Software Blog » Browsers

Apple Lets Firefox Ride Along on Safari

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:23:16 +0000

Apple has approved Firefox Home, a free app from the Mozilla Foundation for mobile devices running the iPhone operating system such as the iPhone and iPad. Firefox Home lets users sync and view bookmarks and open tabs and browser history between the iOS device and a desktop or notebook computer. It’s not a Mozilla-made browser, but rather an add-on to Apple’s own Safari browser. The Firefox Home app gives users access on their iPhones to their Firefox desktop histories, bookmarks and open tabs, the Mozilla Foundation said.

US Feds Give Mobile Apps a Go

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0000

As part of an overhaul of its public-facing front-door website, USA.gov, the U.S. federal government has released the first in a long list of planned mobile phone applications for citizens. Some have downloadable modules optimized for specific mobile phone platforms; others come in the form of websites optimized for access through Web browsers running on mobile devices. Less than a week after their release, though, the mobile apps already are receiving raised eyebrows due to a perceived leaning toward the iPhone platform.

Google Gets Its White Back

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:34:47 +0000

Google users have been muddling through a design change the search engine giant sprung on them without warning on Thursday, trying to navigate how to customize the page — or revert back to the old look — without having to sign in. (Short answer: It appears you could not.) Although Google now seems to have restored its classic look as the default, that was not the case Thursday morning, when users logged on to find that its well-known sparse, white interface — punctuated only with a few links to Google’s email, search and news offerings, and of course the daily doodle — was gone.

Mobile App Development: So Many Choices, So Few Guarantees

admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0000

With the rise of connected devices, mobile app developers are now center stage — but juggling all the operating systems and form factors is an increasingly difficult act to perform. The challenge is to deliver a crowd-pleasing moneymaker without tearing the tent down. “The fragmentation of the app space is only just beginning,” Trevor Doerksen, CEO of MoboVivo, told TechNewsWorld. “For developers, the opportunities and the challenges will pale the past computer paradigm.”

Google Brings an Open Source Gun to the Video Codec Battle

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:01:49 +0000

Google on Thursday announced WebM, a royalty-free media file format for online video. With WebM, Google has thrown the gauntlet to H.264, the codec backed by rivals Apple and Microsoft, among others. Buried within the new format’s FAQ was news about another Google project: Android. The next iteration of the mobile operating system, dubbed “Gingerbread,” will be released in the fourth quarter of this year. WebM is an open, royalty-free media file format designed for the Web.

Firefox 4 Steps Out of the Shadows

admin — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:33:07 +0000

Speed, power and user control are Mozilla’s top three goals for Firefox 4, according to early product plans released Monday. Specifically, the browser will be fast — “super-duper fast,” according to Firefox director Mike Beltzner — while also enabling new open-standard Web technologies such as HTML5 and putting users in full control of their browser and Web experience. For developers, Firefox 4 will likely offer bidirectionally connected apps, an HTML5 parser, a full-screen API, CSS3 compatibility, and faster 2-D drawing.

Chrome, IE Browser Battle Addresses Need for Speed

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:35:44 +0000

On the heels of news that the Google Chrome Web browser is gaining market share while Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser is losing ground, both companies took the wraps off faster, next-generation browsers Wednesday. Google released a new beta of its Chrome browser which is much faster than the previous version and has several new features. Meanwhile, Microsoft put out its second IE9 platform preview, one week ahead of schedule. Speed is one of the main hallmarks of the latest Chrome browser beta, which loads Web pages at 2,700 frames per second, according to Google.

Let the Rich Internet App Battle Begin

admin — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0000

In recent years, most Web applications in widespread use have been developed with Web browsers as their platform. Here, one imagines Java advocates are already composing their complaint letters. But with Web resources bound to URLs, for most developers, it’s made sense to utilize the functionality most commonly associated with URL-bound resources: HTML, JavaScript, and now its rapidly maturing derivative, Ajax. The drive to move rich Internet applications off the browser got two big shots in the arm this week.

Opera on iPhone: Prestissimo, but Just a Little Flat

admin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Opera Software can be quite the prima donna when it wants to, and apparently it knows how to use that attitude to get the results it wants. This company was a main player in the recent effort to require Microsoft to offer a full menu of Web browsers each time Windows is installed in Europe. Not only must Windows ask the user which browser he or she wants to set as default, but the options must be listed in random order. Enough people picked Opera that the company considered the effort a success.

Sneaking Into the Transport Layer With a Fake ID

admin — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

The most powerful deterrent against the use of man-in-the-middle attacks against SSL/TLS-encrypted connections may be how much easier it may be to simply attack from the endpoint. Certainly “man-in-the-middle” sounds more sophisticated, and as a pair of well-known academic researchers are preparing to report, the phrase has actually become a “starburst” marketing point for the sale of digital surveillance equipment to government agencies. However, perhaps the most serious defect in the SSL system lies in the ability of government agencies to acquire false intermediate certificates.

