1. Microsoft uses patch channel to install Firefox add-on
2. Microsoft Vine Diagnostic Tool for Windows 7
3. Turn On Inbox Games in Windows Vista
5. Uninstall or Reinstall Any Version Of Internet Explorer
6. Windows 7 RC Training Kit for Developers
7. Vista SP2 and XP SP3 June 2009 Patches ISO
8. TOP10 – May 2009 Popular Tips
9. One-click troubleshooting process
10. Vista SP2 RTM Crashes on Repeated Hot-Unplugs of USB Devices
The wait is over! Firefox 3.5 has reached the end of its development process. The gold build of the open-source browser from Mozilla, formerly codenamed Shiretoko, was finalized on June 29, 2009, and is now available for download (links are live at the bottom of this article). Mozilla is planning to ship Firefox 3.5 today, June 30, but at the time of this article the availability of Firefox 3.0’s successor hasn’t yet been announced officially. Still, the final development milestone of Firefox 3.5 has already been wrapped up and the bits went live on Mozilla’s FTP servers. It is only a matter of Firefox 3.5 being released to web, but you needn’t wait, just grab Firefox 3.5 from the links below for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
“The team here at Mozilla has been working hard on creating features, enhancing performance and adding other awesomeness to Firefox 3.5, and we’re very excited about sharing it with the world,” revealed Mozilla’s John Slater on June 29. Read More»
Firefox 3.5 Release Candidate 2 is live and is available for download. This is the development milestone of the open source browser that will be made available to the general public. Mozilla already started serving the RC of Firefox 3.5 as soon as June 16, but the availability process is not over yet.
In fact, June 19 marks the day that the final RC bits of Firefox 3.5 are going to be served to the public. Mozilla indicated that with the development of Firefox 3.5, formerly Firefox 3.1, and codenamed Shiretoko, it has changed the traditional process of wrapping up the browser.
Historically, step seven in the development evolution involved “shipping partial updates to beta-channel users and change the beta download page to point to the new development milestone,” revealed Mike Beltzner, director of Firefox at Mozilla. “So, what’s new and exciting? We’ve realized that we can run this process in a more parallel fashion by splitting step 7 into: 7.1 ship partial updates to beta-channel users; 7.2 change the beta download page to point to the new development milestone.” Read More»
With the advent of Internet Explorer 8 Microsoft has expanded the list of ports blocked by the browser, in comparison to previous versions of IE, namely IE6 and IE7. While past releases of Internet Explorer blocked eight ports, with IE8 Microsoft has extended the list to no less than 10. This behavior is by default and is designed as an extra mitigation set up to protect end users. With its 10 blocked ports, Internet Explorer 8 trails behind rival browsers, which are blocking a more extensive list of ports.
“Internet Explorer (actually, WinINET, the network stack beneath IE) prohibits use of certain ports for HTTP(S) connections. The intent of this blocking is to prevent Cross Service/Protocol Request Forgery attacks. For instance, an attacker could use HTML Forms to send a request to an unprotected mail server such that the mail server interprets the request as a poorly-formatted, but valid request, to send an email message. Such attacks are obviously interesting to spammers and other bad guys,” revealed Eric Lawrence, a program manager on the Internet Explorer team. Read More»
Mozilla introduced Jetpack, an application programming interface designed to permit developers to apply web development technologies and skills to building Firefox add-ons, in May 2009. Since the initial, 0.1 version release of the API, no less than four updates were introduced, focused mainly on resolving bugs with the initial build, but also on introducing new API features. On June 11, Mozilla labs brought to the table Jetpack 0.2, defined as a major refresh compared to the minor updates delivered since the solution was first launched. The evolution of Jetpack from 0,1 to 0.2 offers developers a new Firefox experimental UI element and fresh APIs.
“Besides numerous bug fixes (including a particularly nasty one that would hide prevent extensions from being in the status bar), there are three main additions: slidebars, jetpack.future, and persistent storage,” revealed Aza Raskin, head of user experience for Mozilla Labs. “Slidebars are a reinvention of the old sidebar feature of browsers. They allow quick access to a wide range of both temporary and permanent information at the side of your browser window.”
