World Firefox Day 251
kbrosnan writes "Are you a fan of Firefox? Want to spread the word to a friend who hasn't heard of it yet? If you can convince just one person to switch to Firefox before September 15th, you'll both be immortalized in Firefox 2.0's source code."
Alternative to the promotion (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Alternative to the promotion (Score:2)
Re:Alternative to the promotion (Score:4, Interesting)
Jaysyn
Re:Alternative to the promotion (Score:5, Funny)
*/ do_virus();
Alternative Method (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Alternative Method (Score:2)
Okay, might not be the most scalable solution. So how about displaying a full-page ad in some obscure newspaper? I've got this great idea... make it all yellow, include a picture of Mount Rushmore, and then claim that dead presidents who knew nothing about computers would actually use it because it's FREE FREE FREE. Yeah! Now I just need to start raising money.
Re:Alternative Method (Score:4, Informative)
It's not a leak it it's intentional - it's simply huge memory usage.
Re:Alternative Method (Score:3, Insightful)
If it's by design, then there's no excuse for not providing an off switch for it.
Re:Alternative Method (Score:3, Insightful)
If they didn't put a clear UI into FF to change this setting (or pick a better default), then of COURSE it's bound to be repeated from here until eternity. As I said, no excuse.
Re:Alternative Method (Score:2)
That's not a switch, it's an obscure config operation. It should be a switch (i.e. checkbox) in the preferences panel. I'm talking about the visibility of the functionality, not the existence of it. (Yes, I wasn't originally that clear, I apologize.)
Re:Alternative Method (Score:2)
?? They'd add an option to fix a problem that LOTS of people complain about! There's no need to worry about the other stuff, this one's a biggie.
(I totally agree with what you said about the default, though. Probably a better suggestion than mine.)
Re:Alternative Method (Score:2)
Uh huh (Score:2)
Yeah, that's taking the whole 'it's not a bug, it's a feature!' thing a little too far. Has anyone ever said, 'I wish my browser took up more RAM'?
Re:Alternative Method (Score:2)
This said, these words are posted using eLinks. Now, if Taco changed the layout to move all the menus and links to the end of the file...
Re:Alternative Method (Score:2)
2. It's a feature, not a memory leak*. Google for it, or if you're too lazy to search Google, go into about:config amd change the default setting for browser.sessionhistory.max_entries
3. As far as load time goes, how about putting it into your startup folder but keep it minimized until you want to use i
Re:Alternative Method (Score:2)
So, by his standard, Linux, BSD, Solaris, IRIX, VMS
Re:Alternative Method (Score:2, Informative)
Then Firefox Preloader is what you need: http://sourceforge.net/projects/ffpreloader/ [sourceforge.net]
If your user account has higher-than-user privileges you can combine this with SysInternals' PsExec [sysinternals.com] to launch Firefox Preloader with limited permissions -- this ensures ensures Firefox will always run with low privs even if it's opened via a hyperlink from another program:
Re:Alternative Method (Score:2, Informative)
http://mozillaqs.sourceforge.net/ [sourceforge.net]
This chap built quickstarters for both Mozilla & Firefox. Doesn't addres the huge RAM usage, but it does effectively 'speed-up' starting the frontend (which does seem to have a tiny memory footprint, the main footprint is in the runtime environment itself...)
Re:Alternative Method (Score:2)
When will people learn? Not everyone has the means or motive to fix someone's buggy code. It does not take a programmer to notice a bug. It does take a programmer to fix it, though! I can tell when someone sings out of tune, but that doesn't mean I can sing in tune. Likewise, I can tell when someone's painting is dodgy, but that doesn't mean I want to paint a picture.
Re:Alternative Method (Score:2)
I've actually removed firefox from my system, and will probably wait for the full release of 2.0 before re-evaluating.
Re:Alternative Method (Score:2, Offtopic)
now this... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:now this... (Score:2)
This is a comment stating my thoughts on the matter, and as such is a "thing of [my] own"
"it gets people like us who like firefox, and would secretly like to have their names in the code, to go out and really try to get other prople to use Firefox"
this might be the point of the article but it doesn't explicitly say this, and mentioning that I, like a lot of other people, would like this as something to say "hey, I'm on Firefox" is again my own thought; it is my no means a g
not a person, but a company. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:not a person, but a company. (Score:3, Funny)
self-fulfilling prophesy? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:self-fulfilling prophesy? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:self-fulfilling prophesy? (Score:2)
Wow, an explanation I've been waiting for so long. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wow, an explanation I've been waiting for so lo (Score:4, Insightful)
Funny perhaps, but not insightful.
