Mashable has posted a great article with 25 resources on how to customise your favorite browser.
Included are resources for Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera and Google Chrome.
You can read the full article on the Mashable website.
Happy customising!
Web surfers will now be able to find local services when they browse thanks to a new plugin from Mozilla for Firefox.
The plugin known as Geode calculates a users position based on their current and near-by networks.
Accuracy is said to be within 10-20m and it can find your location in just seconds.
Mike Shaver from Mozilla was very positive about the project, talking briefly about the applications of Geode. “People have got to eat, but there is a lot more to it than that.”
“We see location as adding an extra layer to help get people the information they need.”
The technology which is similar to AGPS currently found on the iPhone and iPod touch.
The project is only an experimental add-on for Firefox, but a full launch of geolocation technology is expected in version 3.1 of Firefox.
Users can download the Geode plugin from Mozilla Labs.
Opera has just released version 9.6 of its web browser. The new version comes about after weeks of testing, with the beta release was available almost a month ago.
Opera 9.6 includes a new feed view, speed enchancements, and Opera link technology.
A full list of changes can be found in the changelogs.
You can download Opera 9.6 from the Opera website.
With all the news that Google Chrome’s market share has droped since it’s release, I thought it was only fitting to add some more statistics to the fire.
On another technology site that I run, browser stats were as follows for the month of September:
Browser Market Share for September
Through the month of September, Chrome’s usage has dropped around 30% from its release. Usage seems to have stabalised since then.
Of interesting note, is that Google Chrome has still gained a larger market share than Opera. It should also be noted that Chrome is still only available on Windows. Perhaps it’s market share will again increase when offical Mac and Linux versions are released.
Perhaps Google Chrome hasn’t shaken up the market as much as everyone predicted. Did you try Google Chrome and are you still using it?
WebKit passing Acid3
The WebKit development team has just passed another huge milestone. The WebKit browser engine used in Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome now fully passes the Acid3 test.
The Acid3 test checks how well browsers comply with the latest standards, in particular JavaScript and the Document Object Model (DOM).
Maciej Stachowiak of the WebKit team attributes this feat to “recent speedups in JavaScript, DOM and rendering.”
Unfortunately, it will be a few months before we see this in Safari and Chrome, but while you wait you can download a nightly build of WebKit and test this for yourself.
Just days after the release of Firefox 3.0.2, Mozilla has released Firefox 3.0.3. The new release fixes a single bug that stopped some users from accessing their stored usernames and passwords.
The bug itself was discovered within 24 hours of the previous release, and was patched much quicker than expected.
You can read the full bug details on the Bugzilla site. The patch should automatically be rolled out to Firefox 3 users, or alternatively you can download it using the link below.
Mozilla has just updated both Firefox 2 and 3. Both releases are security fixes, patching critical security vulnerabilities.
A full list of changes can be found in the both the Firefox 2 and Firefox 3 security advisories.
Most users should find the new versions are pushed out to them automatically, or alternatively you can download the new releases from Mozilla.
Chromium on Linux
Thanks to the CrossOver Chromium project, it is now possible to download Google Chrome for Mac OS X and Linux.
The Chromium project is an open source effort, built using the same code as Chrome and “aims to build a safer, faster, and more stable way for all Internet users to experience the web“.
At this stage, the browser does not run nativly on systems other than Windows, but the Chromium project has been made possible thanks to the CodeWeavers’ Wine development expertise.
You can download the CrossOver Chromium browser from the website or the links below:
Mac OS X
Ubuntu and Debian (32bit)
Ubuntu and Debian (64bit)
Google Chrome Go Green Theme
In less than two weeks since Google Chrome was released, die-hard fans and users are already customising the browser. ChromeSpots Google Chrome Themes forum has plenty of themes to choose from already.
Theme’s resembling Apple’s Safari, to Mozilla’s Firefox, and even deviantART have all been created.
Once you download a theme you will need to install it. The install path is as follows:
Windows Vista
C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\[current version]\Themes\Windows XP
C:\Documents and Settings\[user]\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\[current version]\Themes\
To install the theme simply copy the default.dll you have just downloaded to the above directory. I strongly suggest that you backup your current default.dll file before doing this. Unfortunately, for the time being, there is no way to manage multiple themes. However, this is definitely a promising start form theme developers. I look forward to seeing what’s to come.
Edit 2: Real full screen mode is available in the latest release of Google Chrome. You simply need to press F11.
Edit: For clarification – there is no full-screen mode in Google Chrome yet. This simply opens the browser maximized.
One thing that many users may find frustrating is that Google Chrome opens in window mode. Thankfully there is a simple fix for this. By editing the Google Chrome shortcut, you simply need to add the -start-maximized parameter to the end of the shortcut line.
Your new shortcut line should look something like this:
C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe -start-maximized
Problem solved! Chrome will now open in full-screen mode.