Let me start by saying I'm a K-Meleon user, with no intention of becoming a guru. It's not lack of understanding - I've probably been programming since before most of you here were born - but that phase of my life is over and now I'm old and lazy and want to use a computer as a tool, and not an end in itself.

That said, one of the serious downsides of a browser like K-Meleon is the apparent lack of direction and any official upgrade path. Several gurus (if I may use the term) have done their own new versions, all differently, none official. Heck, I don't even know who's in charge so how would I know when something's official or not?

So I'm unlikely to spend time sorting through many different versions, trying to re-hack the changes I've made to use a common profile, and wondering what else is changing and where. I've read posts and threads about various new versions, and, frankly, it's very confusing for someone who doesn't want to spend hours sorting it all out.

Of course, maybe the whole idea is that K-Meleon is to be reserved for gurus only - heck, there's a LOT of open source stuff that seems to be handled that way - in which case I really don't have an argument. But if you're looking for wider acceptance, there MUST be a more organized upgrade route.

So what's the deal? Who's in charge? When will there be an "official" upgrade? This really seems like a tree with a lot of branches but no trunk right now.

Somersault

Use updated 0.9 on 1.7.x GRE by Fred or new version by Hao using Dorians exes.
The first is very proven tech the later are a little faster (& mostly proven tech).

Else You can be more conservative:
Last years official 0.9 based on GRE from that time is still good.

All K-Meleons: even test versions, and older versions are fit for use.

Test versions may contain bugs - but usually do no have security leaks like IE.
(the same is valid for older versions! leaks yes - but no exploits known to me.)

But please understand that test versions do not have end user support.

What are you talking about? No end user support? What about the forums?;-)

Brian

Yes Brian - we always granted that support,

- and even tried to give it on test versions that are really passed out for more experianced ppl to test first - but we also always told ppl that we do not give it on test versions - hope You understand why i continue to say that. It is because we might not able to help inexperianced users in all cases.

If You think that this is wrong - tell me and i stop to warn that way.
You are Admin not me. regards

Haha, no no no. I understand what you're saying, guenter.
Also, just because am an admin now doesn't mean I have any more power than I did yesterday. I am only an admin to try to help with administrative tasks that others may not want to do.

Brian

Brian: we will have the same policy.

@guenter
Sorry, I think I must've missed something. Could you please use a little more detail? Do you mean we will continue to tell people that we don't provide support for alpha/beta/test versions?

Brian

I will try to get this small map right this time (newest to oldest):
(GRE1.9.0)..........................................(Firefox3.0)
-----------PROPOSED-future-platform-compatibilty-barrier--------
(GRE1.8.1)..........................................(Firefox2.0)
GRE1.9a1...Seamonkey-1.5a...........................Firefox1.6a1
-----------PROPOSED-future-product-compatibilty-barrier---------
GRE1.8.0...Seamonkey-1.0b...Km-SM-1.1a_Tabs*........Firefox1.5.0
GRE1.8.0...Seamonkey-1.0b...Km-CCF0.04_Tabs.........Firefox1.5.0
GRE1.8.0...Seamonkey-1.0b...Km-SM-1.0b_Layers.......Firefox1.5.0
-gre1.8b1-------------------platform.compatibilty.barrier-------
GRE1.7.12..Mozilla-1.7.12...Km-0.9.12rc3_Layers.....Firefox1.0.7
-----------older-but-still-usable-------------------------------
GRE1.7.5...Mozilla-1.7.5....Km-0.9.0_Layers
GRE1.8a2....................Km-0.8.2Wechselbalg_Layers

Key:
GRE...=Gecko rv.
Km-SM...=K-MeleonSM
Km-CCF...=K-MeleonCCF
note-1: *K-MeleonSM-1.1a is only an exe to be used to make a browser (K-MeleonSM-1.0b is a browser)
note-2: GRE1.8.0 k-meleons can be upgraded (with effort, by you, as you learn how) to GRE1.9a1

messed up on the links to
..Km-SM-1.1a_Tabs*..
and
..Km-SM-1.0b_Layers..

well done: v.

bst. i will support the k-m / &U as newAdmin
/ sorry sometime my other laguage is just a problem.

plus: bad joke.
how about: many in Your region spoke German once.... i will try German : ))

it`d make things easier 4 me ; - )

@Somersault

Avoid all the confusion by simply installing Brun's patch for the official version 0.9. This will bring the browser up to date until something official comes along with the new birth in official development.

http://kmeleonbrowser.org/forum/read.php?f=1&i=30754&t=30754

Just run the .exe patch file without any uninstalling of version 0.9. This will bring the browser up to date as follows:

"Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.12) Gecko/20041220 K-Meleon/0.9"

@guenter
Haha, well.... quite a few of my friends speak German. The German language teacher at Huntsville High School (where I used to live) is a really fun teacher and has great teaching methods, so many kids took German instead of Spanish. I decided to take Spanish long before I moved to Huntsville. I was starting on my third year in Spanish when I got there. I learned hardly any Spanish in those three years. It wasn't quite as fun or as challenging as other subjects, so I did not pay attention in class very often. Oh, listen to me ramble.

