Firefox 6.0

[BB1950]

Firefox 6.0 is due to be released today (Aug16, 2011). Anybody receive it in an update yet? I just checked with my Firefox 5.0 and it says "No Updates Available"

[astral]

I only just upgraded to Version 5............

[Darrel]

It's been on the ftp site for a couple of days. I've been using it since this morning.

Firefox have starting making every release an integer release, instead of the old 5.1, 5.2 etc. etc. They did it to keep up with the other browsers.

[BB1950]

I only just upgraded to Version 5............

Don't blink because you might miss Mozilla's next launch. Along-side Firefox 6.0 will be Firefox 7 beta 1. Firefox 7, which will reportedly offer "vastly" improved memory usage, will release on Sept. 27, after only a single beta. Alongside Firefox 7 (release) will be Firefox 8 beta 1, another single-beta release. The release version of Firefox 8 will drop November 8, just in time for Thanksgiving festivities.

At this rate, we should hit Firefox 20 in holiday season 2013.

From:

http://www.dailytech...rticle22446.htm

This should make the add-on developers cringe.

[BB1950]

Downloads:

Download Firefox 6.0 for Windows EN US File version: 6.0.0.4240

Other languages

All systems

From:

http://www.neowin.ne...#entry594231610

[Tywais]

I just got an automatic update message for FF6 and it is installing now. Others should be getting the message also soon.

//edit - WARNING, several of my addons were marked as incompatible with no updates available after the update completed. Looks like I need to re-install 5.0 as some were quite important. So careful choosing Yes to update.

[Digitalbanana]

This should make the add-on developers cringe.

Not only the developers. It will drive the users like me away as well, if every other few weeks my add-ons no longer work. Who the hell is behind all this? Just got my mandatory update to 6.0 and now four of my add-ons don't work again.

Is Firefox doomed or is there a cunning plan? Cannot believe it has anything to do with ver numbers keeping pace with competitors which seems asinine. I could care less which version I have, just need one that works.

[321Rich]

I installed Firefox 6 this morning (I'm still in Florida). On a Mac, running Lion, Safari is still faster, Google Chrome comes in second in speed, and Firefox is still the slowest. Speed wise, Chrome leaves Firefox in the dust.

[Traxster]

Look,that's what I hate about this IT/computer business.

They bring out a new system and for an oldie like myself,it takes a while to figure it all out

and then just when I think I've got it covered they bring out a new one !!!!

and I've got to start all over again !!

<deleted>......!!

I'm seriously thinking of going back to snail mail,I've already bought myself a fountain pen......

remember them ??.It's got real ink and a nib and fits rather nicely into the palm of my hand.

hey,heyy !!

[Darrel]

Cannot believe it has anything to do with ver numbers keeping pace with competitors which seems asinine.

Believe it or not, it's true.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=firefox+version+numbers

They are just following the trend.

[Digitalbanana]

Speed wise, Chrome leaves Firefox in the dust.

In terms of switching it on from the start I suppose Chrome pops up faster on my screen. After that though with my Firefox add-ons (at least the ones that still work after this weeks upgrade!) I get things done much faster in Firefox than anything else.

[MaiDong]

Just turn off auto updates > problem solved.

[Patronus]

Just got it.

[steelepulse]

Opera still seems to work faster than FF and doesn't take up so much memory. FF is a CPU eater.

[astral]

I now see the version 6 update offer.

However as I use a number of add-ons I will not be updating yet.

[BB1950]

I now see the version 6 update offer.

However as I use a number of add-ons I will not be updating yet.

I haven't received the offer yet, but I think I will wait as well for the same reason.

Since version 7 will be out next month, I will wait until then. This new numbering scheme is a real pain in the you know what! Mozilla should have taken that into consideration rather than keeping up with the others. The advantage to Firefox is the add-ons. This is making most of the add-ons useless!

[Gary A]

Actually, I don't see any difference yet between release 5 and 6. I don't use many add ons but the ones I use still all work. Chrome is my default browser but sometimes I use Firefox as default. Both work fine and I could get along just fine with either of them as default. Quite frankly computers of today are so powerful that I no longer pay any attention to RAM or CPU usage.

I did uninstall Opera (too much junk) but did allow Safari to update to the latest version. I still prefer Chrome or Firefox. The speed differences are so minor that I can't see any definite advantage to any of them.

[BB1950]

Wow! I just got my upgrade notification. I only had 4 incompatible add-ons. The very same that were not FF5 compatible, so it will be easy to fix. I went with the upgrade.

I'll have to check it out further.

We'll have to see what the upgrade to version 7 next month has to offer.

[Supernova]

We'll have to see what the upgrade to version 7 next month has to offer.

Firefox 7 is lean and fast

[astral]

I do notice that Version 5 crashes more often that V4 did.

[BB1950]

I do notice that Version 5 crashes more often that V4 did.

