End of Support For NNL with Firefox 3.0 (Continuing for 3.5 and Up)

Fair warning, people: the next version of NASA Night Launch will, almost certainly, be the last to support Firefox 3.0. Support for more-current versions of Firefox will continue.

Firefox 3.0 was first released in summer 2008. It has now been superseded by both Firefox 3.5 and Firefox 3.6 and will eventually be superseded by (on the horizon for some unspecified date in the future) Firefox 3.7.

So, NNL is moving on too. If you were thinking about upgrading from Firefox 3.0 to a more modern version, this may be the time.

After this next release, NNL support will look like this:

Windows:
- Firefox 3.5
- Firefox 3.6

Mac:
- Firefox 3.5
- Firefox 3.6

Ubuntu/Linux:
- Firefox 3.5 [1]
- Firefox 3.6 [2]

That is all. Now, back to your regularly-scheduled programming.

[1] Ubuntu 9.04 ships with a custom Firefox build based on Firefox 3.0. Fx3.5 is not shipped with Ubuntu 9.04, but is available as a separate installer.
[2] Ubuntu 9.10 ships with a custom Firefox build based on Firefox 3.5. Fx3.6 is not shipped with Ubuntu 9.10, but you may be able to find it as a separate installer or for other Linux distros.

HOWTO: Download Older Versions of NNL from AMO

These are instructions for downloading older versions of NASA Night Launch from AMO, the Mozilla add-ons site. This may be useful if you're running a version of Firefox no longer supported by NNL, or if you're using some Mozilla app other than Firefox.

This is different from installing straight into Firefox -- instead, this will get you a copy on your hard drive.

Here's how:

1. Go to the "See All Versions" page for NNL on AMO
   
2. For whichever older version you want (all are listed) click the "Add to Firefox" button to take you to the license page
   
3. On the license page, right-click the "Add to Firefox" button
   
4. From the right-click menu, pick "Save Link As..." and save the Jar file to your hard drive.

That should do it.

... with one possible exception: sometimes, if as we do here you want to download instead of installing straight into Firefox, you need to first disable Javascript and reload the AMO page with Javascript disabled. If your first try didn't work, try the following instead.

1. Open the Firefox Options window (Menubar > Tools > Options...)
   
2. In the Options window, pick the Content view
   
3. UNcheck "Allow Javascript", so that you temporarily disable Javascript (if it's not disallowed already)
   
4. Say "OK" to close the Options window
   
5. Go to (or reload) the "See All Versions" page for NNL on AMO
   
6. Click the "Download Now" button on the AMO page, which takes you to the license page
   
7. On the license page, right-click the "Download Now" button, then save the Jar file with "Save Link As..." to your hard drive
   
8. Go back to the Firefox Options window and allow Javascript (if you already had it allowed before).

This will get you a copy of NNL to keep. Once it's on your hard drive, you could then install it by dragging and dropping the downloaded Jar file onto your open Firefox Add-ons Manager window.

A Fond Farewell to Firefox 2

Well, Firefox-loving friends and NASA Night Launch neighbors, the time has come to say goodbye to an old friend - Firefox 2. NNL version 0.6.20090524, already released, will be the last NNL version to support Firefox 2. The next NNL release will drop support for Firefox 2, while continuing to support Firefox versions 3.0 and up.

NASA Night Launch has supported Firefox 2 since the first NNL release (over two years ago). However, time has passed, technology has progressed, and the focus of Mozilla's development has now moved on to Firefox 3.5, 3.6, and beyond. Firefox is now a very different and much more advanced kind of browser. Mozilla itself has already said goodbye to Firefox 2, and now we do too.

Future NNL versions will no longer be tested with Fx2; nor will they be marked as installable with Fx2, meaning that Fx2 users will no longer receive updates through the automatic Firefox add-on update mechanism.

Installing an Older NNL Version with Firefox 2

If you're one of the 25,000-or-so people still using NNL on Firefox 2, you'll still be able to go to the AMO "See All Versions" page for NNL and install NNL version 0.6.20090524. However, just be aware that this version, which is code-frozen and no longer changing to adapt to other add-ons and their changes, will fall further and further out of sync with your other add-ons over time.

