Mozilla Labs has developed a new add-on for Firefox called Weave. It syncs your Firefox history, open tabs, bookmarks, and more to the “cloud.” If you own multiple computers, and have Weave installed on them, then any changes to your browsing history, saved passwords, bookmarks, and even the tabs you had open will be reflected on all of them. Unfortunately it does not support syncing of add-ons, so your extensions, themes, and plugins will not be synced. Despite that, it’s still a great tool. Plus, since all the data is synced with the cloud, you can use Weave as a backup utility for Firefox as well. It’s especially handy in the case of a PC crash or when reinstalling an operating system.

Weave is similar to another add-on for Firefox called Xmarks, formerly Foxmarks. While Xmarks is cross-platform application that keeps bookmarks synced on Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari; that’s all it does, bookmarks. The ability to save open tabs, saved passwords, browsing history and even ‘Awesome Bar’ data makes Weave truly appealing. I have been using Weave since the early beta days without any problems and just recently it has been upgraded to version 1.0 RC2. It’s definitely getting closer to the 1.0 release. I recommend that anyone with multiple machines give Weave a try!

Links: Mozilla Labs | Mozilla Weave

If you use either Mozilla Firefox or Thunderbird, you have most likely never backed up your browser’s settings and bookmarks or your email client’s accounts and messages. This is because neither client includes a built in backup function and the majority of users don’t wast time trying to figure out how to do so. Although browser backup consists mainly of bookmarks and isn’t as important, archiving your important emails is. The solution, MozBackup, a freeware application which allows backing up and restoring “bookmarks, mail, contacts, history, extensions, and cache” from Thunderbird and Firefox.

Backup Instructions:

1. Download MozBackup and Install It (windows only)
2. Close all Applications, especially Firefox and Thunderbird
3. Run MozBackup and select either Firefox or Thunderbird
4. Select a profile (normally is called ‘default’)
5. Pick a place to save the backup file and press ‘Next’
6. Enter a password when prompted if backing up emails
7. Choose the items you wish to backup and hit ‘Next’
8. After a few moments, you backup should be Complete!

We suggest moving the file over to a CD, DVD, flash drive, or another hard drive. If your desktop or laptop is physically damaged, those backup files will be not accessible if they are still on your primary HDD. When restoring proceed through the instructions provided above in the same order, except choose the “Restore” option when selecting the application in Step 3.

Download: MozBackup | Link: More Information (screenshots)

Mozilla has just pushed out two new updates for Firefox and Thunderbird. The new Firefox update, 2.0.0.1, is the first patch to become available for Firefox 2.0 since its launch in October. According to Mozilla, the patch fixes about 8 different security issues and will now support Windows Vista for early adapters. If you are already using Firefox 2.0 and you haven’t already been notified of the update just go to “Help -> Check for Updates…” and Firefox will do the rest. Updating isn’t critical, but if you have a few seconds to spare, we recommend upgrading.

As for Thunderbird, a small update, 1.5.0.9, is now available. This patch “improves product stability” and also fixes about 7 security issues. As far as we know, Thunderbird 2.0 is on its way (expected 1st Quarter ‘07) and it will include many new new features such as tags, tabbed email, and alerts. If you wish to test it out the beta is available from Mozilla’s website.

Links: Mozilla Firefox | Mozilla Thunderbird
Related: Firefox 2.0 Released

If you are like the majority of Mozilla Firefox users, you have probably have had times when you have too many tabs open that nothing is really visible. However if you install the FaviconizeTab extension, which works on Windows/Macs/Linux, you will have the ability to click on any tab and minimize it to nothing but the site’s icon. The extension can be customized from the option’s menu to minimize/expand on a double-click, alt-click, ctrl-click, or shift-click. Another nice addition which the developers included is the option to enter a list of URLs, which the extension will automatically minimize when opened.

With this extension and Firefox 2.0’s new tab scroll bar, there will be much more room for navigating tabs. If you know of any other good extensions for Firefox 2.0 which will improve tab usage, please let us know!

Download: FaviconizeTab (Mozilla Addons)
Links: Developer Homepage

Less than a week after Microsoft announced Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla has now officially released Firefox 2.0. Numerous blogs and sites linked to Mozilla’s FTP server yesterday in belief that the software had been released earlier than expected, however Mozilla soon stated that the files were not official and were not meant for distribution yet. Either way Firefox 2.0 can now be safely downloaded from Mozilla.com.

