Mozilla Firefox [] is a free Webbrowser come out from the Mozilla project first of all for regarding web pages.

History

Intention and history

In the year 2002 the developers of the Mozilla Application Suite decided (in approximately: Mozilla program complex) to a turning turn of their strategy. This was among other things because of the decision of Apple to develop the own Webbrowser safari on the KHTML engine and not on the Gecko engine (by Mozilla one developed).

While the Mozilla developers had been mindful on it before, if possible all important Internet functions such as Webbrowser, E-Mail program, to summarize directory and HTML editor in a program complex (Mozilla Application Suite) aimed at them now the publication of individual, from each other independent components. These should be characterised by a faster start and a smaller memory and computing time extent of utilization. At the same time the development of the individual components should be developed and advanced.

The Webbrowser function took over Mozilla Firefox. The E-Mail function was paged out under the name Mozilla Thunderbird, which calendars developed further under the name Mozilla Sunbird and the HTML editor under the name Nvu. The official Mozilla Application Suite 1,7 is only supplied with safety actualizations. However a Community project works on the advancement of the Application Suite under the name SeaMonkey since in the middle of 2005.

The distant goal is, the functions, which need all components to unite so that the installation packages of the Browsers, the E-Mail program and other applications are in each case small very and the different components divide the common functions in the main memory. This was not reached so far yet, since Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird and Nvu at present contrary to the Mozilla program complex are not able to access at the same time a common Gecko module. Thus four single's applications stress momentarily clearly more non removable disk place and main memory than the Mozilla program complex. The conversion is only planned for the version 3.0 which is based on XULRunner.

Changes of name

Originally Mozilla Firefox under the name Phoenix was developed, however this name had to be changed due to a complaint of the American BIOS manufacturer Phoenix Technologies. First it was renamed in Mozilla Firebird and on 9 February 2004 with the appearance of the version 0.8 in Mozilla Firefox. Last renaming took place due to the identity of names with another open SOURCE project, the data base Firebird.

Firefox is the English translation of the Chinese designation huo ("„fire fox "“). One names generally the Rotfuchs, in addition, (red-brown) the small Panda. The Mozilla Foundation left itself with renaming of a Japanese, with "„Firefox "“untertitelten to red fox illustration to inspire.

Functions and characteristics

Just like Mozilla Firefox uses the Gecko in such a way specified Rendering engine, a program-spreading module for the representation from HTML sides and the XML based specification language XUL for the organization of the graphic user surface.

Firefox offers the possibility of adapting it by motives (English themes) optically to the taste of the user as well as of revaluing it with extensions (English extensions) around numerous functions (for example gestures of mouse, GMail support, advertising blocker, Phishing defense, Bloggen, Web developer tools and much more besides).

Since Firefox contains a new motive for standard (English theme) of the version 0.9 named "„Winstripe "“, which replaces "„Qute "“as motive for standard, to lend in order so all versions appearance adapted by Firefox a uniform, if necessary to the conditions of the respective platform. "„Winstripe "“is based on "„the Pinstripe "“assigned since version 0.8 under Mac OS X - motive, which by Kevin Gerich and Stephen Horlander regarding of Apple defaults to the user interface Apple human interface Guidelines was developed.

Firefox supports also Tabbed Browsing, under what one understands the representation about several, in each case with register riders (English tabs) provided web pages within an individual application window.

The moreover one RSS Syndikation so mentioned is supported in the form of dynamic bookmarks. These bookmarks update themselves with the start of the Browsers and can be served like files. Thus the user always sees current entries of a news page or a Weblogs on a view.

Firefox gives it in several languages, under it also to German.

Supported platforms

Because of the active developer municipality and its popularity with the users Firefox is offered as Browser for particularly many platforms. Firefox is available for the operating systems Microsoft Windows (starting from Windows 98), Linux and Mac OS X. In addition there are Firefox versions for Solaris (both for x86 and Sun SPARC processors), OS/2 and AIX of IBM, FreeBSD, PC-BSD, SkyOS, BeOS and ZETA as well as RISC OS. A Portierung on further platforms is possible by source openness. Meanwhile also a portable Firefox for Windows is available.

Additionally to of the Mozilla Foundation published Firefox versions give it for different processor types optimized versions (e.g. AMD Athlon XP or Intel Pentium 4), which is made available by users. The popularity of these special versions explains itself from of many as faster felt program start and side structure. A disadvantage of the optimized versions is the higher expenditure when updating on newer versions, which with substantial delay are besides often published. Contrary to the official versions the optimized are available not as installable packages, but only as ZIP files.

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