Firefox Needs Update

[curtiswtaylorjr]

When will Firefox 2.0.0.12 be added to the repository? It is my understanding that there are a lot of security fixes. Some of them critical.

[Husse]

Soon I hope, but can't give you a date

[clem]

Hopefully tonight.

Clem

[alvaro.sim]

[cmost]

*** Original post removed by cmost ***

I was not aware of the importance of Linux Mint's version of Firefox on the health and well-being of Mint. Therefore, I have removed my tutorials on how to install the latest versions of Firefox/Swiftfox from other sources.


Please use Mint's Firefox!!!!!

[cmost]

*** Removed by cmost ***
Please use Mint's Firefox!!!!!

[clem]

Firefox 2.0.0.12 was released last night, you can now upgrade it with mintUpdate.

Note: We brand Firefox so I hope you're using the Mint version. Here are the reasons why you should:

- The mint version generates about 1/3 of the distribution's income (start page and now top-right corner search engine) so if you get firefox elsewhere we don't raise as much money for Linux Mint.

- The mint version describes it's user agent as being Linux Mint so if you get firefox elsewhere stats (on distrowatch's awstat reports for instance) won't count you as a Mint user.

- The mint version comes with activated backspace key, extra engines, disabled ipv6..etc.

We decided to maintain Firefox so if we're getting late or if we need to update it, please tell us and we'll be on it right away. Firefox is a very important component of the Linux Mint desktop, for you and for us as well, financially, strategically, statistically, etc..

Clem

[nelamvr6]

This may be a dumb question, but what exactly is the "activated backspace key" feature of which you speak?

[hippy]

Thanks Clem, updated this morning with no probs

[clem]

It's a very simple feature in Firefox, when you press the backspace key it browse back to the last visited page. Once you're used to use this you become addicted to it. The problem is that Mozilla, for some obscure "compatibility-with-unix" reason decided to deactivate this feature in the Linux version of Firefox. So we're tweaking this in Firefox to make it behave as it always did, as it does under windows, and to make our backspace key browse back.

In Fedora they don't do that for instance, so if you press Backspace it doesn't browse back, it scrolls up... I'm not sure about other distributions.

Clem

[nelamvr6]

Ah. Thanks for the info.

I never use it, I have a mouse with a thumb button I use for "back". If I didn't have that I would surely go crazy, so I can see how a feature like that can quickly become second nature, and how disappointing it would be not to have it once you're used to it...

[curtiswtaylorjr]

Many thanks and since I know I will use the top right search as much as possible.

[Acid7711]

Hi all

I discovered this thread while searching for the reason for the newly-developed nuisance of by my firefox browser: whenever I search google from the upper right corner, I get a mint logo with a bunch of ads that I have to scroll through before I can see the results I was looking for.
Edited to add this: Also, the options "images, video, more"... as well as direct access to my google accounts is lacking from the top of the screen.

I feel the same way, I spent awhile lastnight trying to remove that search page to get back the default google one. It was freaking driving me crazy. It's not that I don't mind the search page from Mint coming up, it's the lack of images, etc that drove me crazy. I realize that the income helps, but a removing functionality from the page makes people strive for what they're used to. I too concur with wanting to get away from the forced advertising aspect of everything, I understand the needs, trust me, but...yeah. For users using adblocking stuff, they don't show up anyways.

[eeezzzeee]

Do you only get the money if we use the mint google portal, or just the mint version of firefox? What I mean is do you only get paid if everytime I starte firefox I get the mint google screen, or if I change it to my igoogle page will that affect you guys getting paid. Also I couldn't see the firefox update in mintupdate, so I just went to the package manager and uninstalled it and installed the updated package, I am assuming that it is still the mint package, I don't mind the small things like advertising to help make what I feel is a great OS. I have been nothing but impressed with Mint, and the more I use it the more I like it, and want to do what I can to help its contiued growth and development.

[clem]

I think we all agree to say that google.com provides more features than this (let's call it googleMint for simplicity). The three main features that are lacking in googleMint are:

- The ability to change from web results to images result.
- The cached links.
- The ability to access your google account.

Now, why are these features not present in googleMint, for the simple reason that Google doesn't want custom google search engines (that's how it's called) to have these features. It's possible, I could change a simple parameter in the XML and show them.. but it would go against the agreement we have with Google. Will they support these features in Adsense for Search or in custom search engines in the future? They don't want to comment on this.

For the first problem I added a second search engine dedicated to images (you can see 2 google search engines, one for Web and one for Images).

Now, why do we harm the user experience? (It's true, we do a bit by doing this). Because we found a way to finance ourselves and that could even save us selling support. The ideal situation for Linux Mint would be to grow as a company with hired full-time staff working ONLY on the distribution itself, not on parallel lucrative activities such as support. The start page generates about $1,000/month, this search engine could generate between 2 to 40 times more income, making it possible for us to grow into a small size company and start hiring to achieve things we only ever dreamed off.

So you're right, it would be nice to see cached links and to have a link to our google account from the result page but if that's the price to pay to see Mint go from something that is developed in some volunteer's past-time to a full distribution backed by a team of full-time employed developers, it's definitely worth the little annoyance.

Not to mention that the bigger we get the better we can negotiate with Google and eventually push these features back in. For information that same top right corner wasn't using the default Google engine before.. it was using a custom Firefox one. Mozilla just happened to have a deal with Google that we're not in a position to get.

If you really want to default back to the default google engine there are many ways to do that but it would be a pity since this is the best way you can financially contribute to Mint. More than the donations, more than the ads on the website, more than the sponsors, more than the sales, more than anything this is the biggest source of income for the distribution and by simply using your desktop, and OK by ignoring the fact that the results page isn't as full-featured as the one on google.com, you're participating in making Mint grow.

Mint is currently registering itself as a business in the Republic of Ireland and I'll soon be able to show you a detailed breakdown of our financial situation. We are harming the user experience, it is motivated by financial reasons but do see the big picture, this is extremely positive for the distribution and it's going to be a major key for success which will let us get to the next level and start having people working full-time on Mint.

Clem