Is Jeeves Getting Firefoxy?
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Rumors abound linking Ask Jeeves and Firefox.
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As the number of downloads of Mozilla Foundation&#39;s open source browser Firefox 1.0 continues to soar (4.7 hits by Nov. 19), people are asking what will established browsers do in response?
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(InfoWorld) - Mozilla updated the preview of Firefox 3.0 to alpha 8 Thursday, unveiling for the first time to users several security features it has talked up for months. Among the security provisions debuting in the new alpha of "Gran Paradiso," the code name for Firefox 3.0, are built-in anti-malware warnings and protection against rogue extension updates, according to documentation Mozilla posted to its Web site. The malware blocker, which was first mocked up in June, will block Web sites thought to contain malicious downloads. The feature, a companion to the phishing site alert system in the current Firefox 2.0, will use information provided by Google to flag potentially-dangerous sites, warn anyone trying to reach those URLs with Firefox, and automatically block access to the site. Mozilla also pointed to a URL that demonstrates the new malware blocker for alpha 8 users. Also taking a bow is a check meant to prevent plug-ins' automatic updates from sending users to malicious sites where they might be infected by attack code or drive-by downloads. Firefox relies on small plug-ins -- called "extensions" in the Mozilla vernacular -- for much of its power and flexibility. Several thousand extensions have been written, the vast bulk of them by outside developers, that do everything from boost browsing speed to block irritating Flash animations. Firefox regularly checks to see if the installed extensions are up to date, and, if not, automatically pulls in the newest version and installs it. "Firefox automatically checks for updates to add-ons using a URL specified in the add-on's install manifest," Mozilla spells out in a developer's document. "Currently there are no requirements placed on these URLs. In particular, [they are not] required to be https. This allows either the update manifest or the update package to be compromised, potentially resulting in the injection of malicious updates. A demonstration of one form of compromise is already public." Most extensions are hosted on Mozilla's own servers -- at the servers feeding its Add-ons site -- but some are not; it's those off-site extensions that Mozilla wants to lock down. To stymie attacks through a compromised extension update, Mozilla will require updates -- both the actual update package and the much smaller "manifest," or notification of an update -- to be delivered over an SSL-secured connection. Or the update must be digitally signed. The change doesn't affect the initial installation of an extension, something Mozilla recognized. "[This] has no impact on the security of initial add-on installs," it told developers in the online guide. This newest preview, which can be downloaded in versions for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux from the Mozilla site, still comes with a warning to end-users. "Alpha 8 is intended for Web application developers and our testing community. Current users of Mozilla Firefox should not use Gran Paradiso Alpha 8," the browser's release notes. Mozilla has not officially committed to a release date for the final version of Firefox 3.0. Computerworld is an InfoWorld affiliate
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Ask Jeeves has joined the throng of search giants offering their services on your desktop with its own desktop search tool. The beta is a free download from http://download.
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Update: A little digging shows the Pennsylvania high schooler in detention is in the doghouse for mouthing off, not for using Firefox, as reported on the web. Turns out the kid altered the scanned detention report, sparking the "punished for using Firefox" story. Look for a retraction from the culprit.
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Itâs a good week for Mac users. The developers behind Camino, Mozilla's Aquafied Mac-only alternative to Firefox, have released version 1.5 of the browser, adding some features that bring it closer to a true Firefox 2 replacement.
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AdBlock tryst threatens web browser wedlock Comment Yes, Firefox reached a major milestone this week, surpassing 400 million downloads worldwide. But that's just the good news. There's another story swirling around the famously open source web browser - and it's a little less sunny.â¦
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The future appears rosy for Firefox. Just two years after its start, and even before reaching version 1.0 (now imminent), the little open source browser has already left behind its elder
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Mozilla is trying to weave a new web. Not sure if it matters yet.
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Ask Jeeves (Nasdaq: ASKJ) has gotten a face-lift this week, and in more ways than one. Not only did the search engine add some functionality but also someone over there decided to give the PG Wodehouse-inspired
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The latest release of Mozilla's lightweight browser for the Mac hints at a major upgrade around the corner. In Monkey Bites.
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The Mozilla Foundation has updated the German-language version of Firefox in a bid to defuse a growing controversy over the way its search toolbar handles private customer data.
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Online search engine Ask Jeeves Inc. has bought Bloglines, a top Web log index and Internet news funnel, in its latest bid to gain ground on more popular rivals Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc.
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Ziff Davis - With a preview of Firefox 1.0 ready for release, the open-source development group says it is also preparing for a grassroots marketing push.
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Topix Delivering Local News Search to Ask Jeeves  Topix.net today announced that it has been selected by Ask Jeeves, Inc. to provide news to Ask Jeeves for its Local News channel. Through this partnership, Ask Jeeves becomes the first major search engine to feature Topix.net's news technology.  Topix.net provides visitors to Ask ...
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THE MAKERS of the free open source browser Firefox are expected to release version 1.0 today. Although it will technically be a preview release, with the full 1.0 version hitting the web in about a month&#39;s
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Google and Mozilla Firefox Working Together  Google have hosted a customized Internet Explorer search page for many years now specially designed to act as sidebar search. And with the launch of the first final release of the very popular Mozilla Firefox browser, we now have a custom page specially designed for ...