11/01, 5:45pm
Windows share drops in Oct despite Win 7
The launch of Windows 7 in October did nothing to stop an increase in Mac share online, the latest data from Net Applications shows. Although the Microsoft OS was on sale for nine days last month, Windows' combined share of Internet traffic actually dropped to 92.52 percent while Mac OS X profited directly, reaching a new high of 5.27 percent. Windows 7 did gain share and represents 2.15 percent, but its gain was more than offset by a full percentage point of Windows users abandoning Windows XP, in many cases opting for the Mac or other platforms.
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10/28, 11:00am
Cuts off theoretical attacks
Mozilla has released Firefox 3.5.4, a minor but still significant update to its multi-platform web browser. The patch fixes 16 vulnerabilities, 11 of which are said to be critical. Among these are problems with third-party media libraries, the core and JavaScript engines, web worker calls, the GIF color map parser and the string-to-number converter.
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10/28, 7:50am
litl Easel netbook due soon
A new PC startup, litl, is known today to be readying an unusual netbook design with a rare customized operating system. An FCC filing for the Easel reveals a 12-inch system whose display can bend past 180 degrees and with a deliberately rounded, child-friendly look. However, it should also run a custom version of Linux with a "card" interface that lets users pick from blue cards for core apps and settings, black channel cards for news, weather and other widgets, and white cards for Firefox pages.
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10/16, 1:00pm
Draws fire from Mozilla designer
Apple's Safari browser may occupy too central position in upcoming European versions of Windows, critics say. Users should soon be presented with a special browser ballot, explaining what web browsers are, and more crucially offering a choice of apps beyond Internet Explorer. The feature comes as a result of pressure from the European Commission, which has accused Microsoft of hampering competition by bundling IE with Windows, forcing developers to design for it and potentially limit their innovation.
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10/01, 5:50pm
NetApplications shows Mac, Firefox gains
More than a sixth of all Macs are already running Mac OS X Snow Leopard in just over a month of use, new findings from NetApplications show. On September 29th, the one month anniversary of the release, about 18 percent of all Macs tracked by the stats firm were using some version of Snow Leopard, or 0.91 percent of all computers.
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09/30, 10:55am
Also dismisses Safari, Chrome
Windows is regaining some of its marketshare, claims Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "We’re gaining share. Apple is expensive," Ballmer says in a new interview. "And in tough economic environment, people get it. Their [Apple's] model is, by definition, expensive. And we’ve actually held or maybe even gained just a tiny bit of share relative to the Mac in the last 12 months. And it’s not really Snow Leopard. It’s really Windows PCs versus Mac."
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09/29, 5:10pm
MS competitors criticize EU settlement
A number of software developers that make competitors to Microsoft's Internet Explorer have complained about the recent settlement with the EU that would allow Microsoft to give users the option to install another web browser. According to a Monday WSJ report (subscription required), the complaints came via a questionnaire EU officials sent out to Microsoft's competition, urging them for comment on the settlement idea.
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09/07, 10:30am
May close some common vulnerabilities
Beginning with two Tuesday updates, all future iterations of Mozilla's Firefox browser will check for at least some outdated plug-ins, the company has announced. Firefox 3.5.3 and 3.0.14 will both scan for the latest version of Flash, prompting users to visit a link where an updated plug-in can be downloaded. "For now, our focus is on the Adobe Flash Player both because of its popularity and because some studies have shown that as many as 80 percent of users currently have an out-of-date version," says Firefox security team member Johnathan Nightingale.
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09/01, 2:40pm
Net Apps Web Share Aug 09
Mozilla's Firefox browser cut significantly into Microsoft's market share of web browsers in August, data from Net Applications shows. Its increase to 22.98 percent of the market wasn't an absolute high but resulted in Internet Explorer reaching an all-time low of 66.97 percent, a sharp fall from 67.68 percent just a month earlier. Other browsers also made inroads, as Google Chrome climbed to 2.84 percent (fourth place) and Opera rose slightly to 2.04 percent (fifth place).
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08/10, 5:25pm
Macs Faster On Web
Despite stereotypes, Macs are typically faster than Windows PCs on the web, according to data from FutureMark. Best known for its 3DMark benchmark suite, the company says that Apple's systems are about 5 to 10 percent faster on average in its Peacekeeper web code test than Windows computers with equivalent hardware. This includes any browser that runs on both platforms, including Apple's own Safari as well as Firefox and Opera.
