Misplaced Pages

Swiftfox: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 21:23, 1 April 2007 editKilz (talk | contribs)1,368 edits Replace out of date tags removed without consensous, problem still exists. Version 1.5.0 is not the current version, 2.0 is, information Browser speed test is a private site with no editorial oversite← Previous edit Revision as of 23:52, 1 April 2007 edit undoWidefox (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Page movers, IP block exemptions, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers106,602 edits rewrite to solve all known controvers -upd section, new info, provide verifiable link - followed the tag instruction to remove after updating. remove double ref, removed generic Firefox branding issueNext edit →
Line 14: Line 14:
}} }}
{{Firefox TOC}} {{Firefox TOC}}
'''Swiftfox''' is a freely downloadable, ] ] ]. Swiftfox is a ] and settings optimized ] of the ] ] for ] made by Jason Halme. An optimized build is created for each of the supported ]s. The current version of Firefox is available as well as the development versions. Firefox ] and ] are fully compatible with Swiftfox. '''Swiftfox''' is a freely downloadable, ] ] ]. Swiftfox is a ] and settings optimized ] of the ] ] for ] made by Jason Halme. An optimized build is created for each of the supported ]s. The latest release version of Firefox is available as well as development versions. Firefox ] and ] are fully compatible with Swiftfox.


== Optimization == == Name ==
⚫ The name Swiftfox comes from the animal ] which coincidently implies speed <ref name=naming>{{cite web | url=http://forums.getswiftfox.com/viewtopic.php?t=194 | title=Swiftfox Forum| accessdate = 2007-4-01}}</ref>. No explicit claim of speed or speedup is made at the Swiftfox site, but simply that it is an "optimized build".


== Optimization ==
Swiftfox is optimized using the following methods: Swiftfox is optimized using the following methods:


Line 35: Line 37:
*Better protection from buffer overflow attacks<ref name=fortify>{{cite web | url=http://www.redhat.com/magazine/009jul05/features/execshield/#checks | title=redhat.com | Limiting buffer overflows with ExecShield}}</ref> (Swiftfox 2.0 uses -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2; Firefox 2.0 uses gcc 3.x, which does not support this).<ref name=build20>Using url of ''about:buildconfig'' to check the details of the 2.0 builds</ref> *Better protection from buffer overflow attacks<ref name=fortify>{{cite web | url=http://www.redhat.com/magazine/009jul05/features/execshield/#checks | title=redhat.com | Limiting buffer overflows with ExecShield}}</ref> (Swiftfox 2.0 uses -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2; Firefox 2.0 uses gcc 3.x, which does not support this).<ref name=build20>Using url of ''about:buildconfig'' to check the details of the 2.0 builds</ref>
'''Reduced binary size''' '''Reduced binary size'''
*] is not included.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://builder.com.com/5100-6375-5136890.html | title=Open Source Awards 2004: Pango}}</ref> This means that ] remain supported (see ]), but without certain extra features provided by ].<ref name=pangoexample>{{cite web | url=http://www.pango.org/ScriptGallery | title=Script Gallery - Pango }}</ref> *] is not included. This means that ] remain supported (see ]), but without certain extra features provided by ].<ref name=pangoexample>{{cite web | url=http://www.pango.org/ScriptGallery | title=Script Gallery - Pango }}</ref>
'''Changed default preference values''' '''Changed default preference values'''
*] is enabled by default.<ref name=change15>{{cite web | url=http://getswiftfox.com/builds/releases/changelog | title=Swiftfox 1.5.0.7 changelog}}</ref><ref name=change20>{{cite web | url=http://getswiftfox.com/builds/mozilla_1_8_branch/changelog | title=Swiftfox 2.0pre changelog}}</ref> Note that ] provides a ] to adjust these settings. *] is enabled by default.<ref name=change15>{{cite web | url=http://getswiftfox.com/builds/releases/changelog | title=Swiftfox 1.5.0.7 changelog}}</ref><ref name=change20>{{cite web | url=http://getswiftfox.com/builds/mozilla_1_8_branch/changelog | title=Swiftfox 2.0pre changelog}}</ref> Note that ] provides a ] to adjust these settings.
Line 41: Line 43:
*For full details, see . *For full details, see .


==Speed== == Speed ==
⚫ === Firefox speed ===
{{update}}
{{unreliable}}
⚫ Swiftfox has been evaluated in the context of the fastest browsers<ref name=benchswift>{{cite web | url=http://www.apcstart.com/node/3097 | title=APC Magazine: What's The Worlds Fastest Browser| accessdate = 2006-10-30}}</ref>. This was for older, pre- Firefox 2.0 versions. The name Swiftfox implies a faster browser than Firefox. No explicit claim of speed or speedup is made at the Swiftfox site, but simply that it is an "optimized build".

