firefox 1.5 - in with 1 feature, out with another

[MyAppleWorld]

Oh well i am disappointed

My main problem with firefox 1 was that the backspace didn't act as a 'back' button. However I am delighted to find that in version 1.5, backspace is now a back button - just like the pc version of firefox.

However they have killed another favourite feature of mine (a main reason i do not use safari). In 1.0, clicking anywhere inside the address bar used to highlight the whole url. But in 1.5 it positions the blinking cursor where you click, instead of highlighting the whole url. This is most annoying and its a feature I really hate about safari :

I just want a browser with these features and firefox 1.5 was almost perfect:

backspace = back navigation
clicking any part of the address bar highlights the whole URL
search shortcuts (g darren searches google for darren)
java, flash etc plugins

Darren

 

[Lacero]

Here's the entire list of new and updated features for FireFox 1.5, for all those wanting to know:

What's new in Firefox 1.5 (comprehensive)

Here's to the Crazy Ones ​

 

[Jeromie]

By default, triple clicking selects the whole browser. Command-L will also select the address bar, and is my prefered method.

However, one of the wonderful things about Firefox is that you can make it behave how YOU want to. To make it so that a single click will select the address bar:
1) type about:config in the address bar
2) in the list of variables you see, look for browser.urlbar.clickSelectsAll (you can use the filter to search for it)
3) change the value to true (just double click where it says false)

This should give you back one click select in the address bar. Happy browsing!

 

[MyAppleWorld]

wow thanks that has fixed it!

Whilst downloading firefox, i came across mozillas camino. Why have they got 2 different products for mac?

Tried about:config on camino and looking for clickSelectsAll but it isn't available

camino seems to load quicker from fresh launch

 

[hob]

I like what they've done with 1.5! It's finally allowed me to migrate from Safari fine! Bye bye safari!

 

[ITASOR]

wow thanks that has fixed it!

Whilst downloading firefox, i came across mozillas camino. Why have they got 2 different products for mac?

Tried about:config on camino and looking for clickSelectsAll but it isn't available

camino seems to load quicker from fresh launch

I would like to know that too. Why not just stick with one product? Maybe there's a different team of developers just using the Mozilla engine?

 

[mdavey]

Why have they got 2 different products for mac?

Because some of the Mozilla developers wanted a better integration between Mac OS X and the/a Mozilla browser. It is snappier than Firefox and until the recent improvements in Safari was faster than Safari too (in fact, initial versions of Camino were around before Apple launched their own browser - perhaps the developers at Mozilla were hoping that Apple would adopt Camino).

 

[bousozoku]

Since Camino was first, why wasn't there a version for Windows or Linux? Firefox (Phoenix/Firebird) was originally an x86-only counterpart to Camino.

In any case, it's been a long way in the past now, so what does it matter?

 

[dr_lha]

Since Camino was first, why wasn't there a version for Windows or Linux? Firefox (Phoenix/Firebird) was originally an x86-only counterpart to Camino.

You're missing the point of Camino, which was to be an Mac only browser based on the Gecko rendering engine. Mozilla (and then Firefox) were developed from the start to be cross platform, but in doing so don't have some of the great features of the Mac (as they basically run identically on Windows, Mac and Linux). Firefox was never developed to be "x86-only", as from the start it ran on Linux and Windows at least (and Linux runs more ppc, alpha etc..).

The Camino interface is Aqua based instead of the cross platform interface engine from Mozilla that Firefox is based on, so is a much more Mac like program. In fact, the latest version uses the Tiger "Unified" UI, like Tiger Mail. I wish Safari would move to this, as Camino looks great.

 

[bousozoku]

You're missing the point of Camino, which was to be an Mac only browser based on the Gecko rendering engine. Mozilla (and then Firefox) were developed from the start to be cross platform, but in doing so don't have some of the great features of the Mac (as they basically run identically on Windows, Mac and Linux). Firefox was never developed to be "x86-only", as from the start it ran on Linux and Windows at least (and Linux runs more ppc, alpha etc..).

The Camino interface is Aqua based instead of the cross platform interface engine from Mozilla that Firefox is based on, so is a much more Mac like program. In fact, the latest version uses the Tiger "Unified" UI, like Tiger Mail. I wish Safari would move to this, as Camino looks great.

When did I say that Phoenix was developed to be "x86-only"? I said that it was originally developed for x86 only.

 

[swindmill]

I wish Safari would move to this, as Camino looks great.

you can unify Safari with the UNO app. It actually unifies the entire OS, which looks very nice.

 

[Nermal]

However they have killed another favourite feature of mine (a main reason i do not use safari). In 1.0, clicking anywhere inside the address bar used to highlight the whole url.

I hated that

 

[Makosuke]

When did I say that Phoenix was developed to be "x86-only"? I said that it was originally developed for x86 only.

Actually, I mis-read your initial comment the same way, so the response was understandable.

In any case, though, Camino isn't cross platform because the entire interface relies on OSX-only technologies. There is nothing to port to another platform.

That was sort of the point from the begining--completely cross-platform apps like Firefox are nice, but there's something to be said for a more "platform integrated" interface that just makes use of the cross-platform rendering engine. It, like Safari, is also not nearly extensible as FF, which can be good or bad depending on your personal preference, but again that's the idea.

And in response to an earlier comment, almost everybody at the time thought that Camino (or at the very least Gecko) was going to be the basis for Safari--using KHTML was a shock to a whole lot of people, including the Camino devs if memory serves.

 

[kugino]

i actually like the 1.5 (optimized) version. i'd been using deer park ever since it first started and now that it acts like the other browsers (like delete for "back", etc.) i'm using it more and more. i've incorporated a safari-like theme for my firefox so it looks like i'm working in a mac environment...plus, the addition of various extensions is nice.

the most useful thing for me with firefox is the handling of proxy servers, which allows me to connect to my school library from home and still get access to all the digital content. i still love camino and go back and forth, but 1.5 is the most useable firefox yet.

 

[iMeowbot]

However they have killed another favourite feature of mine (a main reason i do not use safari). In 1.0, clicking anywhere inside the address bar used to highlight the whole url. But in 1.5 it positions the blinking cursor where you click, instead of highlighting the whole url. This is most annoying and its a feature I really hate about safari :

In Safari you get the whole thing highlighted by clicking on the favicon.

...and checking now, that's the same thing that Firefox 1.5 does. So you get the best of both worlds, highlight all and direct cursor placement!

[Edit: same goes for Camino.]

 

[dr_lha]

When did I say that Phoenix was developed to be "x86-only"? I said that it was originally developed for x86 only.

But that's simply not true. I had an early alpha of phoenix (later Firebird and then Firefox) running on PPC linux. It was always developed to be cross platform as it was based on the cross platform interface developed for Mozilla.