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diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/Firefoxbloat.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/Firefoxbloat.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3af6648 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/Firefoxbloat.txt @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ +<img width="133" height="133" border="0" alt="Firefoxlogo_3" title="Firefoxlogo_3" src="http://blog.wired.com/photos/uncategorized/firefoxlogo_3.png" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px 5px; float: right;" />After today Mozilla will [no longer be maintaining Firefox 1.5][1] -- Firefox 2.0 has arrived. But even as Firefox continues to move forward some users are starting to worry about the future of the popular web browser. + +Yesterday we told you about the Firefox team's [request for feedback from Mac users][3] and judging by comments on that post and a similar one on the [Cult of Mac blog][4], Mac users clearly have some issues with Firefox. + +But the complaints are not just from Mac users, Windows and Linux users also report a number of issues with Firefox. + +Chief among the complaints leveled at Firefox is the charge that the app has become bloated. Given the fact that Firefox arose at least partly as a reaction to the bloat of Mozilla's previous browser/email/contact manager, all-in-one, good-at-none app, the bloat charge has to sting. And yet it has some truth. + +For the sake of figures: Firefox 1.5 was a 41.5MB application, while Firefox 2.0 is 49.5. Compare that to Safari's paltry 16.8 MBs and Opera 9's 24.5. + +Yet curiously, my browser of choice, Bon Echo, a build of Firefox [optimized for an Intel Mac][2] is only 30.5 MBs. + +Neil Lee, the developer who puts together the various Mac-optimized builds attributes the slimmer file size to the fact that the generic universal binary of Firefox contains all the necessary CPU-specific code that enables Firefox to work on various machines from a single build. + +"The universal binaries basically have double the *binary* (actual application) code," Lee says. Although my experience has been that Lee's builds are faster, he cautions that there is no real empirical evidence to support that. Lee also feels his builds are faster, but while they may feel faster, as he points out, "it could very well be a group hallucination." + + +Another complaint from Firefox users is that the application is a RAM hog, which unquestionably it is. Leave Firefox open for a couple days with enough tabs and it'll gobble RAM and bring your system to a grinding halt. Michael says he has to restart his entire machine at least once a day, just quitting Firefox isn't enough. + +Of course some of the RAM hogging nature of Firefox is due to third party add-ons, still at least some of it seems to come from memory leaks. + +There are no doubt slimmer web browsers, both Opera and Safari use noticeably less RAM on my machine, and Shiira, which I tested and review yesterday uses the least amount of RAM of any browser I've used. But of course the trade off is they don't offer the functionality of Firefox decked your favorite add-ons. + +Firefox seems almost a necessity for the web power user. The question is, is Firefox in danger of moving from necessity, to necessary evil? Will bloat ruin the once lean, mean machine? Are there compelling lighter weight alternatives that don't sacrifice features? + +Let us know what you think in the comments below. + +[1]: http://www.mozilla.org/news.html#p425 "Firefox 1.5.0.x will be maintained with security and stability updates until April 24, 2007." +[2]: http://www.beatnikpad.com/archives/2006/10/26/firefox-20 "Optimized Firefox 2.0 for G4, G5, and Intel Macs" +[3]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/04/mac_users_give_.html "Mac Users: Give Firefox Developers A Piece Of Your Mind" +[4]: http://cultofmac.com/?p=578 "What Do You Think Sucks About Firefox on Mac?"
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/dojo.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/dojo.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..36c671b --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/dojo.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/dojo.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/dojo.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1d8555c --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/dojo.txt @@ -0,0 +1,17 @@ +The holy grail of web app productivity apps remains offline functionality. Developers unwilling to wait for Firefox 3's rumored support for offline apps might want to take a look at the new [Dojo Offline Toolkit][2]. The team behind the popular Dojo Javascript Toolkit have released a new package that aims to bring offline capabilities to web apps. + +The Dojo Offline toolkit is designed to make it easy for web app builders to add offline capabilities to their apps. The description of the package on the Dojo site says there are to parts to the new toolkit, "a JavaScript library bundled with your web page and a small (~300K) cross-platform, cross-browser download that helps to cache your web application's user-interface for use offline." + +If I'm understanding that correctly, that means users will have to download the small package to cache site files, but that still seems like a small price to pay for offline access to something like GMail. + +Naturally I don't see Google rolling out an offline-capable GMail in the near future, but there's no reason that an enterprising Greasemonkey script couldn't use the Dojo kit to pull off at least partial offline support of GMail. + +The Dojo Offline Toolkit is no magic bullet and it isn't going to work for every app, but it does seem to be one of the best options for small web developers who'd like to add offline functionality to their apps. + +If you're interested in exploring the toolkit you can download it from the Dojo site. Also be sure to check out [Moxie][1] the sample application from the Dojo team. + +[found via [O'Reilly][3]] + +[1]: http://codinginparadise.org/projects/dojo_offline/working/demos/offline/moxie/editor.html "Moxie" +[2]: http://www.dojotoolkit.org/offline "Dojo: offline toolkit" +[3]: http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/04/dojo_offline_to.html "Dojo Offline Toolkit Released"
