Things to Do With Firefox 1.5

Firefox 1.5 is here, and available for all to download and use.

Many of you no doubt have tried out the Beta and Release Candidate builds. Here’s a list of things to do and see with Firefox 1.5.

Use the back and forward buttons to see the dramatic increase in rendering speed resulting from Firefox’s new “fastback” cache.
If you installed one of the Beta or Release Candidate versions, you could wait until Firefox updates itself using its new incremental update system.
When tabbed browsing, grab the tabs with your mouse and drag them to the order you want.
Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete to bring up the “Clear Private Data” window to clear private data such as history, cache and cookies.
Go to websitedoesnt-exist.com to check out the new, non-obtrusive error messages.
Check out “Help > Report Broken Website” to see how easy it is to report a Website that doesn’t work in Firefox.
Install Firefox on your Mac and see how easy it is to migrate your profile information from Safari.

If you’re still itching to get involved with Firefox, you could consider the following:

Get your Webcam ready and head on down to SpreadFirefox to take part in some sort of celebration.
Catch up with Firefox related news at MozillaZine, Asa Dotzler’s blog and Mozilla.org.
Get involved with Firefox 2.0 development by signing up for a MozillaZine and/or Bugzilla account and testing post-1.5 builds.
Download the free chapters from SitePoint’s book Firefox Secrets.
Start making your Websites Firefox-friendly!

Firefox 1.5 is available now for your language and operating system.

Share and Enjoy:

Firefox 3.5 is Out – Download it Now! The eagerly anticipated Firefox 3.5 has been released! Grab it...
Google Turns its Back on Firefox As we predicted last month, Google has begun to slowly...
New Release: CodeBurner for Firefox. Grab the Extension, Get a FREE eBook! Firefox users rejoice! We're very excited to announce CodeBurner for...
Firefox Drops Google in Russia Firefox will reportedly drop Google search as the default search...
Mozilla Firefox: One Billion Downloads and Counting Firefox has been downloaded more than one billion times. Craig...

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 29th, 2005 at 9:35 pm, contains 331 words, 6 images, and is filed under Open Source. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. The views and opinions in this blog post are those of its author.

This post has 45 responses so far

How long till someone registers website-doesntexist.com? ;-)
z0s0
November 29th, 2005 at 9:54 pm
I only have to say that most of these features have been in Opera for a long time. (Like I could let that go).

I’m glad that FF has finally gotten some needed updates, and hopefully this will bring some attention to it and get more IE switchers! Is there really a need to steal Safari users though? :(
charmedlover
November 29th, 2005 at 10:00 pm
Anyone know how to tell for sure that you have the new version? I’ve been using the 1.5 release candidates and just updated to the final 1.5 version and the info in about: is exactly the same.
ilovesfoxes
November 30th, 2005 at 12:36 am
Anyone know how to tell for sure that you have the new version? I’ve been using the 1.5 release candidates and just updated to the final 1.5 version and the info in about: is exactly the same.

If you check “Help > About” you should see this as the user agent string:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8) Gecko/20051111 Firefox/1.5
The info is probably the same because they didn’t need to change anything after the last release candidate.
mmj
November 30th, 2005 at 1:06 am
I only have to say that most of these features have been in Opera for a long time. (Like I could let that go).

So true, this version of firefox still has the tabbed browsing functionality of Avant Browser in 1999 :P
peach
November 30th, 2005 at 5:09 am
Start making your Websites FirefoxStandards-friendly!
chris ward
November 30th, 2005 at 5:30 am
okay, looks like the blog comments drop <del> and <ins> support
chris ward
November 30th, 2005 at 5:30 am
going on the right way.
M.Mahgoub
November 30th, 2005 at 6:57 am
Only thing I’m really missing is nth-child(even) in CSS…
momos
November 30th, 2005 at 7:04 am
don’t suppose it can use the windows favourites folder yet? (in user profile) – thats the main reason I’ve come across for people trying it and then moving back to IE – people are used to accessing from start>favourites, which firefox doesn’t allow properly since it doesnt store new bookmarks in same place.

btw, I did suggest this on their forums ages ago but was ignored..
chrisb
November 30th, 2005 at 8:51 am
chrisb says: btw, I did suggest this on their forums ages ago but was ignored..

but were ignoring that !!!
GreenBoy2000
November 30th, 2005 at 9:18 am
The annoying thing I’ve found so far with this version is the installation (or update) of extensions.

