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Firefox - Nothing but the browser, baby! This is the ultimate IE (Internet Explorer) replacement. Features include built-in tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking, and automatic updates.
Thunderbird - This is a standalone e-mail and newsgroup (Usenet) client that is the perfect companion to Firefox and replacement for Outlook Express. Features include built-in RSS feed support and automatic updates. With Bayesian filtering, Thunderbird is smart enough to detect and filter junk mail automatically.
SeaMonkey - This is a suite featuring the best of Firefox and Thunderbird integrated into one application. Opening links in your e-mail into a tab in the browser is a breeze! SeaMonkey also has a basic HTML Editor (Composer) and IRC client (Chatzilla). This is what I personally use and recommend.
Mozilla: The History
Back in 1994, Netscape Communications put the finishing touches on its web browser. Internally, the project was called Mozilla, but when it was finally released to the public, Netscape Navigator was born. It was shareware except for educational and government use in which case it was free. It quickly replaced Mosaic as the most widely used web browser. Microsoft soon jumped on the Internet bandwagon and developed a web browser of its own to bundle in its Windows operating systems. Netscape was unable to compete against the software giant and so Netscape 4.x was offered for free and the source code was released to the public in 1998. The next year, America Online bought out Netscape Communications. A non-profit volunteer organization called the Mozilla Project (primarily funded by AOL) was formed to continue developing the browser. The Netscape name was retained by AOL for future commercial purposes.
The Mozilla Project more or less tossed out the 4.x code and created a new browser from scratch with all the features that Netscape users had grown to love. After nearly 2 years of development, beta versions of Mozilla were finally released. In an effort to appease die-hard Netscape fans looking for a new release, AOL released Netscape 6.x which was based on an early beta version of Mozilla. The software release was a big flop. The application was slow and buggy and arguably crashed more often than the Netscape 4.x browser. In 2003, the Mozilla Project released a final stable version...1.0. In the meantime, AOL has almost completely disassociated itself from the Mozilla Project and has plans to turn the Netscape brand into a web portal and budget ISP. The Mozilla Project has expanded into developing more open-source software and now calls itself the Mozilla Foundation.
On August 3, 2005, the Mozilla Foundation announced it will only continue work on its stand-alone browser, Firefox, and e-mail client, Thunderbird. A group of developers separate from the Foundation has devoted itself to continue developing the Internet suite now dubbed SeaMonkey. The name is the internal code name for the suite since the Mozilla Project's inception. The suite will continue to use the open source guts of the Firefox browser, Gecko.
| HyperLinks |
| 101 things that the Mozilla browser can do that IE cannot | Do you need some reasons to convince your friends to convert to Mozilla? Here's 101 of them. |
| gemal.dk - Mozilla - Files in your Mozilla profile directory | What does that panacea.dat file do? Click here for a guide to the files saved in your Windows profile folder. |
| mozdev.org | Hosts many open-source add-on projects for Mozilla. |
| Mozilla Kicks ASS! | A web site for Mozilla fanatics. Download Mozilla buttons and bumper stickers to show your support for the alternative browser. Also, a collection of pro-Mozilla links around the web. Not much technical information. |
| Mozilla Sidebar RSS Installer | Take an RSS feed and put it in your Mozilla sidebar. |
| Mozilla Add-ons | Mozilla's list of extensions, themes, and plugins for Mozilla, Firefox, and Thunderbird. |
| mozilla.org | The official place for all things Mozilla. |
| MozillaZine | News and support forums for all things Mozilla. |
| Spread Firefox | Learn how you can spread the word about Firefox and Thunderbird. |
| themes.mozdev.org | Give your browser a face lift. |
| Mozilla Downloads |
| Firefox Freeware  |
Nothing but the browser, baby! Features include Live Bookmarks, tabbed browsing, and lots of add-ons. |
| SeaMonkey Freeware |
New name for the Mozilla suite. |
Thunderbird |
Reclaim your inbox with this stand-alone e-mail client. Supports IMAP and POP3. Features include Bayesian spam filtering, built-in RSS support, and lots of add-ons. |
| Plug-Ins and Extensions |
Flash Player |
An essential plugin. Enables Macromedia Flash content to play in Mozilla/Firefox/SeaMonkey. |
Google Toolbar |
Search the web using the #1 search engine. Features include PageRank, AutoFill, spell check, and keyword highlighting. |
Java Runtime Environment |
An essential plugin. This is the official Java Runtime Environment that will enable Java applets to run inside Firefox and SeaMonkey. |
IE Tab |
There is nothing that frustrates me more than visiting a website designed exclusively for Internet Explorer. Either it just doesn't work right, or, most annoyingly, displays a notice that I need IE to gain access to their exclusive website. Then I found IE Tab. With a click of my mouse, IE Tab displays the same web page using IE in a tab inside Firefox/SeaMonkey! You can even use Windows Update without changing browsers! Works in most Mozilla-based browsers. |
| ShortShip Freeware |
When browsing the listings on eBay, this handy dandy extension adds the auction price with the shipping costs and displays the total in a new column. You can even sort the listings by the total amount! There is also a Pro version with a few extra features. Only works in Firefox. |
| Tips & Tricks |
Disable pop-ups from plugins
Favicons in SeaMonkey
Remember ALL login information (autocomplete=off)
Last Updated September 23, 2006