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TenFourFox 8 Power PC Port Of Firefox 8 Browser Released
Thunderbird 8.0 Email Client Released
Firefox, Chrome, and Version Number Bloat
McAfee Warns Consumers of the Twelve Scams of Christmas
iKey Reveals New Full-Travel Washable Keyboard
iKey Slims Down with Thin New Rugged Keyboard Design
Growth of DRAM Content in Notebook PCs Decelerates Partly Due to Rise of Ultrabooks and the Cloud
TenFourFox 8 Power PC Port Of Firefox 8 Browser Released
"Mozilla left you. Apple left you. But we didn't," says the TenFourFox development team, noting that like many PowerPC Mac holdouts, they were horrified when Mozilla delivered the one-two punch of dropping both support for Tiger and our beloved Power Macs from Firefox.
"A quad 2.5GHz G5 isn't worth using to surf the web? Really? And you guys still support Windows XP?
"And, of course, Apple's been giving us Power Mac users the proverbial middle digit since 2006. Remember: think different. That's why your MacBook has the same hoary old architecture in ye old generic Wintel box, and if you want to use your perfectly good OS 9 software, you're using Tiger or bust. Heck, Lion won't even run any PowerPC software anymore. (And don't get us started on Sheepshaver. It's a great hack, but Classic beats it cold.)
"But if there's one thing we've learned from our years of using Macs, it's that they outlast anything else out there. Why shouldn't an iBook be able to look at embarrassing pictures on Facebook, or Twitter about our lunch break? These are our computers, dang it. We paid good money for them. They still work. They may not be as fast, but there's no technical reason they can't do everything that a MacBook can. So if you want something done, you do it yourself, and we did. The result is TenFourFox.
Tuned For Your Operating System And Processor
Why is this TenFourFox and not Firefox? Because even though it uses the Firefox code base, it's not Firefox. It uses code tuned for 10.4 (and compatible with 10.5), adds new PowerPC-specific improvements and restores the glue necessary to get most of modern Firefox's advanced features working on our older computers, offered in separately hand-tuned builds for G3, G4/7400, G4/7450 and G5 processors to get the most from your specific computer.
Nevertheless, it's still almost all the same code as today's Firefox and has nearly all the same features, including dramatically faster JavaScript, WebM video, compatibility with most Firefox add-ons, and HTML 5 and CSS 3 support. You'll find TenFourFox significantly faster overall than Firefox 3.6, yet it supports so many more new and emerging Web features that your dear old Power Mac will still be able to do what you need online for years to come
The Fastest JavaScript on Power Macs
No, that's not chart trickery: TenFourFox's JavaScript interpreter really is faster than Safari 5 and over twice as fast as Firefox 3.6, as proven on both the SunSpider and Dromaeo industry-standard browser JavaScript benchmarks. Thanks to its exclusive native tracing just-in-time compiler, TenFourFox powers through today's JavaScript-intensive web applications faster than any other PowerPC browser on both Tiger and Leopard. We've sent our work back to Mozilla so others can benefit, but with TenFourFox, you can wring the best online performance from your Power Mac now!
AltiVec Acceleration, From Server To Screen
Remember how AltiVec was going to change the world? Well, it did, because everyone else did it too and now vector and SIMD extensions are in every new Intel CPU and every new browser. But no one brought those new algorithms back to the PowerPC browser world ... until now. In TenFourFox 4, we brought you pixel compositing and WebM video accelerated by AltiVec. In TenFourFox 5, we brought you scaling and colour conversion powered by AltiVec. In TenFourFox 6, we even accelerated HTML itself. Every step of the content chain is faster already, and will get faster in the future. It's the power your G4 and G5 Power Macs always had that TenFourFox finally unlocks. (Don't worry, G3 owners, you can still enjoy all the other benefits of TenFourFox.)
You Asked For It. Now You Can Get It. Download TenFourFox 7
So what are you waiting for? Download TenFourFox and accelerate your Power Mac's Internet experience today. We're (almost) exactly the same code as Firefox 7, and surf the same sites, but with the code needed to keep your Power Mac functional and fast.
