Mozilla launches Firefox 4

[Snowdog]

I've never been a fan of Firefox, but I must say that I like it better now, than what I had seen in the past. I haven't actually worked with it yet, other than setting it up, so I'm uncertain how my opinion will stand up. One thing that they need to add is Speed Dial.

Speed Dial for Firefox is extremely powerful compared to anything I have seen while testing Opera/Chrome.

It is so configurable that I actually use FF Speed Dial to keep tabs on several web pages, like posts in this forum. I have a tab (it has tabbed pages of speed dials) devoted to forums like this one. Then you can zoom and crop to actually make the text you are intrested in readable from the speed dial. So I can just look at the speed dial and see if there is a new posting in any topics I am involved in.

I also have readable speed dials in FF set up with weather/tv guide/TV torrents/email/news headlines.

 

[Phone Man]

Also note, Microsoft has released a new update, KB2454826. In this update, according to the KB article, D2d1.dll, Fntcache.dll, Dwrite.dll, D3d10_1.dll and D3d10_1core.dll is updated to version which solves font related graphics issues in rendering. Windows 7 users might want to test this update for better font performance. # Fix Firefox 4 Font Problem in Smoothing, Blurry Rendering in FF 4 Beta

That is an old update and was released on Feb 8 and is also included in SP1 with updated file versions. Won't help if you have SP1 installed.

Jim

 

[seekermeister]

Snowdog,

Thanks for the link, but I installed it and left the options at default, but after FF restarted, I don't see hide nor hair of Speed Dial. How is it accessed?

 

[Wallonn7]

Snowdog,

Thanks for the link, but I installed it and left the options at default, but after FF restarted, I don't see hide nor hair of Speed Dial. How is it accessed?

View - toolbar - customize. Drag to where you want and relax!

 

[seekermeister]

Wallonn7,

Thanks, that helped. I have used FF so little, that I'm somewhat lost on it. While I understand that one can create multiple Speed Dial pages, is it possible to configure one with more than 9 windows, or use custom graphics for a website thumbnail, rather than what is loaded in automatically?

 

[Snowdog]

Snowdog,

Thanks for the link, but I installed it and left the options at default, but after FF restarted, I don't see hide nor hair of Speed Dial. How is it accessed?

I don't remember having any issues starting using it from the beginning, but I have been using for a long time. It is possible that by default it will open in empty windows/tabs, but if you have something else (your homepage) set to open in empty windows, you will get that instead since it won't be empty.

I also have my homepage set to:
chrome://speeddial/content/speeddial.xul

Here is the general options set for Speed Dial.

 

[Snowdog]

Wallonn7,

Thanks, that helped. I have used FF so little, that I'm somewhat lost on it. While I understand that one can create multiple Speed Dial pages, is it possible to configure one with more than 9 windows, or use custom graphics for a website thumbnail, rather than what is loaded in automatically?

Yes any number. I just did a test with 6 x 8 = 48 dials on one tab. I don't know where the limit is. I prefer big and readable(attached) so I use 8 per tab to make a bunch of mini web pages.

But there is also a "make image from" option for a static image as well.

Basically it is Speed Dial on steroids. After using this, I consider the Opera speed dial nearly unusable.

 

[Wallonn7]

Wallonn7,

Thanks, that helped. I have used FF so little, that I'm somewhat lost on it. While I understand that one can create multiple Speed Dial pages, is it possible to configure one with more than 9 windows, or use custom graphics for a website thumbnail, rather than what is loaded in automatically?

Yes any number. I just did a test with 6 x 8 = 48 dials on one tab. I don't know where the limit is. I prefer big and readable(attached) so I use 8 per tab to make a bunch of mini web pages.

But there is also a "make image from" option for a static image as well.

Basically it is Speed Dial on steroids.

Doing my job, huh... Since I did yours earlier, okay, I forgive you!

 

[seekermeister]

Wallonn7,

Thanks, that helped. I have used FF so little, that I'm somewhat lost on it. While I understand that one can create multiple Speed Dial pages, is it possible to configure one with more than 9 windows, or use custom graphics for a website thumbnail, rather than what is loaded in automatically?

Yes any number. I just did a test with 6 x 8 = 48 dials on one tab. I don't know where the limit is. I prefer big and readable(attached) so I use 8 per tab to make a bunch of mini web pages.

But there is also a "make image from" option for a static image as well.

Basically it is Speed Dial on steroids. After using this, I consider the Opera speed dial nearly unusable.

That's good, but can you give me a scent to follow, or must I simply follow my nose without a whisp to go by. I understand your preference for large thumbnail windows, but by using custom graphics, it is easy to select one when it is much, much smaller. On Opera, I have ~ 68 gathered together, and could add many more if needed. I really don't care for the idea of multiple tabs for them.

EDIT: I found the control for adding thumbnail windows, although it appears that all that I could add was a total of 60 (6x10). I tried setting it for 6x12 and it didn't change. That would be sufficient, but I still need to have the control for using custom graphics.

 

[Rockfella]

FF4 is definitely faster than 3.