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08/10, 10:10am
Firefox 3.6 alpha debuts
Mozilla has published the first alpha preview of Firefox 3.6. The upcoming release is codenamed Namoroka, and in its completed form should represent an intermediate step towards Firefox 3.7, a major browser upgrade expected sometime in 2010. The v3.6 alpha nevertheless includes several important changes, such as a new Gecko rendering engine, upgraded to v1.9.2.
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08/05, 7:45pm
SeeFile 4.7 ships
SeeFile Software has launched SeeFile 4.7, updating its digital asset management software with an optimized interface and full support for Firefox 3.5, Safari 4 and Internet Explorer 8. The software is geared towards small to mid-sized companies, tracking digital media like images, PDFs and video, and organizing and distributing the media online. SeeFile monitors shared folders and volumes, tracking any changes in the file structure, and updating its database and web interface to synchronize with the file structure changes. It also automatically renders previews and imports metadata.
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08/05, 1:25pm
Firefox 3.5.2 update
Mozilla has released Firefox 3.5.2, updating its multi-platform web browser. A key fix in the release aids photographers, illustrators and other graphics professionals, by now properly rendering images with ICC profiles on all monitors. Such profiles are used to define color spaces, ensuring that the colors depicted on a display are those intended.
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08/03, 11:00am
Microsoft Drops Win 7 E
Microsoft this weekend revealed that it would drop plans to launch Windows 7 E for Europe following a change in attitude from the European Commission. The special release, which would have provided Windows without any browser at all, is being scrapped as the Commission has tentatively embraced the company's browser ballot approach to providing a choice of web browsers. These customers should now get the same version of Windows 7 as elsewhere.
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07/31, 2:50pm
Firefox 1 bil Downloads
The Mozilla Foundation on Friday marked the 1 billionth download of Firefox. The feat was accomplished roughly four and a half years after the first pre-release version shipped in November 2004 and makes it one of the most popular browsers after Internet Explorer. It's commonly credited for unseating the Microsoft browser's near-absolute control of web browsers after the decline of Netscape and, as of the milestone, currently has just over 30 percent of the market while Internet Explorer has just over 60 percent.
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07/24, 3:20pm
Euro Win 7 Multi Browser
Microsoft this afternoon hoped to settle the European Commission's antitrust case over unfair web browser bundling by promising to give users a choice of web browsers when Windows 7 ships in October. The proposal mimics the EC's solution and would provide a "ballot" that lets first-time users choose from one of multiple browsers, all of which would be pre-loaded in Windows. As before, users could also download other browsers and set them as the default.
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07/17, 9:25am
Forefox security update
Mozilla has released an update to its browser, Firefox 3.5.1, which addresses a JavaScript security issue disclosed earlier in the week. The vulnerability could have been used by an attacker to execute malicious code. The latest version also corrects a number of other bugs for improved performance and stability, while the Windows version is said to shorten load time on certain systems.
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07/15, 12:40am
Firefox security issue
A new security vulnerability affecting Firefox 3.5 has been discovered, according to Secunia. The issue, spotted by Simon Berry-Byrne, relates to an error when processing JavaScript code, such as "font" HTML tags, and can be exploited to cause memory corruption. The flaw potentially could be used to allow malicious code to enable unauthorized control of a system.
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07/14, 6:00pm
Web Browser Comparison
With the latest versions of Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox recently released, it became time for a browser comparison to test whether or not improvements in standards and raw speed have made a difference. This is especially true given the rapid shift in market share from Internet Explorer's one-time dominance: according to Statcounter, Internet Explorer currently commands just 61 percent of the browser market, while Firefox has climbed to second place with 30 percent market share and the last 9 percent shared between Chrome, Opera, Safari and smaller rivals. Click through for our full browser tests to see whether those slices of the market are deserved.
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07/09, 10:30pm
Microsoft Silverlight 3
Microsoft tonight launched the public version of Silverlight 3, its animation and video plugin for the web. The rival to Flash is the company's first to use hardware graphics acceleration both for 3D and for offloading the work of decoding video from the main processor. Regardless of graphics power, the update is also the first to promise a near-seamless HD video experience: a "smooth streaming" technique that automatically lowers the bitrate to start playback immediately and quickly brings it back up to provide the maximum quality the connection allows.
