Firefox 1.0.1 is Available for the Mac with Security Fixes--Brief Hands-On Report

Firefox 1.0.1 is available for download from this Mozilla Foundation FTP web page. According to Mozilla's Release Notes, the 1.0.1 version provides:

Improved stability

International Domain Names are now displayed as punycode. To show International Domain Names in Unicode, set the "network.IDN_show_punycode" preference to false.

Several security fixes.

According to eWeek, the new version

...provide[s] a temporary fix for the IDN (International Domain Name) bug that was first flagged earlier this month.

The upgrade also includes patches for two serious flaws that could allow malicious attackers to spoof the source displayed in the "Download Dialog" box or to spoof the content of Web sites.

We downloaded and installed Firefox 1.0.1 because it is our main backup web browser. It worked just fine for us during last evening. We had to re-apply the speed mods:

1. Type "about:config" in the URL field and hit the return key.

2. Change "network.http.pipelining" to TRUE by double-clicking the line.

3. Change network.http.proxy. pipelining to TRUE by double-clicking the line.

4. Change network.http.pipelining.maxrequests from 4 to 30 after double-clicking the line.

5. Control-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0".

After adding the mods, Firefox worked like a champ. [Dana Baggett & Bill Fox]


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