Hey there, all you hi-tech hipsters. You've heard the hype. NETSCAPE DISTRIBUTES BROWSER SOURCE CODE FREE. Maybe you read it in your favorite 'zine. Maybe someone emailed it directly to your CDPD-enabled digital cell phone. Maybe CNN beamed it directly to your leash. Oops, I mean the alphanumeric pager your company gave you. However the information got from the murky mind of Marc Andreeson to your eager ears, it sounded important. It looked like a big deal! Something new from that company that makes browsers! I want it! WHAT THE HELL IS IT?
Well, soon or later thereafter (depending on your internet connection speed) you found out to your dismay that source code doesn't really do anything on it's own. It doesn't protect you from viruses. It doesn't figure out passwords to all those porn sites that keep asking for some AdultCheckID. It doesn't even sing love songs in Spanish. It doesn't do anything until you compile it! Compile? What the hell does that mean?
Compilation of source code is a very boring and unsubstantial thing. Most often it involves typing the word "gmake" at a prompt somewhere, and then waiting for minutes or hours while the computer does the work. It's what I do for a living. Even so, when you heard that an extra step was needed between download and run, you chickened out. Gave up. Quit. Abandoned the glory of having yet another (sort of) Netscape browser. Well, I for one am here to say, "Good job!" That's certainly what I do in most circumstances, but for some reason, whether it be boredom, stupidity, or drunkenness, I decided to compile. And compile I did! For forty days and forty nights I compiled, and then for one hour I drank beer (or was that the other way around...). Either way, I now share with you the fruits of my labor. I give you the compiled versions of un-modified source code, downloaded directly from mozilla.org (or mirrors). I think I also have to mention that the source is released under the Mozilla Public License, which is basically just a legal mumbo jumbo rip off of the GNU Public License, but who really cares about all that anyway?
Windows files are zipped and UNIX files are gzipped.
Linux users: The Linux version of Mozilla is statically linked with Motif.
OS version: 2.1.125
Motif version: 1.2.4-1
glibc version: 2.0.7-19
and...
OS version: 2.0.35
Motif version: 1.2.4-1
glibc version: 2.0.7-19
DOM-enabled builds!! Hey, hey, hey. Whenever possible I build DOM-enabled builds as well as standard builds. The DOM builds have a '-dom' in the name, ie: mozilla-export-dom.gz. I'm sure you will be able to figure it out. For info on DOM-enabled builds, check out this page on mozilla.org.
no more DEBUG. Well, as you may or may not know, mozilla.org is now building binaries. They are only building debug versions, however. Actually, I am building Solaris and IRIX for them, but that's neither here nor there, it's much beyond either of those (what?). Anyway, because of this, I will not be building debug builds anymore. Rather, I will be concentrating on optimized builds, which will be a mere 1/3 of the size of debug builds, therefore taking a mere 1/3 of the download time! Accolades... cheers... hurrahs for me! I will also be building "specialty" builds, ie: DOM-enabled, new layout, ones that only allow surfing of porn sites, etc. You can find debug builds from the folks at mozilla.org (and friends) here.
GIMME GIMME GIMME. If any of you guys are outside the U.S. and feel any desire to give a little back to your favorite Mozilla source code compiler, here's your chance! I know this isn't the most common thing to do, but i am compiling (different type of compiling) a collection of Marlboro Red cigarette packs (hard packs) from around the world. I don't know how much it costs to mail something like that to San Francisco from wherever you are, but if it's not overwhelming, please feel free to send me one. Send it here: 1300 Page St. #1, San Francisco CA 94117, USA. Much appreciation would be felt by me, and your karma would soar!
Thanks to these bad riders for their generosity:
Andrea Gelmini (Italy)
shameless plugs for my friends and well-wishers: || venusart for some notorious G.O.O.D. web design || i w i s h for ultra-deluxe bookmarks from a superstar (claim to fame: he suggested the occupation "hero" which is now on my business cards) || here is a pretty suede guide to Linux from a hep cat out there ||
if you think you deserve to be on my list of hip web sites, then email me and plead your case!
discussion time Anybody wanna rant and rave or discuss with others the trials and tribulations of your mozilla experiences? Or just tell everybody your favorite dirty joke? Try it out here on my BBS.