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07/03, 9:55am
Post-Firefox 3.5 patch
Having just released Firefox 3.5 on Tuesday, Mozilla is already developing a minor troubleshooting update. The company says it expects Firefox 3.5.1 to be released in mid-to-late July, fixing three bugs and "topcrashes," referring to the most common crashes experienced by users. "[The] goal of this release should be a quick turnaround that fixes topcrashes and bugs we almost held ship for," a note states.
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07/01, 9:20pm
FireFox hidden gestures
MacMagazine has released a tutorial on how to enable multi-touch gestures in Firefox 3.5. The gestures allow users to alternate tabs via twisting. By opening a new window or tab in FireFox and typing “about:config” into the address bar, users can gain access to a filter list; in some cases a warning message may pop-up when loading the filter list. Users then search for “browser.gesture” within the filter search bar, in order to get a full list of settings which consists of controls and gestures.
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06/30, 11:30am
Firefox 3 5 Official
Mozilla today published the final version of Firefox 3.5. The new version of the Gecko-based browser emphasizes speed with overall improvements as well as a new JavaScript engine, nicknamed TraceMonkey, that dramatically improves the speed of sites using such code; Mozilla estimates 3.5 is about as twice as fast as 3.0. Privacy and security are also bolstered with a new private browsing mode as well as better anti-phishing and malware detection.
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06/16, 3:35pm
Firefox bugs with networks
The recent Firefox 3.0.11 update is causing problems for many Mac users working with network-based home folders. Several bug reports indicate the browser is unable to locate the history or bookmarks, while the search field is inoperable and users cannot enter a URL into the access field. The problem reportedly affects both PPC- and Intel-based Macs.
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06/12, 8:45am
EU Say Win 7 E Not Enough
Microsoft's decision to pull Internet Explorer from Windows 7 in Europe isn't enough to address EU antitrust complaints about the company's abuse of the market, the European Commission said Friday. The continent's officials now say that Microsoft's proposed solution would actually hurt competition as it would leave the five percent of those buying retail copies of Windows each year with few options. Instead of having an immediate choice, buyers would have to resort to obtaining a physical copy of a web browser or else some alternative.
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06/03, 9:45pm
Adobe unveils BrowserLab
Adobe has unveiled its newest application, BrowserLab, releasing it as a free downloadable preview. The program, originally code-named Meer Meer, is used to compare webpages in Safari, Internet Explorer, and Firefox to ensure designs remain consistent between each browser. The program uses virtualization technology hosted through a cloud-based application, eliminating the need to install all three browsers.
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05/25, 9:30am
Nokia N900 Leak
Nokia's long-in-progress sequel to the N800 series tablet may largely be a more advanced version of the N97 smartphone, a leak on Monday hints. Possibly called the N900, MobileCrunch claims it would have a 3.5-inch touchscreen and a slide out (if non-tilting) QWERTY keyboard but would carry a much sharper 800x480 resolution, a faster TI OMAP processor and 1GB of memory thanks to a 768MB virtual memory cache. It would run the Linux-based Maemo OS instead of Symbian.
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05/07, 8:05am
Mozilla Complains on Win 7
Mozilla and Opera on Thursday criticized Microsoft over settings in the Windows 7 release candidate that they claim are designed to be anti-competitive. The two web browser developers point out to FT that users who opt to upgrade to Windows 7 from Vista rather than install fresh are given an "express" option that automatically reverts the default browser to Internet Explorer even if Firefox, Opera or another browser was set as the default before. Although the "custom" choice lets users maintain this setting, Mozilla and Opera argue that Microsoft is hoping most users won't be aware of this or that it will be considered too much extra work.
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04/28, 3:30pm
Firefox 3.0.10 update
Only days after the release of v3.0.9, Mozilla has posted a another update for Firefox, bringing the web browser to v3.0.10. The update is mainly intended to fix a "major stability issue," but also fixes a security flaw related to the @nsTextFrame::ClearTextRun() command. It is available as a 1.5MB download through the Firefox auto-updater, or else from the Mozilla website.
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04/23, 11:15am
Firefox 3.0.9 update
Mozilla has posted the v3.0.9 update to Firefox, its multi-platform web browser. The patch is mainly said to address "several" security and stability problems. Also fixed though is a recurring problem with database corruption, which would previously prevent Firefox from accessing stored cookies.
