plug-

Google to block outdated plug-ins in Chrome

On the heels of Google introducing automatic updating for the Adobe Flash plug-in, a future version of Google Chrome will include technology that blocks out-of-date plug-ins and helps users update them, Google said.

The company did not provide a timeline for this feature, except to say it will be "medium-term," in a post Monday on The Chromium Blog.

The browser also will eventually offer a warning when a user is about to run infrequently used plug-ins.

"Some plug-ins are widely installed but typically not required for today's Internet experience," the post said. "For most … Read more

Mozilla tweaks new plug-in protection

Mozilla pushed out a minor update to Firefox on Saturday, slightly adjusting the new plug-in crash protection feature that was introduced last week. Firefox 3.6.6 for Windows and Linux delays the amount of time that the plug-in protection module will wait before terminating an unresponsive plug-in.

Mozilla evangelist Mike Beltzner said in a blog post on Saturday that although Firefox 3.6.4 was beta-tested with nearly 1 million users, after its release the company began hearing complaints from some users, especially those playing games on older computers. The crash protection feature would only wait 10 seconds before … Read more

Safari 5.0 sometimes sporadically crashing

Since Safari 5 came out, a few people have complained of the application crashing. A couple of weeks ago we wrote an article outlining some of the steps to take if the application crashes at launch, but other times the program will seem to crash on a more sporadic basis.… Read more

Firefox 'Lorentz' arrives but with restrictions

Firefox 3.6.4 might not sound like a major update, but the latest version debuts an important new feature for Mozilla's browser. Code-named "Lorentz" and available for Windows and Linux, the update includes the highly-anticipated Out-of-Process Plug-in (OOPP) "sandboxing" feature that prevents specific plug-ins that crash from taking down the entire browser. In this initial implementation, OOPP will prevent Adobe Flash, Apple QuickTime, and Microsoft Silverlight crashes from causing browser-wide instability.

While Mac users do get the security fixes made in their version of Firefox 3.6.4, they won't get OOPP support. … Read more

Performance issues in Safari could be related to third-party add-ons

Safari may experience performance issues, including quitting unexpectedly, running slowly, an inability to download files properly, and other unexpected problems. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms when running Safari, follow these simple steps to help restore Safari's full capabilities.… Read more

As Mozilla readies latest browser, Weave becomes Firefox Sync

Mozilla nudged Firefox 3.6.4 one step closer to its official release by pushing out the first release candidate version of the browser. Meanwhile, Weave Sync has been re-branded Firefox Sync in anticipation of its eventual inclusion in the Mozilla product. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Firefox 3.6.4 Release Candidate 1 began rolling out to Firefox beta users on May 28th and is notable for locking down the features and fixes the browser maker has been working on since January. For its part, add-on Firefox Sync 1.3 introduces a menu option under History for automatically … Read more

Xmarks adds open tab syncing

Browser add-on Xmarks has introduced a major new synchronization feature over the past few weeks for its multiple browser plug-ins that lets users sync open tabs across multiple browsers and computers. The new feature (download Xmarks for Firefox | Chrome | Internet Explorer | Safari) offers far better control over tab opening than merely forcing all your tabs to appear on all your computers and browsers. Instead, Xmarks politely tells you which tabs are synced under which browsers and lets you open them individually.

Once the add-on is installed, you'll be asked to create an account if you don't have one. … Read more

Powerline technology to be standardized

A big shortcoming of powerline adapters is the fact that they tend not to interoperate across vendors. For example, the adapters made by Cisco are unlikely to work with products made by Netgear. This is because the powerline market has been fragmented and does not have a common standard. However, this is about to change.

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance announced Tuesday that an initial sponsor ballot was passed for the IEEE P1901, the working group that develops the global standard for high-speed powerline communications. This is an important step toward establishing a global standard for powerline (PLC) networking.

According to … Read more

In June, Toyota starts testing plug-in fleet

SAN DIEGO--Toyota will put a small test fleet of its first plug-in hybrids into the hands of U.S. drivers starting in June.

The 150 Prius plug-ins will go to individuals, businesses, and government agencies as part of a global demonstration before the vehicle goes on sale in 2012.

The test fleet will allow Toyota to assess its first lithium ion battery, introduce consumers to its plug-ins, and monitor how drivers use the vehicles.

"We want to know if people pay attention to their energy use," Jaycee Chitwood, manager of advanced technologies for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.… Read more

Chrome gets updated, Firefox 'Lorentz' enters beta

The stable build of Google Chrome has updated, introducing seven security patches to the browser. Version 4.1.249.1059 for Windows incorporates four high-priority security fixes and three medium-priority ones.

The high-priority fixes, introduced Tuesday, correct type confusion errors with forums, memory corruption in the V8 JavaScript engine bindings, cross-site scripting vulnerabilities on the Chrome downloads page, and HTTP request errors. The first two corrections earned user "kuzzcc" $500 each in Google Chrome's vulnerability discovery rewards program.

The medium-priority errors involved local file reference through developer tools, cross-site scripting in chrome://net-internals, and the discovery that … Read more