Press Release
March 29, 2005
"Firefox Hacks": Hacking the Next Generation Web Browser
Sebastopol, CA--From popup blocking and tabbed browsing to first-class
security and privacy protection, the reasons listed under the heading "Why
Use Firefox?" on Mozilla.org might lead you to ask, "Why use anything
else?" Imagine a world with no more spyware, vastly reduced spam,
built-in search, RSS integration, hassle-free downloading, and amazing
customization possibilities. It's a novel idea--a browser you can like
and enjoy using.
"Firefox is the web browser that upholds the highest principles of the
World Wide Web," says Nigel McFarlane, author of Firefox Hacks
(O'Reilly, US $24.95). "It supports and defines the Web as a good place to
be--a place where all people can freely and safely participate, without
having to tip their hat to anyone." And he adds, "Those are fighting
words."
In the battle for browser usage, Firefox's victories have been swift,
bloodless, and impressive. McFarlane calls it "the equivalent of D-Day for
open source on the Windows desktop." The browser is an open source
software product made by the nonprofit Mozilla Foundation. With nearly 40
million downloads, Firefox has achieved significant inroads on the
consumer desktop. "Its next battle is to make itself known on desktops in
organizations," notes McFarlane. "A fair amount of Firefox Hacks is
aimed at helping IT people come to grips with the technology."
Casual users or IT professionals will find all the user-friendly tips,
tools, and tricks they'll need to make a productive switch to the popular
browser. "Don't expect a traditional web development book or a book on
searching the Web," McFarlane cautions. "This is quite a technical book
about how Firefox is held together as a product. Like all books in the
Hacks series, the more inquisitive or technically minded you are, the more
you'll get out of it."
Firefox Hacks explains how to customize Firefox's deployment,
appearance, features, and functionality--delivering techniques, tools, and
strategies for making the most out of Firefox's flexibility. Readers will
learn how to:
Make Firefox look different with skins, extensions, and themes
Integrate Firefox with other tools, and safely migrate Internet Explorer bookmarks, history, passwords, and other data
Browse anonymously, turn off caching, stomp on cookies, or flush and clear absolutely everything
Install, use, and customize extensions, widgets, toolbars, and plug-ins
Increase security by stopping all secret network activity, fine-tuning ports and sockets, digitally signing content, dropping security blocks, and more
Play with preferences, install fonts and character support, govern image and ad display, and otherwise tweak the standard browser window
Power up web pages with XML, using Mozilla SOAP, XML-RPC, and WSDL
services, as well as MathML, SVG content, Xpath, and XSL
"Firefox is more than just a TV screen for the Web," says McFarlane. "It
contains technical goodies of all kinds." Users of all sorts--hackers,
web designers, surfers, IT pros, and more--will find plenty of tweakable
features that will make their web experience more rewarding. With
Firefox Hacks, a superior and safe browsing experience is only pages
away.
Additional Resources:
Firefox Hacks
Nigel McFarlane
ISBN: 0-596-00928-3, 377 pages, $24.95 US, $34.95 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000
About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
Return to: O'Reilly Press Room
|
Recent Press Releases
Press Release Archive »
Resources
Press Contacts
Corporate
Sara Winge
800/998-9938 x7109
Media Relations - North America
Sara Peyton
800/998-9938 x7118
Media Relations - Germany
Corina Pahrmann
+49-221-973160-22
Media Relations - Japan
Kenji Watari
+81-3-3356-5227
Media Relations - United Kingdom
Josette Garcia
+44 (0)1252-721284
Media Relations - Conferences
Maureen Jennings
800/998-9938 x7083
|
