Rockmelt Blog

Behind the $12 Name – How RockMelt Came to be RockMelt

We’re often asked how we came up with the name “RockMelt,” so we thought we’d tell the story here.

Although our name might make you think of volcanoes and lava, we’re not big geology buffs.

“RockMelt” was the result of a three-week long brainstorming where we came up with names we liked, tried to buy the domain, couldn’t afford the astronomically high price quote, and then had to start all over again.

Some of the names we came up with included Fringe, Groove, Take3, Frowser, Blarge, BamBam, Kodiak, Acunda, Avogadro, Wamp, and Yoke. As ridiculous as some of these may sound, it was nothing compared to the cost of the domain names – some were as high as $500,000!

We found ourselves asking why we didn’t buy a ton of domain names in college. But more importantly, we still needed a different approach to finding a name.

We wanted a name that was memorable, something that was easy to say and easy to spell. We started throwing words we liked up on the whiteboard. There were a lot of different words but we liked “Melt.” Since “Melt” is a soft word, it needed a strong or hard complement. We thought about Diamond, Shark, Mountain, Steel and a host of others but the simplicity of “Rock” stood out. RockMelt.com was unregistered so we jumped on it – for $12, a far cry from the $500,000.

While RockMelt had the right characteristics for a name, we were still worried about the logo and creating the right look and feel. We worked with the good folks at DesignMap in San Francisco to develop the visual identity. We initially started going down the volcano path and came up with some good-looking volcanoes. But when shrunk down to be a desktop icon, even the best brown and triangular volcano looked like a little brown pile of s…. That wasn’t going to work.

We were close to giving up and going back to the drawing board when, on a Friday afternoon, one of the designers at DesignMap did a sketch in his notebook of the Earth. It looked awesome and by Monday, we were settled on the name and making final refinements to the logo.

Now, a year and a half later, we remain in with love the name – it’s the best $12 we’ve ever spent.

Why is RockMelt’s Facebook Permission List so Long? A Closer Look at Each Permission

Before you can test drive RockMelt, you need to give it access to a long list of Facebook permissions. Why does RockMelt need all these permissions and what exactly does it do with them?

The short answer is that RockMelt needs these permissions so it can act on your behalf to do in RockMelt many of the things you would otherwise do on facebook.com. RockMelt does NOT use these permissions to steal your information, spam you or your friends, or post anything without you explicitly telling it to.

Privacy and Trust

Your privacy and trust are very important to us. Our goal is to give you a much better online experience, and we know that we can only do that if you trust us. Without your trust, you would never use RockMelt and neither would anybody else.

That’s why we work hard to continue to earn your trust. RockMelt does not track your website or search history, spam you or your friends, use your data for advertising, or share your data with anyone. If you ever have any questions about anything related to privacy, please contact us at privacy-at-rockmelt.com.

RockMelt and Facebook Permissions

Any time you sign up to use a new Facebook application (like RockMelt), you are presented with a list of permissions the application requires to work. The permissions are broken down into different buckets so you get a better idea what the application will be able to do and also so you don’t give the application more access to your data than it needs. The more an application does, the more permissions it needs, and the longer list you’ll be presented with.

That’s why the permissions list for RockMelt is longer. RockMelt lets you share links, chat with friends and write on their walls, see your Facebook Newsfeed, and do many of the same things you can do on Facebook.com.

RockMelt Facebook Permissions List

As some of you have pointed out, the wording on the Facebook permission list can be a little confusing. This is because the permissions language is written primarily for web applications that access your data while you’re doing something else – like playing a game – and not desktop applications like browsers. With rare exceptions, RockMelt accesses your data only when you explicitly tell it to (more on this later). Because of this, it may be easier to understand the permission RockMelt is asking for by adding a “Use RockMelt to…” in front of the actual wording.

For example, the “Post to my Wall” permission RockMelt asks for is better understood by thinking of it as a request to “Use RockMelt to post to my Wall.”

