The Firemonger Project 117
IZ Reloaded writes "The Firemonger Project is an attempt to create a multilingual easy-to-use compilation CD with Firefox, Thunderbird and an excellent selection of plugins (Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Shockwave and Sun Java), extensions (Adblock, Googlebar, Hotmail tabs, SessionSaver,
ScrapBook and more), Firefox and Thunderbird themes, related programs (Firetune and Backupfox) and a comprehensive beginner's guide. Everything you need to start up with and get the most out of Firefox and Thunderbird. There's also a lite version for download."
licenses??? (Score:5, Insightful)
why don't the linux distro makers adopt their strategy?
Re:licenses??? (Score:2, Informative)
Who distributes GPL-only software? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Who distributes GPL-only software? (Score:1)
Re:Who distributes GPL-only software? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Who distributes GPL-only software? (Score:2)
Debian includes lots of stuff under other licenses in the base (for instance, BSD-licensed software.) There's also a fair amount of software under more restrictive licenses available, though it gets relegated to the non-free section. And, of course, the Debian-derived distributions include anything they want, including non-GPL / non-"free" programs.
In other words, you're wrong. I'm not aware of any fu
Re:licenses??? (Score:3, Insightful)
The obvious stares you in the face, Anonymous Coward, and yet you refuse to accept it. Do you know of a reason why only earthbound beings can make linux distributions?
how are they getting away with it?
Well, before this
why don't the linux distro makers adopt their strategy?
I'm not sure that "License? What license? We're too small a
The licenses aren't the problem, the content is. (Score:2)
But why would anyone want flash pre-installed, unless it were to come with Adblock also installed and defaulted flash blocked. I'd be interested if people's experiences are similar my own, but my "primary" browser does not have flash installed on it, and I've been VERY happy with that. I have an "alternate" browser on my windows boxes, so that if I have to see something Flashy, I can hit the KVM, and get there in IE.
I jus
Re:The licenses aren't the problem, the content is (Score:1)
The thing I install directly after the flash plugin is FlashBlock [mozdev.org].
Re:The licenses aren't the problem, the content is (Score:1)
http://mboverload.no-ip.org/tech/mboverloadpak.ht
Re:licenses??? (Score:5, Interesting)
Sun's Java license forbids distribution together with competing technology, like the GNU Compiler Collection. For obvious reasons, most GNU/Linux distributions choose GCC over Java.
Re:licenses??? (Score:1)
Re:licenses??? (Score:2)
Re:licenses??? (Score:2)
Are you sure you want a metapackage that depends on everything necessary to compile something?
$ aptitude search 'lib.*-dev' | wc -l
2130
According to grep-dctrl, that's 1.2 gigabytes of development libraries alone! You might be more interested in using a tool called 'auto-apt'. It detects when the compilation process tries to open a file that does not exist, and prompts you to install th
Re:licenses??? (Score:3, Informative)
If you're talking about libraries, that seems pretty extreme — "all of the things I might need to compile something" is a crazy target. I've found that for many or most things, the "build-essentials" package on Ubuntu is fine, possibly with some of the libraries you need also (which is a matter of searching Synaptic for them, and that's fine with me — they'
Re:licenses??? (Score:2)
Re:licenses??? (Score:2)
I'd ask what the problem is but we're probably veering wildly off-topic here. Generally the packages tell you what they're missing (and what they require) and searching in synaptic/apt should get you these. I have to say I can understand why many modern distributions leave them out, though — they're just not useful for most people.
Re:licenses??? (Score:2)
Re:licenses??? (Score:2)
Unless they can be made easy to use, they have no real place (as default) in a user-oriented system, in my opinion. In a source-based system (like BSD or Gentoo's portage) that makes sense, but if it's a user-oriented system there's little point for them being there. The target user has no use for them, but they're easily available (as easily available as they are usable, in fact) if one needs them.
That said, there's always the argument that there's no good reason to omit them, I suppose. Hooray for going
Re:licenses??? (Score:2)
Re:licenses??? (Score:2)
The -dev idea is interesting. I think it might actually be a semantic limitation of apt (I don't "do" RPM) rather than anything else. It might be possible to write a script to do it though.
Re:licenses??? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:licenses??? (Score:5, Funny)
How 'bout the Google Toolbar? Can I distribute Java with that??
Re:licenses??? (Score:2)
I don't think so. Postfix (aka "IBM Secure Mailer") is shipped by quite a few distributions, and the IBM Public License contains an indemnification clause which is very much like Sun's.