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04/21, 3:35pm
Google O3D
Google this afternoon took the covers from an early version of O3D, a new standard for controllable 3D on the web. The format is intended to be a truly browser- and OS-independent format that supports truly modern 3D graphics and which runs well when interacting with the modern web. It takes advantage of the shader (visual programming) effects of current graphics chipsets to produce visuals such as rippling water, reflections and fire, all while properly supporting JavaScript for elements such as real-time changes to the 3D world.
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04/15, 3:40pm
Microsoft 2nd EU Delay
Microsoft today said it had been given a second extension by the European Commission to prepare a response against antitrust charges that it has unfairly controlled web browsers. Having already been given a first extension that gave it until April 21st, the American firm has until April 28th to provide its own stance and early defense against the claims. Why the added time is required hasn't been formally explained.
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04/01, 2:15pm
Browser wars tighten
Firefox 3 has overtaken Internet Explorer 7 in Europe according to data from StatCounter. Although IE still leads when counting all versions (IE 8IE7/IE6), the current Mozilla-based Firefox usage has surpassed IE 7 by a percentage point. Ars Technica has reported that IE 8, released two weeks ago, has pulled over two percent of IE 7 users from its ranks, dropping it beneath Firefox.
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03/28, 7:25pm
Firefox 3.0.8 update
Mozilla has released an update to its popular web browser, Firefox 3.0.8. The company has dealt with two security issues marked as critical under its rating of importance. The first fix involves the XUL method in some cases triggering garbage collection routines on objects which were still in use. This resulted in possible browser crashes when attempting to access a previously destroyed object, and could be used to run harmful code on a person’s computer.
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03/20, 3:25pm
IE8 Launch Stats
The release of Internet Explorer 8 hasn't had any significant impact on Firefox or any other competing browser, data collected by StatsCounter shows. While the final release of IE8 increased its market share slightly on launch day to 1.39 percent, Firefox 3.0 grew more quickly and reached 25.38 percent. The most significant losses were for Internet Explorer 7: the outgoing browser lost 0.4 percent of the total share.
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03/19, 7:50am
MS Launching IE8 Today
Microsoft on Thursday said it would launch Internet Explorer 8 at 12PM Eastern. The app is the company's first significant web browser release since 2006 and is partly meant to address gaps in its feature set compared to other, newer browsers: a new rendering engine makes it more compatible with true W3C web standards while still having support for IE-specific pages. It also has shortcuts to perform context-sensitive tasks through specific websites (such as a Facebook search), visual search suggestions, and a WebClip-like feature known as Web Slices that lets users bookmark specific sections of websites and see them at a glance.
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03/11, 11:50am
MS Extension on EU Charges
The European Commission today said it would give Microsoft extra time to respond to its statement of objection that accuses Microsoft of breaking antitrust laws by requiring that Internet Explorer ship with Windows. The American company now has until April 21st to provide an initial response after it complained that the original eight-week deadline, or March 12th, didn't give it enough time to offer a proper answer to the charges. It's not known if the delay will affect other aspects of the case.
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03/10, 10:25am
Firefox 3.1 becomes 3.5
The next major update for Firefox, v3.1, will instead become v3.5, says Mozilla's director for the browser, Mike Beltzner. Developers have allegedly complained that the v3.1 designation does not reflect the number of changes in the browser, which is already at v3.0.7 and yet missing components key to the former v3.1. Central is the addition of TraceMonkey, an engine which allows native code compilation within Mozilla's JavaScript technology.
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03/04, 3:40pm
Firefox Overtakes IE6
Firefox 3 has become the first non-Microsoft web browser to overtake Internet Explorer 6 in market share, according to new data from StatCounter. The open source browser climbed to 24 percent of users in February while IE6 dipped to just over 22.6 percent, making Firefox the second most popular browser by individual version. Although Internet Explorer 7 still leads with 40.8 percent, the Firefox increase narrows the gap as Microsoft's browser has remained largely flat since at least July.
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02/26, 3:50pm
Pwn2Own Targets Phones
TippingPoint has revealed that the 2009 edition of the Pwn2Own hacking contest will shift its focus to smartphones this year in one of the first few cross-platform tests of mobile OS security to include iPhones. The 3Com-owned security group will challenge guests at the March 18th CanSecWest conference to gain full OS-level control of both Apple's device as well as one phone each for Google's Android platform, RIM's BlackBerry OS, Symbian and Windows Mobile. The contest take place in two phases and allow only network-based exploits on the first day; the second will let experts target the pre-installed software.
