O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: Mac

  • Mozilla releases Firefox 13.0.1 update

    elfirefox

    On Monday, Mozilla.org released version 13.0.1 of its Firefox web browser. The new version, a 30.7 megabyte download and adds the following fixes and changes:

    – FIXED – Windows Messenger did not load in Hotmail, and the Hotmail inbox did not auto-update (764546, fixed in 13.0.1).

    – FIXED – Hebrew text sometimes rendered incorrectly (756850, fixed in 13.0.1).

    – FIXED – Flash 11.3 sometimes caused a crash on quit (747683, fixed in 13.0.1).

    – NEW – When opening a new tab, users are now presented with their most visited pages.

    – NEW – The default home page now has quicker access to bookmarks, history, settings, and more.

    – CHANGED – SPDY protocol now enabled by default for faster browsing on supported sites.

    – CHANGED – Restored background tabs are not loaded by default for faster startup.

    – CHANGED – Smooth scrolling is now enabled by default.

    – DEVELOPER – 72 total improvements to Page Inspector, HTML panel, Style Inspector, Scratchpad and Style Editor.

    – DEVELOPER – The column-fill CSS property has been implemented.

    – DEVELOPER – Experimental support for ECMAScript 6 Map and Set objects has been implemented.

    – DEVELOPER – Support for the CSS3 background-position property extended syntax has been added.

    – DEVELOPER – The :invalid pseudo-class can now be applied to the element.

    – DEVELOPER – The CSS turn unit is now supported.

    – FIXED – Various security fixes.

    Known Issues:
    – UNRESOLVED – If you try to start Firefox using a locked profile, it will crash (see 573369).

    – UNRESOLVED – For some users, scrolling in the main GMail window will be slower than usual (see 579260).

    – UNRESOLVED – Windows: The use of Microsoft’s System Restore functionality shortly after updating Firefox may prevent future updates (see 730285).

    – UNRESOLVED – OS X: nsCocoaWindow::ConstrainPosition uses wrong screen in multi-display setup (see 752149).

    – UNRESOLVED – CSS :hover regression when an element’s class name is set by Javascript (see 758885).

    Firefox 13.0.1 requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.5 or later to install and run.

    If you’ve tried the new version and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.

  • Opera web browser updated to 12.00

    operalogo

    On Thursday, Opera Software released version 12.00 of its web browser. The new version, a 23.3 megabyte download, boasts the following fixes and changes:

    New Features:
    – Opera now runs plug-ins as a separate process, allowing for more control when a plug-in misbehaves. This feature will enhance security and stability.

    – The 64-bit version of Opera will offer performance improvements for some functions and allow Opera more freedom in allocating memory.

    – New, lightweight themes make it easier to customize the browser. Install or change themes at the click of a button, without restarting the browser.

    Numerous improvements to the address bar have been made:
    – Improved address field and address bar drop-down suggestions.

    – Smart URL shortening in the address field drop-down.

    – The page title and the page excerpt will be used for full page search results
    URL and page content columns in the address field drop-down have been combined
    Hardware acceleration allows Opera to offload graphics rendering from the processor (CPU) to the graphics card (GPU), making graphics intensive operations such as animations faster.

    – RTL support will bring additional stability for certain languages. Persian, Urdu, Hebrew, and Arabic languages added.

    – Extensions will now be able to interact with tabs, create tab groups, and manage windows.

    – Opera Unite and Opera Widgets will be off by default in Opera 12.00, and will eventually be phased out of the Opera browser in the future. Voice support will be removed as of Opera 12.00, as the voice-detection library is no longer supported by the third-party vendor.

    – Opera 12.00 will include changes in the Opera Presto 2.10 engine up to core-integration-point 289.

    – Initial support for real-time communication has been added. Allowing the source of HTML5

    – Drag and drop enables webpages to have elements that the user can drag from one page to another, or from their desktop to the webpage.

    – Support for animations and transitions has been updated and expanded.

    – Added support for the Do Not Track (DNT) HTTP header.

    – An innovative new set of CSS constructs that allow webpages to be split up into paged media, revolutionizing the Web reading experience.

    – CORS enables more secure and flexible communications between websites.

    Improvements:
    – General and User Interface.

    – Appearance dialog improvements and cleanup.

    – Sandboxing enabled for Mac App Store builds.

    – A custom user agent preference has been added to opera:config.

    Display and Scripting:
    – Improved pipelining, JavaScript, and Turbo.

    Fixes and Changes:
    – Mail, News, Chat.

    – Removed IRC client, start bar, navigation bar, main bar, and BitTorrent support.

    Security:
    – Fixed an issue where hidden keyboard navigation could allow cross site scripting or code execution, as reported by Jordi Chancel.

    – Fixed an issue where a combination of clicks and key presses could lead to cross site scripting or code execution, as reported by Jordi Chancel.

    – Fixed an issue where cross-domain JSON resources may be exposed as JavaScript variable data.

    – Fixed an issue where carefully timed reloads, redirects, and navigation could spoof the address field, as reported by Jordi Chancel.

    – Fixed a moderate severity issue; details will be disclosed at a later date.

    – Fixed an issue where pages could prevent navigation to a target page, spoofing the address field, as reported by Code Audit Labs of vulnhunt.com.

    Opera 12.00 is available for free and requires and Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.5 or later to install and run.

  • Skype updated to 5.8.0.865, adds Mac OS X 10.8 support, refined contacts list

    skypelogo.jpg

    On Thursday, version 5.8.0.865 of the Skype VoIP application was released. The new version, a 23.5 megabyte download, offers the following fixes and changes:

    – Support for Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.

    – Reintroduction of a slimmer contact list, which can be resized and repositioned as necessary.

    – When talking to people using the iOS or Android apps, the Mac software will now automatically detect when a person has rotated their mobile device, and adjust incoming video on a Mac automatically. Auto-rotation was already supported for incoming Windows Phone video; Skype is notably owned by Microsoft. Premium subscribers, meanwhile, can now see photos and live video simultaneously during Screen Sharing.

    – The company has promised that a future Mac release will add the ability to open chats in separate windows, and talk to multiple contacts at once.

    Skype 5.8.0.865 requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later to install and run.

    If you’ve tried the new version and have any feedback, please let us know in the comments.

  • Cocktail updated to 5.3.2

    cocktaillogo.jpg

    On Thursday, shareware developer Maintain released version 5.3.2 of CocktailCocktail (Lion Edition), the popular shareware utility program that allows for additional Mac OS X system tests. The new version, a 3 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and features:

    – Added clearing of /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.IntlDataCache.le and /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.IntlDataCache.le.kbdx caches to the clear system caches procedure

    – Launch time optimization.

    – Fixed registration issues some users encountered when registering.

    – Various minor bug fixes and improvements.

    – Updated Automator actions.

    Cocktail 5.3.2 retails for a US$19.00 shareware registration fee and requires Mac OS X 10.7 or later to install and run.

  • Apple releases MacBook Air (Mid 2012) Software Update 1.0 firmware upgrade

    It never hurts to pin down the bugs within the early days.

    Early Thursday, Apple released its MacBook Air (Mid 2012) Software Update 1.0 firmware upgrade. The update, a 167 megabyte download, can also be found, snagged and installed via Mac OS X’s Software Update feature and offers the following fixes and changes for the newly-released notebooks:

    – The update includes fixes that improve graphics stability, flash performance, and external display support.

    The update requires a mid-2012 MacBook Air and Mac OS X 10.7.4 or later to install and run.

    If you’ve tried the firmware update and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.