Firefox 4

Though a new browser version doesnt have to do much with it maintenance, it such a long time ago that i wrote something on this blog that something is betetr than nothing.

I just downloaded firefox 4, which was originally codenamed firefox sync but which was according to one source renamed to firefox panorama. That statement seems not true: the title of one mozilla page says: Firefox 4 Beta Updated with Sync and Panorama.

Sync allows a user to synchronize his bookmarks, form-data and cookies across multiple computers. For this, your data is stored on a firefox server. They promise that the data will not be linked to your travels thorugh the web. Still I see some privacy issues lurking here. Maybe it is a real issue, or maybe it is Much Ado About Nothing. No doubt others will comment on that further.

The first thing that strikes me as nice is the interface: neat! Less spacy bars, more space for the page itself. Good!
Also a pleasant surprise was the speed with which it started: imho considerably faster than the previous version.


Firefox panorama is all about tabs. Usually I have some 8-10 tabs open, something firefox could handle easily. Usually they are about several topics: a set of tabs about css, some on one of the work related topics i research, such as now this beta, one for gmail, and some on the online games i play. When i grouped them, FF allows me to show only those that are in the group. I short video shows hwo to do them, very well done.
And as you can see in the picture, I'm writing this blog with the beta. No compatibility issues detected till now. I look forward to some page development, which with FF plugins has always been a strong point of FF.