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.

Related posts:

1. Mozilla Delays Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 Release
2. Mozilla Releases New Firefox 3.1 Update, Prepares for Third Beta
3. Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 is Here

Mozilla claims its offering ran 28 percent faster than Chrome on XP systems and 16 percent faster on Vista. Brenden Eich of TraceMonkey jokingly suggested he should rename the TraceMonkey technology to “V10,” a clear indication of his team’s awareness of Chrome’s quickly gained reputation for speed dominance.

The new Firefox 3.1 is set to be released before the year’s end.

Meanwhile, in case you were wondering how much people really care about Chrome, some new numbers out this afternoon give us a glimpse, at least in one country. HitWise looked at UK traffic on the browser’s launch day Tuesday and found visits to the Chrome site accounted for 0.6 percent of the nation’s overall traffic — a figure lower than the number of visits to either Microsoft’s or Mozilla’s respective software pages. Most people stayed on the Chrome site for about two minutes.

Related posts:

1. Firefox 3.1 Update: Possible Fourth Beta, Talk of Pulling TraceMonkey Altogether
2. How to Turbo-Charge Firefox 3.1 Beta
3. Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 is Here