Firefox Release Notes

Extensions installed under Firefox 1.0 may be incompatible and/or require updates to work with Firefox 1.5.0.2. Please report any issues to the maintainer of the extension. When you install Firefox 1.5.0.2, your Extensions and Themes may be disabled until Firefox 1.5.0.2 determines that either a) they are compatible with the Firefox 1.5.0.2 release or b) there are newer versions available that are compatible. This is because Firefox changes from release to release and as such the ways in which some extensions integrate changes, meaning there can be problems when running an older extension with a newer version of Firefox. If you find that your favorite Extension or Theme has not been updated to be compatible with this release of Firefox, write the author and encourage them to update it.

All Systems

Some firewall software may silently block Firefox from running. Most firewalls will ask you whether to allow a program to connect to the Internet. It's important that you always grant Firefox access. If you deny access, you must go into the firewall's configuration program and re-allow access. Even when disabled, some firewalls deny access. Here is some more information on configuring your firewall.

If Firefox 1.5.0.2 is installed on a multi-user system in a location which is not writable by users, Firefox must be run once by a privileged user. If this is not desirable, an empty file must be created in the following directory: <install-directory>/extensions/talkback@mozilla.org/chrome.manifest

Software Update will not work if Firefox 1.5.0.2 is installed to a location that you do not have write access to, since Software Update needs to replace or create files in this location.

If you disabled xpinstall in Firefox 1.0.x by unselecting the Allow Web sites to Install Software preference (changed in Firefox 1.5), go to about:config and set the xpinstall.enabled preference to true to re-enable installs.

Older versions of Adblock may cause the Clear Private Data confirmation window to appear when Firefox 1.5.0.2 starts. If you experience this, make sure you are using the newest version of Adblock or Adblock Plus.

Windows

When installing as a restricted-access user on a shared machine into a location that you can write to, there may still be negative side effects (default browser/other keys not being set correctly). The browser should still function however. When installing as a restricted access user do not attempt to install over an installation in a restricted-access/shared location as this may destroy that installation.

attempt to install over an installation in a restricted-access/shared location as this may destroy that installation. Firefox 1.5.0.2 may hang when closing after viewing a PDF file in some older versions of the Adobe Acrobat Reader plug in. If you experience this, make sure you are using the newest version of the plug in.

Mac OS X

If you are running Firefox 1.5 or Firefox 1.5.0.1 on Macintosh computers with Intel Core processors under Rosetta, you will get upgraded to a PowerPC-only, Firefox 1.5.0.2 product via the automated update system. You will need to download the Firefox 1.5.0.2 Universal Binary build from www.mozilla.org to take advantage of the native support for Intel-based Macintosh computers.

Java does not run under Rosetta.

There is no Talkback on Intel-based Macs when running natively or under Rosetta. The Apple Crash report program should launch in the event of application crashes.

Linux and Unix systems

If Firefox 1.5.0.2 is installed to a location with spaces in the path, it may not be able to set itself as default browser and may keep prompting at startup. The work around is to install into a path without spaces.

GNOME integration does not work properly with Fedora Core 3. Users of Fedora Core 3 will need to download and install linc-1.0.3-3.1.i386.rpm. After installing the RPM, perform the following command in the directory you installed Firefox 1.5.0.2 into (you will need write permission): touch .autoreg The next time you start Firefox 1.5.0.2, GNOME integration should be functional.

The next time you start Firefox 1.5.0.2, GNOME integration should be functional. firefox -remote (mozilla-xremote-client) no longer works on urls containing commas, and is deprecated. firefox -new-window /url/ will open the url in a new window; firefox -new-tab /url/ will open the url in a new tab.

