[opensuse-factory] Firefox 4 plans for Factory
Hi, I've been preparing Firefox 4 since quite some time in mozilla:beta (and previously :alpha) and I run it everywhere meanwhile. The initial Firefox roadmap said it would have been ready by october this year but was slipped to something "early 2011" https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/4/Beta which would still fit into the openSUSE 11.4 release. There are still some issues and quite some not updated extensions but to get proper testing I think it makes sense to go for Firefox 4 in Factory soon. My plan is to do the update before Milestone 5 (actually right after milestone 4 to get a feeling before M5 gets done). I do _not_ plan to have an easy fallback to Firefox 3.x in Factory but it will be available in the mozilla repository as always. The reasons are: 1. it's extra work to have a package available for parallel installation 2. the much more important one: There is always a risk for user profiles when doing major downgrades. Please tell me if there are strong arguments not to do it this way. Wolfgang -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@opensuse.org
On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 10:03, Wolfgang Rosenauer wrote:
I've been preparing Firefox 4 since quite some time in mozilla:beta (and previously :alpha) and I run it everywhere meanwhile. The initial Firefox roadmap said it would have been ready by october this year but was slipped to something "early 2011" https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/4/Beta which would still fit into the openSUSE 11.4 release.
There are still some issues and quite some not updated extensions but to get proper testing I think it makes sense to go for Firefox 4 in Factory soon. My plan is to do the update before Milestone 5 (actually right after milestone 4 to get a feeling before M5 gets done).
I do _not_ plan to have an easy fallback to Firefox 3.x in Factory but it will be available in the mozilla repository as always. The reasons are: 1. it's extra work to have a package available for parallel installation 2. the much more important one: There is always a risk for user profiles when doing major downgrades.
Please tell me if there are strong arguments not to do it this way.
I've been using the mozilla:beta builds for a while now, and generally they work well. Not having a path back to 3.6 or not being able to do a parallel install... I don't see it as a problem. It's a MUCH faster browser than the 3.6 generation - it does have issues though, especially on flash video (really weird stuff happens for me with FF4 and some, but not all, Flash content). So from my side.. for what little it counts... a +100 to getting FF4 into Factory as soon as possible, and prepare it for oS11.4. C. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@opensuse.org
On 2010/11/19 04:03 (GMT-0500) Wolfgang Rosenauer composed:
Please tell me if there are strong arguments not to do it this way.
Strong or not I cannot say, but Gecko 2.0 (FF2 & SM2.1) carries some baggage with it that people who don't beta test may not like, meaning that only after release is when you know what smelly stuff is likely to hit the fan in a much bigger way. Adding 4.0 to Factory soon will give more people an opportunity to see these changes, which should be both a plus and a minus. 1: http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/roc/archives/2010/08/css_units_chang.html is going to cause a greater than average number of fonts complaints. Anyone know if something like http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/2113/ is already in FATE? 2: The statusbar has been eliminated. That space has been replace by an optional addon bar, to which supposedly can be added via extension the functions of the statusbar. That extension currently does not work for me in FF4b7. 3: The toolbar that contains the traditional buttons and URL space has been rearranged. By default, reload & stop aren't where people expect to find them unless maybe they've been using other browsers. Those who've tried those other browsers and don't like those differences probably won't like the new FF either. Right now, when I try to customize the locations of those buttons to make them like they used to be, they disappear completely on browser restart. 4: The default tab bar location has been moved above the urlbar. If only Gecko 2.0 were to be delayed further so that official GA of FF4 would be expected after 11.4 GA I would see the above as a tempting reason to retain FF3.x. But, all the traditional reasons including those you mentioned point to putting FF4 in 11.4, which says this situation may be a case that justifies including both. -- "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation) Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@opensuse.org
On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 13:30, Felix Miata wrote:
2: The statusbar has been eliminated. That space has been replace by an optional addon bar, to which supposedly can be added via extension the functions of the statusbar. That extension currently does not work for me in FF4b7.
But the statusbar info isn't lost is it? It took me a little while to notice where it migrated to - for me anyway the main info I used from the statusbar was to see the URL a link pointed to... this info is now shown in the Location bar or whatever it's called... to the right of your current URL.
3: The toolbar that contains the traditional buttons and URL space has been rearranged. By default, reload & stop aren't where people expect to find them unless maybe they've been using other browsers.
That one caught me out. I didn't notice where the reload button disappeared to for a while... I was rather annoyed by this... it took me a while to notice it was on the RH side of the Location bar. The UI shuffles are a bit jarring to start with, but the overall speed/performance increase more than makes up for any changes. In the past... didn't we include both when an oS release was on the cusp of a major release change in browsers? I vaguely remember something about this with FF2 to FF3... I could be mis-remembering though. C. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@opensuse.org
On 2010/11/19 14:21 (GMT+0100) C composed:
Felix Miata wrote:
2: The statusbar has been eliminated. That space has been replace by an optional addon bar, to which supposedly can be added via extension the functions of the statusbar. That extension currently does not work for me in FF4b7.
