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Similar to other optimized build projects such as [http://www.palemoon.org/ Pale Moon Project], [[Swiftfox]] and [http://firefoxmac.furbism.com/ El Furbe], TenFourFox includes specific compiler optimizations to improve its overall performance and issues specific builds tuned for specific processor families.<ref>{{cite web | year=2010 | url=http://tenfourfox.blogspot.com/2010/12/beta-8-now-available.html | title=TenFourFox Development: Beta 8 now available | accessdate=2011-04-10}}</ref> However, it also includes custom new features, in particular its [[JavaScript]] [[just-in-time compilation]] [[backend]], and adds [[glue code]] to enable interface features from Firefox 4 to still work on [[Mac OS X Tiger]]. This has led to favorable reviews on its speed and performance on older Macintosh computers.<ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://www.melablog.it/post/13291/tenfourfox-firefox-4-non-e-solo-per-mac-intel | title=TenFourFox: Firefox 4 non e solo per Mac Intel | accessdate=2011-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://appleaddiction.net/2011/03/24/install-firefox-4-0-on-a-powerpc-mac-with-tenfourfox/ | title=Install Firefox 4.0 on a PowerPC Mac with TenFourFox, Appleaddiction | accessdate=2011-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://foxvidpro.blogspot.com/2011/03/tenfourfox-browser.html | title=Foxvideo Productions: TenFourFox browser | accessdate=2011-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://ppcluddite.blogspot.com/2011/04/tenfourfox-final-vs-beta-12.html | title=TenFourFox Final vs Beta 12 | accessdate=2011-04-10 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://lyncd.com/2011/04/firefox-4-ppc-mac-tenfourfox/ | title=TenFourFox is Firefox 4 for your 10.4 PPC Mac | accessdate=2011-04-10 }}</ref>
Similar to other optimized build projects such as [http://www.palemoon.org/ Pale Moon Project], [[Swiftfox]] and [http://firefoxmac.furbism.com/ El Furbe], TenFourFox includes specific compiler optimizations to improve its overall performance and issues specific builds tuned for specific processor families.<ref>{{cite web | year=2010 | url=http://tenfourfox.blogspot.com/2010/12/beta-8-now-available.html | title=TenFourFox Development: Beta 8 now available | accessdate=2011-04-10}}</ref> However, it also includes custom new features, in particular its [[JavaScript]] [[just-in-time compilation]] [[backend]], and adds [[glue code]] to enable interface features from Firefox 4 to still work on [[Mac OS X Tiger]]. This has led to favorable reviews on its speed and performance on older Macintosh computers.<ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://www.melablog.it/post/13291/tenfourfox-firefox-4-non-e-solo-per-mac-intel | title=TenFourFox: Firefox 4 non e solo per Mac Intel | accessdate=2011-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://appleaddiction.net/2011/03/24/install-firefox-4-0-on-a-powerpc-mac-with-tenfourfox/ | title=Install Firefox 4.0 on a PowerPC Mac with TenFourFox, Appleaddiction | accessdate=2011-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://foxvidpro.blogspot.com/2011/03/tenfourfox-browser.html | title=Foxvideo Productions: TenFourFox browser | accessdate=2011-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://ppcluddite.blogspot.com/2011/04/tenfourfox-final-vs-beta-12.html | title=TenFourFox Final vs Beta 12 | accessdate=2011-04-10 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://lyncd.com/2011/04/firefox-4-ppc-mac-tenfourfox/ | title=TenFourFox is Firefox 4 for your 10.4 PPC Mac | accessdate=2011-04-10 }}</ref>