The names will be commented out, therefore will not be complied in any binary that sees the light of day.
And what a fitting tribute (Score:5, Funny)
Re:And what a fitting tribute (Score:2)
Kids (Score:5, Funny)
1) Harry Sachs
2) Hugh G Rection
3) Ivana Tinkle
Re:Kids (Score:2)
Amway? (Score:2)
What's the point? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What's the point? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:What's the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
Firefox 2.0 gives us, what:
- Builtin spellchecking. Woohoo! I don't want that in Firefox. There is already an extension to do just exactly what this feature does. If someone wants spellchecking, go install the extension. - Firefox friends. I don't want this much evangelisation. I will most likely never look at the thousands of names listed. Why would I? I want a technological masterpiece not a PR one.
This PR push makes my approval towards FF dwindle, what do you think an average people would say? "Geez, it's just a friggin browser...". Separate PR from the browser. That is why spreadfirefox.com, NY time ads and stuff like that aren't totally useless, but as soon as you touch the maximalist geek perfection idea of mine how a browser should be like, you lose the rubber stamp of geek approval.
I want a secure, fast, technically elegant, standards supporting browser with a flexible extension system. That's it. Stop the bloat. Stop the PR. I don't even need extra special tabbing, just some basic one, if it doesn't suck ram like a madman.
I know feature creep is tempting. It gives you a nice feeling that you've implemented something, etc. BUT IT LEADS TO BLOAT. I think inevitably the Netscape -> Mozilla -> Firefox cycle will start again soon. "Hey, let's create a new fast , slim browser and let's call it firebird!" What an innovative idea...
Testtify! (Score:4, Funny)
Stand up, load and proud with the rest of your
"I'm statistically irrelevant! Listen to meeeeeeeeeeeee!"
I can't help... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I can't help... (Score:2)
Re:I can't help... (Score:2)
Re:I can't help... (Score:2)
Re:I can't help... (Score:2)
Re:I can't help... (Score:2)
Re:I can't help... (Score:2)
Re:I can't help... (Score:2)
The friends I call worthy of being friends have by now switched from Firefox to one of the many less bloated and more configurable alternatives (many of which use the same underlying Gecko engine).
Firefox is so yesteryear.
Re:I can't help... (Score:2)
Re:I can't help... (Score:2)
Waste of bandwidth (Score:5, Interesting)
Furthermore we now run the risk of "that fox-fire thing" being associated with unwanted, unsolicited email advertising.
One step forward, two steps back.
parent is a troll (Score:2, Insightful)
This quote is funny because it's retarded: "I am also forced to download kilobytes (megabytes?) of useless information embedded in comments." News flash, this is slashdot. You download useless information embedded in comments every day. And this is one of them!
Re:Waste of bandwidth (Score:3, Funny)
I would estimate that the amount of bandwidth/man hours wasted by this campaign will roughly equal the amount of bandwidth/man hours wasted by your post (and my reply
Re:Waste of bandwidth (Score:2)
Fuck you for diluting the language.
Obligatory dictionary lookup (Score:2)
wastage Audio pronunciation of "wastage" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (wstj)
n.
1. Loss by deterioration, wear, or destruction: "Disease and desertion still caused much greater wastage than battle" (Theodore Ropp).
2. The gradual process of wasting.
3. An amount that is wasted or lost by wear.
Re:Waste of bandwidth (Score:2)
Fuck you for diluting the language.
Oh, come now. I found it perfectly cromulent.
Re:Waste of bandwidth (Score:5, Insightful)
There are many things to worry about but worrying about wasting bandwidth on names is just rediculous.
Besides, marketing is important! You as a geek may not realize it, but crappy products can be more popular than your oh-so-mighty technically correct ones if the former is marketed better than the latter. While you're screaming on forums about the technical superiority of product B, everybody else is using the 'inferior' product A and couldn't care less what you moan about.
Re:Waste of bandwidth (Score:2)
Re:Waste of bandwidth (Score:2)
What, in the browser market? Surely you jest.
Re:Waste of bandwidth (Score:2)
Re:Waste of bandwidth (Score:2)
Re:Waste of bandwidth (Score:2)
I've found that even modem users these days usually don't care how long it takes to download something, as long as it's easy. If people care *that* much about download time then:
- Everybody would have switched away from MP3 to Ogg/AAC (which offer the same quality for less space).
- Commercial developers wouldn't bundle dependencies with their installer, but instead would ask people to download dependencies se
Ok so... (Score:4, Interesting)
And how do they verify that my "friend" has Firefox? I can just send off an invitation to some fake email I create and then accept it. Or send it someone that I know already uses firefox and wants their name on the list too... Seems like there's no real way to verify it.
