Building a Better Browser: Flock Has Landed

hi

i am useing flock to write this comment. it's really fast and is good for helping me keep website bookmarks. i reccomend anyone reading this to try it out; though it sometimes freezes momentarily.

the devil!

flock crash-landed on me

so far it's allright,no crashes. more than I can say about XP

hey do guys know if this new browser flock is better than firefox or no

how many more browsers do we need?

let the crows fly.... and let the browsers speak of their capabilities..>>>

I have never bloggd before...

"Wouldn't it be swell if there was a browser someday that silently synched absolutely everything, from your bookmarks to your privacy settings, between all the computers that you used it on?"

- you can, just run firefox from a USB disk. this has the added benefit of keeping cache and temp files with you, so when surfing, say, on net cafe computers, your privacy can be safeguarded.

that's an interesting idea...maybe someday.
flock seems cool though.

I tried Flock for about 10 minutes then uninstalled. Needs more time to develop. It basically is Firefox with some Extensions already preinstall. Really I like my version of Firefox the best with the Black Modern theme, and about 12 extensions that can read aloud a page to me,do RSS Feeds, stumble upon interesting pages and much more....I think i'll stick with firefox. Flock is just a gimmick....Young kids trying to make a name for themselves....All this social networking stuff is just not for me. I vote NO.

I totally agree with Raymond.

Great tip u24! I'm going to try that. However ..... doesn't the installation of Firefox dump a bunch of its .DLLs into WIndows directory? So what then if the internet Cafe hasn't a full copyof Firefox?

Great tip u24! I'm going to try that. However ..... doesn't the installation of Firefox dump a bunch of its .DLLs into WIndows directory? So what then if the internet Cafe hasn't a full copyof Firefox?

Well it is alright, though my Safari is much better. But to be fair Safari is the best, and the best windows browser is Firefox so making this Flock thing is a pretty dumb idea. No Mac users will bother using something inferior and those who would be dumb enough to give up Safari would be using Camino or Firefox anyways. As for PC users there is to little difference to use this over Firefox or Mozila and alot of them are still using Internet Explorer anyways. Overal it is better then Opera and IE but worse then Firefox and Safari. So no thanks.

Another half-xxx super-shallow "review" from PCWorld. Congratulations on writing the absolute minumum, as usual.

Flock ?! What the flock kind of name is that? Are we supposed to all flock to the new browser like a bunch of mindless sheep?

Why doesn't anybody spend all this time improving on what we already have instead of just re-creating the same thing over and over...

Its junk. Its basically a Firefox install with a new theme and a few extensions built in to the core product. The entire goal of Firefox was to improve security by installing only the bare minimum needed to browse, then let the user install what they want -- and only what they want -- in the way of features and eye candy. I like the Firefox approach much better. This Flock thing is IE all over again, soon it will be a 30 MB install, too.

Lyberto: My blog item wasn't a review, nor labeled as such--it was some first impressions based on limited use. As such, it was short and shallow, and I cheerfully acknowledge that.

As usual with blog postings, it existed in part to get the conversation going. Got some thoughts of your own on the product?

--Harry McCracken

"Great tip u24! I'm going to try that. However ..... doesn't the installation of Firefox dump a bunch of its .DLLs into WIndows directory? So what then if the internet Cafe hasn't a full copyof Firefox?"

You could easily place any required .dlls in the firefox executable folder instead of the windows folder if they aren't on that pc.

Sometimes I have to sit back and chuckle a little bit and the mindless statements made by some. As of this time unless you are using a browser that noboby knows about your vunerable. Microsoft products more then anythign else, jsut becuase there are poeple out there who eat and breathe making Bill's day a bad one. No they are starting to pick up on the fact that the developers of firefox need to ahve the same kind of day that they are making for the techies and programmers at soft. No matter how secure you make a browser, system, network or anything that is somehow connect to the outside world in one shape or another we will always be vunerable. Security patches, plug-in's and everything else are only trying to keep up with what the hackers already know and are exploiting. I avidly use firefox, because there isnt as many exploits as there are for other browsers at least for now, I have looked at flock and its a sidge different then whats out there, but the security holes are still there. I have to agree with some of the other folks here when I say we need to jsut improve what we have and stay away from flooding the market with useless nonsense with better themes.

