Firefox 3.5 Beta 4: What’s New

Despite the impressive number jump, Firefox 3.5 Beta 4 is just a stepping stone up in the beta development chain. The release incorporates a handful of fixes and improvements from its predecessor, Firefox 3.1 Beta 3, including better private browsing functionality and a more stable build of the TraceMonkey JavaScript engine.

The new beta also adds support for geolocation-based location award browsing and native JSON. It’s said to feature faster content rendering as well.

Full release notes about the changes follow. Visit this page to download the release.

Firefox 3.5 Beta 4 is based on the Gecko 1.9.1 rendering platform, which has been under development for the past 10 months. Firefox 3.5 offers many changes over the previous version, supporting new web technologies, improving performance and ease of use, and adding new features for users:

This beta is now available in 70 languages – get your local version.

Improved tools for controlling your private data, including a Private Browsing Mode.
Better performance and stability with the new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine.

The ability to provide Location Aware Browsing using web standards for geolocation.
Support for native JSON, and web worker threads.

Improvements to the Gecko layout engine, including speculative parsing for faster content rendering.

Support for new web technologies such as: HTML5

Firefox 3.5 Beta 4 Is Finally Here is a post from: The Inquisitr

Firefox 3.0.9 fixes a number of security and stability issues. It also repairs a bug in which a corrupted database would cause stored cookies to disappear, as well as a glitch that prevented embedded images from showing up within e-mails on various Web-based mail services.

Two other issues are corrected in the update: one in which new windows would not focus properly, and another in which large forms would submit too slowly.

As for Firefox 3.5 Beta 4, it should be on the way any day now. The fourth beta was originally set to have its code frozen last week, but that was evidently delayed.

Mozilla Releases Firefox 3.0.9, Preps 3.5 Beta 4 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Firefox 3.1 Beta 3: What’s New

Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 was behind schedule because of problems with its TraceMonkey JavaScript engine. Mozilla now seems to think those issues are largely resolved, noting that TraceMonkey’s “performance and stability” are improved in the new release. Other changes in the third beta include:

• An improved “Private Browsing Mode” (commonly called “porn mode”). The history sidebar now has a button to “Forget This Site” as well.

• Improvements to Web worker thread support.

• The addition of native JSON support.

• Improvements to the Gecko layout engine that’ll deliver faster rendering.

• Support for video and audio tags and other new technologies.

You can read more about the new Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 and download a copy here. Remember that this is not a final release and may still have problems — Mozilla does not recommend it for general public use.

Firefox 3.1′s New Number

This beta will be the last release under the Firefox 3.1 designation. Starting with the fourth (and as of now final) beta, the program will become Firefox 3.5. Developers decided to make the jump because of the vast amount of changes within the release.

As for timing, Mozilla has stated it does not expect to make its original first quarter goal for the final Firefox 3.5 release. No specifics have been determined thus far, though, so stay tuned.

Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 is Here is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mozilla’s frequently delayed Firefox 3.1 release may now become Firefox 3.5, the company has revealed. Engineers are considering renaming the next major Firefox update to reflect the significant changes within the program.

Firefox 3.5 Discussions

The idea for skipping ahead to the Firefox 3.5 designation came up at Mozilla meeting Wednesday. The proposal would leave the upcoming beta 3 under the 3.1 name, then bring in the 3.5 branding beginning with the (apparently now definite) fourth beta.

“The increase in scope represented by TraceMonkey and Private Browsing, plus the sheer volume of work that’s gone into everything from video and layout to places and the plugin service make it a larger increment than we believe is reasonable to label ‘.1,’ Mozilla’s Mike Shaver writes in a company discussion forum.

“3.5 will help set expectations better about the amount of awesome that’s packed into Shiretoko, and we expect uptake help from that as well,” he says.

The new numbering, Shaver notes, would not indicate plans for additional features to be added into the upcoming release; rather, it would simply better represent the work that has already been done.

As of now, Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 is expected to be made publicly available late next week, on March 12. That date, however, has been set and changed before, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, Firefox 3.0.7–a minor security and stability update–was released this week. It is available for download at the official GetFirefox.com Web site.

