Web standards
index.html (version 1.24)
functions.php (version 1.47)
What is Mozilla Firebird?
Mozilla Firebird (formerly Phoenix) is a web browser based on Netscape Gecko and Mozilla. It is a free, standard-compliant and user-friendly product.
Mozilla Firebird has a lot of great features: Tabbed browsing, customizable toolbars, extensions management, favicon support, smooth scrolling, themes, etc.
Here are some other useful links about Mozilla Firebird:
- Mozilla Firebird home page
- Mozilla Firebird Help: Help, news, FAQ, extensions and themes for Mozilla Firebird ; the page every Firebird user should read
- Mozilla Firebird Forums
- Mozilla Firebird Roadmap
If you need help (don't know how to install plugins, what is an extension, etc.) you can read the help site (with the Mozilla Firebird FAQ, some tips, all the keyboard shortcuts, themes, etc.) maintained by David Tenser. It's very useful and often updated.
You may also want Mozilla Firebird to have a different look. If so, just go to the themes sections of Mozilla Firebird Help.
The installer
The official Mozilla Firebird releases and nightly builds for Windows are currently only offered in zipped version. Since I think it isn't the more user-friendly way to install a program, I've made a Windows™ installer for Mozilla Firebird, using NSIS.
Here are some of the features of the installer:
- User-friendly interface
- Smaller file to download
- If you update Mozilla Firebird with the installer, it remembers where you installed your previous version
- Warns the user if he tries to install an older (or the same) build than the one currently installed
- Possibility to add shortcut icons to the desktop, the Quicklaunch folder or the Start menu
- Allows easier installation of the Java Runtime Environment and of the Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Shockwave and RealOne plugins.
- Uninstaller (which can remove your Mozilla Firebird profiles too)
Download
If you want to download and install Mozilla Firebird, follow the links in the "Download Firebird" section. Milestone releases are official releases. The home of the French localized version can be found here.
Nightly builds are created each night, and contain the latest improvements and bug fixes. They might also be unstable.
You can download nightly builds either with a full installer or with the web installer. The web installer will automatically download the latest nightly on ftp.mozilla.org and install it on your computer. It has all the features of the normal installer, but doesn't force you to come here each time you want to install a nightly build.
Download Mozilla Firebird
The following files are what I use to make the installer. You don't need them, unless you want to make an installer for your program too.
Installation scripts
| Scripts | |
| Filename | Date |
| installer.nsi | 2003/08/10 - 15:23:18 |
| installer.macros.nsh | 2003/05/16 - 12:27:43 |
| installer.italian.nsh | 2003/08/08 - 04:20:00 |
| installer.german.nsh | 2003/05/16 - 12:27:43 |
| installer.functions.nsh | 2003/05/17 - 00:14:58 |
| installer.french.nsh | 2003/05/16 - 12:27:43 |
| installer.english.nsh | 2003/05/16 - 12:27:43 |
| installer.conf.nsh | 2003/05/17 - 00:14:58 |
| Docs | |
| Filename | Date |
| ChangeLog.txt | 2003/08/10 - 15:23:18 |
| README.txt | 2003/05/16 - 12:29:10 |
You can also find these files in Mozdev.org's WebCVS:
http://www.mozdev.org/source/browse/seb/www/firebird/.
Note: Work on the installer has stopped as of early June. It's unlikely that it'll get new stuff again. I may still provide installers for official Milestones and localized builds, but I can't promise anything. If you want to provide builds or maintain the code, email me.
FAQ
- Does the (un)installer remove my old profile, bookmarks, cookies, etc.?Yes!
- What are the tools used to make the installer?I use NSIS 2.0 cvs to compile the installation script, and UPX 1.2.4 to package the installer itself. It makes a really tiny installer. Both are free software.
- Why an installer? zipped builds are easy enough to install.The installer has a better compression ratio (it uses the bzip2 compression, which is better than the zip compression), so the file to download is smaller. Moreover, I think it's a more user-friendly way to install programs. And I like having the icon automatically added to my Quicklaunch folder.
- Do you make your own builds?No, I'm using the win32 zipped builds available almost every day. I think that for tracking bugs, it's better to use the same builds.
- Why aren't your builds on mozilla.org's ftp?Because they are not official (ie. not part of the Mozilla Firebird project, and therefore not supported by mozilla.org).
- I found a bug in Mozilla Firebird, where do I report it?Use Bugzilla to report Mozilla Firebird bugs (there is a "Firebird" category in Bugzilla, which corresponds to Mozilla Firebird). Before filling a bug in Bugzilla, please check that it hasn't been reported yet and read the bug-writing guidelines.
- I found a bug in the installer, where do I report it?Please email me with the date of your build (or the version number).
- Can I use your installation scripts for another program?Yes, feel free to do so.
- How can I contact you?You can email me here.