Classilla project aims to update Mozilla for OS 9

As a Mac-centric news source, we consider it our job--nay, our duty--to keep you informed about the latest software updates. And so, it is with that mission in mind that we bring you the details on Classilla, a port of Mozilla to Mac OS 9.

Yes, Mac OS 9. Despite its appearance in a coffin back at WWDC 2002, it appears that the erstwhile Mac OS still has enough undead users for there to be a demand for modern Web-browsing. The Classilla team has its work cut out for it, though. The program is based on WaMCoM, a port of Mozilla to the classic Mac OS that was last updated in 2003. The current release of Classilla introduces many recent critical patches to that build, hopefully increasing the security of the browser.

[ Discover the key Mac and Apple tech trends for business users. Read InfoWorld's Technology: Mac newsletter. ]

While it's been years since I had to use OS 9 regularly, every once in a while I have stumbled on a computer running it--it's a fun experience, in the same way that occasionally busting out the Atari 2600 and playing a few rounds of Combat or Pole Position is--but at the end of the day, boy is it a relief to go back to OS X. And there is a paucity of good browsers on OS 9; when you're stuck with IE 5.1 or Netscape, it's difficult to do even the simplest of Web-based tasks.

If you want to contribute to the Classilla project, you could do so by volunteering to help program, or even by just becoming a user and testing it where possible. You will, of course, need an OS 9 installation to do so, and if you've still got an active one of those floating around, well, more power to you.

[via Slashdot]