If I were to compile a list of applications that I use most often on my Linux desktop right now, it would look something like this:
- Vim
- Konsole
- Firefox
- Sylpheed
- Konversation
- Rhythmbox
- KSnapshot
- Gimp
- Gaim
- Akregator
Now, I’m only including desktop apps, not utilities — otherwise I’d also be including SSH, sudo, apt-get, ls, cp, mv, etc. And I’m not including “Web 2.0″ apps that I use often, like Gmail, del.icio.us, WordPress, etc. I get to those through Firefox — which is probably the most rapidly changing application on that list. Vim and Konsole, for example, are relatively stable apps — sure, they get new features occasionally, and still undergo regular development, but they don’t really change that much between new versions. The same is pretty true for most of the apps — Gaim hasn’t revved in a while (though 2.0 is still on the burner), KSnapshot is pretty basic and feature-complete as it is. Konversation has just about everything I’d want for IRC already.
But Firefox is still adding features and evolving pretty rapidly. I had the chance to sit down for a bit with Mozilla’s Mike Schroepfer at OSCON, and took the opportunity to talk to him about the upcoming 2.0 release, and other things that the Moz folks are working on. Check out the article at NewsForge for more, and video of Schroepfer talking about new features in Firefox and what’s ahead for JavaScript. (It’s so much nicer, I think, to be behind the camera for this sort of thing.)