IE Finally Becomes a Contender in the Fight for Performance Supremacy

admin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

How long ago would you have thought it absolutely impossible for the slowest Windows Web browser currently under development to be coming … from Mozilla? Granted, the Internet Explorer 9 Tech Preview isn’t a real browser. But unless Mozilla gets its JaegerMonkeys in a row in time for Microsoft to debut IE9 with real features like buttons, the number two reason users cite for switching from Internet Explorer … will be wiped off the map. In the most sophisticated system of browser tests ever developed, IE9 in Windows 7 registered a comprehensive index score of 13.17.

The Mighty Fall at Pwn2Own

admin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:44:36 +0000

Three security experts tore into three Web browsers on Wednesday, the first day of the CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver, exposing flaws on a MacBook, iPhone and Windows PC, and winning cash and hardware in the process. Network security provider TippingPoint’s Zero Day Initiative organized its Pwn2Own contest to enable Apple and other companies to plug holes in their popular products and protect the data of their customers. The results of the contest will be reported to the manufacturers so they can create the appropriate patches.

The Early Stats on IE9

admin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0000

In the first series of comprehensive performance tests comparing Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 technical preview, released last week, to stable Web browsers in current use today, Betanews confirmed superb speed gains by the IE9 chassis in specific categories. Not everything in the new IE9 was faster than IE8, but in the computational department, the development team’s Chakra JavaScript engine shows much-needed gains. In anticipation of IE9, Betanews has been developing a radically improved set of performance tests to complement those we’ve used in recent months.

Apple’s HTC Suit: All About Google

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:52:39 +0000

The lawsuit Apple filed this week may target smartphone maker HTC, but Cupertino is likely shooting for much bigger prey. Specifically, Google is the real focus of Apple’s wrath, said Chris Hazelton, research director for mobile and wireless with the 451 Group. Based on the details of the lawsuit, “an argument could be made that it’s targeting HTC,” he noted. However, the numerous issues listed on Apple’s simultaneously filed complaint with the ITC are “all based on what the operating system does and how it interacts.”

BBC iPlayer Locks Out Open Source Flash Alternatives

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

As a result of recent updates to the BBC’s Flash-based iPlayer, open source media players can no longer play its content. The updates implement SWF Verification, a copyright protection mechanism that excludes free alternatives to Flash player, such as that offered by the XBMC community, among others. The result is that such open source plugins can no longer stream iPlayer content. BBC Trust, which oversees the BBC, reportedly has no plans to investigate the decision despite widespread complaints.

FCC Aims to Haul Digital Have-Nots Across the Divide

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:19:07 +0000

On top of all the other demographic categories that segment the United States, the FCC on Tuesday introduced some new ones that its chairman says serve as reasons for adopting a new national broadband strategy, which the agency will present to the public March 17. “Near converts,” “digital hopefuls,” “digitally uncomfortable” and “digitally distant” all describe the various high-speed Web access non-adoption levels found in an FCC phone survey of 5,000 Americans conducted in October-November 2009.

FCC Aims to Haul Digital Have-Nots Across the Divide

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:19:07 +0000

Does VPN Make Sense for a Small Biz?

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Virtual private networks, or VPNs, have been around for about a decade. They provide a secure data exchange between two locations using an encrypted connection. VPN technology has changed little over the years. A newer version of VPN software, known as SSL-VPN, taps into the common IP circuitry of Web browsers to make secure connections with less reliance on third-party software. VPNs have long been an internet tool used to keep enterprise networks free from unwanted visitors.

Google and the Freedom Business

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:20:57 +0000

We’re now in week two of Google’s high-profile battle with China, and the stakes have risen high enough to catch the attention of no less than the U.S. Secretary of State herself, Hillary Rodham Clinton. She cheered on Google’s stance in a speech Thursday, saying, “Censorship should not be in any way accepted by any company from anywhere, and in America, American companies need to make a principled stand. This needs to be part of our national brand.” Easy enough to say, but doing that can be painful to the bottom line, right?

Why Is Internet Explorer 6 Still Hanging Around?

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:01:30 +0000

Microsoft has said it will release a patch on Thursday to fix the Internet Explorer 6 flaw that hackers used recently to attack Google and other large companies. The attacks have triggered a slugfest between Google and the Chinese government. While the flaw can also be exploited in Internet Explorer 7 and 8, most of the attacks so far have been against IE6 on Windows XP because this combination of browser and operating system seems to be the most vulnerable. The situation raises the question of why large corporations continue to use IE6, which is now eight years old.

Software Blog » Browsers

Apple Lets Firefox Ride Along on Safari

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Opera on iPhone: Prestissimo, but Just a Little Flat

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