Gran Paradiso Alpha 3 Available for Download

[*John*]

Hmmm, dont really want to try an alpha... when does the Beta start? I'll jump in then :)

I'm guessing around June? :confused:

[ToneKnee]

Hmmm, dont really want to try an alpha... when does the Beta start? I'll jump in then :)

I'm guessing around June? :confused:

Well before that, maybe the end of April?

[+Cryton Subscriber²]

Well before that, maybe the end of April?

No, GP alpha 4 will be released around the end of April. And there may be an alpha 5/6 too. Then a branch has to be cut. Then all main work for the new features put in. And then betas will be released. So it's going to be a while yet, that's for sure.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

wow! APNG support!

is the best thing ever :)

I hope firefox 3 will be compatible with CSS 3.0

Nah, i think incremental loading of XML and the Cairo based drawing code will be better things.

And "CSS3" is a group of smaller specifications, only one (or so) is currently in the state to be implemented, but Gecko 1.9 (and to a lesser extent, 1.8) does support some features (like rounded corners, RGBA support and multiple columns)

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Well, Gif Movie Gear have a beta of a APNG capable version, so i thought i'd whip this up (and by that, i mean i'll download a .gif and convert it to .png)

Oh, and there is a pre-alpha of 4 being tested.

[Crazysah]

Thanks for this update guys!

[y_notm]

The backend to Places is still being worked upon, and (iirc) will be turned on in alpha 4. The bookmarks front-end will be the same as it currently is, but the backend will be driven by SQLite.

what is the benefit to having my teeny tiny little bookmarks being backed by a full fledged database? that seems like a waste of resources

[+Cryton Subscriber²]

what is the benefit to having my teeny tiny little bookmarks being backed by a full fledged database? that seems like a waste of resources

Many reasons. First off, it's going to be using SQLite, not the fully-fledged SQL. Secondly, SQLite is much more robust to corruption and firefox crashing whilst writing to its boomarks.html file (Ever lost your bookmarks in firefox? SQLite will make that problem a thing of the past). Thirdly, it allows for faster searching and sorting (probably not an issue for you if you don't have many bookmarks, but it will also make a difference if you have a large history), and lastly, it means that the guys who were responsible for the old firefox way no longer have to maintain that code and so can concentrate on other areas. (Any updates to SQLite that the nothing-to-do-with-mozilla maintainer(s) make can be included in the next firefox build easily.)

SQLite will also be used to store other system files that firefox uses (that are currently stored in .rdf files, which are problematic at the best of times) and will also allow extensions to store data more efficiently, and will also help with one of Firefox 3's big goals of supporting offline apps.

Basically, it's A Good Thing, and miles better than the current way firefox handles such files ('Mork', .rdf files, etc)