SeaMonkey 2.53.7
The Mozilla backend code SeaMonkey is based on, now usually incorporatesbreaking changes in every release. This is especially true for the Mozilla Geckoadd-ons code and the JavaScript interpreter. Consequently, some older extensionsmay no longer function properly. If you experience any problems pleaserefer to the troubleshooting section first. Especially try to disable extensionsfirst and check if this makes a difference.
Important only if you upgrade from 2.49.5 or an earlier version:Due to changes in the user profile, if you have set a master password, you willhave to remove itbefore upgrading to SeaMonkey 2.53.7. After asuccessful upgrade, don't forget to manually remove the files key3.db and cert8.dbin your profile afterwards, as they include credentials and passwords no longerprotected by a master password. You can find the path to your profile folderentering the specialabout:support URL in a SeaMonkey browser window.
You can remove your master password by providing an empty password in the"Change Master Password" dialog.Do not use the "Reset Password" function.You will lose all stored passwords this way.
If you have a SeaMonkey 2.53.1 or 2.53.2 language pack installed you need toremove it before upgrading to this version. These language pack versionswere marked to be compatible with all Seamonkey 2.53.x releases and causebreakage when used with a different version. You can then install one of theprovided 2.53.7 language packs from the download section afterinstallation of the base product.
For SeaMonkey 2.53.7, the following extensions are included.
- ChatZilla
- DOM Inspector
- Lightning
Beta versions also contain the following extension.
- SeaMonkey Debug and QA UI
These release notes describe system requirements, installation instructions,and known issues for SeaMonkey 2.53.7 up to/including SeaMonkey 2.53.7.These notes are updated when we receive feedback, so please check backfor new information.
What's New in SeaMonkey 2.53.7
SeaMonkey 2.53.7 contains (among other changes) the following major changes relative toSeaMonkey 2.53.6:
- Remove Flash and NPAPI supportbug 1688415.
- Switch packaged extensions to be globalbug 1659298.
- Add Insert Forms to Composerbug 1684611.
- Fix an issue with copying to IMAP sent folder and some reference count leaks in mailnewsbug 1689890.
- Tailing to delay tracker requests and enhance performance has been enabledbug 1358060.
- Fix an issue with favorite and recent folders not showing in macOSbug 1695869.
- Various security and general platform fixes.
- The ChatZilla source has been integrated into SeaMonkey and no longer needs to be checked out separately if you build your own releasebug 1551033.
SeaMonkey 2.53.7 contains (among other changes) the following major changes relative toSeaMonkey 2.49.5:
- The Bookmarks Manager has switched its name to Library, and now also includes the History list. When invoking History, the Library will be shown with the History list selected. The extensive modifications were needed because of Mozilla Gecko platform API changes.
- Download Manager has been migrated to a new API. Although it looks pretty much the same as before, the search option is missing and some other minor details work differently. The previous downloads history is removed during the upgrade.
- The layout panel was added to the CSS Grid tools.
- TLS 1.3 is the default SSL version now.
- Support for all NPAPI plugins like Flash, Java and Silverlight has been removed. For displaying pdf files in the browser you can use pdf.js-seamonkey from Isaac Schemm.
- SeaMonkey now uses a new api for formatting regional data like time and date. Default is to use the application locale of the current SeaMonkey build. If you use a language pack or a different OS formatting this is usually not desired. You can change the formatting from the application locale to the regional settings locale (OS) in the preferences dialog under "Appearance".
SeaMonkey 2.53.7 uses the same backend as Firefox and contains the relevantFirefox 60.8 security fixes.
SeaMonkey 2.53.7 shares most parts of the mail and news code with Thunderbird.Please read theThunderbird 60.0 release notes forspecific changes and security fixes in this release.
Additional important security fixes up to Current Firefox 78.8ESR and a few enhancements have been backported. We will continue to enhanceSeaMonkey security in subsequent 2.53.x beta and release versions as fast as weare able to.
