[1315] in Release_7.7_team
All Aboard for Netscape 4.05
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Todd Belton)
Thu Jun 18 12:31:24 1998
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 12:31:16 -0400
From: Todd Belton <tbelton@MIT.EDU>
To: itit@MIT.EDU, release-team@MIT.EDU, ops@MIT.EDU, f_l@MIT.EDU
Apologies, first off, to those of you who are on multiple lists and
therefore may see multiple copies of this, especially Ted T'so, whom I
believe will see this four times :)
As some of you have already been told in person, the 'cwis-agents'
(formerly cwis-dev) team has begun to put into effect a plan to make
Netscape 4.05 the default browser. The date set for the changeover is
*27 July 1998*.
Netscape 3.01 will not be removed from the infoagents locker in the near
future, so don't panic. We are perfectly aware that some people will
prefer to keep using it.
We know of many issues which need to be discussed, decided, implemented,
etc before that date. Our current to-do list is below. We are ALSO aware
that there are probably several issues we've missed. If you have any
complaints, concerns, and so forth, please send them to me or tell me
about them in person. My office is E40-347 and my phone is 3-1308.
The to-do list will continue to be updated and revised at
http://web.mit.edu/tbelton/www/netscape405.htm
-Todd Belton
---
These are in no particular order:
Notify all parties who need to know way ahead of time (i.e. now).
Add an option to Dash to launch the old 3.01 Netscape, and change Dash
generic 'netscape' item to run the new one.
Notify any technical writer folks who will need the information.
Figure out and implement the set of optimal defaults. Issues include:
- Java and JavaScript - enabled? Disabled?
- Optimal font sizes
- Location for cache needs to be correct
- Server settings for Netscape mail
- and others
[Perusing the fix-netscape script from 3.01 will be a useful guideline
here.]
Find out which user prefs will transfer over from 3.01 and deal with the
ones which won't.
Make sure that the mime-types are correct and complete in 4.05.
Make sure that our list of essential plugins is present and working in
4.05. [For that matter, create a list of 'essential' plugins.]
Create a definititive document on when certificates will come over from
3.01 OK and when they won't. [Viz. Lee Ridgeway]
Set up a warning for first-time users of 4.05 that they may have to
apply for new certificates - exact language pending the results of the
above. Make it fairly hard to ignore, possibly sending twice or using
global message-of-the-day methods, or a combination. [Bear in mind that
notification will have to happen once when the change actually takes
place, and again at the start of the fall semester for students.]
Make every effort possible to look for rogue apps or plugins that people
are using in conjunction with 3.01. Find out whether they'll work in
4.05, and whether we want to do anything more than offer condolences if
they don't. :)
Document whether bookmarks migrate.
Get Alex Prengel to update what-runs-where.
Tell The Tech.
Coordinate with release-team - the Athena release schedule may affect
the optimal timing on some of this. [For example, it may be useful to
change the symlinks for the Athena versions being tested, so that the
symlinks can get tested as well.]
Change the symlinks in infoagents, of course; the fundamental step, and
probably the last thing to be done. :)
