Mozilla is rolling out its latest stable version of Firefox browser to the public today. It is in the version 3 RC (Release candidate) 1. Not only this Firefox 3 RC1 view as a first major new release in nearly 19 months, we can see it as a new browser that provides numerous rich Internet experience to the Firefox lovers. I am as a Firefox rabid user, I will download my copy after this post.

There are many notable features can be found on this Firefox 3 RC1, albeit that the final version will only be released probably in late May. This new version is driven by technological advancement in areas such as more secure, more easy to use, more personal, etc. Performance wise, it should be more faster, as now this browser was bundled with a smart bookmarking offering. Additionally, users will find this new version available in more than 45 languages and it can be downloaded to Windows, Mac or Linux platforms.

Since Firefox 3 RC1 is served as a testing purpose, not all the add-ons are applicable in use with this version of browser. Users without this understanding when upgrading to this version may risk losing some of their favorite add-ons.

via [mozilla developer center]

A new Canadian image search engine called TinEye has launched. It is a search engine project developed by Idée Inc. Though still in private beta, but is best understood by watching a demo video regarding its technology.

According to the demo video, TinEye has currently indexed more than 487 million images. Users who search the images through this search engine are not search by text, instead they need to upload an image or type an image’s URL link to the search bar. This contrast with the ordinary search engine approach, and TinEye potentially search all the images available on the Web and match the image an user uploaded, whether they’re in the form of photoshoped.

Additionally, TinEye will release its Firefox plugin for the Firefox users in near future.

Mozilla Foundation has launched a new subsidiary called Mozilla Messaging. Read the company name guess that this is a new venture that expected to develop a series of messaging related products. And you’re right, as mentioned by Mozilla’s CEO David Ascher, this is a new Mozilla subsidiary that focused on the area of email and Internet communications, with aiming to develop a new cutting-edge Thunderbird 3. The outlined features included integrated calendaring (building on the great work done by the Mozilla Calendar team and their Lightning add-on to Thunderbird), better search facilities, easier configuration, and many more.

I like the fact that Mozilla is putting its effort on developing another good Web product beside Firefox. While the Thunderbird version 3 has not been materialized, the expectation was high because now this upcoming online communication client is being backed by a new startup, with a bunch of talents working day and night on it. But I don’t think this product will generate a lot of buzz as it is not a new tool for open source lovers. If you’re an open source lover, you should heard of an open source organizer mash-up that combine email, calendar, scheduling features, instant messaging (IM) and others into one that called Spicebird.

via [Linux Magazine]

On Mozilla Labs, they’ve just released the Personas for Firefox version 0.91, a lightweight extension that helps a Firefox user to change the theme, skin or fur coat of her Firefox browser. According to Mozilla, it is a prototype that builds upon the ideas that:

- themes today are too hard to find, install and use,
- graphic designers should be able to style the browser without having to code,
- browsers can be more than just desktop software, they can include online components,
- people just want their computer to be a little more fun and personal.

Once an user installed this extension, just look for the little Fox mask in the lower-left corner of the browser, click on it, and it shows several themes ranging from Popular, Recent, to All. An user has the options of selecting the theme that she like and change from time to time without the need to reload her Firefox browser. Most users that choose to use Firefox browser are due to the flexibility of install the Add-ons, with the introduction of Personas for Firefox, it has made the Internet surfing by using Firefox “a lot more enjoyable”.

It’s great to hear the “Air Mozilla” will be back on next Wednesday, as multiple formats will be available by then, not only this, tips and tricks are disseminated during the show.

I just came across an interesting blog entry, the author is the COO of Mozilla, was wondering the browser market share in the future would only controlled by two parties, i.e. IE (Internet Explorer) and Safari.

Some of its excerpt:

This world view that Steve gave a glimpse into betrays their thinking: it’s out-of-date, corporate-controlled, duopoly-oriented, not-the-web thinking. And it’s not good for the web. Which is sort of moot, I think, because I don’t think this 2 party world will really come to be.

Steve asserted Monday that Safari on Windows will overturn history, attract 100M new users, and revert the world to a 2 browser state. That remains to be seen, of course.

I agreed with John’s viewpoint. For Safari, a newly released browser, it can’t get ubiquity. When Safari can’t get ubiquitous, or can’t get the volume on the web, I wonder how could they get the market share later.

Source: adapted from http://planet.mozilla.org/diggmirror/index.html, accessed 16 June 2007

Update: Found a clip on YouTube about the talk of Steve Jobs on Safari browser at the Apple WWDC 2007, as embedded in the below.

As a Firefox user, tracking the progress of Firefox browser became one of my interests. In January this year, I did posted a post that entitled, “A First Preview of Firefox 3.0,” now it’s great to know and read the Firefox 3.0 smart bookmark offering. Though there is question about the features of Firefox 3.0 in which discussing a browser needs to combat performance problems is the fewer features, according to a post, however some developers has said that the new places feature built-in will enable Firefox 3 run faster.

Below is the one of the conceptual mockups of the Firefox 3.

Source: available at http://wiki.mozilla.org/Places:User_Interface/Tagging_a_Page3, accessed 2 June 2007

The other day I came across an article that entitled a former executive of MSN has joined Mozilla’s Chinese subsidiary, Mozilla Online, as its chairman and CEO. Li Gong, the new Chairman and CEO left MSN China on December 4 last year, was a key man in several companies include Sun and MSN China. Other than this, he also holds a first degree, and Master at Tsinghua University and a PhD holder at Cambridge University. Prior to joining Mozilla, he was a visiting professor at Stanford and Cornell University and as a member of the editor committee of IEEE Internet Computing and ACM TISSEC, according to this article (in Mandarin).

However, Li Gong explained his role at Mozilla is to set up a new company, i.e. Beijing Mou-Zhi Network Technologies Ltd. 谋智网络技术有限公司 in this July.

…..increasing adoption of the Firefox browser and other relevant products and technologies in China, building local developer and user communities, developing local partnerships, and participating in and helping to advance the state of art of open source software in China.

Nevertheless, there will be no such “Firefox China” to be launched, according to a news (in Mandarin) in China.