Decision leaves Opera and Microsoft with the only 64-bit browsers, though Google will soon join the pack

Fans of the non-profit Mozilla Foundation have waited... and waited... and waited more still, for Mozilla's popular Firefox browser to add 64-bit support. With pickup of 64-bit SKUs of Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) Windows operating system rapidly accelerating, it certainly seemed a 64-bit browser would be just around the corner.

Instead Mozilla has made the curious decision to pull the plug on the long-delayed project, while offering only small clues as to why the decision was made.

The announcement was posted by Mozilla Engineering Manager Benjamin Smedberg on the Bugzilla development page. He ordered Mozilla employees and community developers:

Please stop building windows 64 builds and tests.

As for why the he opted to pull the plug on 64-bit for now, he comments, "Many plugins are not available in 64-bit versions. The plugins that are available don’t work correctly in Firefox because we haven’t implemented things like windowproc hooking, which means that hangs are more common."

Mozilla may soon find itself in lonely territory.

With Oracle Corp.'s (ORCL) Java and Adobe Systems Inc.'s (ADBE) Flash now supporting 64-bit Windows plug-ins, both Microsoft's Internet Explorer 10 and Opera Software ASA (OSE:OPERA) have made the leap to 64-bit. Meanwhile Google Inc.'s (GOOG) Chrome, one of the most popular browsers due to its clean UI and strong GPU acceleration, has added 64-bit support in Linux and is in the process of porting its changes to Windows.

In other words, soon Mozilla may be the only browser maker without a 64-bit browser.

Of course, Windows compatibility libraries ensure 32-bit applications (like Firefox) can still run on 64-bit Windows. But there is a small performance penalty associated.

For that reason one has to wonder whether Mozilla might come to regret its decision to halt development, even if it is only a temporary one.

Source: Bugzilla

Firefox 64-bit development is dead for now. [Image Source: Flickr/dimnikolov]


[Submitted by Christo [PCD]]



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250,000 miles more Street View coverage

Google Maps has been around for quite a few years and one of the most significant additions to the service was Street View coverage. Street View shows people looking at the maps exactly what you would see as you drive down the road in question.

However, one of the biggest catches with Street View is that imagery isn't available in many locations.

To combat this, Google has announced that it has added a huge amount of new Street View data to Google Maps with the most comprehensive update ever made to the offering. Google says that it added over 250,000 miles of roads around the world to its Street View coverage area.

Specifically the new Street View coverage includes roads in Macau, Singapore, Sweden, the U.S., Thailand, Taiwan, Italy, Great Britain, Denmark, Norway and Canada. Google is also launching special collections in South Africa, Japan, Spain, France, Brazil and Mexico among other locations.

Street View is more than just what you see driving down a particular road. The service also offers imagery of landmarks such as Elsinore Castle in Denmark and many other places. Street View imagery is also available for sites in Russia such as Catherine Palace and the Ferapontov monastery. A number of other tourist attractions and parts are available to explore using Street View. Google also promises more Street view updates in the future.

The new Street View content should be available for iOS users via Safari.

Source: Google


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Anonymous won't be deterred, and continues attacks

Shortly after learning Anonymous-affiliated LulzSec members were betrayed by their leader, Hector Xavier Monsegur, a.k.a. 'Sabu,' Anonymous retaliated by launching several fresh attacks.

The Antisec group attacked Panda Security's PandaLabs website, defacing the page and publicly mocking Sabu:

"Pandasecurity.com... has earned money working with law enforcement to lurk and snitch on Anonymous activists. They helped to jail 25 Anonymous in different countries and they were actively participating in our IRC channels trying to dox [obtain personal information about] many others."

Panda Lab officials said customer information wasn't compromised during the attack, which was directed towards an external Panda Labs server. Company technical director Luis Corrons believes his firm was targeted because of a supportive blog applauding action against Anonymous.

In a separate attack, hackers reportedly connected with Anonymous also attacked the Vatican's official website (, crippling the site for a large portion of Wednesday. The targeted attack was justified for reasons ranging from actions against heretics, Inquisition book burning, and widespread child abuse by priests.

Hackers reportedly connected with Anonymous posted statements of support for their busted comrades, while also confirming attacks wouldn't stop.

Sabu's betrayal lead to a shakeup of the group, as it was the first major blow to the global hacker collective.

Sabu was originally arrested last June by federal authorities, and turned into a snitch to help bring down several others within the group. Despite global crackdowns against the group, it's unlikely Anonymous and any affiliate hacker groups are going to suddenly stop attacking high-profile targets.

Despite Sabu being seen as a leader of the group -- who turned on his own group in exchange for leniency -- the group will reorganize and select new senior leadership. In the past month, Anonymous posted an audio clip from a phone conversation between the FBI and Scotland Yard, while showing they can successfully plague authorities.

Source: BBC



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