Firefox and Chrome’s Browser Debugger

It’s Christmas for all you Web Developers out there! Mozilla and Google have updated their browsers to help developers debug their websites more efficiently.  This in-browser code editor gives developers the customization control to specify their own keyboard shortcuts, external code, validation tools, and syntax highlighting colors.
Tuesday, Firefox 23 was released, Mozilla also introduced a number of new features to its Web Developer Toolbar.  Google has announced additional features to its Chrome Developer Tool as well.  This is great news for the developers out there.  There are well know issues with browser compatibility, with these news browser debugging tools the fight should be a little easier.  Also the time saved from switching back and forth from browser to code editor will free up time for other matters.

The Developer

Developers are jumping for joy because their job is going to get easier. The browser debugging tools will help developers more effectively write and debug their websites. The growing use of the browser for ample interactions between users and services is more than exciting. Developers will have personalization options and be able to edit code right in the browser, disable JavaScript and even disable all other styles of code.
This means no more looking through files to find specifically where your code is, you can just click and edit right on the page.
This open source browser also comes with Network Monitor. This displays every action the browser takes when downloading a page, including the errors shown and loading times.
Firefox 23 can now support a range of values for the HTML5 form control. Also the introduction of Workspaces, a built-in source code editor that could eliminate the process of flipping between an external code editor and a browser to check the newly edited Web page.
Workspaces will enable the developer to edit the Web page directly using the DevTools console. If the changes are correct, they can be written back to the disk.  So using an external editor is no longer needed.

“This enables you to author and tweak your scripts and styles, instantly see those changes reflected in the browser and have them transparently persist to disk,” wrote Vsevolod Vlasov, a Google software engineer on the Chrome DevTools team, in a blog post announcing the update.

The Chrome editor supports syntax highlighting for PHP, Python, Java, CSS, HTML, and JavsScript.
When the DevTools are updated, developers can now live edit their pre-processed CSS files as well. DevTools already offers the ability to save scripts, bookmarklets, and other utilities.

References:
Firefox, Chrome strengthen in-browser debugging – InfoWorld
http://www.infoworld.com/node/224333
August 7, 2013
Firefox, Chrome strengthen in-browser debugging – PCWorld
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2046063/firefox-chrome-strengthen-inbrowser-debugging.html
August 6, 2013

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Malicious Browser Add-on Edits Hosts File to Redirect Users to Phishing Websites

It’s no secret that browser add-ons bring us joy by increasing productivity and enhancing our overall internet experience, but not all add-ons are built with good intentions.

Cybercriminals have been known to push malicious browser add-ons that inject ads into websites or post spam on social network accounts.

More recently, Symantec researchers found that evil-doers have been spreading malicious browser add-ons that will redirect users to phishing websites whenever they type the URL of a legitimate site into their address bar.

These rogue add-ons are served from a phishing website mimicking the look & feel of a popular e-commerce website, complete with a typo-squatted domain and all.

The spoofed e-commerce website detects the user’s browser upon visit and prompts them to install the add-on for their particular browser. If the end-user chooses to install the add-on, it will modify the hosts file located in the Windows System32 directory, assigning the domain names of well-known companies to IP addresses of phishing websites.

For the uninitiated, Symantec explains that “when a user enters a website URL in the browser address bar, it checks the local DNS information, such as the hosts file, before sending a DNS query to the Internet.” That means if you type the web address for a website that’s been re-assigned using the hosts file, you’ll be directed to the phishing website instead of the legitimate one.

Fortunately Symantec says that the phishing site pushing the add-on has been taken offline, but another can easily pop-up elsewhere. Therefore, users are urged to remain vigilant and proceed with caution when installing software on their computer, even browser add-ons.

Browser Add-on Safety Tips

• Use your browser’s built-in mechanism or visit the official add-on markets for Firefox, IE, Chrome, etc. to browse & install available add-ons.


• Check the number of downloads, add-on rating, and user reviews for any red flags before downloading.


• Do not download or install add-ons from unknown or untrusted sources.

[via Symantec]

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Firefox 7 Not as Hungry as its Predecessors

If you use Firefox then chances are good that you’ve been prompted by the browser to update to version 7.

While plenty have come to love the popular Mozilla Firefox browser, only some may be aware of how much of a memory hog Firefox can be. Mozilla developers have been hard at work for years trying to curb the browsers hunger and it appears as though they’ve finally done it.

According to Mozilla, Firefox 7 uses up to 50% less memory than its predecessors and offers a “nimble Web browser experience” where users will notice the browser opening new tabs, menu items & buttons a lot faster. Heavy internet users won’t suffer sluggish browser response when keeping lots of tabs open for hours – or even days.

Firefox 7 is said to be a significant update unlike versions 5 and 6. Along with faster speeds, Firefox 7 offers stability & security updates, an improved version of hardware-accelerated Canvas, a major speed boost for Firefox Sync, and more.

If you’d like to download the Firefox browser, head on over to Mozilla’s website to download it!

And yes, I’m running Firefox 7. :)

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