Due to its compatibility with the older operating system, however, the browser lacks the entire feature set of Firefox 4. In particular, it does not fully support [[Core Text]], so it does not understand [[Apple Advanced Typography]] features in certain international fonts; it does not support [[graphics processing unit|graphics acceleration]] for compositing; and it does not support [[WebGL]] because PowerPC Tiger does not support [[OpenGL 2]]<ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://developer.apple.com/graphicsimaging/opengl/capabilities/GLInfo_10411PPC.html | title=Mac OS X 10.4.11 (PPC) OpenGL Info | accessdate=2011-04-10 }}</ref>).<ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://code.google.com/p/tenfourfox/wiki/TechnicalDifferences | title=TenFourFox Wiki, Technical Differences | accessdate=2011-04-10 }}</ref>
Due to its compatibility with the older operating system, however, the browser lacks the entire feature set of Firefox 4. In particular, it does not fully support [[Core Text]], so it does not understand [[Apple Advanced Typography]] features in certain international fonts; it does not support [[graphics processing unit|graphics acceleration]] for compositing; and it does not support [[WebGL]] (because PowerPC Tiger does not support [[OpenGL 2]]<ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://developer.apple.com/graphicsimaging/opengl/capabilities/GLInfo_10411PPC.html | title=Mac OS X 10.4.11 (PPC) OpenGL Info | accessdate=2011-04-10 }}</ref>).<ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://code.google.com/p/tenfourfox/wiki/TechnicalDifferences | title=TenFourFox Wiki, Technical Differences | accessdate=2011-04-10 }}</ref>


Currently, the browser is built by using [[Mercurial|Mercurial changesets]] on top of the existing Firefox 4 source code.<ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://code.google.com/p/tenfourfox/wiki/HowToBuild | title=HowToBuild - tenfourfox - Building your own 10.4Fx | accessdate=2011-04-10 }}</ref>
Currently, the browser is built by using [[Mercurial|Mercurial changesets]] on top of the existing Firefox 4 source code.<ref>{{cite web | year=2011 | url=http://code.google.com/p/tenfourfox/wiki/HowToBuild | title=HowToBuild - tenfourfox - Building your own 10.4Fx | accessdate=2011-04-10 }}</ref>

Revision as of 17:58, 10 April 2011

TenFourFox
Initial releaseNovember 8, 2010 (2010-11-08)
Stable release
4.0s / March 24, 2011 (2011-03-24)
Repository
Operating systemPowerPC Mac OS X v10.4, v10.5
TypeWeb browser
LicenseMozilla Public License, GNU General Public License, others (see about: within the browser)
WebsiteTenFourFox.com

TenFourFox is a Mozilla-based browser closely related to Mozilla Firefox, written for Power Macintosh computers running Mac OS X to retain compatibility with the older architecture and older versions of the operating system, and to add PowerPC-specific optimizations for improved performance. Like Firefox, it includes compatibility with a wide range of addons, Acid2 compliance and near-Acid3 compliance, and HTML 5 and CSS 3 features; however, it also includes JavaScript just-in-time compilation[1][2][3] and custom builds for specific PowerPC processor families,[4][5] and AltiVec acceleration of key media codecs is planned.[6][7] The primary maintainer is Cameron Kaiser.

History

In 2010, Mozilla's Mike Beltzner announced that the forthcoming Firefox 4 would not be released for Power Macintosh computers,[8] compatibility with Mac OS X Tiger having already been removed,[9] making Firefox 3.6 the last supported release of Firefox on the older architecture and platform. Mozilla stopped making PowerPC-compatible universal builds of Firefox 4 with beta 7.[10]

In parallel, developer Cameron Kaiser created a test build of Firefox 4 that could run on his G5 at the same time as support was being withdrawn from beta 7.[11] This was released to users in separate builds for AltiVec Macs and G3 Macs on November 8, 2010.[12][13] Aligning with previous precedent that modified builds of Firefox source could not use Firefox trademarks, the project was forked and named TenFourFox.[14] A full complement of builds for the G3, the 7400 and 7450 G4 families and the G5 were released with beta 8 on December 15, 2010.[15][16][17] JavaScript acceleration using its completed PowerPC version of TraceMonkey was released with beta 9 on January 12, 2011,[18][19] and enabled fully for beta 11 on February 2, 2011.[20][21] The current version, 4.0s, incorporates a security update and a fix for JavaScript performance,[22] and was released on March 24, 2011.[23]

Although the project shares administration with Classilla, another Mozilla fork for older Macintosh systems, the codebases are not closely related and target different versions of the Mac OS.