Be sure to read the Release Notes, the official TenFourFox FAQ and the list of known bugs before you begin. Then pick the version for your processor (older versions also available):
TenFourFox for G3 processors
TenFourFox for G4 processors: 7400 | 7450 ("G4e")
TenFourFox for G5 processors
TenFourFox 8 offers most of the same code and features as Firefox 8 for PowerPC-based Macs.
New features specific to TenFourFox:
- All new standard features of Firefox 8.0, including HTML5 content menus and improved add-on management.
- Revised Tiger-specific window chrome and colours.
- AltiVec-accelerated JPEG decoding ( issue 51 ).
- Improved AltiVec text conversion (issue 76).
- Improved AltiVec-accelerated WebM decoding (issue 78).
- Improved JavaScript performance ( issue 93 ).
Known issues fixed in this version of TenFourFox
- An issue with certain table layouts appearing shifted to the right is repaired with an enhanced AltiVec text fragment routine (issue 75, issue 84 ). This issue does not affect G3 computers. This bug is present in 6.0 and 7.0.
- An issue with increased CPU usage when TenFourFox is in the background has been mitigated ( issue 88 ).
Known issues fixed between 8.0 beta and final
- Buttons now appear correctly ( issue 92 ).
Known issues specific to TenFourFox
- Remember: Plugins are turned off by default, and code for them will fail to function entirely in a subsequent version. See PluginsNoLongerSupported for an explanation and suggested workarounds.
- As of TenFourFox 8, TenFourFox uses a lighter chrome for windows and dialogue boxes than prior versions or the official Mac Firefox. Other interface elements may appear slightly different. This is intentional.
- When 10.4Fx has no suggestions for the awesome bar, a blank box appears instead ( issue 21 ). This is intentional.
- 10.4Fx does not currently support WebGL or out-of-process plugins, and Indic, Arabic and other scripts requiring glyph reordering or language-specific ligatures may not appear correctly. See TechnicalDifferences for the complete list of changes necessary for 10.4Fx. See issue 5 for notes specific to the font issue.
- Animation performance is currently poorer in Mozilla 2.0/Firefox 4.0 and later versions using software rendering, which includes 10.4Fx. Mozilla acknowledges this bug, but there is not yet an ETR. See issue 7.
- The titlebar does not always properly match the menu gradient (issue 16). This problem is also in the official release. Installing a Persona may fix this issue if you find it bothersome.
- Crash reporting is intentionally disabled to avoid polluting Mozilla's crash tracking system with our reports. Please use your system's crash logs if you are reporting a reproducible crash, or (if you are able) provide a gdb backtrace.
- Although 10.4Fx will tell you when an update is available, you must download updates manually at this time.
Full Release Notes:
http://code.google.com/p/tenfourfox/wiki/ReleaseNotes80
TenFourFox requires a G3 or later Power Macintosh, Mac OS X 10.4.11, 100MB of free disk space and 512MB of RAM. Systems with 256MB of RAM are no longer supported as of 7.0. 768MB of RAM and a G4 or G5 processor is recommended. Video playback is likely to be poor on systems slower than 1.25GHz; a G5 is recommended. Mac OS X 10.5.8 is supported.
Intel Macintoshes are not supported, but the G3 build is known to run under Rosetta in 10.5.8 and should run under Rosetta in Intel 10.4.11. It is not tested with Snow Leopard. 10.4Fx will not run under 10.7 Lion, as Lion does not support Rosetta and 10.4Fx is not a Universal binary.
TenFourFox is free software.
For more information, visit:
http://www.floodgap.com:80/software/tenfourfox/
or
http://www.floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox/
Thunderbird 8.0 Email Client Released
Mozilla.org has released Thunderbird 8.0, a new version of its open source email and news program. Based on the new Mozilla Gecko 8 engine ujsed in Firefox 8, this release includes new Search and Find shortcuts, a more accessible attachment list, stability improvements, and fixes for half a dozen security issues (as in Firefox).
The latest version of Thunderbird has the following changes:
- Thunderbird is based on the new Mozilla Gecko 8 engine
- Add-ons installed by third party programs are now disabled by default
- New Search and Find Shortcuts
- Improved accessibility of the attachment list
- Folder switching pane widget removed
- Numerous platform fixes to stability
- Fixed several security issues
Thunderbird 8.0 System Requirements Mac
Operating Systems
Mac OS X 10.5
Mac OS X 10.6
Mac OS X 10.7
Recommended Hardware
Macintosh computer with an Intel x86 processor
512 MB RAM
200 MB hard drive space
Thunderbird is freeware.