Remember PONG (the game)? If you are old enough to then you know that games have came a long way. The main reason is the artist not the code writers. Sorry Geeks, but it’s true. I started my Web Design Company in 1993 and back then Netscape was King. When IE got to the top I was very happy, finally a browser that would support what I wanted to create. e.g. CSS for the scroll bar and many other web layout issues. Yes I have FireFox and Netscape but only to view what you 10 percent want to see. Some of you have this mentality that Mac is better than PC or FireFox has tabs so therefore it’s better.
It’s all HYPE! And those of you who hate IE or PCs ask yourself if you really just hate Bill Gates. If so, then is it envy? Remember IE is always moving forward and the rest so far have been starting from scratch. Other than a few things FireFox is almost like the first Netscape when I started. Why use old software. If that’s you then go back to PONG.

IE bashers beware..IE7 is on its way. Microsoft is no sleeping giant. it might take a version or two, but ultimately it does get it right, and when it does, it garners 90% of the total global usage.Firefox is good, no doubt, but mark my words...dont rule out IE.

Actually IE just moved forward only recently. It was stuck on 6.xx since 2 years. Addressing only vulnerabilities within itself.

Also as a Web design company you have to decide, will you dance to MS's tune, and support feature set that is 'non-standard' html or follow the industry 'standard'? Its like in our game programming world. You have people who make games for Direct3d.. then you have people who like to follow open standards, OpenGL. Gr8 minds follow no 'ONE's standards. :)

The only chance of survival for IE7 is the next Windows, which I'm gonna pass on. Before you know it.....Linux and Firefox will wipe out Windows and Internet Explorer. It's only a matter of time in my opinion.

Like most of M$ recent products, the IE7 team are just creaming the ideas from the better browsers and calling it thier own.
While Firefox and Opera will continue to grow and develop M$ will release a "final" (less buggy) version then dump the project for something else that will make more dollars.

lol I don't care who makes the product, I use what works best for me. When It was netscape, I used netscape, when that started to blow chunks I used IE, and used IE until firefox came around. If IE7 becomes the next best thing Ill use it, if not, Ill continue with firefox, untill a better one comes around.

TaoKing:

Yes, you're right. So what if Firefox is more secure and has better features...let's stick with IE so no one thinks we envy Bill Gates. That really makes sense. In fact, let us all take the word of TaoKing, he who has designed web pages since 1993, a fact that makes him infallible, nay, nearly god-like in the veracity of his opinions.
Dude, you're an idiot. By the way, your PONG argument is fallacious, try again.

RFD3:
Right on...LOL!!

Forget about it.... use Opera instead! Opera is STILL the best browser out there!

Ill second JT...Opera is still the best!!!

If not for anything else it does not have the vulnerabilities of Firefox & IE.

Opera all the ways mates...and a shout out to Liverpool FC the 2005 European Champions!!

Opera freaking blows, i don't care how "invulnerable" it is. Firefox owns Opera any day! Seriously though as an arrogant mac user I laugh at anything that isn't Safari the only other browser I respect is Firefox everything else needs to be purged starting with IE.

Did I just download Mozilla FF or what?
Just been using it for a bit, all I really see is FireFox with some edited stuff.
It's pretty quick at loading webpages though which is a +.
Craig.

Who give a Flock! but i too will keep an eye out for great product.

