Normally, I don’t use this space to blog about software but the Flock web browser has recently shown up on my radar. At version 1.1, this is an early stage in the development of this “Social Web Browser” - a Mozilla/Gecko browsing core with integrated social bookmarking, blogging, media and webmail support.
Users who are online all day know that every keystroke saved is worth investigating. That (and my general, geek’s interest) what was initially intriguing about the FREE Flock browser download I saw in the PC Magazine Best Free Software list. Through a vertical browser frame, Flock loads quick links to your favorite social services. If you’re big into communities like Facebook, Flickr, Blogger or Magnolia the browser allows you to pre-load your user information for quick and easy access to those services. Webmail services like GMail are supported as well, so all bases are covered. As stated within their company info,
Flock is an open source company that innovates on the superior, constantly-improving Mozilla architecture to provide a fast, safe and competitive browsing experience.
Which brings me to my only cynical question: How is the Flock browser better or different than customizing Firefox itself with toolbars and add-ins? Maybe you can tell me. The two are so closely related that my StatsCounter info reads Flock as Firefox. To be precise, the browser footprint reads as Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.12) Gecko/20080304 Firefox/2.0.0.12 Flock/1.1.
The install is currently only approved for Windows machines (with the notable exception of Ultima Linux) but indications are it’ll run smoothly on any GNU/Linux on x86 box. Perhaps I’ll hop on my Asus Laptop running their slick Linux OS, install the browser and see what happens.
What kind of reception is this upstart receiving from the tech world at large? Recently, the Flock web browser was awarded a South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) Annual Web Award under the “community” category. There’s been a bit of press in Wired and other outlets but let’s see if their user base can drum up enough support to keep the angel-funded venture on a roll. If the 160+ topics in the Community section of their forums is any indication, good buzz is well under way.
Technorati Tags: Flock web browser
2 Comments
I use flock for light web browsing since my installations of firefox are usually bogged down with too many addons and greasemonkey scripts.
The social integration is actually useful to me and it appears to run fast compared to my firefox installations probably due to the obvious reasons.
i seriously think flock is on pace to become a serious player in the browser market but it already taught a lesson to Microsoft (MSFT) about integrating social tools
March 29th, 2008 at 4:06 pm. Permalink.
I am absolutely loving Flock, its sad that I have stopped using Firefox, the browser that has stood by me for so long, but now I think its time to move on.
I have been recommending it to everyone, I am so impressed.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:00 am. Permalink.