Mycroft project
Encyclopedia
The Mycroft project provides a collection of search plugin
s for Mozilla
-based web browser
s. The open source
project is hosted on Mozdev.org
and has been in existence since 2000. The project is named after Mycroft Holmes
, the fictional older, smarter, and less ambitious brother of Sherlock Holmes
, as a reference to Mycroft being based on Apple Computer
's Sherlock
search technology.
A search plug-in provides the ability to access a search engine (or other websites with a search feature, e.g. Wikipedia
) from a web browser, without having to go to its website first.
Technically, a search plug-in is a small text file that 'tells' a computer what information to send to a search engine and how the results are to be retrieved.
Search plugin
A search plugin provides the ability to access a search engine from a web browser, without having to go to the engine's website first.Technically, a search plugin is a small text file that tells the browser what information to send to a search engine and how the results are to be retrieved...
s for Mozilla
Mozilla
Mozilla is a term used in a number of ways in relation to the Mozilla.org project and the Mozilla Foundation, their defunct commercial predecessor Netscape Communications Corporation, and their related application software....
-based web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
s. The open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
project is hosted on Mozdev.org
Mozdev.org
mozdev.org is a website that offers free project hosting and software development tools to the Mozilla community. Many Firefox extensions are hosted on the site, but Thunderbird and SeaMonkey extensions and stand-alone Mozilla-based applications can also be found. It is free to set up a project...
and has been in existence since 2000. The project is named after Mycroft Holmes
Mycroft Holmes
Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character in the stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. He is the elder brother of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes.- Profile :...
, the fictional older, smarter, and less ambitious brother of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
, as a reference to Mycroft being based on Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
's Sherlock
Sherlock (software)
Sherlock, named after Sherlock Holmes, was a file and web search tool created by Apple Inc. for the Mac OS, introduced with Mac OS 8.5 as an extension of the Mac OS Finder's file searching capabilities. Like its predecessor, it can search for local files and file contents, which it does using the...
search technology.
Browser compatibility
Search plugins on Mycroft are compatible with the following:- Mozilla FirefoxMozilla FirefoxMozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. , Firefox is the second most widely used browser, with approximately 25% of worldwide usage share of web browsers...
- Mozilla Application SuiteMozilla Application SuiteThe Mozilla Application Suite is a cross-platform integrated Internet suite. Its development was initiated by Netscape Communications Corporation, before their acquisition by AOL. It is based on the source code of Netscape Communicator...
- NetscapeNetscape (web browser)Netscape 7 was a series of proprietary cross-platform Internet suites created by Netscape Communications Corporation and then in-house by AOL to continue the Netscape series after Netscape 6. There were three main editions released from the Netscape 7 series; being Netscape 7.0, 7.1 and 7.2...
7 - Internet Explorer 7
- Google ChromeGoogle ChromeGoogle Chrome is a web browser developed by Google that uses the WebKit layout engine. It was first released as a beta version for Microsoft Windows on September 2, 2008, and the public stable release was on December 11, 2008. The name is derived from the graphical user interface frame, or...
- Beonex CommunicatorBeonex CommunicatorBeonex Communicator was an open source internet suite based on the Mozilla Application Suite by Ben Bucksch, a German Mozilla developer, which have a higher security and privacy level than other commercial products....
A search plug-in provides the ability to access a search engine (or other websites with a search feature, e.g. Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
) from a web browser, without having to go to its website first.
Technically, a search plug-in is a small text file that 'tells' a computer what information to send to a search engine and how the results are to be retrieved.