I use firefox because it isn't the spyware/virus/exploit magnet that IE has become. Sure, firefox has it's share of vulnerabilities too, but they are still far fewer and less serious than IE. I believe it is because firefox is not tied into the OS the way IE is. Do you think Microsoft will ever untie IE from Windows? I doubt it. Instead they are trying to make the entire OS less vulnerable. Given their track record with secure OSes I doubt that will happen anytime soon. As for product features, IE is just a copy of Netscape and as soon as they killed them off, nothing has changed on IE for years. Oh, they added a pop-up blocker and now IE 7 will have tabs! ;)

Does anybody else notice that most of the crap in the service packs and on windows update are "security fixes" for IE and Outlook Express?

IE is an invitation to disaster. Firefox works well. Opera is the best of the lot. If only the damned designers of Opera would beef up the address book.

I have to say, despite flock appearing to be firefox with a few preinstalled extensions, I like what they are trying to do. There are alot of cutting edge web technologies out there coalescing and gaining steam. Blogging, Vblogging, podcasting, tagging, bookmark sharing, free photo and file sharing the whole Web 2.0 thing. It was only a matter of time before all of this was built into the browser. I think it's a good idea. Makes for an interesting and new web experience. The flock people say they want to work closely with MozDev and insure the firefox code doesn't fork. If it really takes off, there is a chance all of those functions could be built into firefox someday and if that happens, expect Microsoft to build all of that functionality into a future version of IE.

To The Dude Who Was Saying IE is so great its just that microsoft added there own set of tags to w3 standard since all other browsers conform to this standard thay do not support some of the shitty tags

Craig; Firefox and Mozilla Firefox are the same program. Some places use one name and others the other name. I know this because I have developed web pages since 1992. LOL

I have been using firefox since it was named Phoenix way back when, then it was firebird and now firefox. I love the functionality of the program, I can extend it the way I like to work, ie photo zoom to enlarge photos, and many others. I now have 14 search engines in the built in google bar and may add more.

You can download "Portable Firefox" Which runs completely from a USB thumb drive

flock is for the quick paced win envioronment

I don't know how I got here but its interesting looking at all this browser talk. I know nothing about their (browsers) workings or add-ons, i just use them to view web pages and add to favourites, faster the better.

Been online for years on IE, Fire Fox, Netscape, I use to suit my mood, depends which icon looks best on my desktop, for this FireFox wins, but I end up hiting the Explorer one, this is some mind control i'm sure.

I don't hate Bill or Mac, I don't hate anyone realy they all created something that I enjoy using and am greatful to be around to use. Wish I could come up with something simular and pay off the morgage, my hat off to anyone that can.

The same as i use Google, it does what I want it to most of the time and looks nice, sad i know but it keeps my life simple. Now if there was a Google browser I bet their desktop icon would look great and shiny with all the colors of the rainbow, like candy. I bet the buttons and stuff would look real nice, sort of round and smooth, yes this would be somthing i'd use, it might not dance and sing like the others but I would have less to think about.

where do you download flock software?

I got a question for a few of the Safari users. I'm a huge fan of Safari, except in one aspect. If you're a blogger, do you find in either typepad or blogger that the commands for italics, bold, etc. are missing? This has always been the case for me and it's the only reason I fire up firefox or consider any other browser. Would appreciate more info or a fix for that please.

I use many browesers and so far the best one is FIREFOX!
FLOCK is reely simular but i recommend firefox!
(4 stars for flock and 5 BIG stars for Firefox!)

Since the comments on this webpage has turned into a IE vs. Netscape vs. All other FREE Opensource browsers. I have to make a comment and this is totally unbiased. I do not use Linux, I am not a geek and not a programmer. I use Windows XP because its simple for me a non-tech type to use when buying a computer. I don't have time to learn lots of new technical things. I have been sticking to IE since I purchased this computer but after slowly watching my internet response times draw to a crawl and IE becoming unstable constantly and dealing with a large number of windows tabs on my task bar and watching IE hang and crash constantly. I decided to venture out. I went back to netscape which also came installed on my Sony Vaio PC. I didn't use it until that point because I just wasn't familiar with the interface. To my surprise, netscape 7.x ran much faster and reliably than IE. I also discovered that it had many great features like the tabbing and bookmark groups. I now use 8.x!