Firefox 2.0 brings many improvements and new features from its predecessor. Some of which include reduced memory consumption, improved performance, strengthened security and much more. The following is the official list as stated by Mozilla’s press release:

• Tabbed Browsing – more custom options. close button added to tabs. session history.
• Spell Check – inline spell check for web forms. works with most online blogging tools.
• Search – real-time live results. search engine management options.
• Web Feeds – ability to add feed to live bookmarks, Thunderbird, Google reader, etc.
• ID Theft Protection – spyware/popup blocker. phishing protection. blacklists.
• Customization – more add-ons for specific features. (themes and plugins)

One major difference everyone will notice is the close button which now appears on each tab. It will probably feel awkward at first, but it’s easy to adapt to. Mozilla should have offered a preference to revert back to the old close button at the end of the tab bar. However if you use the “middle-click” button the new feature won’t be an issue. Luckily most popular extensions for Firefox still function properly with 2.0, however Firefox users will still have to wait for many extensions to be updated.

Another good note is that startup and page generation now seems to go much faster than on 1.5x. Even with several tabs open, Firefox no longer seems to hog as much memory as it once did. Overall, even with the new features, the program still feels as friendly as it once was. After playing around with both IE7, despite the improvements, Firefox 2.0 is the winner. If your computer doesn’t detect the update, go ahead and download it from the link below. We haven’t found any major bugs/issues just yet.

Download: Mozilla Firefox (all versions)
Links: Mozilla.com | Firefox 2.0 Features
Related: Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Released

After 5 long years, yesterday Microsoft finally announced Internet Explorer 7.0. Other than the thousands of security and stability patches that have been applied to IE6, this is by far the largest update since 2001. Microsoft has new built in security tools to supposedly make IE7 much safer than its predecessor. The final edition has been available for download from Microsoft’s website since yesterday, however it won’t appear in the “Windows Update” check until later next month.

Although IE7 is a major improvement over IE6, most Firefox users who upgrade will definitely not find any specific features as strikingly innovative. Microsoft’s IE7 page (hilariously) proudly presents the following as their browser’s new and innovative features:

• A New Theme & Layout
• Tabbed Browsing
• Better Printing
• RSS Feed Support
• Instant Search Box
• Improved security

The initial feature everyone is guaranteed to notice is tabbed browsing. Ignoring the other features, this is probably the most powerful addition to IE7. There is not much new it will bring for Firefox or Opera users, since they already have tabbed browsing, custom themes, search boxes, rss feeds, and are already much safer. The new layout will take quite a while to get adjusted too, since items such as the refresh, stop, and go buttons are now placed in quite awkward locations.

Despite the lack of new technology, this was a much needed and necessary update for Microsoft Internet Explorer. It is still hard to believe; disregarding the internal technical improvements, that this is all Microsoft could come up with over the last 5 years. If you wish to upgrade you can download it from microsoft.com/ie or wait until it is pushed out through Windows Update sometime next month. Whether you like it or not you better get used to it since it will be the default browser on all Windows machines for at least the next few years.

Links: Microsoft Internet Explorer 7
Related: IE7 Fact Sheet | Microsoft’s Announcement

To add the “Digg This Bookmarklet” to your bookmarks do the following:

• Mozilla Firefox: Drag and drop the digg logo onto your bookmarks toolbar. Or Right-click on the digg logo and “Bookmark this link”
• Internet Explorer: Right-click on this link and press “Add to Favorites”
• Apple Safari: Drag and drop the digg logo onto the bookmarks toolbar.

Links: Digg.com | My Digg Profile
Related: Digg Search Widget (win and mac)

Are you a Firefox user? Do you want a better way to cover your surfing history? Distrust, a little Firefox extension, will allow keeping all your browsing history in a single session private. Distrust is a type of “silent browsing” which is very similar to the “Private Browsing” feature on Apple’s Safari browser. With a click of a button anyone can easily clear/delete any new sites you may have visited since your session began. Distrust will automatically delete any new items added to your [History], [Cache], [Cookies], [Forms], [Downloads], and anything else that was stored or logged on your computer when “Distrust” was enabled.

This is much more efficient than clearing your cache after finishing your “private browsing” since clearing all content manually would delete even items that existed before you began your “private session”. Distrust is definitely an easy to use tool for all Firefox users. The extension works on Firefox 1.0 and above and runs on both Windows and Macintosh machines. The extension is still buggy at times, but usually gets the job done.