One more point: It’s important to understand that your Facebook privacy settings are always in place. While RockMelt requests permission to access your Facebook information, RockMelt never lets anyone see information they were not already able to see on facebook.com. If you only share certain pieces of information with certain people, prevent certain friends or applications from seeing your newsfeed or photos, or have any other custom privacy filters, they will all be carried into RockMelt. The information we request is solely for the purpose of giving you a better Facebook experience. It does not change what anyone else can see about you.

Breakdown of RockMelt’s Facebook Permissions

You’ll notice that some of the permissions below give examples of information that may be requested in parentheses. Just because it’s listed does not mean RockMelt requests every item: Facebook tends to “bucket” requests and list out all the potential examples. In the explanation under each permission and where we think there might be confusion, we’ve tried to point out the pieces of information RockMelt uses.

Without further ado, here are the explanations for RockMelt’s Facebook permissions:

• Access my basic information (Includes name, profile picture, gender, networks, user ID, list of friends, and any other information I’ve shared with everyone)

This permission allows RockMelt to access your photo, name, and list of friends, which are used to populate the Friend Edge with your friends and add your profile picture to the upper left corner of the browser.

• Send me email (RockMelt may email me directly at [name@email.com])

This permission is so RockMelt can communicate urgent news or updates to you quickly and easily. We’re a browser, not an email marketing company, and we promise to never spam you or share your info with others!

• Post to my Wall (RockMelt may post status messages, notes, photos, and videos to my Wall)

This permission is needed to allow you to post status updates on your own wall through RockMelt’s sharing features (which is why you might see the “via RockMelt” under Facebook status updates).

RockMelt will never automatically post new status updates without you doing so yourself using RockMelt’s Share button and sharing features. As mentioned before, this permission may be better understood as a “Use RockMelt to post to my Wall” permission.

• Access posts in my News Feed

RockMelt uses this permission to add your Facebook News Feed into RockMelt directly so you can see your News Feed without going to Facebook.com – saving you time and clicks.

• Access my data any time (RockMelt may access my data when I’m not using the application)

This permission allows RockMelt to get your feed in the background, so it can show you up-to-date information as soon as you login to RockMelt.

• Access Facebook Chat

The “Access Facebook Chat” permission allows you to chat with your friends from the RockMelt Friend Edge. Your friends are available to chat wherever you go online.

• Access my custom friend lists

RockMelt uses custom friend lists inside the Facebook App in the App Edge so you can see and filter friend updates by the lists you’ve created.

• Access my profile information (Likes, Music, TV, Movies, Books, Quotes, Groups, Notes, Birthday, Current City and Facebook Status)

This permission lets RockMelt include your Facebook status updates and “likes” into the RockMelt browser directly. We’re also thinking of ways to add in other features – such as notes and more – later!

• Access my contact information (Online Presence)

This permission lets us use your “Online Presence” as part of the RockMelt chat feature so you can set your chat status and let your friends see when you are online (just like on facebook.com)

• Access my photos and videos (Photos Uploaded by Me and Photos and Videos of Me)

Access to your photos and videos are needed so that we can let you see your own photos in the RockMelt Facebook Me App in the App Edge.

• Access my friends’ information (Birthdays, Likes, Music, TV, Movies, Books, Quotes, Online Presence, Notes, Photos, Videos, Photos and Videos of Them and Facebook Statuses)

This permission lets you see your friends’ photos, status updates, “likes” and more right inside RockMelt so you don’t have to go to facebook.com every time. Instead, just click on your friends’ profile icons on the Friend Edge sidebar or click on the Facebook News Feed App. This permission also lets you see your friends’ photos before you invite them to RockMelt.

Thanks for reading and please let us know if you have any questions or feedback by emailing feedback-at-rockmelt.com.

An Update for the Holidays

Today, we’re releasing a small update that fixes some stability issues with Apps, browsing in Incognito mode, and browser synching. We’ve also added some holiday cheer in the header of the New Tab Page, as well as parts of the Invite App. Please see below for more details.

As before, if you’re already using RockMelt, your browser will download the update automatically within the next 24 hours or so. If you want it now, just open the RockMelt menu, choose “About RockMelt” to download the update, and then just restart to apply the update.

Thanks for using RockMelt and for all of your support and feedback. Happy browsing!