Re:licenses??? (Score:2)
Let me rephrase that.
Distribution of Java with competing technology is verboten by Sun.
Re:licenses??? (Score:2)
Re:licenses??? (Score:1)
Re:licenses??? (Score:2, Interesting)
What? (Score:5, Informative)
You mean to tell me that this has never been covered before on Slashdot? Are you kidding?
Or am I just being naive? I guess the slogan is true - Slashdot. The News 24 Hours After Everyone Else Or Your Money Back!
As an aside - why not mention Portable Firefox [johnhaller.com] or FFDeploy [comcast.net]? They fit the same category of spreading firefox.
Re:What? (Score:4, Interesting)
More to the point, it's a decent idea. Firefox isn't hard to install, but why not make packaged versions with all the handy things in it? Thanks for the links to those other two, I'll have a longer look at all three of these options later
Re:What? (Score:2)
Quite the handy project, I don't use it myself (my flash drive contains most of my stuff, more obscure than the ones included)
But it is useful for those who do lots of installs for new users.
Re:What? (Score:4, Informative)
If you are used to running IE6/Firefox on your latest uber Quad Processor 12GHz Pentium 7 machine, you don't really get the full difference between the two. However, run IE6 and Firefox on a slightly older machine (P3 128mb etc) and you'll soon realize what you thought was a slow network connection is in fact a slow rendering engine.
If you couldn't guess, this is exactly what happened to me!
Re:What? (Score:3, Informative)
I think you're missing something. (Score:5, Insightful)
The idea behind this is to encourage more people to use Firefox. Giving a CD with everything needed is preferable to sending a link to certain friends/family because a CD sitting on your desk is a constant reminder to install Firefox. Also, some people don't think software is real unless they're given real media to install it with. Why does AOL go to all the expense to send out their CDs? Because it's more effective to get people to install it than many other techniques (giving out a phone number or link for instance).
Re:I think you're missing something. (Score:4, Interesting)
It could be the folks at the Firemonger Project are also missing something.
The extensions listed as Most Popular on the Firefox page [mozilla.org] aren't necessarily included. To wit:
FlashGot (yes)
CustomizeGoogle (NO)
NoScript (NO)
Tabbrowser Preferences (yes)
Adblock (yes)
Forecastfox (yes)
IE View (yes)
PDF Download (NO)
StumbleUpon (yes)
Gmail Notifier (NO)
Re:I think you're missing something. (Score:1)
Re:Excuse me (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Excuse me (Score:1, Informative)
1. Some ppl just don't find the things that they're looking for - that's not a problem anymore
2. You definetely won't have any problems with the copatibility of the extensions and themes
3. Some ppl who never used Firefox or Thunderbird before may try them out now, since they have everything they want on the CD
I think this is a great Idea. It's especially easier for ppl who were unable to find all needed extensions on the M
Re:Excuse me (Score:5, Informative)
All on one CD, chuck it in the drive and go. Much better solution.
This is a great strategy! (Score:5, Interesting)
This is a great piece of software.
Re:This is a great strategy! (Score:2)
Re:This is a great strategy! (Score:3, Insightful)
Then SSH into their box, and install the software. Much easier than phone tech support.
Re:This is a great strategy! (Score:2)
Re:This is a great strategy! (Score:1)
Re:This is a great strategy! (Score:2)
Maybe it's Chinese that is difficult, and not Firefox!
Tell your father to learn English, and your support calls will be much more pleasant!
Re:This is a great strategy! (Score:2)
Why Fire[xxx...]? (Score:1)
Re:Why Fire[xxx...]? (Score:2, Funny)
They spend too much time in the company of people who think this is cool. They're kind of like a group of small town guys disco guys who tell each other how hip they all are, but never talk to enough girls to find out the truth.
Re:Why Fire[xxx...]? (Score:1)
Re:Why Fire[xxx...]? (Score:3, Funny)
In your computer.
Re:Why Fire[xxx...]? (Score:2)
The FireMonger name is propably a part of this meme.
Re:Why Fire[xxx...]? (Score:2)
Why not Improve it first? (Score:3, Insightful)
Things that Thunderbird lacks is:
*Any type of attachment based filters (if it has an attachment, size, etc.). For fuck sakes, even outlook *express* has attachment based filters.