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02/24, 10:35am
EU Requiring Non-IE Web
The European Commission late Monday said it plans to require that Microsoft offer web browsers other than Internet Explorer in Windows. The EU body's spokesman Jonathan Todd says a final decision in the matter would mandate a choice of which browsers to download and install in addition to the existing ability to specify a default app. The feature would potentially involve a portal that lets users choose the browser early on.
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02/11, 5:55pm
Foxmarks update
Foxmarks, Inc. has released several variants of its browser add-on, Foxmarks, that can now be used to synchronize bookmarks between Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari. The add-ons automatically back up any bookmarks to the company's servers every time a change is made. Users can also view, add, edit and delete bookmarks directly from the Foxmarks website if using a borrowed or public computer, or visit a mobile version of the site to access content from any web-enabled handset.
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02/09, 1:10pm
Mozilla joins EU vs. MS
Mozilla is throwing its support behind a European Commission ruling on bundling Microsoft's Internet Explorer with Windows, according to the company's CEO. Microsoft received a Statement of Objection from the Commission last month, accusing it of violating European competition laws. The action was initially sparked by a complaint from Opera, which produces third-party web browsers. Mozilla itself develops the Firefox browser.
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02/05, 3:40pm
Firefox 3.1 optimization
Mac owners searching for a faster version of Firefox may be able to turn to a custom-developed build, an independent coder claims. While the current official build of the web browser is v3.0.6, Mozilla is presently seeding a beta of v3.1, sometimes known as Shiretoko. The Mac beta is said to be unoptimized for Intel processors however, which has led to Chris Latko's creation of a custom version under open-source rules.
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02/05, 10:10am
Firefox 3.0.6 update
Mozilla has released Firefox 3.0.6, an update to its popular web browser. The company claims to have resolved several security issues, as well as stability problems which triggered crashes. Some security fixes include preventing people from changing a form input control's type during the restoration of a closed tab, which could be used in altering the input type to steal the content of a user’s local file. Also blocked is a Chrome XBL method that could be used with window.eval to execute JavaScript.
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01/06, 2:00pm
Kensington intros products
Kensington on Tuesday announced a range of new products, including a hands-free car kit for use with Bluetooth cellphones, its SlimBlade TrackBall mouse and a pair of two space- and energy-efficient notebook chargers. The Bluetooth speaker clips onto vehicle's sun visors and can pair up with three different cellphones and holds three frequently-called phone numbers for each handset. Swapping between the three handsets or dialing any of the pre-programmed numbers is done via pressing a single button. Kensington has integrated noise-cancelling technology for the device that makes calls loud and clear. Two battery packs are included, providing users with 10 hours of talk time.
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01/02, 11:45am
Safari use rises in Dec.
Minority browsers grew in popularity again during the month of December, according to tracking figures from Net Applications. Marketshare for Mozilla's Firefox reached 21.34 percent, up from 20.78 percent in November; Apple's Safari jumped from 7.13 to 7.93 percent, and Google's new, Windows-only Chrome browser shifted from 0.83 to 1.04 percent. This marks the first time the software has been over the 1 percent mark.
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12/16, 3:45pm
IE7 Zero-Day Exploit
A new and previously undiscovered vulnerability in Internet Explorer 7 has triggered warnings to at least temporarily avoid the browser until it can be fixed. The exploit, which takes advantage of the browser's data binding feature to create a memory hole, is unique to Microsoft's code and potentially dangerous due to its usability over the web. A maliciously formed website can use the exploit to steal private data or otherwise compromise the system; some benign websites have been turned hostile using the exploit and other vulnerabilities, the company says.
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12/10, 3:50pm
Firefox 3.1 B2 adds touch
A newer beta version of Firefox adds multi-touch support, Mozilla has announced. For owners of MacBooks with multi-touch trackpads -- new and old -- Firefox 3.1 beta 2 includes a variety of supported gestures, mainly swipes. Swiping left and right with three fingers will move forward and backward through a browser's history, while swiping up and down will jump to the beginning or end of a page.
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12/10, 12:05pm
Google Chrome Leaving Beta
Google's Chrome web browser is soon to exit beta thanks partly to a plan to expand its reach, company VP Marissa Miller has told TechCrunch at this year's Le Web conference in Paris. The WebKit-based browser has been relatively slow to gain share since its debut in September but will be marked as a finished product on an upcoming release to let PC makers bundle an officially completed version with their systems.
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