using Windows before Firefox was popular, so I really don't know what it was like on Windows. I am a Kubuntu Feisty user and am using KDE.) I kept hitting bugs that people never heard of except for one of my friends who also uses Linux, the most annoying of them being that it would just stop rendering pages--it would go through the motions of loading the page and when it got to "Done", I'd still be seeing the same page. Or if I'd open a tab, I wouldn't see anything at "Done". Also, Firefox didn't pass the Acid2 test, while Konqueror and Opera have for quite some time now. And I didn't like the ugly Windows 95-style form controls. Plus, I laughed at the idea of Firefox being the fastest browser because Opera and Konqueror sorely beat it in speed...

On Sunday, though, I decided to give Gran Paradiso 3.0a5 a shot because on the Ubuntu Linux IRC channels, I had heard that they were working on fixing bugs and improving OS integration on Linux (making form elements use the GTK or KDE theme, for example). I am now using 3.0a6.

There have been lots of improvements that I've seen so far. I finally see the form elements using my theme, it passes the Acid2 test now, it's a LOT faster, and they're fixing the one bug I experienced on it!

The only downside so far is that I have to hack the MaxVersion of most extensions to use them, but thankfully Adblock Plus does not need any hacking. (It was the only extension that did not.) It isn't hard, though, and I don't even need to rename the .xpi files to do this because Ark, the KDE archiver, can tell that they are zip files without the need to rename them. And with the Konquefox extension and the KDEFF theme, it blends very well into KDE!

I still much prefer KMail over Thunderbird for e-mail, but I am really enjoying Gran Paradiso 3.0a6! I am going to have a hard time choosing in the future...

Where to get it: http://developer.mozilla.org/devnews/in ... -download/

I didn't realized that the pre and present Firefox versions were such a PITA on Linux. Sounds like a rough time. I'm very happy to hear that the compatibility problems are being addressed. I've heard some very encouraging things about Firefox 3 and may just give Gran Paradiso a try. This is great news

What extensions are you using that needed bumping that work ok in 3? Are you using Mr. Tech's Local Install to bump them? If so, did THAT need manual bumping for Gran Paradiso?

ps: Adblock Plus just bumped the maxversion a few days ago for that because of a request on the ABP forum. .

rick752 wrote:I didn't realized that the pre and present Firefox versions were such a PITA on Linux. Sounds like a rough time. I'm very happy to hear that the compatibility problems are being addressed. I've heard some very encouraging things about Firefox 3 and may just give Gran Paradiso a try. This is great news

They seemed to be focusing on being better than IE, which does Linux users no good since our other browsers were so much faster. I think they focused on Windows because Linux users were already using better browsers, since IE is obviously not available on Linux, and nobody in their right mind would set that up in Wine just for browsing the Web.

rick752 wrote:What extensions are you using that needed bumping that work ok in 3? Are you using Mr. Tech's Local Install to bump them? If so, did THAT need manual bumping for Gran Paradiso?

I could get FlashGot (so I can use KDE's download manager), NoScript, and Adblock Plus to install without any hacking. MrTech LocalInstall did NOT install without hacking, and I chose not to bother with it. I use the Konquefox extension to add toolbar buttons that Konqueror and Opera have (like the Clear Addressbar button, the Up button, Zoom...), the KDEFF theme (so I see KDE's Crystal SVG icons in Firefox instead of the normal ones), Deepest Sender (blogging client), and LiveJournal Addons.

rick752 wrote:ps: Adblock Plus just bumped the maxversion a few days ago for that because of a request on the ABP forum. .

That's good because I like not having to hack that one.

Have you tried disabling version checking for extensions. Then any extension can install without problem.. it being compatible is another issue however. But you wouldn't have to hack a thing. Here is instructions I did once. I don't know if this works on Linux or not, but I don't see why it wouldn't. Ever since they made this setting, I've used it without issue. And you still can see which extensions aren't (technically) compatible as explained in the link. Just a tip..not sure you knew about.

Sorry about the double post but this is a different kind of reply.

I've been trying to wait till at least the beta this time. I've noticed with all my using the nightly builds that when the new version comes out to the public I've missed the wow of it. So, I'm trying to be a good boy this time and be patient. I've read lots of very interesting things about it and it's hard to hold out. I'm excited for the first time about a release coming. Before I was always like big deal been using it for weeks/months nothing new here move on. lol

IceDogg wrote:Have you tried disabling version checking for extensions. Then any extension can install without problem.. it being compatible is another issue however. But you wouldn't have to hack a thing. Here is instructions I did once. I don't know if this works on Linux or not, but I don't see why it wouldn't. Ever since they made this setting, I've used it without issue. And you still can see which extensions aren't (technically) compatible as explained in the link. Just a tip..not sure you knew about.

I had no idea I could do that! Thanks for the tip!

IceDogg wrote:Sorry about the double post but this is a different kind of reply.

I've been trying to wait till at least the beta this time. I've noticed with all my using the nightly builds that when the new version comes out to the public I've missed the wow of it. So, I'm trying to be a good boy this time and be patient. I've read lots of very interesting things about it and it's hard to hold out. I'm excited for the first time about a release coming. Before I was always like big deal been using it for weeks/months nothing new here move on. lol

I wouldn't normally try it this early, but I couldn't tolerate Firefox 1.5-2.0 anymore, and I was using Konqueror and Opera, and I am not a very patient person...