*Auto compacting of folders. When you delete something it really isn't deleted and your folders can grow to huge sizes unless it is 'compacted'.
*Auto expirary of mail. Kmail has it (http://kmail.kde.org/features.html [kde.org]) why not Thunderbird?
*A lot more, just look at some features that have been requested over the past few *years*.
A little less self congradulations, especially with regards to Thunderbird, is in order I think.
Re:Why not Improve it first? (Score:2, Informative)
Wrong ! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Wrong ! (Score:1)
Re:Why not Improve it first? (Score:1)
Re:Why not Improve it first? (Score:2)
You mean like "View->Messages->Has Attachments"?
Auto compacting of folders.
You mean like "Compact folders when it will save over xxx kb"?
Re:Why not Improve it first? (Score:2)
Maybe because... (Score:2)
Look, I love TBird, been using it for over 2 years, but I tried to fix an issue once, and it was such a PAIN IN THE ASS to even build, let alone actually understand the code...
AdBlock? (Score:5, Informative)
There is a spin-off project called AdBlockPlus which would make a more logical choice.
Re:AdBlock? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:AdBlock? (Score:1)
Well, I use the 1.5 Beta 2 and AdBlock at least works half. If you activate it (I installed the extension "Nightly Tester Tools") it will not show the "AdBlock"-Image unter e.g. Flash-objects and it will not show anything useable when clicking on the word "AdBlock" in the lower right corner.
BUT if you go to "Tools -> AdBlock -> Preferences" you can still add new blockable elements which WILL be blocked. It has just gotten a bit more diff
If you use Windows MUI (Score:1)
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1623
In zee interest ooff oooor Svedeesh freeends: (Score:4, Funny)
Use-a zee Prefeeoo Boottun! Check thuse-a URLs! Bork Bork Bork!
Re:In zee interest ooff oooor Svedeesh freeends: (Score:2)
Re:In zee interest ooff oooor Svedeesh freeends: (Score:1)
Lite CD (Score:1)
Re:Lite CD (Score:1)
It's on the downloads [firemonger.org] page, right below the full version CD image.
Re:Why Macromedia with Firefox? (Score:2)
Finally tracked down the problem.
I had Slashdot and The Register open constantly and the Macromedia adverts from both pages were making the cpu spin a lot.
Uninstall macromedia, cpu 50-60.
Problem solved.
Dude, I don't care how bloated a flash ad is, if it's making your CPU run 30 degrees hotter, I think you have other more serious problems on your hands than a plugin.
Translation (Score:3, Insightful)
All the automated translation efforts "yo mamma, sup, homey, you mammo dogface to the bananapathch?" [wikipedia.org] need to be based on local lingo.
I speak fairly good French, but translating this to something that could be understood by a second-language French learner is quite the challenge.
But that's OK, because the language is always devolving and marketing is our friend.
Feature request: Portability and Syncing (Score:2)
Specific to Firefox, one thing I would love to see developed is some sort of "web-syncable profile". I simply love the current implemen
Shockwave? (Score:2)
Re:Shockwave? (Score:1)
Games? (Score:1)
A Great Project (Score:2)
- A
Firemonger stats (Score:2, Interesting)
http://my.statcounter.com/project/standard/stats.
Drop TBE! (Score:2, Informative)
Honestly, if they're going to put together a compilation of Firefox extensions, they might want to choose good ones that don't add bloat.
Tabbrowser Extensions is NOT recommended by the MozDev team. I've used it, and I've actually noticed that it slowed down my browser. This isn't a thing where I got a timer and timed it. This is a thing where I sat there thinking "wow, am I really on cable?"
Next thing you know, people are going to install this package and
Re:Drop TBE! (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Drop TBE! (Score:2, Insightful)
The alternative: Tab Mix Plus
Last time I looked t Tab Mix Plus it didn't have nerly as many tab options as Tabbrowser Extensions.
Amber
Re:Drop TBE! (Score:1)
Re:Drop TBE! (Score:1)
Customized installations (Score:2, Interesting)
Adblock as part of the Firefox OOB Experience. (Score:1)
No Pimpzilla theme?! (Score:1)
Mozilla Suite? (Score:1)
Removing Extensions like Google that you dislike? (Score:2)
The current features for entering search terms in the address bar work just fine for me, and I'm concerned about the privacy implications of any deeper connection to Google or Yahoo or other search engines.
Re:Removing Extensions like Google that you dislik (Score:1)
Re:Grow up (Score:1)