Introduction
What is mozilla ?
 What's mozilla
Mozilla is a new generation web browser available to anyone. You can get and use its massive program source, not to speak of binary of browser that has already been built, under Mozilla Public License (MPL). It's so called, an open source.
Originally, mozilla was created as a browser engine of Netscape. Since the time that Netscape Communications Corporation decided to make it an open source, mozilla is managed and maintained by mozilla org. Mozilla org is basically a NPO (nonprofit organization) that consists of people of Netscape Communications Corporation and volunteers.
Source codes of mozilla are created as cross platform, by means of the technology so called XPCOM. The platforms currently supported are such as
- Linux/Unix
- Win32
- MacPPC
- BeOS
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Purpose of this page
 Mozilla on Macintosh
On this HP, we mainly talk abount mozilla on Macintosh. (the above MacPPC is mozilla for Macintosh PowerPC types.) Mozilla source codes are cross-platform, but using mozilla on Macintosh is a little more elaborate than other platforms, in the way of build or a degree of bug fix, because Macintosh is a little more unique OS than Unix, Win32 etc.
From a programmer's point of view
And, on this HP, we won't use mozilla binary that has already been built, but from a programmer's point of view, get the source code of mozilla, build it and examine it closely, then execute the mozilla as it is on Macintosh.
Embedding
Moreover, we try not only to use mozilla as it is, but also to "embed" mozilla browser in our own application framework. This technique is called "embedding" .
Characteristics of mozilla
Size of mozilla
Mozilla is huge. In the times of mozilla classic, it was announced that it is a browser going in one floppy disk, and it was proud of its slimness. But now, mozilla looks like a huge bio-lizard. Of course, there is reasons for the change of mozilla. One of them is for cross-platform. Another is for an establishment of the construction to get and be able to get various functoions as the new generation browser. The other is for the change to module essential to the maintenance of the world created by plural planner under the environment "open source".
Open source
Mozilla is an open source.
Sometimes we see someone say that mozilla is not a successfull example of open source, but we don't think so. Compared with OS such as Linux, web browser is difficult to divide into modular structure, because every field of browser is intertwined systematically and in close connection. We think mozilla is a precious enterprise dare to cope with the open source in the field "web browser" that it is difficult to divide its work in itself.
New generation browser
Mozilla is an advanced browser of the new generation.
There may be various reasons to call mozilla the new generation browser. Of the reasons, especially striking one is the use of XML, I think. XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is the tag-type script for describing data flexibly that W3C advocates and is what can define tag itself according to its own use.
In mozilla, the appearances and actions of user interface parts of browser itself is defined by XUL (XML-based User-interface Language) which is based on XML. Thus, the user can customiz the mozilla browser.
- XML note - Under construction
 - XUL note - Under construction
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