Strange... I noticed just the opposite. Version 4 was crashing all the time, where version 5 crashed on me only twice. Interestingly, immediately after version 6 installed and restarted. It crashed! I did find in testing that two add-ons that were suppose to be compatible, aren't so compatible and disabled them. It hasn't crashed since.

I also found upgrading to verison 6 was probably the least painful upgrade I ever made with Firefox. I have 65 add-ons. Only 4 were flagged as incompatible (the same add-ons were flagged as incompatible with version 5). Two were rectified by downloading and installing beta versions. Two were rectified by changing the max version in the RDF file. I was completely up and running with it in less than an hour.

I was extremely happy to find that FDM now works with version 6 to download Flash videos! The incompatibility issue with FF5 has been resolved.

I also noticed some minor problems have been fixed, but there are still some left over from version 4.

So after all I'm satisfied with the upgrade.

Since the upgrade was so painless, I take back what I had said earlier about Mozilla's version release plan. I'm so used to having major issues with add-ons when upgrading Firefox. Maybe there's good sense to it. When the upgrade to version 4 occurred, the changes were so radical that it was a real pain. It took me several days to resolve most of the problems! Maybe making less radical changes more often is a better. At least I can deal with them easier.

[Tywais]

Two were rectified by changing the max version in the RDF file

I just fixed two of my more important addons using that method so don't have to downgrade after all. Thanks for the hint. For others who are interested in how to do it this way, below are instructions:

1. Download to your computer a copy of the extension (the ".xpi" file).
   
2. Extract (unzip) the .xpi file. It is simply a zipped file with an .xpi extension, so you should be able to use something like unzip or Stuffit-expander (on Mac) to extract it.
   
3. Open the "install.rdf" file with a text editor such as Notepad. Find a tagline like this showing the "maxVersion" number (in this case 2.0, but it may differ depending on the extension): <em:maxVersion>2.0</em:maxVersion>
   
4. Change the "2.0" to "3.0.*" or whatever you need (the * covers any minor updates to release versions). That tells the installer that the version can be installed with the corresponding version number of Firefox or Thunderbird.
   
5. Optionally, to indicate that you modified the extension for your own private use, you can also edit the lines describing the author/contributor and version of the extension.
   
6. Save the changes you made to the install.rdf file.
   
7. Create a zip archive containing all the files that were in the original .xpi file, including your modified install.rdf file. Rename it to "myExt.xpi" or whatever you like. The crucial thing here is to use ".xpi" for the file extension.
   
8. Strongly recommended: before installing the extension, make a temporary backup of your profile folder or at least of the "extensions" folder inside your profile folder, which contains the installed extensions. That way, if something goes wrong, you can revert the changes easily.
   
9. Finally, install the extension: If it's a Firefox extension, open the .xpi file from Firefox and it should install. If it's a Thunderbird extension, install it via the "Tools -> Add-ons" menu.
   

MozillaZine

[BB1950]

Be warned that an incompatible add-on can cause Firefox to crash or become unstable!

Be sure to disable add-ons that definitely are not compatible which have been made compatible with any of these override methods until a compatible version becomes available.

There are also three other methods to override extension compatibility checking:

1. Use the Add-on Compatibility Reporter add-on. This allows you to enable compatibility for add-ons on a one-by-one basis. You also have to submit a report advising the add-on is compatible or not. This aids Mozilla to inform developers about compatibility issues.
2. Use the Nightly Tester Tools add-on. This disables compatibility checking for all add-ons.
3. Disable extension compatibility testing in about:config. This is similar to what the Nightly Tester Tools add-on does. This article describes how to do it: http://cybernetnews....-compatibility/

Many times when a new version of Firefox is just release the add-ons mentioned above are not compatible with the new release. I'm just showing you various options.

Modifying the RDF file or disabling compatibility testing in about:config always works to override compatibility testing!

[Digitalbanana]

According to this article soon there will be version-less Firefox's

Firefox: The Emperor Wears No Versions

[Gary A]

One of the past versions of Firefox had an annoying glitch. I would shut Firefox down and when I went to open it again, I would get the message that Firefox was already running. I would have to go to task manager to shut it down so I could restart it. At that point Chrome became my default browser. Chrome also had glitches but none that were as annoying as Firefox.

I'm happy to say that both Firefox and Chrome have improved and they are now both a toss up as to which one is my default.

[Supernova]

I would shut Firefox down and when I went to open it again, I would get the message that Firefox was already running. I would have to go to task manager to shut it down so I could restart it.

I had experienced the same thing whilst using FF5.

[astral]

My favourite addon, Forecast Fox, now works with version 6.

Gives a 5 day weather forecast on the tool bar at the top of your screen.

[BB1950]

My favourite addon, Forecast Fox, now works with version 6.

Gives a 5 day weather forecast on the tool bar at the top of your screen.

Yes, as it's very customizable too. It doesn't consume resources like AniWeather. It uses AccuWeather, which I have found gives the best forecasts for Thailand.

[snarky66]

Already got the 7.0 beta.

[Gary A]

I too have downloaded the version 7. FYI it will run side by side with version 6 and you can use them separately.