For more information, visit:
http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/
Firefox, Chrome, and Version Number Bloat
Low End Mac's Dan Knight says:
This week, Firefox 8 was released. Six weeks earlier, Firefox 7 was finalized. And six weeks before that, Firefox 6. Any doubt that we'll see Firefox 9 six weeks from now?
I remember when version numbers meant something. When the Mac went from System 6 to System 7, there were some real changes - multitasking was no longer optional, a new 32-bit mode was added, balloon help was just a mouse click away, and those ever-so-useful aliases were introduced.....
Likewise, each major revision of OS X has brought significant change as well.
The same could be said of Unix, Apple DOS, CP/M, MS-DOS, Windows, iOS, and Linux, not to mention word processing, spreadsheet, database, image processing, and other types of software. A change in version number meant some significant changes in the software.
It used to be true of browsers as well. As the Netscape browser progressed from version 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0 to 4.0, lots of things changed....
Firefox began at version 1.0 in November 2004, reached version 2.0 in October 2006, hit the 3.0 mark in June 2008, and didn't make it to version 4.0 until March 2011. Those numbers represented significant milestones in the evolution of the browser - but that's no longer true with Mozilla's rapid release program.....
For the full commentary, visit:
http://lowendmac.com/musings/11mm/version-numbers.html
McAfee Warns Consumers of the Twelve Scams of Christmas
is the season for consumers to spend more time online - shopping for gifts, looking for great holiday deals on new digital gadgets, e-planning family get-togethers and of course, using online or mobile banking to make sure they can afford it all. But before logging on from a PC, Mac, or mobile device, consumers should look out for the 12 Scams of Christmas, the dozen most dangerous online scams this holiday season, revealed by McAfee.
"Cybercriminals rub their hands with glee when they think of the holidays," says Gary Davis, director of consumer product marketing at McAfee. "Consumers are making travel plans, shopping for gifts and bargains, updating Facebook and connecting with friends. However, the vast majority have no security protection for their smartphones or tablets, despite using them heavily during the holiday season. Consumers need to stay one step ahead of this season's cyber-scrooges, and make sure they have protection for all of their Internet-enabled devices. Otherwise, they could risk giving the bad guys the biggest gift of all their own personal and financial information."
McAfee's 12 Scams of Christmas
1. Mobile Malware - A recent National Retail Federation (NRF) survey, dated October 19, found that 52.6 percent of U.S. consumers who own a smartphone said they will be using their device for holiday-shopping related activitieswhether its to research products, redeem coupons, or purchase holiday gifts. Malware targeted at mobile devices is on the rise, and Android smartphones are most at risk. McAfee cites a 76 percent increase in malware targeted at Android devices in the second quarter of 2011 over the first, making it the most targeted smartphone platform.
New malware has recently been found that targets QR codes, a digital barcode that consumers might scan with their smartphone to find good deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, or just to learn about products they want to buy.
2. Malicious Mobile Applications -These are mobile apps designed to steal information from smartphones, or send out expensive text messages without a users consent. Dangerous apps are usually offered for free, and masquerade as fun applications, such as games. For example, last year, 4.6 million Android smartphone users downloaded a suspicious wallpaper app that collected and transmitted user data to a site in China.
3. Phony Facebook Promotions and Contests - Who doesnt want to win some free prizes or get a great deal around the holidays? Unfortunately, cyberscammers know that these are attractive lures and they have sprinkled Facebook with phony promotions and contests aimed at gathering personal information.
A recent scam advertised two free airline tickets, but required participants to fill out multiple surveys requesting personal information.
4. Scareware, or Fake Antivirus software - Scareware is the fake antivirus software that tricks someone into believing that their computer is at riskor already infectedso they agree to download and pay for phony software. This is one of the most common and dangerous Internet threats today, with an estimated one million victims falling for this scam each day. In October 2010, McAfee reported that scareware represented 23% of all dangerous Internet links, and it has been resurgent in recent months.