 

[Layback Bear]

I had a problem with ff4 font size. It did not save my settings for my fonts or screen. So I went in and changed the fornts and screen settings, (40 in) and restarted ff4. No change it would not take my setting change. I restarted the computer no help. Removed ff4 because I just don't need the hassle.

 

[blombardo]

I don't understand why every last one of you are not also screaming about how HORRIBLE the new interface is! They moved everything into stupid positions that not only look bad, but slow down productivity. I refuse to use this crap until the interface is able to be restored to its original positioning. The only decent idea is a combined stop/reload button - but I still prefer to have them separate.

Join the mozilla thread if you have the same complaint:
https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/questions/795712#answer-150463

This is what a browser MUST look like or I refuse to use it:

 

[Snowdog]

That's good, but can you give me a scent to follow, or must I simply follow my nose without a whisp to go by. I understand your preference for large thumbnail windows, but by using custom graphics, it is easy to select one when it is much, much smaller. On Opera, I have ~ 68 gathered together, and could add many more if needed. I really don't care for the idea of multiple tabs for them.

EDIT: I found the control for adding thumbnail windows, although it appears that all that I could add was a total of 60 (6x10). I tried setting it for 6x12 and it didn't change. That would be sufficient, but I still need to have the control for using custom graphics.

Well you are asking me about features I don't actually use so you could poke around and find it as well as I could.

Pick a dial, click edit, first item under the "basic" tab is "Make image from".

You can probably get more than 60 on one page if go into the defaults and change the minimum height/width, which on mine are set at 200 pixels.

Though I would think with 60+ you would benefit from some tabs categorization.

Also each tab group can have different sized dials in different numbers. So you could have one tab of a few big readable dials like mine for most frequent items and another page of many tiny bookmark dials.

It can easily duplicate the limited functionality of Opera Speed dial if that is what you want, but really it can do so much more that makes it better. I have only scratched the surface on this great extension.

 

[seekermeister]

I had a problem with ff4 font size. It did not save my settings for my fonts or screen. So I went in and changed the fornts and screen settings, (40 in) and restarted ff4. No change it would not take my setting change. I restarted the computer no help. Removed ff4 because I just don't need the hassle.

Did you try increasing the minimum font size, or just the individual type sizes?

 

[seekermeister]

Snowdog,

It can easily duplicate the limited functionality of Opera Speed dial if that is what you want, but really it can do so much more that makes it better. I have only scratched the surface on this great extension.

That may well be true, but that is something that each person must decide for themself.

 

[pparks1]

This is what a browser MUST look like or I refuse to use it:

Things change over time. Why keep releasing exactly the same thing over and over again. Good news, you can happily stick with FF 3.6 for as long as you like. I'm sure somebody out there is still using a Netscape browser to surf the web.

 

[Snowdog]

On Opera, I have ~ 68 gathered together, and could add many more if needed. I really don't care for the idea of multiple tabs for them.

Just curious. How do you do that in Opera. I checked Opera speed dial again and the max option it shows me is 5x5. I also don't see the image option for speed dials. It seems extremely limited.

 

[seekermeister]

On Opera, I have ~ 68 gathered together, and could add many more if needed. I really don't care for the idea of multiple tabs for them.

Just curious. How do you do that in Opera. I checked Opera speed dial again and the max option it shows me is 5x5. I also don't see the image option for speed dials. It seems extremely limited.

It is not done from the UI, it requires going into the speeddial.ini in the program folder and setting the columns and rows there. To add the custom images is somewhat more involved, but it basically requires renaming the custom image to the alphanumeric identify of a website that you already have set on the speed dial and replacing it. I could give you more detailed info, but I'm not going to, first because you don't sound that interested, and secondly, because you didn't even give me this much to go on with FF.

 

[Snowdog]

It is not done from the UI, it requires going into the speeddial.ini in the program folder and setting the columns and rows there. To add the custom images is somewhat more involved, but it basically requires renaming the custom image to the alphanumeric identify of a website that you already have set on the speed dial and replacing it. I could give you more detailed info, but I'm not going to, first because you don't sound that interested, and secondly, because you didn't even give me this much to go on with FF.

That is all I need thanks.

But really, not much to go on?? I gave you info on how to do both of those things, it is just that they were so much easier, no editing ini files, just simple options in the UI. I also did a couple of screen caps to point things out.

 

[seekermeister]

It is not done from the UI, it requires going into the speeddial.ini in the program folder and setting the columns and rows there. To add the custom images is somewhat more involved, but it basically requires renaming the custom image to the alphanumeric identify of a website that you already have set on the speed dial and replacing it. I could give you more detailed info, but I'm not going to, first because you don't sound that interested, and secondly, because you didn't even give me this much to go on with FF.

That is all I need thanks.

But really, not much to go on?? I gave you info on how to do both of those things, it is just that they were so much easier, no editing ini files, just simple options in the UI. I also did a couple of screen caps to point things out.

What you gave me was adequate for adjusting the number of thumbnail windows, but what I asked for is an explanation for this:

But there is also a "make image from" option for a static image as well.

I have not found that option, and without it, extra thumbnail windows are of no use.