SeaMonkey-specific changes
- SeaMonkey now uses gtk3 on Linux. If you experience a problem because of this please file a bug and link it tobug 1367257. Please try another OS theme first. Some of them are buggy and cause problems with SeaMonkey, Thunderbird and Firefox.
Downloading
The SeaMonkey project provides official versions and language packs ofSeaMonkey 2.53.7 for Windows, Linux and macOS in US English anda small variety of other languages. Community volunteers are also contributingbuilds for other platforms. You can
downloadSeaMonkey 2.53.7 here.
System Requirements, Installation and Uninstallation
Before installing, make sure your computer meets the
system requirements.
Please note that the new Windows x64 version will only support Windows 7 x64and up. You need to uninstall a previous Windows x86 version if you want to useit. Installing the x64 over the old x86 is not supported and does not removethe old version which might cause problems later.
SeaMonkey 2.53.7 will no longer offer to migrate your data from SeaMonkey1.x or Mozilla 1.x at the first start after installation (
bug 689437).In order to upgrade from such an old version, install the last SeaMonkey 2.0release first, do the one-time profile upgrade, uninstall SeaMonkey 2.0 andthen install your target release (e.g. this one).
If you are on an older release we suggest upgrading to SeaMonkey 2.49.5first.You can find more details about installation, profile data and uninstallationin our
install and uninstalldocument.
Extensions (Add-ons) and Themes
Extensions and Themes for SeaMonkey 2.53.7 can be installed from theSeaMonkey Add-Onswebsite or the "Get Add-Ons" section in the Add-ons Manager.
Extensions with binary components such as Enigmail only work for the specificplatform they are released (e.g. win extension for Windows, linux64 for Linux64 bits). Besides, matching version of extensions for SeaMonkey may not be thelatest available of those versions. Therefore, they need to be adjusted foreach new SeaMonkey release, which also means that an old version of such anadd-on can break SeaMonkey if you disabled compatibility checking (which e.g.happens when you install the Add-on Compatibility Reporter add-on). Please,note the following warnings and advice regarding extensions:
- ForEnigmail, please refer to theEnigmail page.
The latest supported version is 2.0.9 Enigmail but there have been some problems reported against it. - Adblock Plus 2.9.1 may cause huge memory and CPU consumption and is not recommended or officially supported in this SeaMonkey version. Consider switching to uBlock.
- Lightbird 0.7.1. is not compatible with this version. The message preview pane will not update itself correctly.
- The latest 1.16.x working version of uBlock can be foundhere. Please install the latest legacy version.
- The latest working version of NoScript Classic 5.x can be foundhere.
- Dictionaries in WebExtension formats donot work, even though they appear to install correctly. Support for them will be added at a later date. Please install the latest classic version from the dictionary history.
- Lightweight themes are no longer provided on the SeaMonkey Add-ons site.
- Full theme add-ons may need changes because of user interface and internal changes. If you find any problem with themes, contact the theme author. Before reporting a problem with the user interface please make sure to recreate it with either the Classic or Modern theme.
- Because of security backports which removed obsolete code, Session Manager add-on version 0.8.1.14 or above is required to be compatible with current and future 2.53 releases.
Known Issues
This list covers some of the known problems with SeaMonkey 2.53.7.Please read this before reporting any new bugs.
- Clearing the browser history during shutdown does currently not work. Please use "Tools->Clear Private Data" as a workaround. The problem is tracked inbug 1621445
- Opening single new tabs from the Library always loads them in the foreground. The problem is tracked inbug 1619108
- SeaMonkey will not start under Linux if you downloaded the wrong package.
We are providing x86 and x64 versions of SeaMonkey for Linux. For newer distributions you probably need the Linux x64 version. - Lightning or one of the distributed extensions is disabled under Add-ons.