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/eff.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/eff.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d9852d9 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/eff.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/ge.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/ge.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..1453023 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/ge.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/ge1.jpg b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/ge1.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b9f429a --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/ge1.jpg diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/gearchitecture.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/gearchitecture.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f84cd73 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/gearchitecture.txt @@ -0,0 +1,17 @@ +Google Earth has [added some new layers featuring American architecture][1]. The layers were created in partnership with the The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the 150 buildings, bridges and other structures are the results of a nationwide poll to determine American's favorite architectural landmarks. + +The new layers highlight and zoom to newly created 3-D models of the buildings, bridges, memorials and other structures. + +Also included in the AIA layers is the Blueprint for America layer. The Blueprint project is a community service effort by the AIA in which members donating time and expertise to "enhance the quality of life in their communities." + +The blueprint layers will allow users to track the progress of those projects on Google Earth. + +The new layers are fun and informative, but let's face it, a nice 3-D layer of World architecture would be much cooler. + +In related news, if all these Google Earth layers have got you thinking perhaps you'd like to try your hand at making your own, the [Google Code has added three new tutorials][2] on the Maps API/KML. + +One in particular, the <cite>[Adding Metadata to Your KML Files][3]</cite> tutorial should be useful for those just getting started building Google Earth layers. + +[1]: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/new-3-d-layers-from-aia-on-google-earth.html "New 3-D layers from AIA on Google Earth" +[2]: http://googlemapsapi.blogspot.com/2007/04/introducing-3-maps-apikml-tutorials-in.html "Introducing 3 Maps API/KML Tutorials in Google Code's Knowledge Base" +[3]: http://code.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=65628 "Adding Metadata to Your KML Files"
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/photobucket.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/photobucket.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9bd0cc7 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/photobucket.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +<img alt="Pbucket" title="Pbucket" src="http://blog.wired.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/11/pbucket.jpg" border="0" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 5px 5px;" />Photobucket seems to have [settled their dispute with MySpace][1] and embedded Photobucket content is once again working on MySpace. A brief post on the PhotoBucket blog reads: "Both our companies are committed to putting our users first." + +This isn't the first time Photobucket has been blocked by MySpace, nor is it the first time blocked services have been restored, but given that Photobucket was [rather vocally unhappy about the initial outage][2], calling on users to protest, it does seem odd that no further explanation of the blockage or the reinstatement has been given. + +The Photobucket note to users attempts to alleviate user fears about possible future outages by saying: + +>Moving forward, we've established open lines of communication and procedures with MySpace to prevent a sudden block of Photobucket content in future. We want our users to be able to share their content and understand it must be within the framework of MySpace's Terms of Service for it to appear on the site. + +Which just goes to show, even one of the largest photo sharing site on the web has to occasionally bow to the power of MySpace. + +[2]: http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/04/myspace_is_bloc.html "MySpace Is Blocking Photobucket Videos" +[1]: http://press.photobucket.com/blog/2007/04/photobucket_vid.html "Videos working on MySpace again!"
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/viacom.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/viacom.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4ea1553 --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.23.07/Tue/viacom.txt @@ -0,0 +1,14 @@ +The EFF has [dismissed its lawsuit against Viacom][1]. The suit was originally filed last month on behalf of MoveOn and Brave New Films after Viacom sent a massive number of DMCA takedown notices to YouTube which resulted in the removal of content that was in no way related to Viacom, + +In a [note on the EFF site][2] yesterday the foundation writes that it has dropped the suit because "Viacom acknowledged their mistake, told us about the policies it has put in place to protect fair use on YouTube, and agreed to introduce improvements to those policies." + +Representatives from the EFF say they were "impressed by Viacom's willingness to give plenty of breathing room to the noncommercial, transformative creativity that has flowered on video sharing sites like YouTube." + +The cornerstone of Viacom's new policy to appease the EFF is that a human being must actually review each clip before any action is taken. Additionally the media giant has agreed to avoid sending notices in cases where clear fair use arguments would apply. + +According to the EFF Viacom has also set up an email and website hotline to handle potential takedown notice mistakes. Users who's content is removed following a Viacom action can now request a review and, pending a change of heart by Viacom, get their videos restored inside of a day. + +Given the current climate of takedown notices hitting YouTube, Viacom's willingness to admit it made an error is somewhat remarkable, and one likes to hope that other media companies might follow suit before all the kids start wearing t-shirts that read: YouTube is not a crime. + +[1]: http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2007_04.php#005212 "Viacom Admits Error -- Takes Steps to Protect Fair Use on YouTube" +[2]: http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005213.php "Viacom Gives Fair Use a Wide Berth on YouTube"
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