Download / Install: Distrust-0.5.5.xpi
Links: Mozilla Addons: Distrust | Offical Distrust Page
Related: Top Firefox Extensions | Get Mozilla Firefox

1) As of 04/26/06 Google Maps now has BETA maps for France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Google Maps satellite imagery has also been updated with new higher resolution images. Google stated that they plan to continue to expand their coverage to many new areas. A new “Google Maps 2 API” should be available for developers soon.
Links: Google Maps | GoogleBlog Announcement

2) On 04/25/06, Yahoo! released a new free PC “Software DVR” called Yahoo Go TV. This program was re-created based off Meedio TV, a company which Yahoo acquired a week earlier. This product is intended to compete with Windows XP Media Center, TiVo, and even Apple Front Row. Yahoo Go can not only record shows, but can be used to easily access music, photos, videos, and online media. However, the DVR function will only work if you have already purchased a TV Tuner card for your machine.
Links: Yahoo Go TV | Features | Yahoo TV

3) ABC has launched a free online streaming service to watch full episodes of shows such as Desperate Housewives, Lost, Alias, and Commander In Chief. The video is played using Macromedia Flash technology and the live streaming quality is pretty impressive. Unfortunately you will need to sit through 30-second commercials and there’s no way of skipping them. This service is not permanent and is only up for BETA testing. Go ahead and try it out when it’s still free.
Links: ABC Episode Streaming | ABC Home

4) Napster’s Music Store now offers “unlimited” free music. Once registered for a free account, you can listen to any of the 2 million songs in the Napster Music Store for free. The only catch is that you can listen to each song only 5 times and you will be required to purchase the track to save, burn, transfer to portable devices, or listen to it in the future.
Links: Napster | Napster FAQs

5) On May 2, 2006, Mozilla released Firefox v1.5.0.3. The new update includes some major security fixes and a some minor bug fixes. I recommend updating your program as soon as possible. If you already have Firefox v1.5 or above, just go to [Help] -> [Check for Updates] and Firefox will automatically update itself. If you have older versions of Firefox visit Mozilla.org and download the latest version for your machine.
Links: Mozilla Firefox | Release Notes 1.5.0.3

Other News:
New Apple TV Ads Released
Yahoo! Tech Reviews Launched
TiVo Desktop For MacOSX Available
VideoLan v0.8.5 Released

Note: Sorry for the delay in new content, we have been very busy recently and are undergoing many changes. However, expect to see even more quality content from this point forward!

04.13.06 – Mozilla has just released a minor, but important update for Firefox. In this version, 1.5.0.2, Mozilla has made the application more stable and has several security fixes. However, the importance goes to the Macintosh edition, which now has native Universal Binary support for Intel-based Mac OS X machines. This means Firefox will be much faster and users will see much better performance than before because it no longer needs to run through Apple’s emulator (rosetta). This update is not that important for Windows users, but ALL Intel Mac OS X should update right away. (If you have Firefox 1.5 or above go to Help -> Check For Updates)

Links: Mozilla Firefox | Release Notes
Recent: Firefox 1.5 Released | Firefox Extensions

Over the last few months the amount of visitors using Mozilla Firefox has grown to about 25%. The amount of bandwidth being used has also increased a large amount. Part of the reason behind this is that many Firefox users use an extension called “Fasterfox”. This extension “pre-fetches” links on a page so that if the user were to click on a link it would load much faster because its already been downloaded. This may be more convenient for viewer, but is a major problem for many webmasters who are low on bandwidth. Since Fasterfox constantly requests new files, it can cause many servers to overload much faster than if a person viewing the same content without Fasterfox were to view it.

Fasterfox is in fact one of the most popular extensions for Firefox. It is currently ranked as the 3rd most downloaded extension for Firefox on Mozilla Update page. (aka. Firefox Add-ons) The latest version of Fasterfox, v1.0.3, checks the for the robots.txt file on the site the viewer is visiting to check whether it should pre-fetch or not. This new feature allows webmasters to add the following text (in bold) to their robots.txt file to prevent Fasterfox from pre-fetching links. Text To Add To “robots.txt”:

1. User-agent: Fasterfox
2. Disallow: /

Adding these two lines somewhere in your robots.txt file and placing it in the root folder will prevent Fasterfox from pre-fetching links anywhere on your site. (ex: yourwebsite.com/robots.txt) Webmasters can modify the text so that Fasterfox will only be prevented from pre-fetching on specified directories. Still have questions? Ask us! (reply in the comments)

Links: Fasterfox | Firefox Add-ons
Related: “robots.txt” Tutorial
Recent: Firefox Extend Contest Finalists

