| Firefox, Thunderbird dynamic duo head for the garage |
Apr. 14, 2005
 Just in time for Firefox and Thunderbird to conquer the Web, Prentice Hall publishing has come out with an easy-to-read new guide to using the open source dynamic duo -- Firefox & Thunderbird Garage. The 350-page book "shows everyday computer users -- whether newbies or seasoned professionals -- how to make the most of Mozilla's trailblazing Web browser and email programs," according to its publisher.
(Click here for larger cover image)
Prentice Hall notes that two of the book's authors are well known in the Mozilla development community. Chris Hofmann helped lead the worldwide release of Firefox 1.0 in November 2004; and Marcia Knous has been a key member of the quality assurance testing team for both Firefox and Thunderbird. The book's third author, John Hedtke, is a technical writer and author of the books, MP3 for Musicians and Robohelp for the Web.
In his forward (PDF download) to the book, Ben Goodger, lead engineer for the Firefox project, says, "This book should give you a better understanding of what makes Firefox and Thunderbird tick, how to get the most out of them so that you get the most out of the Internet, and how to stay safe when you're online."
Some topics covered in the book, according to Prentice Hall, are: - Discover why Firefox & Thunderbird blow away Internet Explorer and Outlook Express
- Make Firefox even more secure: Manage passwords, clean caches and history, and more
- Trash unwanted popups, ads, and other Web annoyances
- Make the most of Firefox's built-in search tools and shortcuts
- Create "live bookmarks" that update automatically
- Harness tabbed browsing to get more done faster
- Download files more quickly and reliably
- Install today's hottest Firefox & Thunderbird plug-ins
- Set up email, RSS, and newsgroup accounts fast—and manage them efficiently
- Organize the messages you want, and dump the messages you don't want
- Get under the hood! Hack Firefox & Thunderbird configuration files
- Includes quick-references to keyboard/mouse shortcuts, security, and more
Firefox & Thunderbird Garage is divided into 13 chapters which discuss "important aspects" of the applications and how to customize and tweak them for personal use, according to the publisher. The book also provides six appendices devoted to keyboard and mouse shortcuts, menu commands, configuration files, and security options for both programs.
Firefox & Thunderbird Garage (ISBN 0-13-187004-1) also has an accompanying website, which offers PDF downloads of two of the book's chapters: "Protecting Your Security and Privacy", and "Protecting Your Privacy and Blocking Spam". Also available for download as PDF files are the Introduction, Table of Contents, and Index.
The book will be available from major bookstores and online booksellers worldwide at a suggested retail price of US $24.99, Prentice Hall says.
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