⚫ ===Firefox speed===
Firefox has been criticised for slow startup compared with other browsers, a criticism confirmed by pre- Firefox 2.0 speed tests<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Mozilla-Firefox-Review-13677.shtml | title = Mozilla Firefox Review | work = Softpedia | accessdate = 2006-10-30}}</ref><ref name=benchgeneral>{{cite web | url=http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html | title=Browser speed comparisons}}</ref>. A speed comparison of various Linux (and other) browsers has been done<ref name=benchgeneral>{{cite web | url=http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html | title=Browser speed comparisons}}</ref>. In this 32bit, pre- Firefox 2.0 test, Firefox was slower than both ] and ]<ref name=benchgeneral><ref name=benchgeneral>{{cite web | url=http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html | title=Browser speed comparisons}}</ref>. Firefox has been criticised for slow startup compared with other browsers, a criticism confirmed by pre- Firefox 2.0 speed tests<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Mozilla-Firefox-Review-13677.shtml | title = Mozilla Firefox Review | work = Softpedia | accessdate = 2006-10-30}}</ref><ref name=benchgeneral>{{cite web | url=http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html | title=Browser speed comparisons}}</ref>. A speed comparison of various Linux (and other) browsers has been done<ref name=benchgeneral>{{cite web | url=http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html | title=Browser speed comparisons}}</ref>. In this 32bit, pre- Firefox 2.0 test, Firefox was slower than both ] and ]<ref name=benchgeneral><ref name=benchgeneral>{{cite web | url=http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html | title=Browser speed comparisons}}</ref>.


===Swiftfox speed=== === Swiftfox speed ===
No definitive speed comparison has been reported, but an unspecified faster startup time together with a 1.7% webpage rendering speedup has been reported<ref name=benchswift>{{cite web | url=http://www.apcstart.com/node/3097 | title=APC Magazine: What's The Worlds Fastest Browser| accessdate = 2006-10-30}}</ref>. The details of this test are a page rendering in 4.79 seconds for Firefox and 4.67 seconds for Swiftfox, both 32bit on 64bit system. There is a bigger speed advantage of Opera and Konqueror over Firefox<ref name=benchgeneral>{{cite web | url=http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html | title=Browser speed comparisons}}</ref><ref name=benchswift>{{cite web | url=http://www.apcstart.com/node/3097 | title=APC Magazine: What's The Worlds Fastest Browser| accessdate = 2006-10-30}}</ref>, than Swiftfox over Firefox<ref name=benchswift>{{cite web | url=http://www.apcstart.com/node/3097 | title=APC Magazine: What's The Worlds Fastest Browser| accessdate = 2006-10-30}}</ref>. There was no benchmarking on different processors, so builds optimized for different processors were not evaluated, nor discussed. No definitive speed comparison has been reported, but an unspecified faster startup time together with a 1.7% webpage rendering speedup has been reported<ref name=benchswift>{{cite web | url=http://www.apcstart.com/node/3097 | title=APC Magazine: What's The Worlds Fastest Browser| accessdate = 2006-10-30}}</ref>. The details of this test are a page rendering in 4.79 seconds for Firefox and 4.67 seconds for Swiftfox, both 32bit on 64bit system. There is a bigger speed advantage of Opera and Konqueror over Firefox<ref name=benchgeneral>{{cite web | url=http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html | title=Browser speed comparisons}}</ref><ref name=benchswift>{{cite web | url=http://www.apcstart.com/node/3097 | title=APC Magazine: What's The Worlds Fastest Browser| accessdate = 2006-10-30}}</ref>, than Swiftfox over Firefox<ref name=benchswift>{{cite web | url=http://www.apcstart.com/node/3097 | title=APC Magazine: What's The Worlds Fastest Browser| accessdate = 2006-10-30}}</ref>. There was no benchmarking on different processors, so builds optimized for different processors were not evaluated, nor discussed.


==Additional options== == Additional options ==
Swiftfox is bundled with the following plugins and extensions, that are available for Firefox: Swiftfox is bundled with the following freely available Firefox plugins and extensions:
*] extension is installed and enabled *] extension is installed and enabled
*libunixprintplugin.so plugin is installed *libunixprintplugin.so plugin is installed


==Downloads available== == Downloads available ==
*Current version of Firefox: *Current version of Firefox:
**Builds for both both ] and ] processors - a different build is available for each processor type. **Builds for both both ] and ] processors - a different build is available for each processor type.
Line 66: Line 64:
Similar to Firefox, the Swiftfox source code is ], with the source code under ] except for parts relating to branding<ref name=license/>. Similar to Firefox, the Swiftfox source code is ], with the source code under ] except for parts relating to branding<ref name=license/>.
Unlike Firefox, the Swiftfox binaries have a proprietary license<ref name=license>{{cite web | url=http://getswiftfox.com/LICENSE | title=Swiftfox license}}</ref> which does not allow redistribution. According to the author, this is to prevent the possibility of any confusion with tainted versions (see the branding argument below). But the name Swiftfox is trademarked by Jason Halme, and accordingly can not be used on other 3rd party Firefox builds without his permission. Unlike Firefox, the Swiftfox binaries have a proprietary license<ref name=license>{{cite web | url=http://getswiftfox.com/LICENSE | title=Swiftfox license}}</ref> which does not allow redistribution. According to the author, this is to prevent the possibility of any confusion with tainted versions (see the branding argument below). But the name Swiftfox is trademarked by Jason Halme, and accordingly can not be used on other 3rd party Firefox builds without his permission.