But the statusbar info isn't lost is it? It took me a little while to notice where it migrated to - for me anyway the main info I used from
The statusbar showed a lot more than just hovered URLs. So far I haven't found any of it except the hovered URLs...
the statusbar was to see the URL a link pointed to... this info is now shown in the Location bar or whatever it's called... to the right of your current URL.
... and even that was no picnic: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=613499
3: The toolbar that contains the traditional buttons and URL space has been rearranged. By default, reload& stop aren't where people expect to find them unless maybe they've been using other browsers.
That one caught me out. I didn't notice where the reload button disappeared to for a while... I was rather annoyed by this... it took me a while to notice it was on the RH side of the Location bar.
A mouse mile away from other basic navigation buttons, same dumb place started by IE7, a definite PITA to a fullscreen browser user, particularly on the widescreen displays that have overrun traditional.
The UI shuffles are a bit jarring to start with, but the overall speed/performance increase more than makes up for any changes.
Your opinion. Whatever speed improvements (none of which I've noticed) for a lot of people aren't likely compensation enough for missing and misplaced features. -- "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation) Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@opensuse.org
Am 19.11.2010 17:47, schrieb Felix Miata:
Your opinion. Whatever speed improvements (none of which I've noticed) for a lot of people aren't likely compensation enough for missing and misplaced features.
Sorry to ask that but are you running Firefox 4 on OS/2? And Tracemonkey and Jaegermonkey are enabled on that platform? I agree on the statusbar and reload/stop button basically though. Wolfgang -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@opensuse.org
On 2010/11/19 17:59 (GMT+0100) Wolfgang Rosenauer composed:
Felix Miata wrote in English on this English mailing list from GMT-0500:
Your opinion. Whatever speed improvements (none of which I've noticed) for a lot of people aren't likely compensation enough for missing and misplaced features.
Sorry to ask that but are you running Firefox 4 on OS/2?
Newest FF I have on OS/2 is 3.6.11, last opened 3 weeks ago.
And Tracemonkey and Jaegermonkey are enabled on that platform?
Not likely. :-) -- "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation) Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@opensuse.org
Wolfgang Rosenauer schrieb:
I've been preparing Firefox 4 since quite some time in mozilla:beta (and previously :alpha) and I run it everywhere meanwhile. The initial Firefox roadmap said it would have been ready by october this year but was slipped to something "early 2011" https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/4/Beta which would still fit into the openSUSE 11.4 release.
Has the gcc 4.5 on Factory been updated for the fix that is needed to make the js-ctypes part of the Mozilla platform working? You can check by trying the Sync functionality of Firefox 4, it only works when compiled with a gcc 4.5 that has this fix (or with a gcc 4.4 or earlier). BTW, we might want to get that fix into 11.3 somehow as well, as Sync is important functionality of Firefox 4 and we'd want it to work for those who use that new Firefox version when it's being released. Robert Kaiser -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@opensuse.org
Am 19.11.2010 14:29, schrieb Robert Kaiser:
Has the gcc 4.5 on Factory been updated for the fix that is needed to make the js-ctypes part of the Mozilla platform working? You can check by trying the Sync functionality of Firefox 4, it only works when compiled with a gcc 4.5 that has this fix (or with a gcc 4.4 or earlier).
BTW, we might want to get that fix into 11.3 somehow as well, as Sync is important functionality of Firefox 4 and we'd want it to work for those who use that new Firefox version when it's being released.
Good point. I haven't checked that on Factory yet. The bug report is here: https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=636118 Wolfgang -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@opensuse.org
Am 19.11.2010 14:50, schrieb Wolfgang Rosenauer:
Am 19.11.2010 14:29, schrieb Robert Kaiser:
Has the gcc 4.5 on Factory been updated for the fix that is needed to make the js-ctypes part of the Mozilla platform working? You can check by trying the Sync functionality of Firefox 4, it only works when compiled with a gcc 4.5 that has this fix (or with a gcc 4.4 or earlier).
BTW, we might want to get that fix into 11.3 somehow as well, as Sync is important functionality of Firefox 4 and we'd want it to work for those who use that new Firefox version when it's being released.
Good point. I haven't checked that on Factory yet. The bug report is here: https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=636118
lame self reply: Factory changelog entry of gcc45 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Fri Oct 1 12:53:20 UTC 2010 - rguenther@novell.com - Update to gcc-4_5-branch head (r164333). - Fixes Firefox 4.0 libffi issue. [bnc#636118] -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@opensuse.org
participants (4)
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C -
Felix Miata -
Robert Kaiser -
Wolfgang Rosenauer