> Install or update an extension
> Restart browser to activate the extension
> Error message can’t connect – the BIG screen notice
> Restart browser a second time – no issues, everything works just dandy!

I did’nt have this problem prior to 1.5. I also haven’t searched the mozilla forums yet so there may be something in bugzilla.
Hormone
November 30th, 2005 at 12:32 pm
@chrisb NO NO NO!!!! I don’t want my browser to EVER store bookmarks in the Windows “favorites” folder.

Reasons:
1.) Not everyone using Firefox, is using Windows
2.) Firefox supports amazing Bookmarklets, that IE’s favorites can’t handle, because they store as shortcuts (512char limit)
3.) One file baby. all my bookmarks are in one file. Easy to transport, import, export, search. IE’s implementation is bad, just plain bad. (even the developers that worked on it, back in IE 4,5,6 agreed it needs HUGE work)
4.) That option, in the start menu, slows down your system… ditto with the documents option. Try turning them off, and see how fast your start menu renders!
5.) Once users understand how the “personal” bar works, for bookmarks (cause it sucks big in IE’s “links” bar), they won’t want to use the start menu.
6.) Can’t “favorite” a multi-tab bookmark

That said… anyone I’ve seen try Firefox, for a few days, has never gone back. Until IE7 is out, why would anyone torture themselves using IE?
Greg
November 30th, 2005 at 3:11 pm
Although I’m guessing FF has this ability now – I’ve used IE for the “open” function. When you open a new browser window it puts the same url from the existing browser window into the next browser window. Additionally the feature “open in new window” (when you right click on a link) is ncie too. Both great features for doing research.
Xavius
November 30th, 2005 at 3:58 pm
Greg- there may well be benefits to using firefoxs default option, but doesnt mean it shouldn’t at least be an option. most users dont need or will ever use most of the benefits you listed, however useful.. as I’m sure you know, most people have a pc purely for email, browsing and occasionally word processing etc.

As to who would use it and go back – Case in point being my own dad – he tried firefox for a few days and went back to IE because its what he’s used to, and its what most sites support. Main reason was his online bank didnt support firefox properly and the other was he couldnt use the favourites menu. He’s not the first person I’ve heard this same thing from.
chrisb
November 30th, 2005 at 4:19 pm
[...] The list includes such goodies as seeing how much faster you can get between pages you’ve already seen, fun with tabs, clearing private data and more. For the whole list check out Things to Do With Firefox 1.5 from SitePoint. [...]
You Did What??? » You’ve got Firefox 1.5. Now what?
November 30th, 2005 at 4:48 pm
How long till someone registers website-doesntexist.com? ;-)

Didn’t take long! Better go and rel=nofollow that link…
z0s0
November 30th, 2005 at 6:00 pm
Although I’m guessing FF has this ability now—I’ve used IE for the “open” function. When you open a new browser window it puts the same url from the existing browser window into the next browser window. Additionally the feature “open in new window” (when you right click on a link) is ncie too. Both great features for doing research.

While when I first switched (back at Firebird 0.6.1+) I thought that that was the greatest feature ever, I have to say that since then I’ve realized how impractical it is. After going back to IE for a few weeks (long irrelevant story as to why, it was against my personal choice to say the least though) and I realized how slow it was to load up the page that I’m still viewing every time I want a new browser window.
someonewhois
November 30th, 2005 at 6:34 pm
Firefox? What’s that…..

Get Safari!
Eric.Coleman
November 30th, 2005 at 10:15 pm
My favorite feature of Firefox is the tabbed browsing. I’m pleased to hear that they are now draggable.
With the “Help > Report Broken Website”. Where does the report go? I merely ask this because I have yet to download 1.5
magistudios
December 1st, 2005 at 2:17 am
With the “Help > Report Broken Website”. Where does the report go?

The folks at mozilla maintain an aggregated database of them and presumably they and/or the whole community around them will lobby for the major sites to become compliant. That’s my presumption.
mmj
December 1st, 2005 at 2:31 am
does javascript support opening a link in a new tab rather than a new window? if not, since everything seems to be going the way of tabbed interfaces, maybe it should.
rb
December 1st, 2005 at 2:47 am
Anybody tried using negative CSS z-index parameters?