Enhancements in Version 0.8.36.116

New holiday designs on the New Tab Page and in the Invite App

Streamlined invitation process and invite message customization

Simplified New Tab Page and added quick links to the footer

15 Bugs Fixed

Improved reliability of App feeds and updates

Improved reliability of synching extensions and preferences

Fixed issue causing duplicate new tabs and landing pages

Fixed causes of several crashes in Incognito mode

Our First Update to RockMelt Beta!

Wow, we’ve had an exciting two weeks! Since our beta launch, we’ve received a lot of great feedback and have been working around the clock to add new features and boost stability and performance.

The latest version of RockMelt (0.8.36.74) is focused on improving stability by upgrading the underlying Chromium to version 7. We’ve also enhanced our Twitter and Facebook integration and sharing, and created a RockMelt-specific Gmail Notifier App. Check out the list below for more details.

If you’re already using RockMelt, your browser will update automatically within the next day but you can download it now by opening the RockMelt menu in the upper left, choosing “About RockMelt,” and checking for updates.

Thanks for using RockMelt and for all of your feedback, patience, and support for far! We’re only just beginning :)

Enhancements in Version 0.8.36.74

New Gmail Notifier App to let you know when you have new email. To install, just go to gmail.com, sign in, and click on the “Add Apps” button at the bottom of the App Edge

Tweet directly from the Twitter App using the new “compose” button at the top

Update your status directly from the Facebook App by clicking on the new “compose” button at the top

Search within the Facebook, Twitter, and News Apps by typing in the new filter box (Windows users press CTRL+F to invoke)

Compose messages, write on walls, or go straight to a website through richer context menus when you right-click on a Friend or App in the Edge

Faster, more consistent Twitter and Facebook feed updates and notifications

Look for more invites and improved notifications in the enhanced Invite App

Hide or show edges while in full-screen mode, just like in the normal view

Upgrade to Chromium 7 for improvements in speed and stability and better HTML 5 support

Bugs fixed

(Mac) Fixed keyboard shortcut so Command+K puts focus in the search field

(Mac) Twitter App recognizes underscores in Twitter handles :)

(Mac) Fixed issues with importing Firefox bookmarks

(Windows) Fixed issues when adding new Twitter accounts

(Windows) Enhanced the URL box and bookmarking bar

(Mac / Windows) Fixed a bunch of bugs that caused crashes

(Mac / Windows) Improved Share button functionality when sharing videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Hulu and others

Growing Pains

Whoof! It’s been a crazy 72 hours for us here at RockMelt. Since launching our limited beta last Sunday afternoon we’ve been bowled over by the positive response, the number of beta signups, and the great show of support we’ve received from everyone. Thanks!

The bad news is that we’ve been experiencing some growing pains as we ramp up to meet demand. As with any early beta, bumps in the road are not altogether unexpected, but disappointing nonetheless. Our team is working around the clock to fix issues. (Yes, we have beds and even a shower in the office, for which we are thankful - especially for the shower!) Here is a quick summary of the major issues we’ve seen, and some tips for dealing with them until we sort things out.

Can’t Login

Sometimes, when you login to RockMelt (or just start it, if you selected “Keep me logged in to RockMelt” when you last logged in), the browser window comes up, but your Edges do not appear, and you see a spinning cursor where your Facebook profile picture is supposed to be. Bummer! If this goes on for more than 30 seconds or so, you can try restarting RockMelt a few minutes later, which may resolve the issue.

This is a load-related bug. When it happens, we add capacity and restart some things, but that takes a while. We are working hard on a permanent fix, but it’s going to take a day or two more.

Can’t Get My Feeds

Sometimes, you may notice that your feeds in the right Edge don’t seem to be updating, or when you first login, your feeds have no content at all. Nooooo! If you notice this happening, restarting RockMelt may resolve the issue.

Again, this is a load-related bug that is also affected by the response times we see from the sites we poll. We are working hard on a permanent fix for this one too, but it’s going to take a little while.

