Flock - the social web browser

June 15, 6:33 PMDes Moines Internet ExaminerRobert Anhalt

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I use the Internet to communicate with my friends, family and strangers. To accomplish this, I (obviously) have a website, but I'm on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, as well as all major chat services. The problem is, doing all that with individual programs takes up system resources. Plus, I have to log into all my websites to check for updates and messages. I was pleasantly surprised when I found the Flock web browser.

Flock uses the Gecko v1.8.1 browser platform, more commonly found in Firefox 2, Netscape 9 and Camino v1.5.5. It's a little out of date compared to Firefox 3, but the features found in it make up for the (not even) old engine. Flock 2 is currently in beta and uses Gecko v2. Seeing how it uses the Gecko platform, it is available on Windows, Mac and Linux, just like it's relatives.

Let's talk about features. Flock contains a sidebar that allows you to monitor all your social networking sites at a glance. You have to log into them once normally, but you can save your info into the browser and it will show you (something like) an RSS feed of updates. You can look at them through individual tabs, or view a blended feed.

One of the most used features of the Gecko platform is the ability to use themes and extensions. The default Firefox look has always felt bland an unoriginal, but Flock uses a beveled/gradient look that makes it look more Web 2.0. Above the social sidebar, there is an app menu for accessing e-mail, photo, RSS feeds and other common tools. Of course, looks shouldn't be the primary factor in deciding what (anything) to use, but it's very much a browser for the "new-age" user.

Keep in mind that Flock is not developed by Mozilla; it is an independent company that has the rights to use Mozilla's technology. Also, there's a downside to having such a cool browser - it's too cluttered. There comes a point when you are tied into too many social scenes where you forget that you're doing it all through a web browser and you can't browse the web anymore! Effectively, the more you use Flock for social networking, the less you'll be able to use it a web browser.

Boiled down, Flock is a social networking client with an integrated web browser. It's more like a coincidence that it actually browses. I don't use this as my primary web browser. I will always use Firefox when I have some serious browsing to do (opening a dozen tabs at once and reading all my news), but when I just want to check my various social sites at a glance, without having to check each individually, Flock is definitely useful.

Pros

• Web browsing and social networking in one program
• Tabbed social sidebar to manage networks
• More attractive (animated) theme
• Cross-Platform

Cons

• Outdated engine
• More use = less web browsing
• Address bar does not perform Google "lucky search"
• Default Yahoo! search bar