Software:Flock (web browser)

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Short description: Discontinued web browser integrating social networking and Web 2.0 features
Flock
Flock icon.png
Flock Screenshot.png
Flock 3.5.3 running on Windows 7 displaying its new tab page
Developer(s)Flock, Inc.
Initial releaseApril 11, 2005; 19 years ago (2005-04-11)[1]
Final release3.5.3.4641 (February 1, 2011; 13 years ago (2011-02-01)) [±]
Operating systemWindows, OS X, Linux[2]
Available inCatalan, Chinese (both Traditional and Simplified), English (US, Australian, British, Canadian), Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Italian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal + African Portuguese Speaking Countries and Brazil), Russian, Slovak, Spanish (Latin American and Spain)
TypeWeb browser
Feed reader
LicenseFreeware[3]
WebsiteOfficial website archives

Flock is a discontinued web browser that specialized in providing social networking and Web 2.0 facilities built into its user interface.[4] Earlier versions of Flock used the Gecko HTML rendering engine by Mozilla. Version 2.6.2, released on January 27, 2011, was the last version based on Mozilla Firefox.[5][6] Starting with version 3, Flock was based on Chromium and so used the WebKit rendering engine.[7][8] Flock was available as a free download, and supported Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and, at one time, Linux as well.

Support for Flock was discontinued in April 2011.[9][10]

History

Flock was the successor to Round Two, who raised money from Bessemer Venture Partners, Catamount Ventures, Shasta Ventures and other angel investors. Bart Decrem and Geoffrey Arone co-founded the company.[11] Flock raised $15 million in a fourth round of funding led by Fidelity Ventures on May 22, 2008, for an estimated total of $30 million, according to CNET. The company's previous investors, Bessemer Venture Partners, Catamount Ventures, and Shasta Ventures, also participated in the round.[12]

In January 2011, Flock Inc. was acquired by Zynga.[13] The browser has been discontinued, with support ending April 26, 2011.[14]

Features

Flock 2.5 integrated social networking and media services including MySpace,[15] Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Blogger, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, etc.[16] When logging into any of the supported social services, Flock could track updates from friends: profiles, uploaded photos, and more. Flock 2.5 added Twitter Search functionality, multi-casting of status updates to multiple services, and the introduction of instant messaging via Facebook Chat in the browser.

Other features include:

  • Native sharing of text, links, photos and videos[17]
  • A "Media Bar" showing preview of online videos and photos as well as subscription to photo and video feeds[8][18]
  • A feed reader supporting Atom, RSS, and Media RSS[15] feeds[19]
  • A blog editor and reader, allowing direct posting into any designated blog[20]
  • A Webkit-mail component allowing users to check supported web-based email off site, compose new messages, and drag-and-drop pictures and videos from the "Media Bar" or webclipboard into a new email message[21]
  • Support for third-party add-ons, including a number of Firefox extensions[8][22]

Reception

In December 2007, Flock won the Mashable Open Web Awards for Applications and Widgets[26] and in March 2008, Flock won the South By Southwest[27] Web Award for Community.[28]

CNET gave the Mac OS X version of Flock 1.0 the title of "Best Mac Software of 2007".[29] PC World's Harry McCracken reviewed Flock as his "New Favorite Web Browser".[30]

In February 2008, AOL announced that it would discontinue support for the Netscape browser, and recommended Flock and Firefox as alternative browsers to its userbase of Netscape 9 users.[31] For the Netscape 8 userbase, AOL recommended only the Flock browser to its users.[32] In March 2008, Flock announced that they had seen "nearly 3 million downloads" and a 135% increase in active users in the first two months of 2008. They also announced "more than 70 percent of Flock users making it their default browser of choice".[33]

In May 2008, Flock won the Social Networking category of the Webby Awards.[34][35] Flock was nominated for this award along with Facebook, Bebo and Ning.

When Flock's discontinuation was announced in April 2011, reviewer Joey Sneddon of OMG! Ubuntu! offered the analysis: "Whether this was down to poor implementation design wise (one needs only glance at 'Rockmelt' for an example of a social browser done right) or just general apathy towards having alerts from twitter, flickr, facebook, digg et al. in your face all of the time is moot: Flock has flocked off and for all its innovation it never quite lived up to its own hype."[9]

Awards

Upon exiting beta, Flock won a number of awards:[23]

