Firefox 1.5 is officially official.

Even better, they've finally killed UMO.
by AC - permalink

So Firefox 1.5 has been sealed up and finalized. As expected, 1.5 RC3 is 1.5 final. If you've been using a 1.5 beta, you'll get a small update patch soon. If you're still running Fx 1.0.7, you can get the new version at the new Mozilla.com via the redesigned Mozilla.org. AMO has also been totally overhauled, and is featuring the new official del.icio.us extension. It's convenient, but nowhere near as cool as the new ESPN BottomLine extension. Essentially, it's a Flash-based interactive, customizable version of the ticker on ESPNews that sits above Firefox's status bar. Just the best extension since the return of delicious delicacies.

There's more Mozilla and OSS stuff to talk about, but I just started the night shift today tonight last night, and I feel a lot like the guy with the Electro album stuck in his face in Shaun of the Dead right now. I'm gonna go have a beer and crash, and hopefully wake up in time to see the Griz beat the hell out of Toronto before heading back to work again.

The 360 Has Landed

But I won't be getting one just yet.
by GarrettJD - permalink

I've been watching the G4TV coverage of the countdown to the launch of the Xbox 360. However, I don't really feel any excitement over the launch. I hope all the new 360 owners enjoy the system, but for me, I just don't see a clear cut reason for me to fork over $400 for the system, plus $60 per game and some more for accessories. Basically, three reasons stand out to me right now:

1. I don't own an HD television. From what I've read (and seen in person), 360 games don't have a huge visual leap over Xbox games unless you're using an HD set. Since I won't be in the market for one of those for a while, I'm not eager to rush right out and get a 360.

2. There's no "killer app" at launch. Nintendo 64 had Mario 64, Dreamcast had Soul Calibur, and Xbox had Halo. As far as 360, well, Call of Duty 2 is probably the best choice, and Project Gotham Racing 3 looks nice, but there's no killer gaming experience here. Most of the launch games are rushed ports of regular Xbox games, with the added bonus of missing features. Look at Madden 06, which is missing the majority of features that the Xbox/PS2 versions offer.

3. I'm playing too many other great games right now, especially Half-Life 2 on Xbox, Guitar Hero on PS2, and Mario Kart DS on, well, the DS. Plus, with money being tight in this slumping economy, I don't feel like paying $60 a game right now for seemingly no reason.

Basically, the launch of the 360 hasn't excited me, which is disappointing, as I was there for the launch of the original Xbox on Day 1 in 2001. However, at that point I hadn't yet purchased a PS2, and my main gaming system was the Dreamcast, which by this time had sadly died an early death. I wanted a new gaming machine, PS2 didn't appeal to me, and Gamecube didn't have as many games as I wanted. So I went with Microsoft's unproven system, and it was a great investment.

I guess I'm holding the launch to an impossibly high standard, but I remember the Dreamcast launch, and how impressive it seemed in comparison. Still, I forsee getting a 360 around March or April of next year. That way, I'll have time to save some money, let demand subside, and hopefully get a later system that isn't plagued with the typical launch-day bugs.

Firefox earns some bragging rights.

Also, I just spilled some coffee on my desk.
by AC - permalink

A third release candidate for Firefox 1.5 appeared this morning. RC2 was so stable that there shouldn't be much of anything in RC3 testing to keep it from becoming the final build. As a lot of Opera people like to point out, Firefox is still a 4.9MB download, a third larger than Opera 8.5's 3.6MB. But 1.5 has had software auto-updating since some of the earliest branch nightlies, and the RC2 to RC3 update was a massive 218k. So you can now update Firefox roughly sixteen times faster than you can update Opera.

Also this morning OneStat reports that Firefox's usage share is now at 11.5% globally and 14.1% in the U.S. Netscape Browser is now at 0.26% worldwide, which honestly is just way too high. Opera is still under one percent after a big jump in downloads after 8.5 was released as freeware. I'm not sure why. There's no way average users have all tried Firefox with Adblock - or IE shells Avant Browser or Maxthon, which both have native adblocking - and couldn't go back to the new awful, flashing world the web has turned into. Then again, just about every non-IE user is a power user and knows all about adblocking.

Speaking of Maxthon, I tried it out for a couple of weeks and ultimately went back to Avant Browser. It's a little easier on the system resources than Avant, which is nice if you're tight on RAM. But the UI is bland and less thoughtfully laid-out, and the tab interface is less powerful and much buggier than Avant's. I was actually using Opera and K-Meleon both more than Maxthon, which is a quick ticket to uninstallation.

Sports Junkie update Vol. I

Nerds can be addicted to ESPNews, too.
by AC - permalink

I really hope that nobody anywhere is surprised that Terrell Owens has been suspended for the rest of the season by Eagles coach Andy Reid. You just can't present yourself as a leading candidate for Douchebag of the Year and expect nobody to notice, T.O. Just ask Kevin Federline.

Staying with football, I'm bound by law as a Tennessee native to hate the Colts, which is a shame as they're clearly the best team the NFL has seen is a good three or four years. Then again, jumping on the Indy bandwagon now would be like deciding to be a Bulls fan the year Jordan came back home from Birmingham. You might as well make a cardboard "Poser" sign and staple it to your forehead. Which actually would be a lot less painful than being a Titans fan this season.

Fortunately, we still have the Grizzlies. A lot of people got swept up by teams like the Clippers, Suns, Warriors, and Rockets, and conveniently missed the fact that the Griz made offseason moves that could easily put them into the Western Conference elite. Add to that a bigger, stronger, and more focused Pau Gasol, who is averaging 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks so far, and you have a sleeper team who will quietly pound out wins to the All Star break, then cruise into the playoffs. I watched them do just that two seasons ago, and it's going to happen again. And this year the uniforms are way sweeter.