Raskin stressed the fact that Jetpack was put together to serve a double purpose. First and foremost, the solution is designed as a platform for experimentation. However, this aspect needs not to lead to the exclusion of developers using Jetpack as a solid and comprehensive set of APIs capable of extending Firefox. In this context, Mozilla Labs now allows Jetpack developers to import features from the future, as long as they are experimental in nature, which is the case of Slidebars, for example.
“One of the most requested features in the Jetpack development mailing list was for the ability to persistently store data across restarts. We’ve added simple storage to the future module,” Raskin added. “Mozilla Labs is a virtual lab where people come together online to create, experiment and play with Web innovations for the public benefit. The Jetpack experiment is still in its infancy and just getting started.”
Many Pctipsbox readers use Firefox because it suffers from fewer security holes than IE and most people don’t need .NET features so I’m publishing in my free column today the following steps to remove Assistant 1.0 from Firefox:
Step 1. Check whether the .NET Framework Assistant is installed. You may or may not have Assistant 1.0, even if you installed .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, so check this first. In Firefox, pull down the Tools menu and select Add-ons. In the Add-ons dialog box that appears, if you don’t see .NET Framework Assistant, the add-on is not installed. In that case, you don’t need to do anything further (except close the dialog box).
Step 2. Remove or disable the add-on. If you do find the extension, I recommend that you remove it to reduce your vulnerability to possible security flaws. Choose one of the options shown below.
• Best option: Install the Microsoft fix. On May 6, with little publicity, Microsoft posted an update for .NET Framework 3.5 SP1. Installing this update enables Firefox’s Uninstall button for the add-on. To install the official update, visit Microsoft’s download page. Read More»
3. Free Windows 7 Demo Toolkit
4. Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5 for Windows 7
5. Registry Tweaks to Enhance Your Windows XPerience – Part 10
7. TOP 10 – March 2009 Popular Tips
8. Automatic Upgrades to Internet Explorer 8
1. Delete items from address bar history
While it’s very handy to have your recently visited pages autocompleted as you type, it’s not always desirable. Go to the address bar (Ctrl-L), start typing an address, and the drop-down menu will appear with the URLs of pages you’ve visited. You can highlight and delete these at will, for maximum privacy.
2. Protect your PC from malware
You don’t have to visit the seedy side of the web to pick up a virus – even the best social networking sites regularly host all kinds of malware. But you can reduce the chance of infection by installing NoScript. This handy add-on blocks Javascript, Java, Flash and other executable content from running unless you explicitly allow it, and is a great way to keep yourself safe online.
3. Speedily search for images
Browse Google images and your results are split into blocks of 21. But use CoolIris and you’ll get all your results displayed on a 3D photo wall, a much faster and easier way to find the images you need. It only works with some sites, unfortunately, but as these include Google, Flickr, Picasa, Yahoo, Photobucket, Facebook and MySpace then you’ll still have plenty to browse. Especially as it searches and displays YouTube videos, too. Give it a try. Read More»
Mouse gestures
1. Control Firefox with your mouse
A massive time saver, Mouse Gestures enables you to navigate with a quick flick of the mouse while holding the right mouse button down.
2. Go one page forward in the browsing history
Hold the right mouse button down and move mouse to the right
3. Go back a page in the browsing history
Hold the right mouse button down and flick mouse to left
4. Close the active tab
Hold the right mouse button down and move the mouse down and to the right in an L motion
5. Open the link crossed by the gesture in a new browser window
Hold the right mouse button down and flick the mouse downwards Read More»
1. Firefox Companion for eBay
The eBay Companion shows auctions in the sidebar and alerts you when anything happens, helping you to strike at the right moment.
2. Amazon Shopper
Amazon’s prices change from day to day, so tell this nifty plug-in what you’re willing to pay. When the price drops, it’ll let you know.
3. RetailMeNot
Discover whether discount codes are available for the site you’re visiting. RetailMeNot is a collaborative effort, so the more people that use it the more useful it gets.
4. Yapta
Flight finder Yapta includes the main European carriers, although it’s best for transatlantic or US travel. The tracking feature lets you know if any flights drop in price. Read More»
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