Firefox users, shiretoko

[faun]

Just to all those who use FF and are on an x64 platform, if youve tried out "Shiretoko", the x64 version of FF. It seems pretty nifty, running on less resources than x86, and faster in generally all areas.

It can be grabbed here:

http://wiki.mozilla-x86-64.com/Firefox:Download

 

[Dragoon]

Thanks for the heads up, will have to give it a try.

 

[faun]

No flash integration tho, so youll have to go back to x86 for your vids etc.
opens with all the same features/addons that youve put on the x86 so no need to migrate anything.

 

[Sycthus]

Is it effectively FF but just x64? And will meaty add-ons like FoxTabs work?

 

[catilley1092]

How do I know which version that I have? And will there will be any benefit for me to upgrade my browser? My PC is 64 bit, I figured the installer would know what to download for me. I'm currently using 3.6 Beta 4, which performs well for me, which leads me back to my above question. Will I gain from it, or will there be problems? I have two versions of Firefox on my PC (3.5.5 & 3.6 Beta 4). And I checked under "help" and it says nothing about it being 64 bit. Do I need to change?

 

[faun]

Is it effectively FF but just x64? And will meaty add-ons like FoxTabs work?

Yeah basically its FF in 64 flavours.
All addons work as far as I can tell, the only thing missing from my regular browsing is the Flash plugin; everything else is as normal.

 

[faun]

How do I know which version that I have? And will there will be any benefit for me to upgrade my browser? My PC is 64 bit, I figured the installer would know what to download for me. I'm currently using 3.6 Beta 4, which performs well for me, which leads me back to my above question. Will I gain from it, or will there be problems? I have two versions of Firefox on my PC (3.5.5 & 3.6 Beta 4). And I checked under "help" and it says nothing about it being 64 bit. Do I need to change?

You can find out which version your using by going to the processes tab on the Task Manager. (Right click on the toolbar, select Start Task Manager) whilst running FF you should see the process "firefox.exe" and if its x86 then after that itll say "(*32)". If its x64 then itll simply say "firefox.exe".
The upside from using it is that its faster and has less of a footprint on the system resources. Other than that its still a beta and is missing the aforemention Flash plugin, which is pretty much used all over the internet for video streaming. Bottom line, no you dont NEED to change, mass released FF is x86 as standard, dosent mean theres anything wrong.

NB. The way Shiretoko installs is kinda like a piggyback on the x86 version already installed on your pc. All that happens is that when you open shiretoko it opens with all the features/favourites/browsing history/ etc etc etc as x86, just running as a x64 process. You cannot however, open both at the same time.

 

[catilley1092]

IE gives me the option of 32 or 64 bit to use, but I don't care for IE. Firefox 3.6 Beta 4 is great so far, it's also my default browser. IE left a bad taste in my mouth when I was running XP. IE7 was running fine, then Microsoft came along with an email asking me if I wanted to "improve" IE. It turned out to be the worst computing mistake that I've ever made. IE8 took a racehorse of a laptop and ruined it, until Firefox 3.5 RC came late spring. I installed it and my prized racehorse returned, and I never looked back. Windows has made some legacy OS's, but they could stand some new blood in their browser development. Firefox is #1, if I had to make a second choice, it would be Opera. Firefox kicks butt!

 

[m33rkat]

Been using this for a few days now and it works really well. It's just a shame that Flash isn't supported in x64 otherwise I would use it all the time.

If other 32 bit software works ok, why doesn't flash in x64 IE/FF? Can you not mix like that? Perhaps that's a topic for another thread though.

 

[clifford_cooley]

If other 32 bit software works ok, why doesn't flash in x64 IE/FF? Can you not mix like that? Perhaps that's a topic for another thread though.

I am going to make a wild guess here. IE/Firefox either 32Bit or 64Bit will work in Windows 7 64Bit OS. If you use the 64Bit Browser then it will only use 64Bit plugins otherwise it wouldn't be a true 64Bit Application.

 

[catilley1092]

Not to worry about it, at some point Adobe will come out with a 64 bit Flash Player for all browsers. As was pointed out in another post, the more 64 bit becomes the norm, the more apps will be developed for it. Not just the flash player, but many other apps. For the time being, the 32 bit works well. You may also try FF 3.6 Beta 4, it's an improvement over 3.5.5 and it's my default browser. Just because your system is 64 bit capable, doesn't mean that you can't run 32 bit programs. In fact, most of my programs are 32 bit.

 

[mattweed9]

^ Yeah, kind of sad. I took the 64 bit IE out for a test drive, and found out about the flash problem. According to the Adobe site, they are working on a 64 bit version of flash, but I am not really holding my breath waiting for it. One thing I have noticed since I switched to 64 bit, just because technology has been out for years, doesn't mean people are willing to move to it. Sooner or later they will have too, or skip it and jump right to 128 bit, which word on the web is, what Windows 8 might be. Probably not, but thats the word.

 

[clifford_cooley]

I don't think anyone will jump straight to 128-Bit. For one thing if you are skeptical in trying 64-Bit because of hardware problems. How long do you think it will be before these same issues will not be a concern for 128-Bit? If you are the type that jumps right in then you will be the first to see both worlds. If you are the type that has to be drug along then you would not even consider trying until forced. Either way there will be a few years between each version for everyone.

 

[Veedaz]

Many people don't like change its going to be quite some time before 64bit Computing becomes the norm and a lot lot longer for 128bit becomes accepted as the way to go

The Human Being is a creature of habit

 

[catilley1092]

I don't think people will jump all over 128 bit,either. For one thing, doesn't your hardware have to support it? Secondly, there are not enough 64 bit programs for us, so where are all the 128 bit ones going to come from? Sounds to me like either everyone will either need a new system or do some serious upgrading of parts, which may make buying new cost less for most of us. Those who build their own systems would probably know more as to what to do.

 

[Veedaz]

I & now my wife run a small business building to order / repairing PCs, very soon to be my main work and a good %40 of my customers PCs would not support 64bit computing, this covers Desktops and Laptops from teenagers to senior citizens, some of these PCs would need a total rebuild and would not be economical to rebuild for 64bit computing ... never mind 128bit.

 

[catilley1092]

That's what I figured, Veedaz. It's a lot of work to build or rebuild a computer, and I don't even know a thing about it. The only "work" that I have ever done myself was upgrade to a DVD from a CD ROM, and upgrade the memory from 512MB to 1GB on one of my laptops. That was easy.