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Mozilla supports tabbed browsing, which allows users to open multiple web pages in the same
browser window. This feature was written with the popular MultiZilla extension for Mozilla as a base.
Mozilla also belongs in the group of browsers who early on adopted customizable pop-up blocking.
The browser has a number of features which help users find information.
First, Mozilla has an incremental find feature known as "find as you type". With this feature enabled,
a user can simply begin typing a word while viewing a web page, and the browser automatically
searches for it and highlights the first instance found. As the user types more of the word,
the browser refines its search.
Additionally, Mozilla supports the "custom keyword" feature. This feature allows users to access their bookmarks from the location bar using keywords (and an optional query parameter). For example,
using a custom keyword, a user can type "google apple" into the address bar and be redirected
to the results of a Google search for "apple".
For the mail and newsgroup component, the built-in Bayesian e-mail spam filter can effectively
filter out unwanted e-mail spam after a period of training.
[edit] Customizability
Mozilla introduced the extension model, which was expanded and improved by Firefox and
Thunderbird. Through extensions (installed via XPInstall modules), users may activate new features,
such as mouse gestures, advertisement blocking, proxy server switching, and debugging tools.
One can view the extension system as a ground for experimentation, where one can test
new functionalities. Occasionally, an extension, or a part of it, becomes part of the official product
(for example MultiZilla's tabbed browsing feature eventually became part of the standard Mozilla).
Mozilla also supports a variety of themes/skins, which change its appearance.
Themes consist of packages of CSS and image files. The Mozilla Add-ons website offers many themes. Beyond adding a new theme, users can customize its interface by adding and removing some of
its buttons and toolbars.
Additionally, Mozilla stores most of its preferences in a list that users can access by typing about:
config in the address bar. Some preferences are only available through it, like turning on bookmark icons.
[edit] Standards support
The Mozilla Foundation takes pride in Mozilla's compliance with existing standards,
especially W3C web standards. Mozilla has extensive support for most basic standards including HTML,
XML, XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, DOM, MathML, DTD, XSLT and XPath.
Mozilla also supports PNG images and variable transparency, (which Internet Explorer only supports
fully in version 7). Indeed, Internet Explorer's lack of support for PNG images has occasioned much
debate, as many web developers want to move away from the old GIF format, which does not
have the same capabilities and image quality as PNG.
Mozilla has implemented most of CSS Level 2 and some of the not-yet-completed CSS Level 3 standard.
It was among the first browsers to pass the original Box Acid Test, although it doesn't fully pass
the more rigorous Acid2 test for HTML, CSS, and PNG standards support. Other browsers based
on newer versions of Mozilla's core technology, however, pass the Acid2 test.
The mail and newsgroup supports POP and IMAP. It also support LDAP address completion.
Both reading and writing of HTML e-mails are supported.
The first version of the suite (i.e., the one that
formed the basis of Netscape 6) did not support the
blink element, thus making it the only Netscape/Mozilla browser that has not supported the
notorious tag that Netscape itself created. Later versions of the suite support the element
as well as the marquee tag, originally created by rival Internet Explorer.
[edit] Cross-platform support
Mozilla runs on a wide variety of platforms. Releases available on the primary distribution
site support the following operating systems:
Various versions of Microsoft Windows, including 95, 98, Me, NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003,
and Vista.
Mac OS X
Mac OS 9 (discontinued after Mozilla 1.2.1, but an unofficial Mozilla 1.3.1 is available here).
However, an updated branch of the Suite survives for the classic Mac OS in the form of Classilla.
Linux-based operating systems using X.Org Server or XFree86
OS/2, also known as Warpzilla[1]
Mozilla uses the same format to store users' profiles (which contain their personal browser settings)
even on different operating systems, so a profile may be used on multiple platforms,
so long as all of the platforms can access the profile (e.g., the profile is stored on
a FAT32 partition accessible from both Windows and Linux). This functionality is useful for
users who dual-boot their machines. However, it may occasionally cause problems,
especially with extensions.
[edit] Web development tools
Mozilla comes with 3 web development tools: a DOM Inspector, Venkman and JavaScript Console.
The DOM Inspector is not available in non-Mozilla browsers, and the JavaScript Console is
more advanced than the consoles available in non-Mozilla browsers. Venkman is a difficult
to use but decent JavaScript debugger. These are installed by default, though you can opt
them out (except for the JavaScript Console) with the other install options.
[edit] Security
Mozilla was designed with security in mind. Among its key features are the use of the sandbox
security model, same origin policy and external protocol whitelisting.
One key characteristic of Mozilla security is that its source code is visible to everyone. Proposed
software changes are reviewed by at least one other person, and typically "super-reviewed" by
yet another, and once placed in the software are visible for anyone else to consider, protest, or improve.
In addition, the Mozilla Foundation operates a "bug bounty" scheme: people who report a valid critical security bug receive a $500 (US) cash reward (for each report) and a Mozilla T-shirt. The purpose
of this "bug bounty" system is, according to the Mozilla Foundation, to "encourage more people to
find and report security bugs in our products, so that we can make our products even more secure
than they already are". Note that anyone in the world can report a bug. Also, access to the source
code of Mozilla Firefox, internal design documentation, forum discussions, and other materials that
can be helpful in finding bugs is available to anyone.
The Mozilla Foundation has issued a security bugs policy to help contributors to deal with security vulnerabilities. The policy restricts access to a security-related bug report to members of the security
team until after Mozilla has shipped a fix for the problem. This is intended to deter the exploitation of publicly-known vulnerabilities and give the developers time to issue a patch. While similar to other "responsible disclosure" policies issued by companies such as Microsoft, this policy is opposed to
the full disclosure principle favored by some security researchers.
As of June 2005, Secunia has reported 3 unpatched vulnerabilities in Mozilla with the most serious
one marked "less critical".
[edit] Market adoption and project end
Main article: Usage share of web browsers
From 1998 to 2004, the global usage share of Mozilla grew from a negligible amount to about 3%.
Because of the Foundation's plan to switch development focus to standalone applications such as
Firefox and Thunderbird, many new features and enhancements were not available for Mozilla.
This, combined with the community marketing effort named "Spread Firefox", drew more and more
users away from Mozilla since late 2004, when Firefox 1.0 was released.
There will be no more official releases of the Mozilla Suite beyond version 1.7.13. As of 2008,
Mozilla Suite usage share is approximately 0.1%. SeaMonkey, a community-driven Internet
suite that is based on the same source code, is pursued by those that appreciated Mozilla's feature set.[citation needed] |
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