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I'm confused about the different Mozilla flavors. I understand that FireFox is the browser and Thunderbird is an e-mail client ... If I were to download the Mozilla suite, would that include both, or is the Mozlla browser (that is part of the Mozilla suite) somewhat different from the FireFox browser? Is Camino simply FireFox with an OS X GUI or is it different? What is the difference between installing the Mozilla Camino browser on my mac ... and skinning the FireFox browser on my mac with a custom theme? (Sorry, I don't mean to start talking about OS X in a Windows forum ... this is just a general mozilla question)

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Short version: the old “Mozilla suite” (the Mozilla Application Suite) was an all‑in‑one package — browser, mail/newsgroups, an HTML editor (Composer), IRC (ChatZilla) and an address book — whereas Firefox and Thunderbird are standalone apps that were split out when the Foundation refocused in 2005. The suite lived on as the community project SeaMonkey if you want an integrated package today. Mozilla Application Suite, SeaMonkey. (en.wikipedia.org)

As pointed out, Firefox isn’t just a “skinned” version of the suite’s browser — it was rewritten as a purpose‑built, lighter browser with its own extension and theming system. Themes change the UI chrome and icons; they don’t convert Firefox into a native Mac app or give it native OS controls. If your goal is cross‑browser layout testing (as mentioned), keep a real copy of Firefox rather than relying on a cosmetic theme. Firefox — official. (mozilla.org)

Camino was a separate Mac‑only project that used Mozilla’s Gecko rendering engine but implemented a native Cocoa UI so it felt “Mac like” and integrated with Address Book/Keychain/Bonjour. That made it different in kind from merely theming Firefox, but the project was later discontinued and is not safe for modern use. For Mac testing today prefer a maintained browser (Safari or Firefox). Camino (history/stop). (en.wikipedia.org)

Practical picks: keep Firefox for layout checks, keep an up‑to‑date mail client (Thunderbird) if you want bundled mail, and use SeaMonkey only if you specifically want the old all‑in‑one workflow. Avoid discontinued projects (Camino) for security reasons. Thunderbird. (thunderbird.net)

Member Avatar for silverdye97

I'm confused about the different Mozilla flavors. I understand that FireFox is the browser and Thunderbird is an e-mail client ... If I were to download the Mozilla suite, would that include both, or is the Mozlla browser (that is part of the Mozilla suite) somewhat different from the FireFox browser? Is Camino simply FireFox with an OS X GUI or is it different? What is the difference between installing the Mozilla Camino browser on my mac ... and skinning the FireFox browser on my mac with a custom theme? (Sorry, I don't mean to start talking about OS X in a Windows forum ... this is just a general mozilla question)

Firefox is basically a lite version of Mozilla. It was started off as an offshoot of Mozilla Corp. to be a streamlined, less bulky, fast browser with the basic functions needed in a browser. However, it still includes things like tabbed browsing and popup blockers, and there are a huge amount of extensions available for download if you need more features. The Mozilla suite would come with the Mozilla browser (bulkier, more features, takes longer to load) and Thunderbird.

Then the difference between Camino and Firefox is basically that although they use the same rendering engine - Gecko - Camino was built on the Mac OS native user interface (Cocoa), so it has a more native Mac feel and better integration with Mac utilities like Address Book, Rendezvous, and Keychain. Firefox has the cross-platform compatible XUL interface, which allows you to use add ons made for other platforms on your Mac (and most aren't normally made for Macs).

I use a Windows platform, and I personally prefer Firefox to Mozilla (although with some very necessary extensions).

Member Avatar for Dani

Thanks! I m actually an IE user all the way but I keep FireFox installed so that I can make sure my websites look proper in it.

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