AmyRose wrote:I had no idea I could do that! Thanks for the tip!

No problem glad I could help. I really thought when they made this setting that more people would use it.

AmyRose wrote:I wouldn't normally try it this early, but I couldn't tolerate Firefox 1.5-2.0 anymore, and I was using Konqueror and Opera, and I am not a very patient person...

I understand that. I'm not very patient (most the time) either. I've got better over the years, but I still need to work on it.

Actually I have been curious to try out the new 3.0 alphas. How mature is it from stability/bugs point of view?
I am interested in getting to know the new features before the final release roll out, mainly so I can figure out early on if any of my 37 extensions are redundant and no longer needed and etc.
Is it possible/safe to have firefox 3.0 installed simultaneously with my current 2.0.0.4?

Just advice, but for stability I would wait till the first beta comes out. And then it will (suppose to) have all the new features set.. so that would be best for what you want to test. Fx3 also messes with lots of things and (from what I've read) it's hard to go back to 2.x because of them. Like it changes you bookmarks.html to a SQL (I think that's the right extension) and that causes problems for Fx2.x. So, if you do try it, make a backup of your profile and I would even make a separate profile and point Fx3 alphas to it. Do you use Vista? I think there are more problems if you do.

Hmmm thanks for the info IceDogg, looks like the beta1 is the one I want then. Looking forward to it, are there any estimations out there for its release? (I am impatient too )

(and I'm on winxp btw)

XP will make it easier to handle running each under a different profile.. so good for you on that one.

Offical schedule for Firefox 3 It says the end (or around) of July, but I'm thinking it may get pushed back a bit. It's getting close though.

IceDogg wrote:Just advice, but for stability I would wait till the first beta comes out. And then it will (suppose to) have all the new features set.. so that would be best for what you want to test. Fx3 also messes with lots of things and (from what I've read) it's hard to go back to 2.x because of them. Like it changes you bookmarks.html to a SQL (I think that's the right extension) and that causes problems for Fx2.x. So, if you do try it, make a backup of your profile and I would even make a separate profile and point Fx3 alphas to it. Do you use Vista? I think there are more problems if you do.

Yeah, it converts your bookmarks.html file to places.sqlite, and by default, every time you start up Firefox 3, it will overwrite your bookmarks.html file. However, if you delete places.sqlite, it will rebuild places.sqlite using your bookmarks.html. So it's still possible to import and export bookmarks as long as you delete places.sqlite.

IceDogg wrote:XP will make it easier to handle running each under a different profile.. so good for you on that one.

It's even easier on Linux.

AmyRose wrote: It's even easier on Linux.

Isn't everything? ;)

IceDogg wrote:

AmyRose wrote: It's even easier on Linux.

Isn't everything? ;)

For me, yeah.

Well, you went and done it now. I had to go get it and try it out. I couldn't wait any more. Thanks! j/k

I have to say I'm impressed how well it's working with profiles on Vista now. Not all screwy like it was early on, not that it matters to you, but I thought I'd clear that up. Seems to work in profiles much like it did in XP now.

But any bookmark extensions are not working for me. For example: Bookmark Duplicate Detetor (A must for me, I'm forgetful) and something to keep the Bookmark tree expanded, I hate the it's not, I wish they would just make a prefs for that or something. I've noticed lots of styles that are made to adjust Firefox's UI don't work correctly either (means themes may need updating as well?). So some work will have to be done by these developers to get up to speed. It will probably start when it hits beta. But it seems to work pretty nicely for the most part, so far. Wish me luck.

IceDogg wrote:Well, you went and done it now. I had to go get it and try it out. I couldn't wait any more. Thanks! j/k

You're welcome!

IceDogg wrote:I have to say I'm impressed how well it's working with profiles on Vista now. Not all screwy like it was early on, not that it matters to you, but I thought I'd clear that up. Seems to work in profiles much like it did in XP now.

Hahaha, yeah... I'd never use Vista on my own computers. Ever.

IceDogg wrote:But any bookmark extensions are not working for me. For example: Bookmark Duplicate Detetor (A must for me, I'm forgetful) and something to keep the Bookmark tree expanded, I hate the it's not, I wish they would just make a prefs for that or something. I've noticed lots of styles that are made to adjust Firefox's UI don't work correctly either (means themes may need updating as well?). So some work will have to be done by these developers to get up to speed. It will probably start when it hits beta. But it seems to work pretty nicely for the most part, so far. Wish me luck.

Yeah, I've noticed some quirks, especially with the KDEFF theme that I use. I like my browsers to look more KDE-ish, since on Linux, Firefox is more optimized for GNOME (yuck).

IceDogg wrote:Offical schedule for Firefox 3 It says the end (or around) of July, but I'm thinking it may get pushed back a bit. It's getting close though.

hmmm it looks like they updated the schedule. So M8 is sort of like beta1 or something?

tbh I'm not real sure, but I would guess so. There is not beta's listed and they say it's feature freeze at that point, just like betas do. So I guess it's what they are calling beta. odd way to do this.. it's a first for them iirc