i was wondering.. since it's also based on gecko, would it be possible to support firefox extensions? i guess this would give k-meleon a major boost.

Hi Jan!

Actually, this question gets asked quite a bit. It's an interesting idea. Some extensions do work in K-Meleon now (one is that famous Googlebar which was grafted into Wechselbalg Version by Guenter) but it's a terrible pain to do and a "hit or miss" deal as they must be manually taken apart and installed. Phew!

See, the problem isn't that K-Meleon is "another Gecko-based browser". That isn't it. Firefox is built entirely around the .XUL (pronounced "xool") format which is a type of "html page". Kewl, huh? When you call up Firefox and it's sitting there all nice and pretty on your desk displaying your homepage what you're seeing for a GUI (graphical user interface) is a webpage! So technically, you're using a webpage---to view another webpage. Quite a radical idea actually---and one that makes Firefox cross-platform, because ALL computer Operating Systems (OS) can see webpages after all, right? Or what purpose would they serve?

It's a real technological brainstorm which thought that up. The one problem is that there is so much coding involved that's why Firefox can sometimes take up a lot of the computer's RAM---the .XUL to create the GUI, not the Gecko that allows you to see the pages, or else K-Meleon would likewise be a resource hog and yet it isn't.

Now extensions in Mozilla/Firefox/TBird, etc., are generally likewise of a .XUL nature, or are dependant upon that .XUL interface in order to work with the programme, see?

Now you have K-Meleon, which likewise has the Gecko engine but with a very big difference: It's melded into the Window's GUI instead of using .XUL. And this is why K-Meleon is so speedy and lightweight. It's using the native format of Windows to build ALL the bars that you see, just like "Word" uses the Window's format (called "widgets"), or the file manager, "Explorer", etc., and basically all you're doing when you download K-Meleon is the Gecko engine, a few themes, the programme that says "work with Windows", and the settings (many that they are) that's about it in a nutshell. They IS some .XUL, yes---but the more .XUL you add, the more you slow the browser. It's a big trade-off in speed and agility, see?

And this is the difference between the two browsers.

I hope this has helped explain a little bit the inner workings and differences of the two for you Jan? It's been real fun for me! I hope it gave you some fascinating insight and encouraged you to learn even more. (Like about our "Macros" system which take the place of extensions?)

Amicalement / In friendship,

Eyes-Only
"L'Peau-Rouge d'Acadie"

An often asked - just look into Forum search if You need details -
especially if You need info and want to try to get an extension to work with k-m.

i will comment in German/AT=Austria.

Wie vorher bemerkt: einige extensions gehen.
die welche gehen: mimetypes editor, google bar... haben scheinbar gemeinsam, dass sie keine xul teile benötigen, deren funktion durch k-plugins ersetzt ist (z. B. bookmarks) oder die bei k-m nicht existieren (z. B. sidebar).

k-m kann theoretisch extensions instalieren - er tut es jedoch am falschen platz.

- du kannst ihm diese fähigkeit geben (via. xpinstal.dll und xpinstal.xpt )- man kann sie als hilfe beim hand instalieren von extenstions nutzen.

Alle, die private updates machen,
lassen diese dateien aus sicherheitgründen weg.
(k-m sollte sie und ihre fähigkeiten nie als "grundeinstellung" haben)

Ich war so (wie du) immer dafür: k-m die ff fähigkeit FF extensions nutzen ziu können zu verleihen {PCs werden immer leistungsfähiger - so dass das verlangsamen, was du bei viel xul (großem chome) hast, immer weniger ins gewicht fällt}, aber leider haben wir nur wenige devs und die sind nicht dafür.
mfG

Are there any .XUL programers out there? There should be a abridged tutorial/command list for .XUL. This way, it would be easy to see which plugins can easily be usable in K-Meleon and which cannot. This should hopefully lead to a conversion process, which should help people strip of firefox extentions .XUL dependancy.

I don't know which is more confusing, the original German (which I don't speak or comprehend) or the :

Babel Fish Translation[\b]

In English: ( could have fooled me )

IE notices before: some extensions go-going those which go: type of MIME editor, google is bar... it has apparently together that she does not divide xul needs, their function through k-plugins replaced (e.g. bookmarks) or with km does not exist (e.g. sidebar).k m can instalieren theoretically extensions - he does it however at the wrong place. - you can give it this ability (xpinstal.xpt via xpinstal.dll and) - one can do her as an assistance with hand instalieren of extenstions use-using all, which make private updates, lets these files out safetybase weg.(k m should her and their abilities never as "basic adjustment" haben)Ich was as (as you) always for it: km the FF ability FF extensions use ziu can lend {PCS to become ever more efficiently - so that that slow down, which you have with much xul (large chome), in the weight falls ever less}, but we have only few devs and those unfortunately are not for it.[\b]

I spent 12 weeks (1987-88) in Neinburg (just north of Hanover) setting up a production line at Kalie-Chemie. I had developed 'survival German' speaking abilities. In other words, I wouldn't poison myself in resturants picking food off the German menus. (and could usually find the mensroom).

I think I could have done a better job translating than Babelfish.

Yes i agree, mechanical translations are no good.

After all English and German are from the same language group.
So i assume You understood what i wrote.

In English this topic has been posted and discussed several times
- so it i felt that it did not need repetition.

a few key words/ideas just in case:
k-m seems incapable to use xul-extensions that rely on capabilies given by
xul with mozillas but by plugins with k-m (e. g. history).

By adding the chrome parts that k-m has replaced by plugins - U sometimes can
make things work (e. g. mimetypes editor).

extensions can potentially install with k-m but at the place where FF has them.
(so k-m can not use them out of the box).
this capability is a security hazard - so all disable it.
(when You enable it U can use it to help You install extensions).

Xul slows but PCs are getting better ; - ) maybe we should... ?

p. s. There are no specialized Xul programers here.
the only one that was here went Linux.
XUL is similar to html... so all here know a little.
dedicated Introductions to Xul can be found via Mozilla.org