Mozilla Changing Firefox 3.1 to Firefox 3.5 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Firefox 3.1: The Latest

Mozilla delayed Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 a few weeks ago. Engineers then targeted February 18 for the release. That, of course, did not happen, and the third beta is currently tentatively slated for March 2.

As for a final release, VP of Engineering Mike Shaver now tells InfoWorld the current schedule on the table would put the date well out of its original early 2008 timeframe.

“To make it in Q1, we’d have to rush it more than we want to,” he says.

Shaver also adds that Mozilla may insert a fourth beta into the process. Developers had initially planned for only two betas but added the third back in November.

Firefox 3.1: TraceMonkey Talk

The date discussion comes as some Mozilla developers are calling for the 3.1 browser’s JavaScript engine, known as TraceMonkey, to be pulled completely from the product. The engine has been cited as the main hold-up with the release.

“Without TraceMonkey, we probably could have shipped 3.1 final by now, or, if not now, within the next month,” one developer posted in a company forum. “I think there should be a limit to the amount we’re willing to slip 3.1 to accommodate TraceMonkey, and I think we should decide what that limit is.”

Another developer suggested leaving TraceMonkey functionality in, but having it disabled by default (as was the case with past beta releases).

“Adventurous users can turn it on, and we can turn it right back on by default on the trunk / 3.2 alpha work,” he says. “Releases require compromise-logic, and there’s good stuff in 3.1 being blocked by TM.”

Shaver, the vice president of engineering, indicated to InfoWorld that TraceMonkey probably won’t be cut altogether. “We’re always looking at all of our choices, but I don’t think it’s likely,” he said.

Firefox 3.1 Update: Possible Fourth Beta, Talk of Pulling TraceMonkey Altogether is a post from: The Inquisitr

Meet Firefox 3.2

Several new features are being planned for Firefox 3.2, Mozilla engineer Mike Connor revealed in an interview this morning. Among them:

• Integration of Mozilla’s Ubiquity Labs project. Ubiquity lets you enter “natural language” phrases directly into the browser — phrases like “share-on-delicious” to bookmark a page on Delicious, for example. (Demo video here.) The Labs version of Ubiquity, once installed, requires you to hit Ctrl-Space to input the commands. Mozilla wants to build the functionality directly into Firefox’s “Awesome Bar” for the 3.2 release, Connor says.

• Integration of Mozilla’s Prism Labs project. Prism offers the Chrome-like ability to “split Web applications” out of your browser and have them function as standalone desktop utilities. Say you wanted to be able to run Google Calendar like a regular program. With Prism, you can give it its own environment that’ll look and act more like an application than a browser window.

• Addition of “lightweight theming.” That’ll mean you can customize your browser’s look without having to download individual themes or add-ons.

Other features under development in Mozilla Labs may make their way into future versions of Firefox, too. “We’re looking for more pure innovation than just incrementally getting better,” Connor tells PC Pro. “All the stuff we set out to do in the beginning is already done. What next? Make it faster? That’s not really a great answer for us.”

Firefox 3.2 could come by the end of the year, Connor indicates. It may also end up being pushed back until next spring.

In the meantime, Mozilla is beginning its final testing on Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 this week. New details about the timeline for the beta’s release are here.

Firefox 3.2: A Sneak Peek Ahead is a post from: The Inquisitr

Beta 3, you may remember, was initially scheduled to be completed in January. Mozilla ended up pushing back the date because of some problems with the browser’s Javascript engine. The new date is still listed as “tentative,” so the plans could conceivably shift again.

Mozilla is using this week, meanwhile, to conduct final testing on the program. Beta 3 candidates are available for download at the nightly build site. “This is sort of Bugday and Testday rolled together but spread out over an entire week,” developers say.

Testers are looking carefully at some of the beta’s new features, which include the Private Browsing option, the ability to clear only your recent history, and the inclusion of HTML video and audio tags.