Starting with SeaMonkey 2.53.7b1 the distributed extensions can no longer be removed. If you have previously enabled one then under some circumstance it might be disabled during the upgrade process. If the extension is disabled and can not be enabled then it is because an old or incompatible version is still present in your profile.
To clean out old versions use the following instructions:- Enter "about:config" in the location bar.
- Enter "extensions.installedDistroAddon" in the search field.
- Reset (delete) all keys found.
- Open the Add-ons Manager. If the "remove" button is shown for the disabled extension use it. Stored data like your personal calendars will not be removed by this action.
- Restart SeaMonkey.
- Disable any distributed extension you do not wish to use.
- Unable to connect to secure sites and a certificate error is shown.
In 99% of all cases this issue is caused by the same problem. Your antivirus software or custom firewall acts as a man in the middle and intercepts secure https traffic. In order to intercept and scan this encrypted network traffic, it normally uses a vendor specific certificate which is not installed by default in SeaMonkey by the third party software installer. If you want to keep this feature working you need to install one or more certificate(s) from the antivirus software in SeaMonkey. You need to ask your antivirus software vendor where they are located. Consult the SeaMonkey online help to find out how you can import and manage certificates. - If you experience a hang and/or get a message box warning that a script is busy when opening the Data Manager try deleting the webappsstore.* files from your profile folder when SeaMonkey is not running. These files contain data stored by websites and will be recreated during the next start. If you are unsure if the information is needed please back up the files before deleting them. The problem is tracked inbug 1305624 but so far no coding error has been found. This problem has been reported frequently when trying to manage passwords. But the problem will generally happen just after you open the Data Manager, because this component is also used for managing cookies, site preferences permissions and other settings.
- If you are running Windows 7 "Send to > Mail recipient" might not work. More information can be found inbug 1356902. As a workaround install the "Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 to 2019" redistributable runtime library. For x86 install theVS2019 x86 runtime.
If you are using the x64 build install theVS2019 x64 runtime. SeaMonkey was built using the latest VS2019 compiler so make sure to upgrade any older VS2017 runtime. - If you experience a delay showing the first page after start, please delete the Safebrowsing folder in your profile. Bad Safebrowsing data may delay showing the first page for up to 30 seconds. The problem is tracked inbug 1432274. This can occur even if you are not using Safebrowsing because the lists are always fetched.
- SeaMonkey does not currently support the WebExtensions add-on api. Some popular add-ons like NoScript and uBlock Origin are no longer shown because of this on the SeaMonkey add-ons website. You can usually get them from the manufacturers site. WebExtensions support is a planned feature for 2.57. For dictionaries please install the latest non webext version.
- The SSL 3.0 encryption protocol is no longer supported due to security concerns (bug 1106470). Legacy websites may still rely on it and will not work with the newer TLS 1.x protocols. Contact the website administrator to update their server to resolve the issue at the source.
- The Remember Passwords add-on breaks password handling. Please disable or uninstall this add-on using the Add-ons Manager.
- You cannot set up a new Sync account or pair a device anymore (bug 998807).
- Data loss warning: If you use a profile with this or any later version and then try to go back to SeaMonkey 2.49.5 or earlier, SeaMonkey will rename your bookmarks and history file to places.sqlite.corrupt and create a new places.sqlite file, effectively resetting your browsing history. This is because the internal format changed and the upgrade process only works in one direction. Additionally, running MailNews with local folders and POP3 mail filters may produce summary files that are not correctly read by previous versions of SeaMonkey. If you decide to go back to a previous version of SeaMonkey, you should do it from a profile backup only. Stored passwords will also be unavailable.
- After creating a news account through clicking a news URL, the MailNews account wizard may be broken (the account type will always be News). To work around the problem, set the mail.server.serverX.valid pref (where X is the internal number of the corresponding news account) to true in about:config, or delete the invalid news account (bug 521861).
- WebRTC has been disabled by default. It needs an add-on to enable it per site. See the webrtc-permissions-ui-toggle add-on.