5. Holiday Screensavers - Bringing holiday cheer to your home or work PC sounds like a fun idea to get into the holiday spirit, but be careful. A recent search for a Santa screensaver that promises to let you fly with Santa in 3D is malicious. Holiday-themed ringtones and e-cards have been known to be malicious too.
6. Mac Malware - Until recently, Mac users felt pretty insulated from online security threats, since most were targeted at PCs. But with the growing popularity of Apple products, for both business and personal use, cybercriminals have designed a new wave of malware directed squarely at Mac users. According to McAfee LabsTM, as of late 2010, there were 5,000 pieces of malware targeting Macs, and this number is increasing by 10 percent month on month.
7. Holiday Phishing Scams - Phishing is the act of tricking consumers into revealing information or performing actions they wouldnt normally do online using phony email or social media posts. Cyberscammers know that most people are busy around the holidays so they tailor their emails and social messages with holiday themes in the hopes of tricking recipients into revealing personal information.
A common holiday phishing scam is a phony notice from UPS, saying you have a package and need to fill out an attached form to get it delivered. The form may ask for personal or financial details that will go straight into the hands of the cyberscammer.
Banking phishing scams continue to be popular and the holiday season means consumers will be spending more moneyand checking bank balances more often. From July to September of this year, McAfee Labs identified approximately 2,700 phishing URLs per day.
Smishing SMS phishingremains a concern. Scammers send their fake messages via a text alert to a phone, notifying an unsuspecting consumer that his bank account has been compromised. The cybercriminals then direct the consumer to call a phone number to get it re-activatedand collects the users personal information including Social Security number, address, and account details.
8. Online Coupon Scams - An estimated 63 percent of shoppers search for online coupons or deals when they purchase something on the Internet, and recent NRF data (October 19, 2011) shows that consumers are also using their smartphones (17.3 percent) and tablets (21.5 percent) to redeem those coupons. But watch out, because the scammers know that by offering an irresistible online coupon, they can get people to hand over some of their personal information.
One popular scam is to lure consumers with the hope of winning a "free" iPad. Consumers click on a "phishing" site, which can result in email spam and possibly dealing with identify theft.
Consumers are offered an online coupon code and once they agree, are asked to provide personal information, including credit-card details, passwords and other financial data.
9. Mystery Shopper Scams Mystery shoppers are people who are hired to shop in a store and report back on the customer service. Sadly, scammers are now using this fun job to try to lure people into revealing personal and financial information. There have been reports of scammers sending text messages to victims, offering to pay them $50 an hour to be a mystery shopper, and instructing them to call a number if they are interested. Once the victim calls, they are asked for their personal information, including credit card and bank account numbers.
10. Hotel "Wrong Transaction" Malware Emails - Many people travel over the holidays, so it is no surprise that scammers have designed travel-related scams in the hopes of getting us to click on dangerous emails. In one recent example, a scammer sent out emails that appeared to be from a hotel, claiming that a "wrong transaction" had been discovered on the recipients credit card. It then asked them to fill out an attached refund form. Once opened, the attachment downloads malware onto their machine.
11. IT Gift Scams - Every year there are hot holiday gifts, such as toys and gadgets, that sell out early in the season. When a gift is hot, not only do sellers mark up the price, but scammers will also start advertising these gifts on rogue websites and social networks, even if they dont have them. So, consumers could wind up paying for an item and giving away credit card details only to receive nothing in return. Once the scammers have the personal financial details, there is little recourse.
12. I'm away from home Scammers - Posting information about a vacation on social networking sites could actually be dangerous. If someone is connected with people they dont know on Facebook or other social networking sites, they could see their post and decide that it may be a good time to rob them. Furthermore, a quick online search can easily turn up their home address.
"We don't want consumers to be haunted by the scams of holidays past, present and future," says Jim Walter, manager at McAfee Labs. "With the increase in malware and other attacks on smartphones, tablets and Macs, users need to stay vigilant and ensure they protect all of their devices, not just their home PC they cant afford to leave the door open to cyber-grinches during the busy holiday season."
How to Protect Yourself
Internet users can protect themselves from cybercrime with the following quick tips from McAfee:
Only download mobile apps from official app stores, such as iTunes and the Android Market, and read user reviews before downloading them.
