Bugged Out:
Firebug and Firefox 4.
The other day I finally updated to Firefox 4 for my mac, only to find that I could no longer open new windows in the program, only new tabs. After restarting firefox in safe mode and disabling my add-ons and extensions, I found that the culprit was Firebug.
If you are not using Firebug already, I would definitely recommend it. Firebug allows you to make changes to the code of a website in your browser without affecting your live site. You can inspect the code of individual elements in a preview window, and then change that code to see how the results would look. It is a great way of testing small changes to your layout before you decide to go ahead and make them live. As you can imagine I was disappointed that Firefox 4 and Firebug weren’t playing well together, even after an official update of Firebug. I thought about going back to Firefox 3, and may still do so, as even an upgrade to the latest version of Firebug with Firefox 4 on my mac seems to be causing the same problem.
If you are having this problem, it may be that one of the extensions you are using no longer works with Firefox 4. In my case it was Firebug, but this will not be true in all cases.
Handy Hint:
How to start Firefox in Safe Mode
Once you have followed Mozilla’s instructions on how to start Firefox in Safe Mode, make sure ‘Disable all add-ons’ is ticked on the Safe Mode start window. This will disable all extensions that you have currently installed. Enable one add-on at a time to see which one is causing the trouble. If you enable an add-on and everything seems peachy, quit and reastart Firefox again and enable another one. Repeat this process until you find the problem add-on. Leave that particular add-on disabled, and Firefox should work just fine.
In the meantime, for frustrated Firebug mac users there is also Firebug Lite, which works in other major browsers. I will be testing Firebug Lite over the next few weeks, so I will post an review.
Have you had this problem with Firebug and Firefox 4? Were you able to find a work-around? Leave a comment below, and let us know!
Open Source:
Treesaver
http://treesaverjs.com/
Treesaver® is a JavaScript framework for creating magazine-style layouts using standards-compliant HTML and CSS. You can scroll sideways through each magazine-style page. Treesaver is free for all uses, and is open source!
Found This Week:
Shownd
http://shownd.com/
Another useful free portfolio site for Creatives! This one also has a list of agencies and an employment section, so could be worth a look.
Animation History:
How Walt Disney Movies Are Made
(via @leeunkrich on Twitter)