Proudbarrassed

We are thinking of inventing a new word that accurately reflects how we feel right now. We’re proud of RockMelt and delighted by the many positive comments we’ve received. But we’re also highly embarrassed that we’re having a few issues and not giving every RockMelt user a fantastic experience. Proud and embarrassed. Proudbarrassed. We think it might happen.

In the meantime, thank you again for your patience. We are hard at work to make sure that every RockMelt user has a great experience!

And of course, you can follow us on Twitter or check our page on Facebook for real time information on fixes. We’ll keep you updated.

World, Meet RockMelt

Hello Interwebs! The rumors are true… starting today, we’re offering access to an early version of RockMelt, a new browser designed around you and how you use the Web.

RockMelt does more than just navigate Web pages. It makes it easy for you to do the things you do every single day on the Web: share and keep up with your friends, stay up-to-date on news and information, and search. And of course, RockMelt is fast, secure, and stable because it’s built on Chromium, the open source project behind Google’s Chrome browser. It’s your browser – re-imagined and built for how you use the Web.

If you can stand a few kinks and bugs, sign up for early access, and we’ll get you an invitation as soon as we can. We’d love to know what you think.

Your World Built into Your Browser

With RockMelt we’ve re-thought the user experience because a browser can and should be about more than simply navigating Web pages. Today, the browser connects you to your world. Why not build your world right into your browser?

Your friends are important to you, so we built them in. Now you’re able to chat, share that piano-playing-cat video everyone’s going to love, or just see what your friends are up to, regardless of what site you’re on. Your favorite sites are important to you, so we built them in too. Now you can access them from anywhere, without leaving the page you’re on. And RockMelt will tell you when something new happens.

Share or tweet links often? Yeah, us too. No more wading through each site’s goofy share widget or copy-pasting URLs. We built sharing directly into the browser, right next to the URL bar. Like a site or story? Click “Share” and BAM – link shared. You can use it on any site to post to Facebook or tweet about it on Twitter. It’s just one click away. That easy.

Personalized and Backed by the Cloud

Wherever you go on the Internet, RockMelt makes the Web a personal experience. Because RockMelt is the first browser you log into, it unlocks your Web experience with your Facebook friends, your feeds, your favorite services, even your bookmarks and preferences. RockMelt is also the first browser to be fully backed by the cloud. This means you can access your personal browsing experience from anywhere, and you get quick updates from the people and sites that are important to you.

Behind the scenes, RockMelt is always working on your behalf. Do you visit the same site 10 times a day, checking for new posts or updates? Well, RockMelt keeps track of all your favorite sites for you, alerting you when a new story comes out, a friend posts new pictures, or a new video is available. And when you open a RockMelt feed, the content is already waiting for you. You can Like, comment, reply, retweet, share - all the actions you’ve come to expect from each service you follow.

Faster Search

Last but not least, RockMelt makes search faster. And better. We got tired of clicking back and forth trying to find the right search result. So we made search as simple as leafing through a magazine. With RockMelt, you can use your keyboard to flip through Google search results and pick the one you want. Super fast. Super cool.

Rock Solid Foundation

Any intro to RockMelt wouldn’t be complete without recognizing all the tremendous work that came before us—and which we’ve built upon. We’re based on Chromium, the open source project behind Google’s Chrome browser, which in turn is based on WebKit, the open source HTML layout engine used by Apple, as well as a host of other projects from Mozilla and others. These projects, which we contribute to, represent the best browser technology out there. RockMelt wouldn’t be possible without these projects, as well as the open APIs, help and support we’ve received from Facebook, Twitter, and others. We’re proud and deeply grateful to be able to build on the shoulders of these giants. Thanks friends!

Get Your RockMelt On!

After two years of work, RockMelt is still a baby. It’s our baby and we’re proud of it, but we’re most excited about what it will grow into. We’ve just scratched the surface of what we want to do. If you’re on Mac or Windows and you don’t mind some kinks and bugs, we hope you’ll sign up for early access and let us know what you think! We are sending out invitations as fast as we can, while making sure our service scales up. We hope you like RockMelt as much as we do. You can follow our blog or our Twitter account or like us on Facebook for updates. Happy browsing!

- The RockMelt Team