==Branding of 3rd party Firefox builds==
All 3rd party Mozilla Firefox builds or versions must use the ]. Additionally, Mozilla uses trademark law to prevent 3rd party builds like Swiftfox and ] from using its name and logos<ref name=policy>{{cite web | url=http://www.mozilla.org/foundation/trademarks/policy.html | title=Mozilla trademark policy}}</ref>. The aim of this is to reduce confusion and increase brand recognition.


== Alternatives == == Alternatives ==
* Firefox source code and Swiftfox changes are freely available for download, allowing anyone to create their own build. * Firefox source code and Swiftfox changes are freely available for download, allowing anyone to create their own build.


==References== == References ==
<references/> <references/>


Line 80: Line 75:
* ] * ]


==External links== == External links ==
* *
* *

Revision as of 23:52, 1 April 2007

Swiftfox
Stable releaseBased on Firefox 2.0.0.3 / Mar 20, 2007
Preview release4.0.0 [±]
Operating systemLinux
TypeWeb browser
Licensebinaries: proprietary
source: MPL 1.1
Websitegetswiftfox.com
Related articles
Origins and lineage
Category

Swiftfox is a freely downloadable, open source graphical web browser. Swiftfox is a binary and settings optimized build of the Mozilla Firefox web browser for Linux made by Jason Halme. An optimized build is created for each of the supported microprocessor architectures. The latest release version of Firefox is available as well as development versions. Firefox extensions and plugins are fully compatible with Swiftfox.

Name

The name Swiftfox comes from the animal Swift Fox which coincidently implies speed . No explicit claim of speed or speedup is made at the Swiftfox site, but simply that it is an "optimized build".

Optimization

Swiftfox is optimized using the following methods:

Binary code optimization

Increased Security

  • Better protection from buffer overflow attacks (Swiftfox 2.0 uses -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2; Firefox 2.0 uses gcc 3.x, which does not support this).

Reduced binary size

Changed default preference values

Speed

Firefox speed

Firefox has been criticised for slow startup compared with other browsers, a criticism confirmed by pre- Firefox 2.0 speed tests. A speed comparison of various Linux (and other) browsers has been done. In this 32bit, pre- Firefox 2.0 test, Firefox was slower than both Opera and KonquerorCite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page)..

Swiftfox speed

No definitive speed comparison has been reported, but an unspecified faster startup time together with a 1.7% webpage rendering speedup has been reported. The details of this test are a page rendering in 4.79 seconds for Firefox and 4.67 seconds for Swiftfox, both 32bit on 64bit system. There is a bigger speed advantage of Opera and Konqueror over Firefox, than Swiftfox over Firefox. There was no benchmarking on different processors, so builds optimized for different processors were not evaluated, nor discussed.

Additional options

Swiftfox is bundled with the following freely available Firefox plugins and extensions:

  • XForms extension is installed and enabled
  • libunixprintplugin.so plugin is installed

Downloads available

  • Current version of Firefox:
    • Builds for both both Intel and AMD processors - a different build is available for each processor type.
  • Development versions of Firefox:

License

Similar to Firefox, the Swiftfox source code is open source, with the source code under MPL 1.1 except for parts relating to branding. Unlike Firefox, the Swiftfox binaries have a proprietary license which does not allow redistribution. According to the author, this is to prevent the possibility of any confusion with tainted versions (see the branding argument below). But the name Swiftfox is trademarked by Jason Halme, and accordingly can not be used on other 3rd party Firefox builds without his permission.

Alternatives

  • Firefox source code and Swiftfox changes are freely available for download, allowing anyone to create their own build.

References

  1. "Swiftfox Forum". Retrieved 2007-4-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. "Swiftfox Forum".
  3. ^ Using url of about:buildconfig to check the details of the 2.0 builds
  4. "Optimize Options - Using the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC)".
  5. ^ "Swiftfox 2.0pre changelog".
  6. "Swiftfox Forum".
  7. "redhat.com". {{cite web}}: Text "Limiting buffer overflows with ExecShield" ignored (help)
  8. "Script Gallery - Pango".
  9. ^ "Swiftfox 1.5.0.7 changelog".
  10. "Mozilla Firefox Review". Softpedia. Retrieved 2006-10-30.
  11. ^ "Browser speed comparisons".
  12. ^ "APC Magazine: What's The Worlds Fastest Browser". Retrieved 2006-10-30.
  13. ^ "Swiftfox license".

See also

External links

Categories: