The basic Weave client uses Mozilla web servers to store the encrypted information so that all Weave installations can access the data regardless of the states of the other computer systems running Weave.

Weave users need to create an account – or more than one – that needs to be used on all computer systems to authorize the computer system so that the data can be transferred.

The data that gets synchronized this way can be selected in the the options which can be interesting for users who might prefer not to sync the open tabs or the browsing history.

A Weave server was released as well which can be used by companies to implement Weave on their servers so that no third party servers like the Mozilla Weave servers are used for data storage and transfers.

Mobile users can look forward to Weave 1.0 being released tomorrow for Maemo with the likelihood that support for other devices is expanded in the near future once the Firefox mobile developers start supporting those devices in upcoming releases.

Weave can be downloaded from the Mozilla website. The add-on is compatible with all Firefox 3.5 to 3.7x versions.

Update: Mozilla Weave the add-on is no longer available. Mozilla has however integrated its synchronization functionality natively into the Firefox web browser. Firefox users who want to sync data between different computer systems can now open the Options and switch to the Sync tab there to configure the feature. It is necessary to create an account though as data is currently synced using Mozilla servers.

Mozilla Weave is currently an experimental add-on that is only working with versions of Firefox 3.5 which limits the reach of the add-on quite a bit. The data transfer is encrypted which ensures data integrity and safety during the transfer and on the storage server.

Several new features have been added to Mozilla Weave 0.4 including the ability to synchronize preferences, identity support that includes automatic logins and the use of OpenID logins, better support for add-ons using Weave, performance improvements during startup and opening new windows and support for the Fennec which is also known as the mobile Firefox browser.

You can check out our first review of Mozilla Weave dating back to 2008 if you would like to receive additional information. The announcement page contains additional information and the download link to Mozilla Weave 0.4.

I use Moz Backup for Firefox to backup my data and import it to my Toshiba Notebook that I use when I’m traveling. Mozilla Weave is using a slightly different approach that automates the process further. It provides an online storage for Firefox 3 profile data that can be used on any computer connecting if the correct user data is provided.

After installing Weave on the first computer a wizard is guiding through the initial account setup. This has to be done once only, all other computers with Weave can use the login details, that is username, password and passphrase, from that computer to connect to Weave and sync the data.

It is up to the user to select the data that will be stored at the Weave servers. By default Bookmarks, Cookies, Tabs and Browsing History will be synchronized. Saved Passwords and Form Data are optional and experimental at this stage. The transfer of the data to the server can take a while depending on the amount of data that has to be transferred.

The data will be encrypted and the transfer puts some strain on Firefox which did become unresponsive in that time on my system. Weave will connect to the server periodically after the initial synchronization if data has been changed on the computer.

Options to store extensions and themes among other things are already visible in the add-on but not selectable currently. Weave will be a nice option for users who are using multiple computers. I prefer to use Mozbackup instead to export and import data because I work with one computer at home and use the other only when traveling which is not that often.