Onward

It's been a great run with Firefox 2, but the future is calling, and it wants you to use a modern browser. Get Firefox 3.5.

Now Available: NASA Night Launch Version 0.6.20090524

Now available: NASA Night Launch version 0.6.20090524. This release handles several changes in the Stylish add-on. Also adds theme-specific styling for the Update Scanner add-on's sidebar.

OS X users: don't forget you need to take special steps for the Firefox bookmarks menu to look the way it should.

If you already have NNL installed, this update will be available through the usual automatic Firefox theme update method, or you can install it manually from AMO.

Firefox 3.5 Beta 4 Now Available

A new Firefox 3.5 beta is available - for testing purposes only, as always with betas. Most users should simply wait for the official release of Firefox 3.5 itself.

Get Firefox 3.5 Beta 4: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-beta.html

Making History By Recreating It (at 1:10 Scale)

Yesterday (Saturday the 25th of April) Steve Eves succeeded in launching his one-tenth-scale recreation of NASA's Saturn V booster. (The Saturn V was the rocket which first took man to the moon over 40 years ago.) One-tenth scale is not small -- the rocket stood over 36 feet tall, and Saturday's launch set a new world record for the largest scale model rocket ever launched.

YouTube: Steve Eves' Saturn V Launch



The project was over ten years in the making, with initial conception in 1995 and construction beginning in early 2007. Rocketryplanet.com has the full story: see One Man's Quest to Honor America's Saturn V Rocket.

Saturday's flight was entirely successful and all but flawless. Following ignition and lift-off, the rocket climbed to over 5000 feet in altitude before separating into individual stages and deploying parachutes. Exactly as planned, the individual stages then floated back to the ground for a successful recovery. The first-stage segment even landed vertically, settling back onto its base under its three parachutes in an upright orientation, just as it stood before launch. Massive applause for this amazing achievement.

Watching the video, you can see the model pretty much jumps off the launch pad, as opposed to the original Saturn V, which seemed in no particular hurry to get off the ground. This is due (mostly) to the difference in thrust-to-weight ratios. Mr. Eves used 8000 lbs. of thrust to loft a 2000-lb. vehicle (thrust-to-weight 4:1). In contrast, the Saturn V launch vehicle weighed in at 6.7 million lbs. and was lifted by 7.6 million lbs. of first-stage thrust (thrust-to-weight: 1.13:1).

Not a night launch -- but the next one could be. :) Although if it were me, I might just let this one launch be the one and only. It's hard to top perfection.

NNL Update: Version 0.6.20090322

Now available: NASA Night Launch version 0.6.20090322. This is a maintenance release to handle several changes in the ScribeFire add-on, mostly in the ScribeFire editor toolbar. Here's a before-and-after screenshot of ScribeFire.



If you already have NNL installed, this update will be available through the usual automatic Firefox theme update method, or you can install it manually from AMO.

NNL maxversion now includes Firefox 3.5 beta 4 "pre"

NNL's maxversion is now bumped up to include Firefox 3.5 b4pre (that is, nightly versions which will eventually become Firefox 3.5 beta 4, whenever that is released). This means you can install NNL with a nightly Firefox build -- although I'm only officially supporting official Firefox releases.

In case you missed it: Firefox 3.1 has been renumbered to Firefox 3.5. There will be no Firefox 3.1 -- it will be called Firefox 3.5 instead. Numbering on the betas will jump from 3.1 beta 3 directly to 3.5 beta 4. This will be followed by further betas of 3.5 (if there are any) and then 3.5 itself.

Stowaway

STS-119 left the launch pad right on time this past Sunday for a beautiful twilight launch. Discovery is now in orbit and docked with the space station.

After the launch, NASA announced the presence of a stowaway bat, riding the outside of the external tank, visible in pictures here. From the article:

Launch controllers spotted the bat after it had clawed onto the foam of the external tank as Discovery stood at Launch Pad 39A. The temperature never dropped below 60 degrees at that part of the tank, and infrared cameras showed that the bat was 70 degrees through launch.