Be extra vigilant when reviewing and responding to emails.
Watch out for too-good-to-be-true offers on social networks (like free airline tickets). Never agree to reveal your personal information just to participate in a promotion.
Don't accept requests on social networks from people you dont know in real life. Wait to post pictures and comments about your vacation until youve already returned home.
Be sure you have active, comprehensive protection for all of your devices. McAfee All Access is the only product that lets you protect a wide variety of Internet-enabled devices, including PCs, Macs, smartphones, tablets and netbooks, for one low price for individuals and families.
To learn more, visit:
http://home.mcafee.com/store/all-access-security
Special offer from McAfee
As millions of consumers begin to search and shop online during this holiday season, McAfee understands the importance of being aware of cybercriminals tactics and knowing how to stay protected from identity theft and online fraud.
From November 9 - 15, McAfee is offering a complimentary PDF copy of a new book on http://www.facebook.com/mcafee called 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before... Your Identity Was Stolen, authored by identity theft expert Robert Siciliano. The book is available in print, ePub, and PDF and can now be found on Amazon, Amazon Kindle, and the Sony eBook Store and http://www.99-series.com/store.html from $5.99-$14.97.
In the book, Robert proactively organizes, simplifies, and demystifies the entire issue of identity theft and computer fraud into bite size chunks to make consumers, families, employees and small businesses safe and secure. Consumers will learn the difference between Scareware, Ransomware and Spyware; about the types of cybercriminals, such as a Black Hat, Cracker, Script-kiddie and Hacktivist; and how to protect their identity online and in the physical world.
For the complete 12 Scams of Christmas article, go to: https://blogs.mcafee.com/consumer/mcafee-twelve-scams-of-christmas
Web surfers should visit the McAfee Security Advice Center and Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/mcafee for information on the latest threats, and tips on surfing safely.
For more information, visit:
http://www.mcafee.com
iKey Reveals New Full-Travel Washable Keyboard
iKey, specialist in rugged computer peripherals, has introduced the compact WB-86 keyboard with full-travel keystroke. Designed to be fully submersible while maintaining the same feel of an office-grade keyboard, the new product gives users the benefits of a washable keyboard without sacrificing typing speed or accuracy.
"The WB-86 is iKeys response to our customers that have been looking for a keyboard that was fully ruggedized, but still offered the user-friendliness of a traditional consumer keyboard," says iKeys operational manager Dave Huddleston. "It was designed for and built from the finest materials and is ultimately representative of our world-renowned quality."
Featuring individually lit, red LED keys and a wear-proof, laser etched legend, the WB-86 packs everything you need in a keyboard while measuring just 11.06 x 5.16 x 0.836 (w-h-d). This makes the product both versatile and convenient for mobile and point-of-sale applications or any application where space is at a premium.
Sealed to IP68 standards, the WB-86 is completely sealed and submersible, making it resistant to dirt, dust and liquids. This allows for easy cleaning and protection from spills.
"Because it is completely protected from ingress, it is uniquely suited for a broad range of applications that demand continued operation under conditions where normal equipment simply would not last," Huddleston says.
The WB-86 has a USB interface, and does not require any additional software or drivers. For more information on this product, visit iKey online at:
http://www.iKey.com
and
http://www.ikey.com/wb-86.html
iKey Slims Down with Thin New Rugged Keyboard Design
iKey, a specialist in rugged peripherals for over 20 years, is introducing a new slim design keyboard, the EKS-97-TP, one of the thinnest products on the market that is fully sealed and washable.
Measuring just 14.5 x 5.38 x 0.50 (w-h-d), the keyboards compact design is perfect for use on carts, wall mounts and other medical applications.
Built as a replacement for the EK-97-TP model, the EKS-97-TP boasts a more compact design and the added convenience of a built-in touchpad. Larger keys are also introduced to enhance the user experience and reduce data entry errors.
"Improved key geometry also enhances the durability of the keyboard, which is optimized for use in medical and industrial environment," says Jim Mayo, iKey controller.
The new model is also available with backlight for use in low light areas. The EKSB-97-TP introduces an improved green backlighting with individual LEDs on each key for use in ambient-light areas.