  • Webby Award in social networking, 2008[24]
  • SXSW community Award, 2008 [23][24]
  • Open Web Award for Applications and Widgets, 2007 [23]
  • "Eddy Winner": Flock 2.0 24th Annual Macworld Editors' Choice Awards [36]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Festa, Paul (11 April 2005). "Start-up wants to improve on Firefox". CNET. http://news.cnet.com/Start-up-wants-to-improve-on-Firefox/2100-1032_3-5663798.html. 
  2. ↑ "Flock Global Page". Softpedia. SoftNews. http://flock.softpedia.com/. 
  3. ↑ "Flock (Discontinued) 3.5.3.4641 / 2.6.1". Softpedia. SoftNews. http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Browsers/Flock-for-Windows.shtml. 
  4. ↑ Flock Browser – Built on Mozilla's Firefox
  5. ↑ "Flock 2.6.2 Release Notes". Flock. http://www.flock.com/release-notes/index.html. 
  6. ↑ "Powered by Mozilla". Flock. http://www.flock.com/mozilla/. 
  7. ↑ Iedtke, Michael (June 16, 2010). "Flock Browser Gets Faster, Friendlier With Upgrade". ABC. https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=10926024. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Wayner, Peter (October 19, 2010). "Top 10 specialty Web browsers you may have missed". InfoWorld. p. 2. http://www.infoworld.com/d/applications/top-10-specialty-web-browsers-you-may-have-missed-026?page=0,2#flock. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sneddon, Joey (April 2011). "End of the line for Flock social browser". OMG Ubuntu. http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/04/end-of-the-line-for-flock-social-browser/. 
  10. ↑ Flock Inc (April 15, 2012). "Support for Flock browsers has been discontinued.". http://www.flock.com/. 
  11. ↑ Flock Browser - Company Info
  12. ↑ "Flock draws $15 million for social browsing". CNET. http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9950303-7.html?dlbk. 
  13. ↑ Wasserman, Todd (2011-01-07). "Zynga Buys Social Web Browser Flock". Mashable. http://mashable.com/2011/01/07/zynga-buys-flock/. 
  14. ↑ Van Grove, Jennifer (2011-04-12). "Flock Shutters Social Web Browser". Mashable. http://mashable.com/2011/04/12/flock-folds/. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Official release announcement on Shawn Hardin's blog
  16. ↑ "Activate Services and Unite Your Social Networks in the People Sidebar". User guides. Flock. http://www.flock.com/user-guide/2.0/advpeop.html. 
  17. ↑ "Share Pictures, Text, Audio and Video". User guides. Flock. http://www.flock.com/user-guide/2.0/advshar.html. 
  18. ↑ "View and Share Media through the Media Bar". User guides. Flock. http://www.flock.com/user-guide/2.0/advmdia.html. 
  19. ↑ "Track Feeds". User guides. Flock. http://www.flock.com/user-guide/2.0/advfeed.html. 
  20. ↑ "Activate and Manage Blogs". User guides. Flock. http://www.flock.com/user-guide/2.0/advblog.html. 
  21. ↑ "Review: Strong, innovative Web browsers emerge". Associated Press. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jrTJ2xmceQU6D6HK9R35lzNyBbhAD91HAHT02. 
  22. ↑ "Get or Build Add-ons for Flock". User guides. Flock. http://www.flock.com/user-guide/2.0/advextd.html. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 "Flock's press". http://flock.com/press. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 "Flock Named As One of PC World's "100 Best Products of 2008"". http://flock.com/node/62277. 
  25. ↑ "The 100 Best Products of 2008". PC World. May 26, 2008. http://www.pcworld.com/article/146161/best.html?page=2. 
  26. ↑ Adam Hirsch 86 (21 December 2007). "Open Web Awards Winners". Mashable.com. http://mashable.com/2007/12/21/open-web-awards-winners/. 
  27. ↑ Web Awards
  28. ↑ McCarthy, Caroline (11 March 2008). "Oh wait! SXSWi had Web Awards, too". cnet.com. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-9890955-36.html. 
  29. ↑ Parker, Jason (20 December 2007). "Best Mac Software of 2007". Download.com. http://www.download.com/8301-2007_4-9835869-12.html. 
  30. ↑ I Have A New Favorite Web Browser: Flock
  31. ↑ "Netscape 9 Users: Time to Flock or Firefox". Blog.netscape.com. 20 February 2008. http://blog.netscape.com/2008/02/20/netscape-9-users-time-to-flock-or-firefox/. 
  32. ↑ "Netscape 8 Update Forthcoming: You Can Flock Too!". Blog.netscape.com. http://blog.netscape.com/2008/03/19/netscape-8-update-forthcoming-you-can-flock-too/. 
  33. ↑ "Flock Browser Use Growing Dramatically". Reuters.com. https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS121331+10-Mar-2008+BW20080310. 
  34. ↑ "2008 Webby Award Winners". Webbyawards.com. http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?season=CURRENT_SEASON#webby_entry_social. 
  35. ↑ Flock Wins a Webby Award for Best in Social Networking
  36. ↑ Michaels, Philip. "Eddy Winner: Flock 2.0". Macworld.com. http://www.macworld.com/article/137269/2008/12/eddyawards_flock2.html. 

External links



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