... after which its temperature quickly rose above 3000 degrees F. Godspeed, little Launchbat.

Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 Released

Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 is now out -- users who want to help test this not-yet-complete application can download it here.

I've bumped up the maxversion for NNL on AMO so that the adventurous can choose to install it with Beta 3. Keep in mind that, when used with a Firefox beta, NNL is a beta too. There's still lots to do to finish NNL support for Firefox 3.1 (and 3.5, which is what Firefox 3.1 will be called when it's released).

Try again?

NASA is again attempting an evening launch for STS-119, with a ten-minute launch window scheduled for 7:43 PM this (Sunday) evening. Catch it on NASA TV.

Supporting Firefox 3.1 Beta 3

Here's a quick announcement for users of the Firefox 3.1 betas. Beta 3 is due out "real soon now" -- probably this week. Accordingly, the web page for NNL on AMO has been updated to allow installing with Firefox 3.1 Beta 3.

Keep in mind that, as always, whenever used with a Firefox beta, NNL is a beta too.

In other news, this Wednesday's shuttle launch is still a go. Here's a viewing guide for people on the American east coast, thanks to the Hayden Planetarium and Space.com.

NNL Update: Version 0.6.20090117

Update announcement: NASA Night Launch: the Inaugural Edition is now available. This update includes a couple of code changes for Firefox 3.1 betas, as well as theme-specific styling for the Sxipper, StumbleUpon, Tab Mix Plus and Quick Restart add-ons.

The latest release is January 20, 2009 (0.6.20090117). Now available from AMO.

New in this version:

• For the add-on StumbleUpon, adds styling of the SU message notification and reply bar (which appears over a page sent to you by another user after you click the incoming message icon in the SU toolbar).
• For the add-on Tab Mix Plus, restores the appearance of the "New Tab" button in the tab strip. This was broken in the previous NNL release by rules added to handle the Fx3.1beta2 new tab button.
• For the add-on Sxipper, adds more rules to finish restoring usability to its Training dialog.
• Extends restart button styling to the Quick Restart add-on. (Thanks NGamer for pointing that out.)
• Adds styling to the Fx3.1 beta2 "certificate error" page.

Under the covers:

• Updates notifications.css to assign icons in the info, warning and critical states. Adds file icons/error-16.png (by duplicating file icons/blacklisting_favicon.png) for use in notification bars. This handles the new-for-3.0.5 about:rights notification bar, which is type="info". This is basically a late catch-up with some Fx3 changes.
• Adds (but doesn't yet use) global/icons/sslWarning.png
• From netError.css, removes -moz-background-clip: padding from the main #errorPageContainer (because on Fx3.1b2, was a gap between background and border at the inside of corners).
• In menulist.css, removes border coloring from .menulist-compact. This isn't used in Firefox, but Thunderbird uses it in the Compose window.
• A couple sekrit undercover changes for Tbird 2 compatibility.

Special thanks to Clint Bell, Jon Connelly, Dean (NinjaTek), DMCrimson, Shingoshi and everyone else for bug reports and help with testing.

NNL Update: Version 0.6.20081231

Update announcement: just in time for the new year (and happy new years, everyone), there's an update of NASA Night Launch available. This update includes several new features for Firefox 3.1 betas, as well as theme-specific styling for the Sxipper, Mobile Barcoder, and DownThemAll add-ons.

The latest release is December 31, 2008 (0.6.20081231). Now available from AMO.

New in this version:

• Several refinements for Firefox 3.1b2.
• Adds support for the Sxipper add-on. Sxipper's Training dialog has a white background which requires special handling on dark themes.
• Adds support for the Mobile Barcoder add-on. If barcodes are displayed on typical black popup background, it foils image recognition on certain mobile phones. Instead, we now display with a white background and thin border. This was only an issue in context menus over a link or over selected text -- and not in the statusbar popup for this add-on.
• For the DownThemAll add-on, removes the theme-specific "Donate Now" image from the DownThemAll Manager (since they've upgraded to a version of the image that works great with dark themes).
• For Mac/OS X menus, now handles the case of the bare document icon (a page with no favicon) in the history menu. This is in addition to previous Mac-specific styling of the bookmarks menu. Requires an updated Stylish stylesheet http://userstyles.org/styles/11097.
• Under the covers, several code changes to improve maintainability.