Comparison with Mozilla Firefox

Similar to other optimized build projects such as Pale Moon Project, Swiftfox and El Furbe, TenFourFox includes specific compiler optimizations to improve its overall performance and issues specific builds tuned for specific processor families.[24] However, it also includes custom new features, in particular its JavaScript just-in-time compilation backend, and adds glue code to enable interface features from Firefox 4 to still work on Mac OS X Tiger. This has led to favorable reviews on its speed and performance on older Macintosh computers.[25][26][27][28][29]

Due to its compatibility with the older operating system, however, the browser lacks the entire feature set of Firefox 4. In particular, it does not fully support Core Text, so it does not understand Apple Advanced Typography features in certain international fonts; it does not support graphics acceleration for compositing; and it does not support WebGL (because PowerPC Tiger does not support OpenGL 2[30]).[31]

Currently, the browser is built by using Mercurial changesets on top of the existing Firefox 4 source code.[32]

See also

References

  1. ^ "TenFourFox Wiki, Technical Differences". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  2. ^ "TenFourFox Final vs Beta 12". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  3. ^ "TenFourFox is Firefox 4 for your 10.4 PPC Mac". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  4. ^ "TenFourFox Wiki, Which Version". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  5. ^ "TenFourFox: The Best Browser for PowerPC Macs Running Tiger?". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  6. ^ "Issue 28: Install AltiVec libvpx and modify build system (G4, G5 only)". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  7. ^ "Issue 51: AltiVec libjpeg-turbo". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  8. ^ "Google Groups, Do we do any testing on Mac/PPC? Possible blocker for Firefox 4.0 beta 4". 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  9. ^ "Google Groups, Dropping Mac OS X 10.4 support in Gecko 1.9.3". 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  10. ^ "Releases/Firefox 4.0b7/BuildNotes". 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  11. ^ "The view from Cameron Kaiser's iPhone". 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  12. ^ "Downloads, tenfourfox, Mozilla for Power Macintosh". 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  13. ^ "ReleaseNotesBeta7, tenfourfox, Archived release notes for 10.4Fx beta 7". 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  14. ^ "Firefox 4 on Tiger PPC, 68K Macintosh Liberation Army". 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  15. ^ "Downloads, tenfourfox, Mozilla for Power Macintosh". 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  16. ^ "TenFourFox Development: Beta 8 now available". 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  17. ^ "ReleaseNotesBeta8, tenfourfox, Archived release notes for 10.4Fx beta 8". 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  18. ^ "Downloads, tenfourfox, Mozilla for Power Macintosh". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  19. ^ "ReleaseNotesBeta8, tenfourfox, Archived release notes for 10.4Fx beta 9". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  20. ^ "Downloads, tenfourfox, Mozilla for Power Macintosh". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  21. ^ "ReleaseNotesBeta8, tenfourfox, Archived release notes for 10.4Fx beta 11". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  22. ^ "ReleaseNotesBeta40, tenfourfox, Archived release notes for 10.4Fx 4.0 final". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  23. ^ "Downloads, tenfourfox, Mozilla for Power Macintosh". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  24. ^ "TenFourFox Development: Beta 8 now available". 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  25. ^ "TenFourFox: Firefox 4 non e solo per Mac Intel". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  26. ^ "Install Firefox 4.0 on a PowerPC Mac with TenFourFox, Appleaddiction". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  27. ^ "Foxvideo Productions: TenFourFox browser". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  28. ^ "TenFourFox Final vs Beta 12". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  29. ^ "TenFourFox is Firefox 4 for your 10.4 PPC Mac". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  30. ^ "Mac OS X 10.4.11 (PPC) OpenGL Info". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  31. ^ "TenFourFox Wiki, Technical Differences". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  32. ^ "HowToBuild - tenfourfox - Building your own 10.4Fx". 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
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