Archive for August, 2009
Opera Chief Warns on Equal Access to Windows Services
The Register writes:
Microsoft might be closer to a compromise with browser rival regarding Internet Explorer on Windows, but access to key online services for PCs could be the next hurdle.
Opera Software chief executive told The Reg he welcomed Microsoft’s offer last month to give European PC users a choice of browsers on Windows, but he warned of “problems” if rival browsers don’t get equal access to crucial sites that help keep users’ PCs secure and updated.
[Read]
Security: Internet Explorer is King of the Hill, According to NSS Labs
Back in March, NSS Labs has revealed shocking statistics which suggested that Internet Explorer 8 had best effectiveness results against malware.
As of today, Neowin reports that NSS Labs has yet again tested all web browsers to find out which one has best built-in protection against phishing.
Tested web browsers:
Safari 4
Chrome 2
Internet Explorer 8
Firefox 3
Opera 10 Beta Continue Reading
Boom! Netscape Founder to Rejoin Browser Wars with RockMelt
Marc Andreessen, founder of Netscape Communications has formed a startup called RockMelt which is supposed to develop a brand new web browser.
One interesting aspect is site’s privacy policy (now removed); it has suggested that users could use Facebook ID to log into RockMelt. Do they, or do they not develop a social web browser, remains unclear. Continue Reading
Phishing and Malware Protection Comes to Camino
Starting from August 11th, nightly builds of Camino web browser now includes integrated phishing and malware protection.
The following feature is based on Google Safe Browsing service which is being used by Firefox, Chrome and Safari web browsers as well.
As for their competitors, Opera is using Netcraft, PhishTank and Haute Secure services while Internet Explorer has its own SmartScreen Filter.
“Leaking” Opera 10 Beta 3
Surprisingly, here is another Beta for you to play with. Although official Opera 10 Beta 3 announcement and changelog should be released tomorrow, there’s no need to wait, grab it now.
Windows version
Mac OS X version
Linux version (built for x86, x86-x64, ppc)
Solaris version (built for Intel and Sparc)
FreeBSD version (built for amd64 and Intel)
Thanks to DinuX for sending this.
Update
Changelog
[digg-reddit-me]
Safari 4.0.3 Released
Apple has released an update for Safari 4 web browser, not only it fixes quite a few security vulnerabilities, but also includes stability for web pages with HTML 5 video tag.
Changelog
– Stability improvements for webpages that use the HTML 5 video tag
– Fixes an issue that prevented some users from logging into iWork.com
– Fixes an issue that could cause web content to be displayed in greyscale instead of color
… more
Skyfire Alpha for BlackBerry is Back on Track
Due to previously leaked builds, Skyfire team has temporary stooped private Alpha program for BlackBerry devices until everything gets fixed.
According to Boy Genius Report, with the release of Alpha 3.5, they are now testing browser again.
As for Skyfire Alpha 3.5 for BlackBerry, it has a ton of new features, such as: click-to-call, in-line text entry, files downloading, ability to set as default browser and also improvements in scrolling as well as reduced checkerboard occurrences.
Engineering POV: IE6
IEBlog Writes
The topic of site support for IE6 has had a lot of discussion on the web recently as a result of a post on the Digg blog. Why would anyone run an eight-year old browser? Should sites continue to support it? What more can anyone do to get IE6 users to upgrade?
For technology enthusiasts, this topic seems simple. Enthusiasts install new (often unfinished or “beta”) software all the time. Scores of posts on this site and others describe specific benefits of upgrading. As a browser supplier, we want people to switch to the latest version of IE for security, performance, interoperability, and more. So, if all of the “individual enthusiasts” want Windows XP machines upgraded from IE6, and the supplier of IE6 wants them upgraded, what’s the issue?
[Read]
Weekly Browsers Recap, August 10th
- 10 Internet Explorer Add-ons in 60 Seconds or Less
- I Want To Love Firefox 3.5, But It Keeps Crashing On Me
- Mozilla shuts Firefox e-store after security breach
- Google reveals plans for Chrome cloud synchronization
- Google Chrome: One Year Later
- Creative Zii Egg’s Plaszma OS gets Opera browser
- HTML5 Canvas Experiment
Thanks to Nox for links.
Use Opera Unite this Weekend
Opera Software wants you to use Opera Unite this weekend to test their proxy server’s capabilities.
As they explain: “We need to test our systems under realistic conditions, and that means a lot of people downloading files, streaming music, sending messages, sharing photos.”
For more details, visit my.opera.com.
