Firefox 3 Beta 2 Arrives Early

In the modern world of software development it's a rare day when a release actually comes out ahead of schedule. But that's the case with Mozilla's Firefox 3 Beta 2 release, which came out this morning some three days ahead of schedule.

In the latest version, Mozilla developers have improved security and performance as well as functionality. In total, Mozilla boasts in its release notes that some 900 improvements were made in Beta 2 over the Beta 1 release, which came out about a month ago.

Many improvements are focused on how Firefox handles memory. Firefox developer Mike Beltzner claimed in a mailing list posting of over 330 memory leak fixes. Memory handling and leakage issues have been a high priority item for Mozilla developers throughout the Firefox 3 process.

Firefox 3 Beta 2 also fixes leaks in how the browser handles JSON (define) (JavaScript Object Notation) cross site requests, making the browser more secure. JSON is often used in Ajax web development and is an alternative to XML over HTTP (XHR) Requests.

Security is further enhanced with anti-virus integration in Firefox's download manager.

Beta 2 also improves on the security of plugins by implementing a version check to identify plugins that are not secure.

Mozilla has also taken steps to further improve its Places bookmarking and history system which is a major new feature of the Firefox 3 browser. The Places system was originally intended to be part of the Firefox 2 release but wasn't ready in time. It has been part of the Firefox 3 development cycle since at least the Alpha 5 release in June. Fundamentally, Places makes it easy to create, manage and use bookmarks and history information.

The Beta 2 release is the tenth milestone release from Mozilla in the Firefox 3 browser development process. Though this release was ahead of schedule, the overall Firefox 3 browser effort is behind its original schedule which at one point had a final Firefox 3 release set for 2007.

While Mozilla's next generation browser development effort has had a very public milestone release cycle its chief competitor, Microsoft's Internet Explorer has been veiled in secrecy. Microsoft has publicly stated that they are working on Internet Explorer version 8. However except for a few
comments made by Microsoft executives, details of the release and what it may include have not been forthcoming.

"You will hear a lot more from us soon on this blog and in other places," Dean Hachamovitch IE General Manager wrote in a recent blog post. "In the meantime, please don't mistake silence for inaction."

Firefox 3 Beta 2 now available for download

New features and changes in this milestone that require feedback include:

• Improved security features such as: protection from cross-site JSON data leaks, tighter restrictions on site-specific content using effective TLD service, better presentation of website identity and security, malware protection, stricter SSL error pages, anti-virus integration in the download manager, version checking for insecure plugins.
• Improved ease of use through: better password management, easier add-on installation, new download manager with resumable downloading, full page zoom, animated tab strip, and better integration with Windows Vista, Mac OS X and Linux.
• Richer personalization through: one-click bookmarking, smart bookmark folders, location bar that matches against your history and bookmarks for URLs and page titles, ability to register web applications as protocol handlers, and better customization of download actions for file types.
• Improved platform features such as: new graphics and font rendering architecture, JavaScript 1.8, major changes to the HTML rendering engine to provide better CSS, float-, and table layout support, native web page form controls, colour profile management, and offline application support.
• Performance improvements such as: better data reliability for user profiles, architectural improvements to speed up page rendering, over 330 memory leak fixes, a new XPCOM cycle collector to reduce entire classes of leaks, and reductions in the memory footprint.

Get it here

Firefox 3 Beta 1 - 429,000 Downloads

Source: Paula Rooney- ZDNet

The Mozilla Foundation reports that nearly 500,000 copies of Firefox 3 beta 1 have been downloaded since its release last week and two more beta test versions will follow before its final release next year.

During a brief meeting Monday, developers said Firefox 3 Beta 2 will be released by the end of the year and beta 3 will follow in early 2008.

The Firefox team said more than 429,000 copies have been downloaded to date and that roughly 100,000 of those are active beta testers.

The next beta test versions will incorporate the visual user interface redesigns for Windows Vista, Linux and Mac OSX, which gives the browser a more appropriate look-and-feel depending on the operating system used. Users who load beta 1 on Mactinosh are currently invited to test a protoype of the Firefox 3 theme for Mac OSX, dubbed Proto., which is also in beta testing as an add-on to Firefox.