Bug reports welcome - file them on the Mozillazine Forums NNL support thread. Keep in mind that when used with Firefox betas, NNL is a beta, too.

And, as always, thank you for flying NNL.

Firefox 2 End-of-Life

Firefox 3 is in widespread use, Firefox 3.1 is now a very bright glow appearing over the horizon, and Mozilla has announced the end of planned updates for Firefox 2. What does all this mean for NASA Night Launch? It means that, given the above, there's a chance I'll be dropping Firefox 2 (and only Firefox 2) support from future versions of NNL. It's still an open question, up in the air but on the radar.

If I do drop support, it'll be because something about Firefox 3.1 makes it impossible to support both it and Firefox 2 at the same time. Firefox developers do take pains to make sure that themes are supported. However, theme technologies (CSS, XBL) are progressing and a lot has changed since Firefox 2 first came out (in October of 2006). You gotta keep up.

Whichever way it works out, people using Firefox 2 will still be able to download and use older versions of NNL by going to the NNL page on AMO, clicking "Older Versions", and installing one of the older versions from there.

There are many very compelling reasons to upgrade to Firefox 3. To name only a few:

• Mozilla has announced that they will no longer be supporting Firefox 2. If any problems are found in Firefox 2, they will remain unfixed. There will be no more releases. That's because users should upgrade to the superior Firefox 3.
• Many add-ons and add-on updates available for Firefox 3 are not offered for Firefox 2.
• Firefox 3, and now 3.1 beta 2, offer vastly-improved performance. Javascript-heavy sites (Digg much?) run a lot faster.
• The user interface is much improved, with a host of new features.

From Mozilla:

Firefox 2.0.0.x will be maintained with security and stability updates until mid-December, 2008. All users are strongly encouraged to upgrade to Firefox 3.

If you're still using Firefox 2 ... why are you? Feel free to post a comment.

Like I said, this change for NNL would apply to Firefox 2 only. Support for Firefox 3 and 3.1 would continue into the far future -- so far in the future that it's pointless even to consider it now.

It's Update Season Again

Happy holidays, everyone, and season's greetings -- update season, that is. With a new major release of Firefox around the corner (Firefox version 3.1, due Q1 of 2009), NASA Night Launch will need to be updated as well.

Usually, I try to stick with about one update a month (so NNL keeps up with changes in other extensions, and so users know it's in active development). However, with a major Firefox release, everything speeds up. Firefox changes, extensions change, and NNL changes too. Frequent updates are the result.

Not everyone wants updates. In particular, people with low-speed connections need to guard their limited bandwidth. If you want to disable update checks so you only get them when you specifically ask for them, then 1) install the MR Tech Toolkit add-on, 2) restart Firefox, then 3) right-click on the theme in the Add-ons Manager list and 4) pick "Disable Update Check". Hopefully that'll make life easier. Just keep in mind: if you do that, you'll have to go check for NNL updates yourself, and you risk falling behind in NNL compatibility with your other add-ons. If you're not on dial-up, you don't need this and shouldn't do this.

When used with the Firefox 3.1 betas, this theme is a beta too. There Will Be Bugs. Want to help? Feel free to report bugs on the Mozillazine Forums NNL support thread.

First Post!

Welcome to the Night Launch News blog, with news and announcements for people using the Firefox theme NASA Night Launch.

If you're new to Firefox or to themes for Firefox, be sure to check out the themes page on the official Firefox add-ons web site. You can score your very own hot-off-the-server NASA Night Launch there as well.

If you want to customize NASA Night Launch, then you can find out how and learn about other tweaks and mods on the theme's web site, which would be here. And is.

Firefox 3.1 is on its way (beta 2 was just released), so stay tuned for news about updates to your favorite dark theme.