Web Page Rendering

Troubleshooting

Poorly designed or incompatible Extensions can cause problems with your browser, including make it crash, slow down page display, etc. If you encounter strange problems relating to parts of the browser no longer working, the browser not starting, windows with strange or distorted appearance, degraded performance, etc, you may be suffering from Extension or Theme trouble. Restart the browser in Safe Mode. On Windows, start using the "Safe Mode" shortcut created in your Start menu or by running firefox.exe -safe-mode . On Linux, start with ./firefox -safe-mode and on Mac OS X, run: cd /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/

./firefox-bin -safe-mode When Firefox is started in Safe Mode, all extensions are disabled and the Default theme is used. Disable the Extension or Theme that is causing trouble and then start normally.

If you uninstall an extension that is installed with your user profile (i.e. you installed it from a web page) and then wish to install it for all user profiles using the -install-global-extension command line flag, you must restart the browser once to cleanse the profile extensions datasource of traces of that extension before installing with the switch. If you do not do this you may end up with a jammed entry in the Extensions list and will be unable to install the extension globally.

If you encounter strange problems relating to bookmarks, downloads, window placement, toolbars, history, or other settings, use the Firefox Safe Mode to disable all extensions, themes, and optionally attempt to clean up any corrupted data.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I do to help? We need all the exposure we can get. Make it your mission to convert as many of your friends, family members and coworkers as possible. If you're a student, get it distributed at your college. Submit a story to Slashdot and other news sites about the release. Make some noise on your blog. Mass distribution via the Internet is possible -- look at Kazaa. Spread the word! I use another browser because... If you're not using Firefox, tell the development team why. We read the feedback at the Firefox forums. Why haven't you responded to the mail I sent you? Use the forums. The Firefox team reads them regularly. We all get a lot of email and your email may get lost. Where can I get themes and add-ons (extensions)? Extensions and themes can be downloaded from Mozilla Update. Who is working on Firefox? Lots of people. See Help->About Mozilla Firefox, Credits for a list of some of the people who have contributed to Firefox. Where's the Firefox source code? A tarball of the Firefox 1.5 source code is available for download. The latest development code can be obtained by cvs. Firefox-specific source is in "mozilla/browser", "mozilla/toolkit", and "mozilla/chrome". Please follow the build instructions. Where is the mail client? Firefox works with whatever mail client is the default on your system. However, we recommend Mozilla Thunderbird, our next generation email client and the perfect complement to Firefox. How do I capitalize Firefox? How do I abbreviate it? Only the first letter is capitalized (so it's Firefox, not FireFox.) The preferred abbreviation is "Fx" or "fx".

The following resources contain useful information about Firefox:

Contributed Builds

These are unofficial builds and may be configured differently than the official Mozilla.org builds. They may also be optimized and/or tested for specific platforms.

Solaris(Contributed by SUN Desktop Beijing team)

Tar ball format

firefox-1.5.0.2.en-US.solaris2.10-i386.tar.bz2 (MD5SUM)

firefox-1.5.0.2.en-US.solaris2.10-sparc-respin_b.tar.bz2 (MD5SUM)

firefox-1.5.0.2.en-US.solaris2.8-i386-gtk1.tar.bz2 (MD5SUM)

firefox-1.5.0.2.en-US.solaris2.8-sparc-gtk1-respin_b.tar.bz2 (MD5SUM)

README

Pkgadd format

firefox-1.5.0.2.en-US.solaris2.10-i386-pkg.tar.bz2 (MD5SUM)

firefox-1.5.0.2.en-US.solaris2.10-sparc-respin_b-pkg.tar.bz2 (MD5SUM)

firefox-1.5.0.2.en-US.solaris2.8-i386-gtk1-pkg.tar.bz2 (MD5SUM)

firefox-1.5.0.2.en-US.solaris2.8-sparc-gtk1-respin_b-pkg.tar.bz2 (MD5SUM)

README

Localized Builds

Many localized builds are now produced and distributed by Mozilla.org on behalf of their authors. Visit GetFirefox.com or view All Systems and Languages to see the set of official builds that we offer.

Builds that have not yet been certified as official Firefox 1.5 localizations are available by browsing the FTP site.