- Web pages may appear differently in the MailNews feed reader than in the browser (bug 662907). Workaround: Add a "noscript {display:none}" rule to youruserContent.css (note that the Stylish add-on cannot be used here since it does not integrate with the MailNews feed reader).
- Lightning keyboard shortcuts for accessing the calendar tab from within the MailNews window or from the main menu (Ctrl+Shift+C/D) do not work. (bug 514512).
- If you try to start SeaMonkey using a locked profile, it will crash (seebug 573369).
- Linux:
- SeaMonkey 2.53.7b1 can not be automatically updated to later beta versions as it is set to the wrong update channel. To overcome this, make sure SeaMonkey 2.53.7b1 is not running, edit the channel-prefs.js file located in the defaults/pref directory of the installation directory for SeaMonkey 2.53.7b1 and change the app.update.channel pref from "release" to "beta". When SeaMonkey is restarted it should then find future beta releases.
- Windows:
- You might not be able to install SeaMonkey in Windows 10 if you have turned on the Windows Defender Smartscreen feature. Your SeaMonkey download will be blocked in the case. To overcome this go to "Windows Security->App & browser control" in the new Windows Settings and set the "Check apps and files" setting to Warn from Block.
- Antivirus scanners may report that some parts of SeaMonkey (e.g. the file freebl3.dll) are suspicious. If you downloaded SeaMonkey from one of the official download sites, this is a false alarm. You might experience problems with secure websites when this happens. To fix the issue, instruct your antivirus software to ignore these files (and move them out of quarantine) and/or switch to another antivirus software and reinstall SeaMonkey.
- Mac:
- The scrollbar is not always visible on some websites under recent macOS versions (10.15 upwards) see bug 1684651.
- You might not be able to install SeaMonkey under recent macOS versions. In this case please read Open a Mac app from an unidentified developer for a solution.
- When hardware acceleration is off, background colors in the UI (toolbar, status bar etc.) might not update correctly when you switch focus from/to a window. Users running Macs with certain older hardware will experience this even if they haven't turned off hardware acceleration in Preferences (Appearance/Content) (bug 626096).
- SeaMonkey 2.53.7b1 can not be automatically updated to later beta versions as it is set to the wrong update channel. To overcome this, make sure SeaMonkey 2.53.7b1 is not running, edit the channel-prefs.js file located in the Contents/Resources/defaults/pref folder of the installation folder for SeaMonkey 2.53.7b1 and change the app.update.channel pref from "release" to "beta". When SeaMonkey is restarted it should then find future beta releases.
Troubleshooting
Frequently Asked Questions
- What can I do to help?
- We need help from developers and the testing community to provide as much feedback as possible to make SeaMonkey even better. Please read these notes and theBug Writing Guidelines before reporting any bugs toBugzilla.
- Why haven't you responded to the mail I sent you?
- Use the alt.comp.software.seamonkey newsgroup or the SeaMonkey forums onmozillaZine. The SeaMonkey team read them regularly, and your email may have gotten lost.
- Where can I get extensions and themes (add-ons)?
- Extensions andThemes can be downloaded fromSeaMonkey Add-ons.
- Who makes SeaMonkey?
- Lots of people. See Help->About SeaMonkey, contributors for a list of some of the people who have contributed to Mozilla and SeaMonkey.
- Where's the SeaMonkey 2.53.7 source code?
- A tarball of the SeaMonkey 2.53.7 source code is available at thedownload page. The latest development code can be obtained from thesource repository. SeaMonkey-specific source is in the "suite" directory. Please follow thebuild instructions. We provide source code for 2.53.1 and future releases ongitlab accessible using the web components polyfill add-on.
- Can I remove the tool- and menubar grippies?
- You can remove the tool- and menubar grippies by setting the preference "browser.toolbars.grippyhidden" to "true".
Other Resources and Links
The following resources contain useful information about SeaMonkey 2.53.7: