A few days ago I introduced you to a version of Firefox that was optimized for Windows users.  Today, I have something a little different.  Swiftfox is another optimized build of the Firefox browser,  but this time it is for Linux users to enjoy.

Built from the most cutting edge Firefox source code available, Swiftfox has builds for both AMD and Intel processors. Here is a little ‘bit more about the browser from the developers:

There is now an installer available that is distro independent. It is a script that downloads and installs Swiftfox in the /opt directory and attempts to use existing Firefox plugins. The installer is probably the best way for most users to install Swiftfox. If your distro is Debian based you will want to install using the deb files as the apt repository will provide automatic updating. More info is available at the deb file page.

You should also be able to use all of your old favorite Firefox plugins, with no additional configurations needed.  I think this is a fantastic alternative to your basic Firefox browser, and if you are a Linux user – you should definitely check it out.

You can learn more about Swiftfox over at getswiftfox.com.

Every so often, you might need to find your Firefox profile folder to do some tweaking or maintenance of your own.  In the past, this has lead to diving through your operating system’s folders and after twenty clicks, finding the information you need.  Since Firefox 3.6 there is a much easier way to open your profile folder, with no additional extensions installed.

To open your Firefox profile folder, go to Help in the menu bar:

Next, click on Troubleshooting Information.  This will take you to the about:support information page.  If you can remember, you can also visit this page by typing about:support into the Firefox address bar too.

Under Application Basics, click on the button that reads, "Open Containing Folder" next to Profile Directory, and there you go. Your Firefox profile directory should be opened up.  Going to the profile location by following the folder path to it via your computer still works, but this is a much easier way to get the job done.

Hope this comes in handy next time you want to backup, tweak or change something in your Firefox profile folder.

Want to bring the clean and classic look of the KDE graphical desktop environment to Firefox?  The Oxygen KDE theme for Firefox does it with style.  Giving you an alternative modern theme to browse the web in, this theme for Firefox is sure to become a favorite.

Not only is it simple, lightweight and easy on the eyes, but there are a lot of ways you can customize it if you have the Stylish extension installed too.

• Oxygen Color Scheme
• Obsidian Coast Color Scheme
• Honeycomb Color Scheme

There are also some browser tweaks you can bring into play with this theme, using the Stylish add-on for Firefox:

• Remove the shadow of back/forward buttons
• Remove the arrows of toolbar containers

Oxygen KDE is a very nice looking theme for the Firefox browser.  it is very subtle in its design, and does a nice job at making browsing using Firefox a lot more slick looking.  You can pickup the theme to use yourself over at the Firefox Add-ons web site.

Navigation Bar Keyboard Shortcuts

Choose Your OS: Windows | Linux | Mac OS

Alt + Left Arrow or Ctrl + [ = Go Back a Page

Alt + Right Arrow or Ctrl + ] = Go Forward a Page

Alt + Home = Go to your Homepage

F5 or Ctrl + R = Reload a Page

Esc = Stop a Page from Loading

Ctrl + P = Bring up the Print Options

Ctrl + Y = Launch the Download Window

Ctrl + H = Open Your History in the Sidebar

Ctrl + B = Open Your Bookmarks in the Sidebar

Ctrl + T = New Tab

Ctrl + N = New Browser Window

Ctrl + X = Cut

Ctrl + C = Copy

Ctrl + V = Paste

As a bonus, here are a few of my other favorite keyboard combos that you might want to memorize.

• Ctrl + F5 or Ctrl + Shift + R = Reload the Page (overriding the cache)
• Ctrl + F = Find (then use F3 to find again)
• Alt + (1-8) = Select a Specific Tab (if you have eight or less open)

Have a favorite that didn’t make it onto the list?  Leave a comment and share it with the rest of us.

After some benchmarking, it appears Firefox running in Wine is faster than the native Firefox install.  To get even more geeky, they took Windows Firefox and then, “ran it on Fedora Linux using Wine 1.1.12 as provided by Fedora”.

Now how could this happen?  It seems like the most popular argument is that video driver support is not as good on Linux (in comparison with Windows).  You can check out the details here:

• Browser benchmarks 2: even Wine beats Linux Firefox

Check out the full results and let me know what you think!

Here is a little more about the theme from the designer:

Firefox 3, in living color. Camifox replaces Firefox’s monolithic toolbar buttons on Mac OS X (and the icons on Windows and Linux) with the bright, colorful icons from the Mozilla Camino browser, and it also makes the tab bar easier to read with higher contrast.

How does it look?  Camifox, if I dare to say is a great looking theme in my opinion.  Here is how it looks on Mac, Vista, XP and Linux:

You can pick Camifox up for yourself on the Firefox Add-ons web site.  How do you feel about it, love it or hate it? (Having Problems?  Try the Alternative Download Link!)

Windows 95 (without Desktop Update)
C:WindowsMozilla

Windows 95 (with Desktop Update)/98/Me
C:WindowsApplication DataMozilla

C:WindowsProfiles<Windows login/user name>Application DataMozilla

Windows NT 4.x
C:WinntProfiles<Windows login/user name>Application DataMozilla

Windows 2000 and XP
C:Documents and Settings<Windows login/user name>Application DataMozilla

Windows Vista
C:Users<Windows login/user name>AppDataRoamingMozilla

Unix
~/.mozilla/

Mac OS X
~/Library/Mozilla/

~/Library/Application Support/

Looking for an easier way to access your profile folder?  You can do so right from the menu bar, if you know where to look for it.  Make sure you check out this tutorial for an even easier way to find your profile folder:

Find Your Firefox Profile Folder, The Easy Way!

Hope that helps you locate your Firefox profile folder.  If there is a location I missed, be sure to let me know and I will get it added.

While the Debian community has decided that Mozilla’s restrictions on its logo and name are unacceptable for its free software community, Mark Shuttleworth — founder of Ubuntu and its commercial brother Canonical Ltd. — doesn’t see it that way.

To keep a long story short, Ubuntu keeps the Firefox name and logo.

When I first tried Firefox on Linux, I thought to myself “Things simply don’t get better than this”. I had never used a quicker browser; it seemed to be making the most of my broadband connection. Never before had the internet seemed so accessible.

+ Read More About the Swiftfox Experience!
+ Go Download Swiftfox for Yourself!