Then what happens when Firefox 3.0 comes along? Hmm? Do the names get carried over?
I'll go try it anyways...
Re:Ok so... (Score:2)
Re:Ok so... (Score:3, Insightful)
If you go to the site it says you can access it from Firefox. If the names are comments, you won't be able to access it from code, because like you said, they won't be compiled. So they have to be part of the code.
ummm - news flash - firefox is a web browser/b>. All they have to do is include a link on the toolbar to a web site, some AJAX, and there is your "interactive access from firefox".
Regardless of the FireFox Day (Score:1)
Do we need to encourage evangelism? (Score:5, Insightful)
Ah man... (Score:2, Insightful)
One thing that makes me uncomfortable... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:One thing that makes me uncomfortable... (Score:2)
The other side of this story, is that there are some families who actually want a decent set of knives (yes, the knives were very nice).
An informal poll of my office revealed that about 80% have never heard of Firef
Re:One thing that makes me uncomfortable... (Score:2)
Re:One thing that makes me uncomfortable... (Score:2)
Are you thinking about what you're saying? A blob of code sitting on a webserver and not being downloaded isn't going to talk to anyone -- what you're probably thinking of is "The product, if it is good will have people spread it by word of mouth", which in this day and age, still isn't enough~
done! (Score:1)
got someone ELSE'S confirmation (Score:2)
Not good.
Re:got someone ELSE'S confirmation (Score:2)
Re:got someone ELSE'S confirmation (Score:2)
NO Mention of source code (Score:5, Informative)
Re:NO Mention of source code (Score:3, Informative)
"How will our names be included in Firefox 2?
If both you and your friend opt-in to have your names included, we'll add your names to an interactive Firefox friends display that will be accessible from within Firefox 2."
It says interactive so I guess there will be some XUL/AJAX hybrid that displays 10 names at a time, probably with a search function.
On the other hand:
"How do I see the names in Firefox 2?
We're working on the details of this an
"That's funny..." (Score:2)
Re:"That's funny..." (Score:2)
For Linux, of course, you need to d/l the entire tarball.
I'm hoping for better (Score:2)
Firefox does a good job marketing... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Firefox does a good job marketing... (Score:2)
They most certainly do -- it's a well-marketed product.
However, if you don't take hype at face value, and compare it to, say, Seamonkey without mail/irc compiled in, you'll find that it's slower, bigger, and dumbed down (many of the options available in Mozilla and Seamonkey have been removed from the UI, in order to not scare granma and CEOs away). But well hyped, I'll give you, and they do a good job at deliberately NOT
Immortalized in Firefox 2.0's source code (Score:2)
John
Jack
Joe
*/
It's inexpensive marketing and it works. (Score:2, Insightful)
Don't worry about the man-hours...this was not a hugely difficult thing to code, and if they didn't outsource it, the programmer involved might even have been glad to break away from his/her normal routine, and perhaps increase the popularity of the project.
Don't worry about the "bloat"...we're talkin
I wish I could use firefox... (Score:2)
Huh???? (Score:2)
I've convinced almost every person with whom I personally associate with to switch to Firefox if they didn't use it already...
I've been doing that almost ever since Firefox became stable.
Bloatware. (Score:2)
Come on! What a waste of space.
And you think IE is bloated!
the story is moot... (Score:2)
talk about annoying! (Score:2)
Re:talk about annoying! (Score:2)
I spent about 10 minutes changing options, and now it acts just how I want it. I do miss Adblock, though...
But ive switched everyone... (Score:2)
Let's change the name to... (Score:2)
Nice ring to it.
Spam (Score:2)
I'll put the Email of a friend in a place where it'll be easily found by the spamming bastards. Whereupon she'll receive SPAM until she changes her Email.
No thanks.
Re:You're ass-u-ming... (Score:2)
You sure about that? (Score:2)
Re:Duh... (Score:2)
Firefox uses more mem than IE because (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Firefox uses more mem than IE because (Score:2)
Re:Its like cake with no Salt. (Score:2)
Memory Cache! (Score:2)
All of the major browsers use MEMORY CACHES. Because it's FASTER than a disk cache.
If you want to fool around with the memory cache size you are free to install the Fasterfox extension for Firefox, or go to about:config [about] and figure it out yourself.
I could do that and get Firefox's memory usage low, easily. But why would I want to? It's pointless, because if it takes up too much memory it just gets swapped out to disk by the virtual memory manager anyway, and it's also slower to access the disk cache.