@Culpeper
I had considered doing this myself, but since I don't know how to create an installer, I decided that it would be better to wait a few more days for Fred to polish up his release.

@everybody
Do you think Fred's latest release would be good for version 0.9.12 ?? If not, what don't you like about it?

Brian

I think Fred's version will be perfect for the official once tested, polished and made an installer. Fred's have been working hardly at least by two months with his RC versions and have done a good work.

But I think that next official version (which we need urgently) will not last long because Dorian's new .exe :-)

I second that.

Fred's latest release

0.9.17.12 = end user proof. that is what counts.
like said by Enaitz Jar before: We got to help testing and such.

It is fit for official release! Or should be soon.
ppl like us will always find cave_ats and further improvements.
i personlally prefer no installer. But i know that the public expects an installer.

0.9.1.7.12 will fix many security issues in GRE and gives new oportunities which
were discussed to include when 0.9 was originally made. This includes the mtypes editor and the sometimes unpopular active x support. Especially the later is a must because technically available and with many uses.
And gives this at no great cost of download & code increase.

0.9.17.12 will make all these things that were available to us ( ppl that knew )
avaialble to the end user interested only in using a browser.

0.9.1.7.12 will incude an overhaul of other components that needed it
- if fixes or improvements were to be had.

p. s. And from my knowledge i know:
Freds release partly fixes (makes a work_around) a chrome bug. Java console,
which cannot trace faults at the moment.

Before the altereation: console lead to a flicker which could be stopped somtimes.

The fault can be traced now
- only "undefined fault" leads normally to a gray "iframe".

The rest will trace fault to an altered "viewSourceOverlay.xul". It would be better to have a native k-meleon "view source window" but there was no info from docu or ppl about how to achiewe such a change.

This fix/work_around makes several "undefined messages" in Tools/Privacy visible.
I do not want that anyone thinks that they are new.

Some of these messages could be currently avoided but not all.

@Brian - languages ought to be fun. Much of traditional language teaching is
outdated. Ur German teacher sounds like modern, well informed & successfull.
maybe should You go to German class and learn to talk about browser.

It ´d be fun because German pc language = Denglisch (Denglish - De & Englisch)
= a mixture of German Grammar and words mostly verbs with English pc terms.

I also dislike installers because they set by default the new installed browser and I prefer to use my own version. But we are working for the main users and not for us, people which have little to no idea of how does K-Meleon work so they will prefer an installer for sure to make it easier.

@Enaitz,

No, because K-Meleon installer give the choise of the protocols and extensions you want to open with K-Meleon.

If you uncheck all protocols and all extension, the version you're installing don't become the default browser.

A+

@ Alain
I am new using the NSIS program for the installer,
and up to now I only managed to use the ziptoexe
installer, which has no choices except to choose
the directory for K-Meleon.
NSIS has no wizard, and I still try to find out how
I can add a directory to the example.nsi instead
of files. Dorian is very busy at the moment, and
cannot help much. May be you could send me an
old .nsi, which you used for your versions, and I
could try to adapt it by exchanging file names
with the ones of my version.
Or may be a simple installer, like the one I
have already made would be sufficient ?
It is not difficult for a user to add a desktop icon,
and it would still be an installer version.
Regards
Fred

@Fred
Try using the same installer as Hao as it has more features/options.

Brian

@ bst82551
What is the name of this installer ?
I thought that he also uses NSIS, Dorian does.
It is not that it has only few features, it is only difficult
to learn how it works in a short time span.
Fred

@Fred, I'll send you my last nsi file for En4 (a little updated to allow Windows XP and w2000 registration).

As I haven't it here, I'll send it this evening.

Have you look at my page, There's the Fr2 nsi file and explanations on how to use it.

Try to install it, with all the tools and for example the nsi editor, and this evening I send you the nsi file.

ok ?

A+

Thank you Alain !
Fred

@Fred:

in your mail

A+

I don't know which kind Hao uses as it doesn't say it anywhere within the installer, so you'd have to ask him... but from how it looks, I don't think you'll be needing that information.

Brian

An interesting thread opener, it rather spookily follows Carson's line of thinking -

I agree
I'm o'k for myself as I've been popping in here regularly and can vaguely keep track frpm a layman's perspective.

I suppose I was fortunate enough to arrive hear on the heels of the last official release which simplified things and because of this I concentrated on asking about tweaks for it and didn't go near the unofficial versions for months.

I can't even begin to post about k-meleon on other non related forums
because it is too involved to explain to non browser literate persons

rgds

I took your advice and installed Brun's 1.7.12 patch. Worked flawlessly, no hitches at all, so it will do just fine until the next official version. Didn't interefere at all with the hacks Douglas had worked out to relocate the profile, and unpatched installations still happily use the same profile as the patched ones (I'll get around to the others, eventually).

Gee, I didn't expect to start such a prolific thread, but I think it's been worthwhile.

Somersault