My results:

iExplorer 6 : visible
CrazyBrowser: visible
Opera 8.05 : visible
Flock : HIDDEN
Mozilla 1.5 : HIDDEN

Am I doing something wrong?
John_Betong
December 1st, 2005 at 3:18 am
At least!!! I’m going to get it now…
RaS!
December 1st, 2005 at 5:12 am
Ok, the non-existant website exists now!
website-doesnt-exist.com
December 1st, 2005 at 10:29 am
[...] Pero hay más, en Site Point, Thomas Rutter, nos cuenta en Things to Do With Firefox 1.5, y entre otras cosas, nos dice: [...]
Blog Posible » ¿Y qué trae de nuevo Firefox 1.5?
December 1st, 2005 at 12:07 pm
@John_Betong

Netscape/Mozilla never supported the negative z-index as far as I can remember, any reason you would need to use a negative z-index?
syntax error
December 1st, 2005 at 5:00 pm
When is Firefox going to understand about multiple locations in OSX?

When I change location in the OS, Safari knows to use a different proxy, but in Firefox I have to manually change the settings every time!
omnicity
December 2nd, 2005 at 9:09 am
I upgraded and now there are no rss discovery icons on any pages that had them in the old version…anybody know about this?
Lance
December 2nd, 2005 at 11:23 am
I upgraded and now there are no rss discovery icons on any pages that had them in the old version…anybody know about this?

It’s now in the left side of the address window rather than at the bottom left of the browser.
jarmonkeys
December 5th, 2005 at 3:42 pm
It’s now in the left side of the address window rather than at the bottom left of the browser.

Sorry, Right side…

Duh……
jarmonkeys
December 5th, 2005 at 3:44 pm
I’m a huge Firefox fan and I talk about it whenever I have the opportunity to (usually when someone’s pc crashes because of some virus or spyware they got using IE), but there are two things that really bother me about it:

1 – You can’t use the html-style tags when using Yahoo! mail
2 – It downloads pdf files instead of showing them like IE does

Last week I upgraded to 1.0.7 and I found they fixed both thing, awesome! A couple of days ago I read about 1.5 and got it instantly, but it seems to do 1 and 2 ¿?

I’m back to 1.0.7.
Alex_
December 5th, 2005 at 9:53 pm
For the option to download pdf or open in new tab use the extension from:

http://www.rabotat.org/firefox/

Good luck
p@ssion
December 6th, 2005 at 4:40 am
Thanks for sharing the link. I’ve downloaded it successfully.
isabella
December 6th, 2005 at 8:20 am
I am an IE convert to FF – and prefer it by far to IE (not seen IE 7 yet though). For the first time however (and its beta so possible acceptable) FF is actually crashing on my PC and the dreaded dialogue is displayed apologising for having to close down. Other than that its great! I look forward to a stable version.
OSMike
December 7th, 2005 at 12:53 pm
I HATE tabbed browsing and will be unhappy when IE 7 comes out.
Melinda
December 9th, 2005 at 5:32 am
How long till someone registers website-doesntexist.com? ;-)

Its already regged…
buddybuddha
December 9th, 2005 at 11:44 pm
I’m a Mac user. Hooray for me!!!! but has anyone else noticed that the keyboard short cuts for copy and paste don’t work? (i.e. command C, command V)?

Also i noticed that that background images don’t center vertically if you specify it in your code, they drop a few pixels, very annoying for prescion image placement. In 1.07 it worked fine!?
Timid&friendly
January 6th, 2006 at 2:26 pm
When I first tried Firefox I didn’t like the way it stored my Big list of favourites, so went back to using Internet Explorer. However, recently I found a plugin which allows you to access your favourite list within Firefox – this altered my mind in using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer.

WHY don’t the developers stop messing around, and make this a default???? How many other people stopped using Firefox because of this same reason?
Dave Matthews
February 13th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
I have always loved my experience with firefox, lots of extension they are really gr8 and helful
dewebtimes
February 20th, 2006 at 5:52 am
Mozilla Firefox is a best Best Browser of the Wolrd. I have a Mac no problems.. Thanks for MozillaMedienstern
medienstern.de
May 16th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Mozilla is one of the best Browsers no question. I would be glad, if the Parser of most Browsers use one standard. This is allways a big Problem with CSS and complex Designs – special Tabfolders.

December 10th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Firefox is the best Browser. The Parser is good and I agree that there should be some kind of standard.
Werbeagentur
December 10th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Firefox is for my the best Browser. Very thanks for this article. Greatfull. Best regards
Autoversicherung
June 4th, 2008 at 3:15 am
Now i’m using the new version of Avant Browser and i think it’s really good. One issue is if Avant Browser is closed improperly, all open web pages are saved and will be automatically reopened at next startup. I got from here: Avant Browser
yman25
October 27th, 2008 at 9:37 pm