Mozilla had originally anticipated having the final release of Firefox 3.1 ready within the first quarter of 2009. Developers, however, have indicated the recent delays may force them to move the date back past that period.

Amidst all of that, plans are already being made for Firefox 3.2. Get a sneak peek at what’s ahead here.

Mozilla Sets the Date For Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 also marks the debut of web worker thread support and support for video and audio tag elements. Other under-the-hood additions include the W3C Geolocation API, JavaScript query selectors, CSS 2.1 and 3 properties, SVG transforms, and offline applications. A full list of added features is available here.

The new beta is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. There’s one more step before the final release — Mozilla decided a couple of weeks ago to go for a third beta prior to finishing the new Firefox. Beta 3 is expected to come out in early January, with the full 3.1 release to follow soon after.

Meet Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The build, branded as Firefox 3.1 beta 2 rather than as Mozilla Minefield, appeared in Mozilla’s nightly builds directory early Wednesday morning, as first spotted by the folks at TG Daily. It has the much-touted TraceMonkey Javascript engine enabled, along with what TG Daily interprets as a “look and feel” that “appears to be final.”

Mozilla had originally planned to have Firefox 3.1b2 locked down by early November with a release soon after, so this would fit within that same timetable. The preliminary plans, though, called for the full 3.1 release to follow by late 2008 or early 2009. Now, a third beta will be debuted in early January instead.

The extra beta will be used primarily for last-minute fixes and testing, particularly related to features added into beta 2. Those features include TraceMonkey as well as the private browsing mode and other improvements.

“The insertion of another beta also offers another public consultation point for web and add-on developers, allowing us to react to their feedback,” lead developer Mike Beltzner explains. “With wide-reaching changes like those listed above, it was felt that this was prudent, especially if it could be done without major impact to schedule.”

Beltzner says no changes affecting themes or add-on compatibility will be made in the third beta.

Mozilla Releases New Firefox 3.1 Update, Prepares for Third Beta is a post from: The Inquisitr

The build, now scheduled for a November release, is definitely set to include the rumored private browsing mode — presumably a reaction to the same feature being touted in Google’s Chrome release last month (and already available in IE8 and Safari).

Also within the realm of privacy, Mozilla’s taking aim at its competitors with a souped-up, schedule-based data clearing service. Beta 2 will have options to let you select specific time and data ranges for deleting browsing history and the likes. Any questions of whether the move is competition-driven are put to rest by these developer notes:

“The above will clear ALL data that you selected. It would be nice if you could
define a time period of what to clear.

Google Chrome offers a ‘Clear data from this period’ dropdown where you can
select a time period of what to delete.

Default option could be ‘Everything’ with other time frame options such as
‘this session only,’ ‘last day’ etc.”

Other features discussed include an expanded address bar — now being referred to, at least internally, as the “AwesomeBar.” Some of the specifics being planned for it are (more) added privacy options and tab search options. Mozilla’s also working on adding the ability to drag-and-drop tabs in and out of windows (a la Chrome). Enhancements to the TraceMonkey JavaScript engine — which engineers have sworn will outperform Chrome’s V8 engine — are also expected in Beta 2.

Then there are some “maybes” that may or may not make the second beta. One is a “Speed Dial,” reminiscent of the option in Opera and now Chrome, that creates a custom thumbnail-driven home page based on your favorite or most frequently visited sites. Developers are looking at a couple of add-ons — one actually called Speed Dial, and another named Fast Dials — for models of what they may eventually integrate. Another interesting possibility is a “site specific functionality” menu that would give you drop-down options based on where you’re surfing — things such as forgetting passwords, showing cookies, or even zooming into the page.

So, the latest status and timeline for all things Firefox 3.1, as of now:

• Beta 1: Released next week
• Beta 2: Locked down November 4; released shortly thereafter
• Full release: Late 2008 or early 2009

In the meantime, Mozilla’s Mobile browser — codenamed Fennec — is expected to hit alpha mode within weeks. More about its development here.

New Firefox 3.1 Details Emerge is a post from: The Inquisitr