I guess I never used Flock to its greatest extent. While posting about one of my BlogDay 2006 submissions this week, I found yet another article about Flock. That seems to be going around a lot, lately. A year ago, all the blog submissions about Flock were of how terrible this new, wannabe-Firefox browser was. But that was then. In the last two months there has been a flurry of activity in the Blogdom about the little browser that could … and all of it that I’ve read has been positive to the nth degree.
But not much has changed about Flock since a year ago, except for the addition of numerous extensions and added stability. Why, then, was everyone so adamantly opposed to this newcomer? Mainly, because it was different. From my personal experience, I had grown accustomed to the layout of Firefox. I knew how the browser worked, and I knew where to find changes I wanted to make. But Flock was different. Not better or worse, per se, just different. Most people don’t like change, particularly if there’s no foreseeable advantage. But that is exactly why there have been so many posts about Flock recently. People are finally starting to discover the advantages of this browser.
When we all switched from IE, the reasons were obvious. Safety was the main concern. I didn’t like the idea of my browser leaving behind a breadcrumb trail of my browsing history for some spyware program to follow. Sure, there were other, more aesthetic reasons for switching, but mainly it was driven by paranoia. However, Flock is based on Firefox, so there’s no difference in the way the two handle your Personally Identifiable Information. Trust me, though, that is where the similarities end. Flock integrates with your social bookmarking service (such as del.icio.us), your photo sharing service (like flickr or photobucket), and even your blog. I’m using WordPress, and Flock plugs right in like the two were made for each other. This post, for instance, was published right from the Flock blogging screen (which can be accessed by pushing Ctrl + B, or by selecting the Tools menu, and then selecting Blog from the list.) It seems that this browser has everything you need built in.
Photo sharing couldn’t be easier, too. If you have some images you want to share with the world (or just your friends), you can hit Ctrl + Shift + U to get a photo upload dialog, or select the Tools menu and then Photo Uploader from the list. And when you’re done uploading, you can further develop your shared images homepage (mine is with flickr) by adding a personal profile and more information about your pictures. And the coolest feature I found with this photo sharing savviness is that it seamlessly synchronizes with your blog, requiring little extra input from you. Need a pic in the new article you started from your browser? Just open your images toolbar (which can be accessed from a button right next to the homepage button) and drag the desired pic to your post. Voila. It will ask you what alt text to add, and then Flock does the rest. That’s about as easy as it gets.
Bookmark sharing was a challenge for me at first, mostly because I had an older version of Flock I was using (it was left over from my previous trial of the software), but a quick and simple upgrade was all that was required to get del.icio.us working just fine. I had been wanting a social bookmarking service simply because I float from computer to computer, and I wanted a way to access my favorites from any of them. Flock does this with ease. And adding a site to your collection is child’s play: you just click the blue star next to the address box. A window pops up asking you the details of the site, and then you click “Okay.” The bookmark is added to your browser’s list, and if you so desire, your social bookmark page, too. This is a functionality lacking in every other browser. Then again, all of these functions are unique to Flock.
I was a little wary about posting to my blog via Flock’s built-in blogging tool. I’m a code-slinger at heart, and want absolute control over the way my posts display. But I was comforted when I saw the “Source” button in the blogging window. Clicking that button shows you the code of your post, and you can cut and edit to your heart’s content. Yet, one thing I noticed is this is generally unnecessary, as the code it makes is quite beautiful. The only thing I don’t like is it capitalizes some tags, which is semantically appropriate for sites with a HTML 4.01 Document Type Declaration (which mine has), but is not valid for those sites using a XHTML DTD. This is where the Source button comes in. After you punch in your post, you have the ability (if you want) to inspect every tag and class and make sure they all fit your liking. And since you don’t have to wait for a site to load (the blogging window opens almost immediately) the whole blogging process happens much quicker.
I am thoroughly pleased with the progress these guys have made with this browser. All of the major services they were shooting for in the beginning are working better than ever. And the browser itself is running smoother than Firefox ever could. One of my biggest issues with the old Flock was that it became unstable under a heavy load. But I just had 22 tabs open without even a whimper from Flock. It didn’t slow down in the least. That is the mark of a great browser. Don’t let the “Beta” status fool you; this browser is ready for the big time.
~Jonathan
Blogged with Flock
Burn this feed.
