Safari Reader is a really great addition to the latest version of Safari, and it does a pretty job of dimming the background so that you can have a focused reading experience. But sometimes, it’s just not enough – light or cluttered websites still peak through with the utmost disrespect to your eyes. Don’t let those naughty flash ads distract you from reading an Ars Technica epic: we’ve got the goods to get that helpful little background even darker.
Posts tagged with "safari"
Dim Safari Reader’s Background
A Simple Safari Extension to Shorten URLs
Safari 5 is Firefox in 2004: extensions are popping up from everywhere. Just take a look at Safari Extensions Tumblr to get an idea of how many tweaks have been submitted in just 3 days of existence. In this ocean of tweaks and addons though, it’s easy to get lost. If you’re looking for a simple extension to shorten URLs, and shorten them well, I think we’ve found one.
NoMoreiTunes Lets you View iTunes Previews in Peace
iTunes Previews don’t work as they should. If I’m viewing the content in my browser, why do I need to see it again in iTunes? A Safari 5 Extension from developer Florian Pichler (@pichfl) seeks to automatically stop iTunes from opening – a must have for anyone who regularly browses for App Store applications. As Pichler writes,
“NoMoreiTunes is an extension for Safari 5 which disables the script that tries to start iTunes when you visit a link to the iTunes Store. It’s annoying and redundant as there is iTunes Preview for Music and Apps now.”
As movies aren’t blocked, the extension provides users with a button they can use to manually initiate iTunes.
You can download NoMoreiTunes from his website.
Safari Best Contender in HTML5 Performance Test
It’s a safe bet Firefox won’t be getting any awards soon (Mozilla needs to pick up their game), which leaves Google Chrome and Safari to duke it out for a good ol’ fashioned HTML5 performance test. The race was close, but Apple’s Safari 5 now leads over Google Chrome 5. But just barely.
A First Overview and Roundup of Safari Extensions
One of the most important features of Safari 5 is support for extensions: it’s what Safari users had been wanting for a very long time, and it’s a big deal. It’s a big deal for users who want to customize their browser the way they want, it’s a huge deal for developers who may start to charge for full-featured extensions in the future. Just think about Twitter clients or RSS apps living inside the browser.
Safari 5 has been available for 12 hours now, and some developers have already released their first extensions. Obviously these extensions are far from being “complete” and “full-featured”, but still it’s worth taking a look at them, as they’re giving us a glimpse at what devs might offer in a few weeks.
Thoughts on Safari 5
Apple has rolled out Safari 5 and I have to say, it feels faster indeed. A lot of work has been put into making Javascript faster, and you can see the difference from Safari 4. Loading a rich web application such as Zootool takes a few seconds less than before, which is a great thing.
I haven’t noticed that 3% difference from Google Chrome, but thing is - Safari feels snappier overall, it’s not just about the Javascript engine. And it’s native. Tabs behave just like you’re used to, close buttons are there in the right place, inline dictionary is what is meant to be. If Chrome could have convinced many users like me to switch because of extensions (I did), I am proud to come back to Safari now that it’s got extensions as well. And they’re based on web standards, which once again proves how much Apple cares about promoting them, and not just about building a “walled garden”.
Apple Releases Safari 5
Safari 5 is going live. The new (and somehow unexpected after no mention at the keynote) Safari update features an improved Javascript engine (30% faster), a Reader button in the Address Bar and improved HTML5 support.
Safari 5 Coming on Monday?
According to MacGeneration, Apple is getting ready to launch Safari 5 and Mac OS X 10.6.4 at the WWDC. While 10.6.4 should be an update geared towards stability and compatibility improvements, the new version of Safari should carry a lot of new features, such as Reader.
New “Highly Critical” Vulnerability Discovered in Safari
Secunia has discovered a new vulnerability in Apple’s Safari browser, which can be used to compromise a user’s system. The security hole is confirmed in Safari 4.0.5 for Windows and “other versions may also be affected”.
“The vulnerability is caused due to an error in the handling of parent windows and can result in a function call using an invalid pointer. This can be exploited to execute arbitrary code when a user e.g. visits a specially crafted web page and closes opened pop-up windows.”
Security update coming for Safari, perhaps for a 4.1 version? And could this 4.1 version the one with “full HTML5 support”? We’ll keep you posted.