Autofill is one of the simplest form filler extensions available for Firefox. The last version released by the creators was v.2 in August 2004. This edition was originally created to only work with Firefox releases before version 1.0. I opened up the extension and made a few tweaks to enable it to work with Firefox 1.5. We have not had any bug issues since we started to test it out, but please report any in the comments or directly contact the creator. Autofill’s offical webpage is autofill.mozdev.org. If you have upgraded to Firefox v1.5 and Autofill v.2 has become a faded item in the Extensions list you can just click install on this site and it should overide the old version for your. (allow skattertech.com to install this extension or just save it)

Autofill v.2 and v.25 Feature List:

• Auto highlight of all fillable forms
• Unlimited custom profiles
• Toolbar Button
• Credit Card filler (w/ password protection)
• See the offical website for full list

Install (or save): autofill_25.xpi
Link: Autofill HomePage | Mozilla Update
Related: Firefox v1.5 Released | Best FF Extensions
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Update: Autofill v0.3 Offically Released w/ Firefox 1.5 Compatibility

(Note: This site has nothing to do with the creators of Autofill and is not responsible for any damage caused by using this product. There are only few version tweaks been made to support FF v1.5. No core software content has been modified.)

Update: If the “OK” button wasn’t working it was probably because an older users session didn’t exist on you computer. To make it work read this. Install the extension provided above for Firefox 1.5. Restart Firefox and try to enter a profile if it doesen’t work do the following. Go to “C:\\” in My Compter and open the “Documents and Settings” folder. Go to the user you are currently logged onto or Administrator. Next open the “Application Data” folder. (if you can not see it enable hidden folders by going to tools > folder options… > view > advance settings > show hidden files and folders) Now open the “Mozilla” folder and the “Firefox” folder inside that. Enter the “Profiles” folder and open your profile folder. Now you should see a “prefs.js” file in there. Open the doc with NotePad or another editor and fill in your personal information in the fields shown on mozillaZine’s Forum.

Mozilla released the long awaited Firefox 1.5 today. (11.29.05) Firefox has been constantly growing popular as it is now a more powerful and safer browser than Microsoft Internet Explorer. This is a major update and everyone using previous versions should update when possible. Thunderbird is still at v1.07 and there are no signs of any major update yet. Firefox 1.5 will automatically take care of non-fuctioning extension issues and will disable them until an update is available. Mozilla has also re-designed their website and they are replacing the “Spread Firefox” site with a new marketing campaign called “Firefox Flicks”.

Full Firefox v1.5 Changelog:

• Automated update to streamline product upgrades. Notification of an update is more prominent, and updates to Firefox may now be half a megabyte or smaller. Updating extensions has also improved.
• Faster browser navigation with improvements to back and forward button performance.
• Drag and drop reordering for browser tabs.
• Improvements to popup blocking.
• Clear Private Data feature provides an easy way to quickly remove personal data through a menu item or keyboard shortcut.
• Answers.com is added to the search engine list.
• Improvements to product usability including descriptive error pages, redesigned options menu, RSS discovery, and “Safe Mode” experience.
• Better accessibility including support for DHTML accessibility and assistive technologies such as the Window-Eyes 5.5 beta screen reader for Microsoft Windows. Screen readers read aloud all available information in applications and documents or show the information on a Braille display, enabling blind and visually impaired users to use equivalent software functionality as their sighted peers.
• Report a broken Web site wizard to report Web sites that are not working in Firefox.
• Better support for Mac OS X (10.2 and greater) including profile migration from Safari and Mac Internet Explorer.
• New support for Web Standards including SVG, CSS 2 and CSS 3, and JavaScript 1.6.
• Many security enhancements.

Link: Get Firefox 1.5 (mozilla.com)
More: Firefox Extensions Home
Related: Get Thunderbird 1.0.7
Recent Posts: PSP Firmware v1.60

1) Adblock – (most required item) blocks most ads on webpages.
2) Autofill – fills out forms on webpages and highlights “fillable” fields.
3) NoScript – (great security feature) blocks Java scripts from running on any webpage, unless you mark the site as a trusted site.
4) IE View – (windows only) re-opens the page you are on in IE.
5) miniT – allows draging and dropping tabs in any order.
6) TabBrowser Prefs. – gives tons of features to controling tab functions.
7) LiveBookMarkThis – right-click on an RSS feed & add to bookmarks.
8) SubmitToTab – right-click on a “submit” button and open in new tab.
9) ScreenGrab – takes a clean screenshot of the webpage you are viewing.
10) Colorfull Tabs – Adds random colors to all your tabs.

Link: Mozilla Update | Most Popular Extensions
Related: ThunderBird Extensions | Mozilla.org
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Link: Mozilla | Firefox | Thunderbird | Extensions