Built with infection control in mind, the fully sealed keys, touchpad and numberpad allow these slim design keyboards to meet IP67 standards to be resistant to dirt, debris and water. This allows the keyboards to easily withstand daily scrub downs with anti-bacterial agents, enabling them to meet and exceed any hygienic protocol and reduce the spread of infectious bacteria.
$174.00
For more information, visit:
http://www.ikey.com
and
http://www.ikey.com/eks-97-tp.html
Growth of DRAM Content in Notebook PCs Decelerates Partly Due to Rise of Ultrabooks and the Cloud
The growth of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) content in PCs—traditionally the biggest market for the memory—is beginning to decelerate due to the rising popularity of ultrabooks and cloud computing, along with weak near-term economic conditions, according to a new IHS iSuppli DRAM Market Brief report from information and analysis provider IHS.
Average DRAM content this year in notebook computers is projected to amount 4.0 gigabytes (GB) per device - a decline from the originally more optimistic forecast of 4.2GB. The new lower forecast for DRAM content in notebooks translates into year-over growth in 2011 of just 25 percent, 6 percentage points down from the initial projection of a 31 percent expansion. This represents a significant slowdown from the average annual growth in the 40 percent range seen in the past.
The disparity between initial expectations of DRAM loading in notebooks, compared to newly adjusted forecasts to reflect the lower growth, will become even more dramatic in the next four years.
For 2012, notebook DRAM usage will fall below previous expectations by a total of 0.6GB, with average loading amounting to 5.1GB, compared to the previous forecast of 5.7GB. The shortfall compared to the previous forecast will climb to 1.0GB in 2013, surge to 1.9GB in 2014 and then peak at 2.4GB by 2015.
The net result is that DRAM content in notebooks will amount to a projected 10.2GB per notebook by 2015, compared to prior forecasts that showed memory loading of 12.6GB for the year.
“Clearly, the era of PC DRAM growth of around 40 percent is a thing of the past,” says Mike Howard, principal analyst for DRAM and memory at IHS. “DRAM companies know this, and suppliers now are turning their attention toward increased production of mobile DRAM for devices like smartphones and tablets, where the next wave of growth is projected to take place. For example, the average DRAM density in media tablets this year will surge nearly 120 percent to 598 megabytes (MB), up from 274MB last year.”
Ultrabooks Erode DRAM Growth
“The single biggest reason for DRAM’s reduced growth outlook in notebooks during the next four years is the ultrabook,” Howard notes. “Ultrabooks currently use a maximum of 4GB of DRAM, and we believe the emphasis on form factor with minimal size and weight will lead to Ultrabooks using less DRAM on average than traditional notebooks. As ultrabook sales surge during the next four years, this will slow the growth of average DRAM usage in notebooks.”
Ultrabooks are a new type of notebook PC designed to compete more effectively against a rising wave of competition from media tablets like Apple Inc.’s iPad. PC microprocessor giant Intel Corp. increasingly is shifting its focus away from traditional notebooks and toward Ultrabooks.
Defined as notebooks that are extremely light and thin, ultrabooks measure less than 0.8 inches in thickness. And while Ultrabooks employ a full PC operating system like Microsoft Windows, they also add features now commonly found in media tablets, such as instant-on activation, always-connected wireless links, solid state drives and battery lives that are longer than eight hours on a single charge.
Cloudy Conditions for DRAM
A second factor expected to stunt DRAM growth in notebook PCs is the new virtual and online storage system known as the cloud. Although cloud computing has been on the horizon for many years, it is only now that the impact of cloud technology on devices is starting to be felt.
A recent example is the Silk browser from Amazon, which is expected to hand off much of the heavy lifting for Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet to the online titan’s cloud service program.
Silk represents only one example of the increasing importance of cloud services in the future, which is sure to exert a long-term impact on DRAM loading for PCs.
Slow Economy, Fast-Moving Tablet Space Don’t Help
In addition to the long-term impact of the ultrabook and the cloud, economic factors in the short term will curtail DRAM content growth in the notebook PC space. Given the sluggish economy, cash-strapped consumers are unlikely to splurge on extras, resulting in the PC industry churning out more budget-type devices with less DRAM to accommodate the mood of the times.
Learn More at Ultrabooks – The New Face of PCs:
http://bit.ly/tzTBcC
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