FireFox 4 Features Surface

[b1gapl]

Source

Mountain View (CA) - Although Firefox 3 is still in research and development, Mozilla is already working on new features for the fourth version of its increasingly popular Web browser.

Webware spoke with Mozilla vice president Chris Beard, who mentioned two specific new concepts for Firefox 4 that will evolve the online experience and add greater integration with content stored on computer hard drives.

One of the new features is called "Prism," a next-gen software technology that would allow users to run Web-based content offline. For example, users would be able to visit websites and still access non-dynamic content even when they don't have an active Internet connection.



The other big feature already unveiled for Firefox 4 is called "Weave." This is an option that would basically create a set of online preferences and settings that is stored for each user instead of each computer.

In other words, users would be able to bring up their bookmarks, font settings and privacy preferences no matter which computer they use. This feature is set to be in its first stages in Firefox 3, but Firefox 4 will reportedly allow users to access these profiles on other browsers as well.

Beard told Webware that these are just a hint of some of the "crazy ideas" the development team is working on for the next-next-gen browser.

 

[KSoD]

Weave is exactly like the Sync option with Opera 9.50 that is out there. Where you sign in to Opera and it sync's up your bookamrks and everything no matter where you are.

I thought that there was already a option to do offline stuff. Isnt that what the work offline option is for in IE?

Nice to see that they are thinking ahead but they are not giving us anything that is not already out there. To me they should worry about getting 3 out there and trying to pass the Acid2 and Acid3 tests. Sadly they are not geared toward that.

 

[b1gapl]

I was thinking the same thing, on the offline content. I guess that's FF's way of saying it.

I wonder what are the other "crazy" ideas they have. The current in my opinion, is fine for me. Don't need anything else really. Other than more security?

 

[KSoD]

Well the Weave if it acts like the Sync in Opera would be great idea. As i love that feature. Just sign in and your bookmarks are immediately added to the browser. Even after a fresh install. They are saved and updated constantly so they are always up to date. Just make life simple so that you dont have to export them and transfer them.

Maybe they have some idea for the offline content? Who knows. I think Firefox with the NoScript, FlashBlock and Ad Block is more secure than anything. It blocks just about everything you can think of. So i dont know how you could make it more secure? Unless you add those 3 right into Fox so that you dont have to download those extensions.

 

[b1gapl]

That would be a great idea. You should suggest that to them. Unless there was for some reason, that someone wouldn't want those features automatically installed with FF. I only download Ad Block Plus though.

lol...I can't count how many times, I forgot to export my bookmarks, or save them from file, when I reformat. Or when I'm at someone else's computer, and wanted to show them a website, but forgotten the name.